bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shape and tension distribution of the active canine diaphragm
Authors: Boriek Aladin M. , Hwang Willy , Trinh Linda , Rodarte Joseph R
Published: March 2005

Both diaphragm shape and tension contribute to transdiaphragmatic pressure, but of the three variables, tension is most difficult to measure. We measured transdiaphragmatic pressure and the global shape of the in vivo canine diaphragm and used principles of mechanics to compute the tension distribution. Our hypotheses were that 1) tension in the active diaphragm is nonuniform with greater tension in the central tendon than in the muscular regions; 2) maximum tension is essentially oriented in the muscle fiber direction, whereas minimum tension is orthogonal to the fiber direction; and 3) during submaximal activation change in the in vivo global shape is small. Metallic markers, each 2 mm in length, were implanted surgically on the peritoneal surface of the diaphragm at 1.5- to 2.0-cm intervals along the muscle bundles at the midline, ventral, middle, and dorsal regions of the left costal diaphragm and along a muscle bundle of the crural diaphragm. Postsurgery, a biplane videofluoroscopic system was used to determine the in vivo three-dimensional coordinates of the markers at end expiration and end inspiration during quiet breathing as well as at end-inspiratory efforts against an occluded airway at lung volumes of functional residual capacity and at one-third maximum inspiratory capacity increments in volume to total lung capacity. A surface was fit to the marker locations using a two-dimensional spline algorithm. Diaphragm surface was modeled as a pressurized membrane, and tension distribution in the active diaphragm was computed using the ANSYS finite element program. We showed that the peak of the diaphragm dome was closer to the ventral surface than to the dorsal surface and that there was a depression or valley in the crural region. In the supine position, during inspiratory efforts, the caudal displacement of the dorsal region of the diaphragm was greater than that of the dome, and the valley along the crural diaphragm was accentuated. In contrast, at lower lung volumes in the prone posture, the caudal displacement of the dome was greater than that of the crural region. At end of inspiration, transdiaphragmatic pressure was ∼6.5 cmH2O, and tensions were nonuniform in the diaphragm. Maximum principal stress σ1 of central tendon was found to be greater than σ1 of the costal region, and that was greater than σ1 of the crural region, with values of 14–34, 14–29, and 4–14 g/cm, respectively. The corresponding data of the minimum principal stress σ2 were 9–18, 3–9, and 0–1.5 g/cm, respectively. Maximum principal tension was approximately parallel to the muscle fibers, whereas minimum tension was essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the muscle fibers. In the muscular region, σ1 was ∼3-fold σ2, whereas in the central tendon, σ1 was only ∼1.5-fold σ2.
Autonomic dysreflexia during sperm retrieval in spinal cord injury: influence of lesion level and sildenafil citrate
Authors: Sheel A. William , Krassioukov Andrei V. , Inglis J. Timothy , Elliott Stacy L.
Published: March 2005

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) can occur during penile vibratory stimulation in men with spinal cord injury, but this is variable, and the association with lesion level is unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the cardiovascular responses to penile vibratory stimulation in men with spinal cord injury. We hypothesized that those with cervical injuries would demonstrate a greater degree of AD compared with men with thoracic injuries. We also questioned whether the rise in blood pressure could be attenuated by sildenafil citrate. Participants were classified as having cervical ( n = 8) or thoracic ( n = 5) injuries. While in a supine position, subjects were instrumented with an ECG, and arterial blood pressure was determined beat by beat. Subjects reported to the laboratory twice and received an oral dose of sildenafil citrate (25–100 mg) or no medication. Penile vibratory stimulation was performed using a handheld vibrator to the point of ejaculation. At ejaculation during the nonmedicated trials, the cervical group had a significant decrease in heart rate (−5–10 beats/min) and increase in mean arterial blood pressure (+70–90 mmHg) relative to resting conditions, whereas the thoracic group had significant increases in both heart rate (+8–15 beats/min) and mean arterial pressure (+25–30 mmHg). Sildenafil citrate had no effect on the change in heart rate or mean arterial pressure in either group. In summary, men with cervical injuries had more pronounced AD during penile vibratory stimulation than men with thoracic injuries. Administration of sildenafil citrate had no effect on heart rate or blood pressure during penile vibratory stimulation in men with spinal cord injury.
Optical monitoring of bubble size and shape in a pulsating bubble surfactometer
Authors: Seurynck Shannon L. , Brown Nathan J. , Wu Cindy W. , Germino Kevin W. , Kohlmeir Ellen K. , Ingenito Edward P. , Glucksberg Matthew R. , Barron Annelise E. , Johnson Mark
Published: March 2005

The pulsating bubble surfactometer (PBS) is often used for in vitro characterization of exogenous lung surfactant replacements and lung surfactant components. However, the commercially available PBS is not able to dynamically track bubble size and shape. The PBS therefore does not account for bubble growth or elliptical bubble shape that frequently occur during device use. More importantly, the oscillatory volume changes of the pulsating bubble are different than those assumed by the software of the commercial unit. This leads to errors in both surface area and surface tension measurements. We have modified a commercial PBS through the addition of an image-acquisition system, allowing real-time determination of bubble size and shape and hence the accurate tracking of surface area and surface tension. Compression-expansion loops obtained with the commercially available PBS software were compared with those provided by the image-analysis system for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, Infasurf, and Tanaka lipids (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine-palmitoyloleoylphosphatidyl-glycerol-palmitic acid, 68:22:9) at concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg/ml and at frequencies of 1 and 20 cycles/min. Whereas minimum surface tension as determined by the image-analysis system is similar to that measured by the commercially available software, the maximum surface tension and the shapes of the interfacial area-surface tension loops are quite different. Differences are attributable to bubble drift, nonsinusoidal volume changes, and variable volume excursions seen with the modified system but neglected by the original system. Image analysis reveals that the extent of loop hysteresis is greatly overestimated by the commercial device and that an apparent, rapid increase in surface tension upon film expansion seen in PBS loops is not observed with the image-analysis system. The modified PBS system reveals new dynamic characteristics of lung surfactant preparations that have not previously been reported.
SVM Soft Margin Classifiers: Linear Programming versus Quadratic Programming
Authors: Wu Qiang , Zhou Ding-Xuan
Published: March 2005

Support vector machine (SVM) soft margin classifiers are important learning algorithms for classification problems. They can be stated as convex optimization problems and are suitable for a large data setting. Linear programming SVM classifiers are especially efficient for very large size samples. But little is known about their convergence, compared with the well-understood quadratic programming SVM classifier. In this article, we point out the difficulty and provide an error analysis. Our analysis shows that the convergence behavior of the linear programming SVM is almost the same as that of the quadratic programming SVM. This is implemented by setting a stepping-stone between the linear programming SVM and the classical 1-norm soft margin classifier. An upper bound for the misclassification error is presented for general probability distributions. Explicit learning rates are derived for deterministic and weakly separable distributions, and for distributions satisfying some Tsybakov noise condition.
Mirror Symmetric Topographic Maps Can Arise from Activity-Dependent Synaptic Changes
Authors: Schulz Reiner , Reggia James A.
Published: March 2005

Multiple adjacent, roughly mirror-image topographic maps are commonly observed in the sensory neocortex of many species. The cortical regions occupied by these maps are generally believed to be determined initially by genetically controlled chemical markers during development, with thalamocortical afferent activity subsequently exerting a progressively increasing influence over time. Here we use a computational model to show that adjacent topographic maps with mirror-image symmetry can arise from activity-dependent synaptic changes whenever the distribution radius of afferents sufficiently exceeds that of horizontal intracortical interactions. Which map edges become adjacent is strongly influenced by the probability distribution of input stimuli during map formation. Our results suggest that activity-dependent synaptic changes may play a role in influencing how adjacent maps become oriented following the initial establishment of cortical areas via genetically determined chemical markers. Further, the model unexpectedly predicts the occasional occurrence of adjacent maps with a different rotational symmetry. We speculate that such atypically oriented maps, in the context of otherwise normally interconnected cortical regions, might contribute to abnormal cortical information processing in some neuro developmental disorders.
Winner-Relaxing Self-Organizing Maps
Authors: Claussen Jens Christian
Published: March 2005

A new family of self-organizing maps, the winner-relaxing Kohonen algorithm, is introduced as a generalization of a variant given by Kohonen in 1991. The magnification behavior is calculated analytically. For the original variant, a magnification exponent of 4/7 is derived; the generalized version allows steering the magnification in the wide range from exponent 1/2 to 1 in the one-dimensional case, thus providing optimal mapping in the sense of information theory. The winner-relaxing algorithm requires minimal extra computations per learning step and is conveniently easy to implement.
The Problem-Solving Workshop as a Method of Research
Authors: Fisher Ronald
Published: March 2005

Early proponents of the problem-solving workshop cast it as a method of research to study the phenomenon of social conflict, not only as a method of practice. As a research technique, problem-solving workshops can serve as both a forum for applying and testing concepts and models about conflict, and as a laboratory for inductive theorizing based on information provided by participants. Workshops can also be useful for identifying the typical barriers that hamper effective negotiation and for proposing ways to overcome these resistances. As a form of action research, workshops constitute a social intervention and serve as the central element in a program of activities directed toward social change through conflict resolution. Unfortunately, both the potential of workshops as a research method and the need for evaluating them as interventions are inadequately addressed by current practice.
How Much Do We Know About Real Negotiations? Problems in Constructing Case Studies
Authors: Matz David
Published: March 2005

Much of our theorizing, and indeed much of our "wisdom," about negotiation is based on what we claim to know about real, highly publicized negotiations. Examples from those historically prominent negotiations are cited and re-cited. This essay raises questions about the reliability of the accounts we use from those negotiations. Though documents produced during the negotiation are often useful for scholars, what we know about the actual process of the negotiation – as distinguished from the outcome – depends mainly on what the participants are willing to tell us. The scholar's remedy for this problem is a deep skepticism about any individual account, in depth interviews (where available) of participants, a comparison of various versions, and the use of an explicitly articulated "plausibility test" in sorting out conflicting views. This essay suggests that negotiation scholarship may have depended too readily on individual recollections and thus given us a distorted "data base" from which to generalize. The essay delves deeply into one negotiation (Israeli-Palestinian negotiation at Taba, January 2001) to illustrate how the comparative approach yields quite different results than does a reading of any one memoir, and then describes more briefly how some of the field's favorite examples may not, on close inspection, illustrate what we previously thought they did.
The "Right to a Nationality" and the Regime of Loss of Russian Citizenship
Authors:   Ginsburgs
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Isn't Every Case Political? Political Questions on the Russian, German, and American High Courts
Authors:   Knechtle
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Uncivic Culture and Presidential Power in Contemporary Russia
Authors:   Oversloot
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Ukraine in Transition: From Newly Emerged Democracy Towards Autocracy?
Authors:   Holovaty
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Macedonian Company Law in the Light of Comparative Law Experience
Authors:   Nedkov
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Duties of Company Directors: The Developing Law in Macedonia
Authors:   Jersild
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Constitution of the Russian Federation Annotated with Summaries of Rulings and Other Decisions of Constitutional (Charter) Courts: 1990-2001
Authors:   van den Berg
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Bankruptcy and Legislative Reform in Ukraine
Authors:   Biryukov
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Past and Future of Privacy in Russia
Authors:   Sundara Rajan
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
A New Stage in the Development of Private International Law in Russia
Authors: Makovskii
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Competition Law in the Russian Federation
Authors: Reshetnikova  , Sahlas
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Recent Secured Transactions Law Reform in the Newly Independent States and Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Summers
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Political, Economic, and Legal Aspects of the Association of the Czech Republic with the European Union
Authors: Karel
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Right of Retention in New Russian Legislation
Authors: Sarbash
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Consumer Policy in Poland: Institutional and Legal Features
Authors: Meuwly
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Legislation Regulating the Trade in Precious Metals in Russia, 1990-1997
Authors: Serebriakov
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
A Brief Description of the Moldovan Trademark Law
Authors: Kratzke
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Environmental Law Problems in Kazakstan: Privatization and Other Forms of Transfer of Property Rights in Enterprises
Authors: Novikova
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Reparation of Moral Damages and Judicial Discretion in Russian Civil Legislation
Authors: Papkova
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
New Constitutional Structures in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Schweisfurth  , Alleweldt
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Alternative Sanctions in Russian Criminal Law: Historical Roots and Present-Day Trends
Authors: Tarbagaev
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Treaty Process Evolves — Russian Bilateral Power-Sharing Treaties
Authors: Kjeldsen
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Evolution of Constitutional Justice in Russia: Normative Imprecision and the Conflicting Positions of Legal Doctrine and Case-Law in Light of the Constitutional Court Decision of 16 June 1998
Authors: Di Gregorio
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Transactions Under the Russian Civil Code: Invalidity and the Protection of Rights
Authors: Shestakova
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Civil Law Status of a Municipal Unitary Enterprise Under Russian Legislation
Authors: Matantsev
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The Legal Basis for the Securities Market in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Authors: Karagoussov  , Suleimenov
Published: March 2005

Legal support for the securities market falls within the state's activities in the person of its agencies for the purpose of enacting relevant legislation creating the necessary conditions under which securities can circulate in the most effective and appropriate manner. The state interests can thereby correspond to the needs of the public to the maximum extent, according to the objective economic laws for the development of any market-oriented society. In our case, the term "legislation" (zakonodatel'stvo) includes all the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Presidential Edicts, and decrees of the Kazakhstani Government, as well as any normative legal acts enacted by the National Securities Commission and other national executive bodies within their authorities. When dealing with legal support for the securities market, we first need to specify that such a market is understood by us as a field where certain pecuniary debt obligations, rights of participation in capital and management circulate (i.e., are sold and purchased) with respect to business entities set up in specific organizational and legal forms. The aforementioned types of property rights in the securities market are certified by a special type documents called securities, or by other methods certifying property rights established by law (e.g., non-documentary securities).As they are basically a form of certain civil law relations, not all types of securities may circulate in the securities market. In particular, mortgage certificates, bills of lading, and other types of commodity instructional documents recognized by Kazakhstani law circulate in the commodity markets, including a commodity exchange. In turn, the securities market, being an element of the financial market, includes the following types:- the capital market, where stocks and bonds are sold and purchased and where other obligations circulate relating to the attraction of funds for setting up enterprises and developing business activities, as well as for solving national or local (oblast') economic, social and cultural problems; and- the money market, where short-term monetary obligations (promissory notes, bills of exchange, checks) circulate, performing the function of payment instruments by means of delayed or split (by installments) payments.In this article, we will research the issue of legal support for the capital and money markets in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Constitutional Adjudication in Latvia
Authors: Zile
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Russia's New Foreign Investment Law
Authors: Marinich
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
War Crimes in Soviet Criminal Law: A Postscript
Authors: Feldbrugge
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
Appellate Decision-Making in the Russian Arbitrazh Courts: A Three Year Assessment
Authors: Hendley
Published: March 2005

No Abstract
The pH-dependent transformation of schwertmannite to goethite at 25°C
Authors: Schwertmann U. , Carlson L.
Published: March 2005

At 25°C, synthetic schwertmannite, a common iron compound in acid mine drainage, completely converted in water to a sulphate-containing goethite within ~100 days. The rate of transformation doubled as the pH increased from 4.0 to 7.2. In deviation from its normal acicular habit, the goethite appeared as spherical aggregates.
GeneKeyDB: A lightweight, gene-centric, relational database to support data mining environments
Authors: Kirov SA , Peng X , Baker E , Schmoyer D , Zhang B , Snoddy J
Published: March 2005

Background

The analysis of biological data is greatly enhanced by existing or emerging databases. Most existing databases, with few exceptions are not designed to easily support large scale computational analysis, but rather offer exclusively a web interface to the resource. We have recognized the growing need for a database which can be used successfully as a backend to computational analysis tools and pipelines. Such database should be sufficiently versatile to allow easy system integration.

Results

GeneKeyDB is a gene-centered relational database developed to enhance data mining in biological data sets. The system provides an underlying data layer for computational analysis tools and visualization tools. GeneKeyDB relies primarily on existing database identifiers derived from community databases (NCBI, GO, Ensembl, et al.) as well as the known relationships among those identifiers. It is a lightweight, portable, and extensible platform for integration with computational tools and analysis environments.

Conclusion

GeneKeyDB can enable analysis tools and users to manipulate the intersections, unions, and differences among different data sets.
Cloning and transcriptional analysis of the mouse receptor activity modifying protein-1 gene promoter
Authors: Pondel Marc D , Mould Richard
Published: March 2005

Background

Receptor activity modifying protein-1 (RAMP-1) is a single transmembrane-domain protein required for the functional expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptors. To date, little is known about the molecular mechanism(s) that activate/inhibit RAMP-1 gene expression. Such mechanism(s) are likely to play a major role in modulating the responsiveness of tissues to CGRP.

Results

To initiate studies on the transcriptional regulation of the mouse RAMP-1 gene, RAMP-1 transcriptional initiation sites were mapped in a variety of tissues. Analysis of RAMP-1 expression in C2C12 myoblasts demonstrated that RAMP-1 mRNA is expressed at greatest levels in confluent myoblasts verses non-confluent and fused myoblasts. Transfection of confluent C2C12 myoblasts and NIH 3T3 cells with RAMP-1 promoter/luciferase deletion constructs revealed that 4.7 kb of RAMP-1 5' flanking region demonstrated optimal promoter activity while 343 bp of 5' flanking region was defined as a minimal RAMP-1 promoter. In non-RAMP-1 expressing HEK293 cells, constructs containing 4.7 kb to 782 bp of RAMP-1 5' flanking region were transcriptionally inactive. However, deletion of sequences -782 to -343 activated RAMP-1 promoter activity.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that tissue specificity of RAMP-1 gene expression is mediated by a negative acting transcription factor that represses RAMP-1 gene expression in non-RAMP-1 expressing tissues. This transcription factor is therefore likely to play an important role in modulating the responsiveness of tissues to CGRP.
Anticipatory nausea in cyclical vomiting
Authors: McRonald Fiona E , Fleisher David R
Published: March 2005

Background

Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) is characterised by discrete, unexplained episodes of intense nausea and vomiting, and mainly affects children and adolescents. Comprehending Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome requires awareness of the severity of nausea experienced by patients. As a subjective symptom, nausea is easily overlooked, yet is the most distressing symptom for patients and causes many behavioural changes during attacks.

Case presentation

This first-hand account of one patient's experience of Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome shows how severe nausea contributed to the development of anticipatory nausea and vomiting (ANV), a conditioned response frequently observed in chemotherapy patients. This conditioning apparently worsened the course of the patient's disease. Anticipatory nausea and vomiting has not previously been recognised in Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, however predictors of its occurrence in oncology patients indicate that it could complicate many cases.

Conclusion

We suggest a model whereby untreated severe and prolonged nausea provokes anxiety about further cyclical vomiting attacks. This anxiety facilitates conditioning, thus increasing the range of triggers in a self-perpetuating manner. Effective management of the nausea-anxiety feedback loop can reduce the likelihood of anticipatory nausea and vomiting developing in other patients.
Smoking and tooth discolouration: findings from a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Alkhatib Mhd N , Holt Ruth D , Bedi Raman
Published: March 2005

Background

Smoking is a risk factor of a number of oral diseases; the extent to which tobacco products influence dental aesthetics has not been widely investigated. The aim of this study was to determine satisfaction with own tooth colour of smokers and non-smokers and to investigate whether smokers have higher levels of self-assessed tooth discolouration compared to non-smokers

Methods

A cross sectional national study was conducted on sample of 6,000 UK adults. A total of 3,384 adults was interviewed. Smoking behaviour was recorded together with satisfaction with own tooth colour. Prevalence of perceived discolouration was measured by asking respondents to match their own tooth colour to one of a set of seven photographs of differing severities of discolouration.

Results

Twenty eight percent of smokers reported having moderate and severe levels of tooth discolouration compared to 15% in non-smokers. As well as more often perceiving discolouration smokers were also more likely to be dissatisfied with their own tooth colour compared to non-smokers.

Conclusion

The study provides further evidence of the negative impact of tobacco smoking on dental aesthetics in the general public. The evidence provided by the study may be of value in short interventions for smoking cessation in the dental setting.
Measuring and reporting quality of life outcomes in clinical trials in cystic fibrosis: a critical review
Authors: Abbott Janice , Hart Anna
Published: March 2005

Good quality clinical trials are essential to inform the best cystic fibrosis (CF) management and care, by determining and comparing the effectiveness of new and existing therapies and drug delivery systems. The formal inclusion of quality of life (QoL) as an outcome measure in CF clinical trials is becoming more common. Both an appropriate QoL measure and sound methodology are required in order to draw valid inferences about treatments and QoL. A review was undertaken of randomised controlled trials in cystic fibrosis where QoL was measured. EMBASE, MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science were searched to locate all full papers in the English language reporting randomised controlled trials in cystic fibrosis, published between January 1991 and December 2004. All Cochrane reviews published before December 2004 were hand searched. Papers were included if the authors had reported that they had measured QoL or well being in the trial. 16 trials were identified. The interventions investigated were: antibiotics (4); home versus hospital administration of antibiotics (1); steroids (1); mucolytic therapies (6); exercise (3) and pancreatic enzymes (1). Not one trial evaluated in this review provided conclusive results concerning QoL. This review highlights many of the pitfalls of QoL measurement in CF clinical trials and provides constructive information concerning the design and reporting of trials measuring QoL.
Preferences for the selection of unique tRNA primers revealed from analysis of HIV-1 replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Authors: Moore-Rigdon Kenda L , Kosloff Barry R , Kirkman Richard L , Morrow Casey D
Published: March 2005

Background

All human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) uses a host tRNALys,3 as the primer for reverse transcription. The tRNALys,3 is bound to a region on the HIV-1 genome, the primer-binding site (PBS), that is complementary to the 18 terminal nucleotides of tRNALys,3. How HIV-1 selects the tRNA from the intracellular milieu is unresolved.

Results

HIV-1 tRNA primer selection has been investigated using viruses in which the primer-binding site (PBS) and a sequence within U5 were altered so as to be complementary to tRNAMet, tRNAPro or tRNAIle. Analysis of the replication of these viruses in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) revealed preferences for the selection of certain tRNAs. HIV-1 with the PBS altered to be complementary to tRNAMet, with and without the additional mutation in U5 to be complementary to the anticodon of tRNAMet, stably maintains the PBS complementary to tRNAMet following extended in vitro culture in PBMC. In contrast, viruses with either the PBS or PBS and U5 mutated to be complementary to tRNAIle were unstable during in vitro replication in PBMC and reverted to utilize tRNALys,3. Viruses with the PBS altered to be complementary to tRNAPro replicated in PBMC but reverted to use tRNALys,3; viruses with mutations in both the U5 and PBS complementary to tRNAPro maintained this PBS, yet replicated poorly in PBMC.

Conclusion

The results of these studies demonstrate that HIV-1 has preferences for selection of certain tRNAs for high-level replication in PBMC.
Biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Dessein Patrick H , Joffe Barry I , Singh Sham
Published: March 2005

Cardiovascular event rates are markedly increased in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and RA atherogenesis remains poorly understood. The relative contributions of traditional and nontraditional risk factors to cardiovascular disease in RA await elucidation. The present study comprises three components. First, we compared biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (vascular cell adhesion molecule [VCAM]-1, intercellular adhesion molecule [ICAM]-1 and endothelial leucocyte adhesion molecule [ELAM]-1) in 74 RA patients and 80 healthy control individuals before and after controlling for traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-1, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Second, we investigated the potential role of an extensive range of patient characteristics in endothelial dysfunction in the 74 RA patients. Finally, we assessed associations between biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and ultrasonographically determined common carotid artery intima–media thickness and plaque in RA. The three biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, as well as hs-CRP, IL-1, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, were higher in patients than in control individuals (P < 0.0001). Patients were also older, exercised less and had a greater waist circumference, blood pressure and triglyceride levels (P ≤ 0.04). Five patients had diabetes. Differences in endothelial function were no longer significant between patients and controls (P = 0.08) only after both traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors were controlled for. In the 74 RA patients, IL-6 predicted levels of all three biomarkers (P ≤ 0.03), and rheumatoid factor titres and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) both predicted levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (P ≤ 0.02). VCAM-1 was associated with common carotid artery intima–media thickness (P = 0.02) and plaque (P = 0.04) in RA. Patients had impaired endothelial function, less favourable traditional cardiovascular risk factor profiles, and higher circulating concentrations of hs-CRP and cytokines compared with healthy control individuals. Both traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors contributed to the differences in endothelial function between RA patients and healthy control individuals. IL-6, rheumatoid factor titres and low GFR were independently predictive of endothelial dysfunction in RA. Disease-modifying agents that effectively suppress both cytokine and rheumatoid factor production, and interventions aimed at preserving renal function may attenuate cardiovascular risk in RA.
An evolutionary and functional assessment of regulatory network motifs
Authors: Mazurie Aurélien , Bottani Samuel , Vergassola Massimo
Published: March 2005

Background

Cellular functions are regulated by complex webs of interactions that might be schematically represented as networks. Two major examples are transcriptional regulatory networks, describing the interactions among transcription factors and their targets, and protein-protein interaction networks. Some patterns, dubbed motifs, have been found to be statistically over-represented when biological networks are compared to randomized versions thereof. Their function in vitro has been analyzed both experimentally and theoretically, but their functional role in vivo, that is, within the full network, and the resulting evolutionary pressures remain largely to be examined.

Results

We investigated an integrated network of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae comprising transcriptional and protein-protein interaction data. A comparative analysis was performed with respect to Candida glabrata, Kluyveromyces lactis, Debaryomyces hansenii and Yarrowia lipolytica, which belong to the same class of hemiascomycetes as S. cerevisiae but span a broad evolutionary range. Phylogenetic profiles of genes within different forms of the motifs show that they are not subject to any particular evolutionary pressure to preserve the corresponding interaction patterns. The functional role in vivo of the motifs was examined for those instances where enough biological information is available. In each case, the regulatory processes for the biological function under consideration were found to hinge on post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, rather than on the transcriptional regulation by network motifs.

Conclusion

The overabundance of the network motifs does not have any immediate functional or evolutionary counterpart. A likely reason is that motifs within the networks are not isolated, that is, they strongly aggregate and have important edge and/or node sharing with the rest of the network.
Estrogen Modulates Endothelial and Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression via an Estrogen Receptor β-Dependent Mechanism in Hypothalamic Slice Cultures
Authors: Gingerich Sarah , Krukoff Teresa L.
Published: March 2005

Although it is evident that estrogen has important physiological effects in the brain, the signaling mechanisms mediating these effects remain unclear. We recently showed that estrogen mediates attenuated blood pressure responses to psychological stress in ovariectomized female rats through brain nitric oxide (NO). An area likely to mediate these effects is the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), because here NO exerts inhibitory effects on autonomic output to the periphery. Because little is known about how estrogen acts on the NO system in the PVN, our aim was to study the effects of estrogen on the NO system in the PVN of hypothalamic slices cultures. We show that 17β-estradiol (E2; 1 nm) increases endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) protein expression and decreases the numbers of neuronal NOS (nNOS)-positive neurons in the PVN after 8 and 24 h, respectively. Using the nonselective estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist, ICI 182,780 (10 nm), we determined that E2-induced changes in NOS expression in the PVN are ER dependent. Using the ERβ agonist, genistein (0.1 μm), we determined that activation of ERβ induces increased eNOS expression and a decreased number of nNOS-positive neurons. We used the selective ERα agonist, propyl-pyrazole-triol (10 nm), and antagonist, methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (1 μm), to exclude the possibility that ERα is involved in the E2-induced increase in eNOS and nNOS in the PVN. These results demonstrate that E2 induces changes in NOS expression in the PVN and that these effects are ERβ dependent.
Lithium Acetate-catalyzed Crossed Aldol Reaction between Aldehydes and Trimethylsilyl Enolates Generated from Other Aldehydes
Authors: Kawano Yoshikazu , Fujisawa Hidehiko , Mukaiyama Teruaki
Published: March 2005

Crossed aldol reaction between aromatic aldehydes having an electron-withdrawing group and trimethylsilyl enolates generated from several aldehydes proceeded smoothly in dry or water-containing DMF in the presence of a catalytic amount of a Lewis base such as lithium acetate or lithium benzoate. Successive reduction of the produced aldehydes with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) afforded the corresponding 1,3-diols in good to high yields in one-pot.
Preparation of Visible Light-responsive TiO2 Thin Film Photocatalysts by an RF Magnetron Sputtering Deposition Method and Their Photocatalytic Reactivity
Authors: Kitano Masaaki , Takeuchi Masato , Matsuoka Masaya , Thomas John M , Anpo Masakazu
Published: March 2005

Visible light-responsive TiO2 (Vis-TiO2) thin films were successfully developed by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition method. These Vis-TiO2 thin films exhibited a declined composition of the O/Ti ratio from the surface (O/Ti = 2.00) to bottom (O/Ti = 1.93), enabling the absorption of visible light. Pt-loaded Vis-TiO2 was, thus, found to decompose water involving methanol or a 0.05 M silver nitrate solution under visible light irradiation.
Host to Guest Energy Transfer in a Self-assembled Supramolecular Nanocage Observed by Picosecond Fluorescence Quenching
Authors: Hosoi Haruko , Yamaguchi Shoichi , Tahara Tahei
Published: March 2005

The host–guest energy transfer process in a self-assembled system was investigated by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. A self-assembled coordination nanocage (Pd6L4) was photoexcited and the appearance of the fluorescence from an encapsulated guest acridine dye molecule was observed. The time constant (1.3 ns) as well as the efficiency (9%) of the energy transfer from the nanocage to the guest molecule was determined.
Targeted therapy of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in vitro by antisense oligonucleotides directed against telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA
Authors: Tao Zezhang , Chen Shiming , Wu Zhanyuan , Xiao Bokui , Liu Jianfeng , Hou Wei
Published: March 2005

A number of different approaches have been developed to inhibit telomerase activity in human cancer cells. In this study, the effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ODNs) by targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in a laryngeal cancer cell line (Hep-2) was investigated. A 20mer antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeting the most open part of hTERT mRNA (anti-hTERT) and a mismatched control sequence were synthesized. Cells were treated daily with oligonucleotides for up to 72 hours. hTERT mRNA expression was measured by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay; telomerase activity by the telomerase PCR ELISA assay kit (TRAP; Boehringer Mannheim, GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). Cell viability after administration of ODNs was determined using the MTT assay. Morphological changes were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining. The cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry.

It was found that antisense treatment induced a decrease in hTERT mRNA expression, telomerase activity, cell growth rate, cell viability, and an increase in apoptosis. The results suggest that inhibition of telomerase activity in Hep-2 cells by short-term antisense treatment against the mRNA of hTERT results in apoptotic cell death. The treatment with anti-hTERT may be useful as a treatment modality for laryngeal squamous carcinoma.
A New Roof Grid to Cover a Large Area: The Vierendeel Solution
Authors: Escrig F. , Sánchez J.
Published: March 2005

When we planned to solve a great roof with a tubular grid by means of rigid joints instead of pinned connections we thought that the main problem could be local tension concentrations and then proposed detailed analysis as well as model test to determine if the plastic concentration around the welded joints was dangerous. The model never was constructed but the considerations achieved by means of the analysis resulted in a new design that represents advances in the state of the art.

In this paper we discuss the problems found in the construction, welding and stress distribution studied by different methods, mainly by Finite Element Method and full scale tests.

Finally the constructed grid structure confirmed our suppositions and we arrived at the conclusion of the good behaviour of the selected mesh. In addition we show the complete process of works from the beginning to the final finished roof.
Elements of Theory of Plenices
Authors: Bolourian M. , Nooshin H.
Published: March 2005

This paper contains the description of a mathematical object that consists of an arrangement of various mathematical objects. This mathematical object is called a‘plenix’ (plural ‘plenices’). The concept of a plenix allows complex processes on groups of mathematical objects to be formulated with ease and elegance. In particular, the use of plenices is ideally suited in processes involving digital computers. It is believed that plenices will find many applications in various branches of science and technology.
Major pelvic fractures
Authors: O’Sullivan R. E. M. , White T. O. , Keating J. F.
Published: March 2005

The identification of high-risk factors in patients with fractures of the pelvis at the time of presentation would facilitate investigation and management. In a series of 174 consecutive patients with unstable fractures of the pelvic ring, clinical data were used to calculate the injury severity score (ISS), the triage-revised trauma score (T-RTS), and the Glasgow coma scale (GCS). The morphology of the fracture was classified according to the AO system and that of Burgess et al. The data were analysed using univariate and multivariate methods in order to determine which presenting features were identified with high risk.

Univariate analysis showed an association between mortality and an ISS over 25, a T-RTS below eight, age over 65 years, systolic blood pressure under 100 mmHg, a GCS of less than 8, blood transfusion of more than ten units in the first 24 hours and colloid infusion of more than six litres in the first 24 hours. Multivariate analysis showed that age, T-RTS and ISS were independent determinants of mortality. A T-RTS of eight or less identified the cohort of patients at greatest risk (65%). The morphology of the fracture was not predictive of mortality. We recommend the use of the T-RTS in the acute situation in order to identify patients at high risk.
Into committees, out of the house? Familiar forms in the organization of Palestinian committee activism during the first intifada
Authors: Jean‐Klein Iris
Published: March 2005

The ethnographic subject of this article is Palestinian political committees and their heuristic importance as a means of rendering Palestinians in the first intifada. Drawing on fieldwork among politically active Palestinians from diverse walks of life, I show that, contrary to the prevalent view in the scholarly literature and in political displays, Palestinians who joined committees did not "leave the house." Concentrating analysis on forms in which Palestinians' interest in committees was actually expressed, one finds an aesthetic likeness as well as a substantive intertwinement between the socialities of committee movements and of houses.
Gendered boundaries in motion: Space and identity on the Sino‐Tibetan frontier
Authors: Makley Charlene E.
Published: March 2005

In this article I explore the gendered nature of religious revitalization in the Tibetan Buddhist monastery town of Labrang in southwest Gansu Province, China. Post‐Mao reforms in China allowed Tibetans to resume religious practices and rebuild Buddhist institutions proscribed during the Cultural Revolution, and by the early 1990s Tibetans in Labrang were rapidly revitalizing the famous monastery that had once ruled this region along the Sino‐Tibetan frontier. I draw on the work of recent theorists of space, place, and identity to analyze the complex identity politics surrounding this project by conceptualizing spatial, ethnic, and national boundaries as emergent intersections of gendered practices among differently positioned actors. I focus on the Tibetan practice of circumambulation as the key activity that reproduced the sacred centricity and power of the monastery. I demonstrate that in contemporary Labrang, women, as principal circumambulators and household laborers, were doubly burdened with shoring up the core of the Tibetan community in the midst of intense assimilation pressures.
Houses Far from Home: British Colonial Space in the New Hebrides
Authors: Hopkins Elizabeth
Published: March 2005

Houses Far from Home: British Colonial Space in the New Hebrides. Margaret Critchlow Rodman. University of Hawai'i Press, 2001. xiv. 247 pp., map, photographs, references, index.
Selves in Time and Place: Identities, Experience, and History in Nepal
Authors: Fortier Jana
Published: March 2005

Selves in Time and Place: Identities, Experience, and History in Nepal. Debra Skinner. Alfred Pach III. and Dorothy Holland. eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1998. xii. 338 pp.
The Package Deal: Marriage, Work, and Fatherhood in Men's lives
Authors: Raj Dhooleka S.
Published: March 2005

The Package Deal: Marriage, Work, and Fatherhood in Men's lives. Nicholas W. Townsend. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002. ix. 248 pp., appendixes, notes, references, index.
The Molecular Perspective: L-Asparaginase
Authors: Goodsell David S.
Published: March 2005

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Discuss the use of l-asparaginase in chemotherapy.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com
Tenascin‐X deficiency in autosomal recessive Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
Authors: Lindor Noralane M. , Bristow James
Published: March 2005

We present two unrelated individuals with complete deficiency of tenascin‐X, resulting in an autosomal recessive form of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS). Consistent with the original description of tenascin‐X deficiency, these individuals had marked skin hyperextensibility, easy bruising, and joint laxity. Unlike classical EDS they did not have atrophic scarring or poor wound healing. Significant medical problems occurring in these individuals included severe diverticular intestinal disease, mitral valve prolapse requiring valve replacement, and obstructive airway disease. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.