bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Assessment of US Comparative Advantage in Technical Textiles from a Trade Perspective
Authors: Chi Ting , Kilduff Peter , Dyer Carl
Published: June 2005

With the sharp decline of the US textile industry since 1997, attention has been focused on the technical and industrial textile sector. This is widely believed to have a bright future as a result of US strengths in technology and the importance of product innovation in spurring market growth. However, there have been no formal academic studies of US competitiveness in this sector.

This article measures the international competitiveness of the US technical and industrial textile sector and assesses how this has changed over time. Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) method has been used to conduct the analysis. Technical and industrial textile products identified from four-digit SITC classifications were divided into ‘higher-tech’ and ‘lower-tech’ categories according to their estimated technological intensity. The US RCA in each category, and in aggregate textiles, was compared against those of nine leading textile trading partners between 1992 and 2002. These were drawn equally from high, middle, and low-income country groups, based on World Bank classifications. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test for statistical significance.

Overall, high-income countries enjoy a stronger international trade position in higher-tech products, while medium- and low-income countries have a stronger position in lower-tech products and aggregate textiles. While the US has maintained a revealed comparative advantage in higher-tech products with partners from all groups, it has a revealed comparative disadvantage in lower-tech products and in aggregate textiles. No statistically significant differences in US competitiveness between country groups and no changes in US competitiveness over time were found. The findings support the view that the US is a leader in sophisticated technical and industrial textile products. However, the maintenance of this position will be influenced by intensified international competition and the strategies of US companies, which may choose to relocate some operations offshore.
The British Council and Unesco in Ethiopia: A Comparison of Linear and Cyclical Patterns of Librarianship Development
Authors: Coleman Sterling Joseph
Published: June 2005

Although scholarly attention has been paid to the development of libraries and librarianship in Ethiopia, relatively little research has been undertaken on the part played by international organizations like the British Council and Unesco. This article examines the contrasting library activity in Ethiopia of these two organizations in terms of the policy approaches they took and the services they provided, from the middle of the twentieth century to date.
A potential propensity for failure secondary to clot embolism in neonatal ECMO
Authors: Khoshbin Espeed , Machin David , Killer Hilliary , Peek Giles J , Sosnowski Andrzej W , Firmin Richard K
Published: June 2005

Objective: To report a single case of oxygenator failure caused by clot embolism originating from the bladder; and to discuss some preventative options.

Case report: A 2.5 kg neonate with a diagnosis of influenza A received veno-arterial (V / A) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cardiorespiratory support. Halfway through treatment, she underwent an elective circuit change for numerous clots in her circuit. The patient continued to consume vast quantities of platelets and developed a fatal oxygenator failure after 18 days.

Discussion: Amongst the factors influencing the outcome in events of a sudden unexpected oxygenator failure are the severity of patient illness, the size of the clot relative to the size of the oxygenator, the availability of a previously primed circuit and the ease and speed of priming a new oxygenator.

Conclusion: There is a need for improvement in the design of small oxygenators and ECMO circuits. Adjustment of the coagulation parameters and lowering the tolerance towards clots in the circuit by electively changing them may reduce the incidence of sudden unexpected oxygenator failure. However, using a slightly larger Medos oxygenator may gain valuable time needed to arrange an oxygenator/circuit change.
Procalcitonin is useful whereas C-reactive protein is not, to predict complications following coronary artery bypass surgery
Authors: Macrina Francesco , Tritapepe Luigi , Pompei Francesca , Sciangula Alfonso , Evangelista Ernesto , Toscano Francesca , Criniti Anna , Brancaccio Gianluca , Puddu Paolo Emilio
Published: June 2005

Background: The respective value of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as markers of postoperative complications after coronary bypass surgery is unclear. Therefore, complications during one week after surgery were studied to evaluate the predictive role of PCT and CRP changes during the immediate postoperative period.

Methods: Thirty-two patients, in whom an uneventful immediate postoperative course was anticipated, were prospectively enrolled and followed-up to the 7th postoperative day. At the end of the follow-up, patients were divided into two groups. Group A were patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course and Group B were patients with a complicated postoperative course.

Results: Serum samples were drawn for PCT and CRP determination after induction of anesthesia (baseline), at the end of surgery and daily until postoperative day 2. Baseline serum PCT concentrations were 0.119 ± 0.09 and 0.209 ± 0.21 ng/mL in Groups A and B, respectively (NS). Serum PCT concentration increased compared with baseline in both groups during the first two days after surgery. The increase in serum PCT concentration was significantly greater in Group B than A patients ( p<0.0002). Considering a perioperative abnormal cut-off value of > 0.5 ng/mL, there were none in Group A versus 57% in Group B ( p<0.0001). Baseline serum CRP concentrations were 1.449 ± 1.30 and 1.589 ± 1.35 ng/mL in Groups A and B, respectively (NS). After surgery, CRP increased significantly compared with baseline in both groups. When changes in time-varying variables were included in a logistic model, complications were predicted by changes (between baseline and end of surgery values) of PCT (coefficient=9.410; t=2.18) and heart rate (coefficient=0.075; t=1.57), whereas changes of CRP, white blood cells, mean blood and central venous pressures did not contribute statistically. The model constant was -4.827 (t= -2.43) and the ROC curve area was 0.8971. Thus, absolute PCT changes of 0.20, 0.40 and 0.60 ng/mL carry an approximate risk of 5, 26 and 69%, respectively, of postoperative complications in the time frame of this study.

Conclusions: A postoperative serum PCT concentration of >0.5 ng/mL is highly suggestive of a postoperative complication. CRP changes do not contribute to predictive information.
Hypothermia-induced platelet aggregation and cognitive decline in coronary artery bypass surgery: a pilot study
Authors: Hall Matthew W , Hopkins Ramona O , Long James W , Mohammad S Fazal , Solen Kenneth A
Published: June 2005

Hypothermia-induced platelet aggregation (HIPA) was previously reported in whole blood exposed to synthetic surfaces at 24°-32°C in one-third of normal subjects tested. Cardiopulmonary bypass, conducted with hypothermia, may lead to such aggregation, resulting in microvascular occlusion contributing to cognitive impairment. This pilot study was conducted to explore the relationship between HIPA and cognitive outcome at hospital discharge in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery as a first step toward a longer-term study.

Patients (n=45) undergoing mild to moderate hypothermia (32°-28°8C) during CABG surgery underwent cognitive testing preoperatively and prior to hospital discharge. Tests included: visual and verbal memory, mental processing speed, executive function, language, and intellectual function. HIPA was identified using an in vitro assay in which blood flowing in polyvinychloride tubing was subjected to hypothermia, and platelet aggregates were detected using microscopy and passing the exiting blood through a 20-μm pore filter.

Forty-four percent of patients exhibited HIPA. The entire cohort exhibited significant postoperative cognitive decline in verbal memory, mental processing speed and executive function. There was greater cognitive decline in the group with HIPA compared with the group not exhibiting this phenomenon. The patients with HIPA showed significant decline in four of five cognitive measures whereas patients not exhibiting this phenomenon declined in only two of five cognitive measures.

HIPA appears to be associated with an added risk of cognitive decline immediately following CABG surgery employing mild to moderate hypothermia. The findings of our study suggest the long-term cognitive effects of hypothermia-induced platelet aggregation need to be explored.
Wavelet analysis of high-frequency damper behaviour
Authors: Yung V Y B , Cole D J
Published: June 2005

This paper describes research into the performance of a hydraulic automotive damper at frequencies up to 500 Hz. A review of published literature found little information on damper behaviour above 30 Hz. Design of vehicles for low levels of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) requires attention to these higher frequencies. The high-frequency force-velocity behaviour of a monotube damper was measured. Excitations included two-frequency inputs and a random input. In addition to traditional data analysis methods, techniques based on the wavelet transform were used. The results indicate that friction and hydraulic valve flow at near-zero velocity are important mechanisms in determining high-frequency force generation. Another significant mechanism is the transition between notch (leakage) flow and disc valve flow.
Estimation of the air entrainment characteristics of a transient high-pressure diesel spray
Authors: Choi W , Choi B-C
Published: June 2005

The air entrainment characteristics of a transient high-pressure diesel spray were investigated with respect to time and location for injection pressures ( Pinj = 76 or 137 MPa) and ambient density (ρa = 15.6 kg/m3) under the non-evaporating condition (303 K). A particle image velocimetry analysis was introduced and some parameters were defined to express air entrainment characteristics. The air entrainment rate increased greatly as the flow moved downstream owing to a larger contact surface area and a recirculating flow. Higher pressure led to a greater entrainment rate with higher effectiveness. The speed (spray tip and front ambient gas) and volume (spray and laterally entrained gas) relations suggested the possibility for the renewal against the lateral-dominant entrainment mechanism.
Sliding-mode observers for systems with unknown inputs: Application to estimating the road profile
Authors: Imine H , M'Sirdi N K , Delanne Y
Published: June 2005

In this paper, a sliding-mode observer for systems with unknown inputs is presented. The system considered is a vehicle model with unknown inputs that represent the road profile variations. Coefficients of road adhesion are considered as unknown parameters. The tyre-road friction depends essentially on these parameters. The developed observer permits these longitudinal forces acting on the wheels to be estimated. Then another observer is developed to estimate the unknown inputs. In the first part of this work, some results are presented which are related to the validation of a full-car modelization, by means of comparisons between simulation results and experimental measurements (from a Peugeot 406 as a test car).
Hough-transform-based vision algorithm for crop row detection of an automated agricultural vehicle
Authors: Rovira-Más F , Zhang Q , Reid J F , Will J D
Published: June 2005

Finding a pathway between crop rows is essential for automated guidance of some agricultural vehicles. The research reported in this paper developed a vision-based method for detecting crop rows. This method applied the Hough transform and connectivity analysis to process images of a vehicle's forward view and to use them to find the appropriate pathway in the field. The Hough transform was used to detect crop rows and the connectivity analysis was applied to identify the most suitable path from all possible choices. This system was implemented in an agricultural tractor and tested in both laboratory and field experiments. The methodology devised overcame image noise problems and successfully determined the proper trajectory for the tractor.
Study of the simulation model of a displacement-sensitive shock absorber of a vehicle by considering the fluid force
Authors: Lee Choon-Tae , Moon Byung-Young
Published: June 2005

In this study, a new mathematical dynamic model of a displacement-sensitive shock absorber (DSSA) is proposed to predict the dynamic characteristics of an automotive shock absorber. The performance of a shock absorber is directly related to the vehicle behaviour and performance, for both handling and ride comfort. The proposed model of the DSSA is considered as two modes of the damping force (i.e. soft and hard) according to the position of the piston. In addition, the DSSA is analysed by considering the transient zone for more exact dynamic characteristics. For the mathematical modelling of the DSSA, flow continuity equations at the compression and rebound chamber are formulated. The flow equations at the compression stroke and rebound stroke respectively are formulated. Also, flow analysis of the reservoir chamber is carried out. Accordingly, the damping force of the shock absorber is determined by the forces acting on both sides of the piston.

The characteristics of the damping force are observed by the proposed method. The analytical results of the damping force characteristics are compared with the experimental results to prove the effectiveness. In particular, the effects of the displacement-sensitive orifice area on the damping force and the effects of the displacement-sensitive orifice length on the damping force are observed. The results reported herein will provide a better understanding of the shock absorber.
Analysis of a 50 kWe indirect methanol proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system for transportation application
Authors: Virji M B V , Thring R H
Published: June 2005

Steady state and dynamic models of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) or solid polymer fuel cell (SPFC) systems have been developed for transport and stationary applications. This paper reports the results of a steady state analysis of a methanol-fuelled PEMFC vehicle with a maximum (electrical) power output of 50 kW. The model incorporates a methanol steam reformer, gas clean-up unit, fuel cell stack, compressor, expander, battery pack, and heat exchangers as well as electrical power handling, motor, gearbox, and final drive. Results are given for the reformer as a function of steam-carbon ratio and reformer temperature. A degree of optimization of the system was conducted by (a) the addition of preheat to the reformer and burner reactants and (b) the addition of condensers for the fuel cell exhaust gases. The effect of operating pressure was also investigated. It was concluded that only by proper thermal integration could the target electrical system efficiency of better than 45 per cent at rated power be achieved.
Photoswitchable Magnetic Layer-by-Layer Films Consisting of Azobenzene Derivatives and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Suda Masayuki , Miyazaki Yasuo , Hagiwara Yuki , Sato Osamu , Shiratori Seimei , Einaga Yasuaki
Published: June 2005

The photoswitchable magnetic thin films have been designed by alternate depositions of bipolar amphiphilic azobenzene and Fe3O4 nanoparticles by using the layer-by-layer adsorption technique. In these films, reversible photoisomerizations of the azobenzene chromophore affected the electrostatic interaction between the azobenzene chromophore and the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. As a result, we have succeeded in controlling the magnetization of these films by photoillumination at room temperature.
Alcohol-associated severe hyperhomocysteinaemia
Authors: Gillett Melissa J , Burnett John R
Published: June 2005

We report the cases of three men with severe hyperhomocysteinaemia that was associated with high alcohol intake and which resolved on reduction of alcohol intake. Investigation to identify other obvious causes of the hyperhomocysteinaemia excluded renal failure and vitamin deficiencies. Alcohol as a possible cause of significantly increased plasma homocysteine may be under-recognized by clinicians.
Discovery and consequences of apolipoprotein-ε3Groningen: a G-insertion in codon 95/96 that is predicted to cause a premature stop codon
Authors: Dijck-Brouwer D A Janneke , van Doormaal Jasper J , Kema Ido P , Brugman Astrid M , Kingma Anneke W , Muskiet Frits A J
Published: June 2005

Background: We found an unexplained, persistent discrepancy between the outcomes of two apolipoprotein-E (apo-E) genotyping methods for a patient with features of familial dysbetalipoproteinaemia (FD). Polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism resulted in the apo-ε2/ε2 genotype, whereas minisequencing indicated apo-ε2/ε3. The discrepancy was predicted to derive from a novel mutation.

Methods: Sequencing of patient DNA, set-up of a mutation analysis method and establishment of mutation occurrence in 19 family members of the proband and investigation of its association with serum lipid indices.

Results: Sequencing demonstrated a G-insertion in codon 95 or 96 (95AAG-96-GAG-95AAG-96GGA-G) of the apo-ε3 allele. The mutation, designated apo-ε3Groningen, was predicted to cause a frameshift, a premature stop codon at codon 146 (AAGεTAA) and the expression of a truncated apo-E protein, if any. Four family members with the apo-ε3Groningen were identified. Two family members with apo-ε3/ε3Groningen had serum lipid indices within reference ranges but low-serum apo-E. Three subjects with apo-ε2/ε3Groningen, proband included, had serum cholesterol, triglycerides and calculated low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels above the reference ranges. Their electrophoresis pattern showed the classical broad-beta band, indicative of FD.

Conclusion: Apo-ε3Groningen heterozygosity is unlikely to precipitate FD, unless provoked by compound apo-ε2 heterozygosity or other FD precipitating factors.
Gynaecomastia, hyperprolactinaemia and HIV infection
Authors: Acharya Sashi , Fernando J J Rufus , Gama Rousseau
Published: June 2005

Endocrine complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its treatment are being increasingly recognized. We discuss the diagnosis and management of an HIV seropositive man who presented with bilateral gynaecomastia and 'hyperprolactinaemia' due to macroprolactin within six months of starting antiretroviral therapy.

We suggest that the gynaecomastia may be a feature of immune reconstitution disease. Measurement of serum prolactin in the investigation of gynaecomastia should be reserved for those with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Since macroprolactin contributes to circulating prolactin in HIV-seropositive subjects, hyperprolactinaemic samples in these patients should be tested for macroprolactin.
Serially increasing change in lipoprotein(a) concentration has predictive value in acute vascular events
Authors: Hong Soon Jun , Seo Hong Seog , Park Chang Gyu , Rha Seung Woon , Joo Oh Dong , Ro Young Moo
Published: June 2005

Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) has been regarded in some studies as an independent risk factor of atherosclerotic vascular disease. However, the use of a baseline plasma Lp(a) concentration as a screening tool for future acute vascular events (AVE) is controversial. We therefore investigated whether progressively increasing change in plasma Lp(a) concentration is associated with the development of AVE.

Methods: We investigated prospective analyses of 985 participants (464 women and 521 men) who had either clinically evident vascular disease (VD group, n=443) or its risk factor(s) (RF group, n=542). Blood samples were taken from all participants every six months to measure inflammatory markers such as Lp(a) and C-reactive protein during a 10-year follow-up period.

Results: During the follow-up, 223 new cases of myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease were identified. In the RF group, the relative risk of positive ∆ Lp(a) for predicting AVE was 4.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.76-10.85; P=0.002). In the VD group, the relative risk of positive ∆ Lp(a) for predicting AVE was 6.35 (95% CI 3.68-10.97; P<0.001).

Conclusions: These results suggest that a progressively increasing change in Lp(a) concentration has a highly significant predictive value in AVE in both the VD and the RF groups.
The effect of plant stanol- and sterol-enriched foods on lipid metabolism, serum lipids and coronary heart disease
Authors: Gylling Helena , Miettinen Tatu A
Published: June 2005

Phytosterols are plant sterols, mainly campesterol and sitosterol, and their respective stanols (5α-saturated derivatives), which chemically resemble cholesterol. They are present in a normal diet and are absorbed proportionally to cholesterol, but to a much lesser extent, such that less than 0.1% of serum sterols are plant sterols. Phytosterols inhibit intestinal cholesterol absorption, and fat-soluble plant stanol esters were introduced as a functional food for lowering serum cholesterol in the early 1990s; plant sterol esters entered the market at the end of the 1990s. Inhibition of the intestinal absorption of cholesterol stimulates cholesterol synthesis, a factor which limits serum cholesterol lowering to about 10% with phytosterols. Enrichment of the diet with plant stanol esters reduces absorption and serum concentrations of both cholesterol and plant sterols, whereas enrichment of the diet with plant sterol esters, especially in combination with statins, lowers serum cholesterol but increases serum plant sterol levels. Recent studies have suggested that high-serum plant sterol levels may be associated with increased coincidence of coronary heart disease.

Estimates of coronary heart disease reduction by 20-25% with plant sterols/stanols is based mainly on short-term studies. Long-term cholesterol lowering, needed for the prevention of coronary heart disease, may be successful with plant stanol esters, which lower serum cholesterol in both genders over at least a year.
On Diminution and Proportion in Fifteenth-Century Music Theory
Authors: DEFORD RUTH I.
Published: June 2005

The interpretation of fifteenth-century diminution signs is problematic. Theorists describe three types of diminution, all of which may be represented by the same signs: proportional diminution, which reduces the durations of notes in relation to other notes in the same piece; mensural diminution, which reduces the number of mensurae, or counting units, with which each note is measured; and acceleratio mensurae, which reduces the duration of the mensura itself. The writings that describe these procedures are often ambiguous and have been interpreted in conflicting ways. Clarifying the distinctions among the categories of diminution helps to make sense of problematic theoretical statements and resolve apparent conflicts between theory and practice. Since most theorists apply the concept of proportional diminution only to simultaneous relationships and acceleratio mensurae probably arose no earlier than the 1460s, mensural diminution is the principal theoretical meaning of diminution signs in the first half of the fifteenth century. Placing the reformist ideas of Tinctoris and Gaffurio in the context of earlier theories leads to new interpretations of their views on diminution. Their struggles to resolve the conflicts between traditional practices and their own rigorously rational systems led to inconsistencies that laid the foundation for the controversies that have plagued interpretations of diminution signs ever since.
Andrey Volkonsky and the Beginnings of Unofficial Music in the Soviet Union
Authors: SCHMELZ PETER J.
Published: June 2005

This article examines the compositional history and early reception of Soviet composer Andrey Volkonsky's two earliest and most important serial compositions, Musica Stricta and Suite of Mirrors (Syuita zerkal). These two works spurred on the formation of an unofficial music culture in the Soviet Union during the Thaw of the late 1950s and 1960s. Volkonsky (b. 1933) was the first and initially the most visible of a group of young Soviets known by officialdom as the “young composers” (“molodïïye kompozitorïï”). These “young composers”—among them Sofia Gubaidulina, Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt, and Edison Denisov—came of age in the years following Stalin's death in 1953. Their compositions reflected their attempts to “catch up” with the Western avant-garde following decades of musical development that had been denied them under Stalin. The first “new” technique these composers adopted was serialism, and Volkonsky's early compositions illustrate the specifically Soviet approach to the method and demonstrate the meanings it held for Soviet officials and Soviet audiences. Volkonsky's early works also force a broadening of current interpretations of postwar European and American serialism. Much of the information in the article stems from personal interviews with Volkonsky and the other leading composers and performers of the Thaw, as well as archival research conducted in Russia.
Music in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune
Authors: TYRE JESS
Published: June 2005

The years 1870–71 marked the beginning of dramatic changes in French political and cultural life. A few short months witnessed defeat to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War and the fall of the Second Empire, as well as the rapid rise of the Paris Commune and its subsequent violent suppression through the establishment of republican government. The Parisian musical world, while severely affected by the events of war and deprived of performers and audiences, did not come to a standstill. Indeed, these years ushered in a remarkable increase in the number of institutions and concert societies dedicated to supporting French music and to making what would become the standard repertoire more accessible to the average citizen.

Music heightened reactions to the turmoil of war and revolution in Paris at this crucial moment in France's history. Because of their stringent governmental control and largely middle- and working-class audiences, entertainments organized initially by wartime concert societies, and then under the aegis of the Commune, provide us with the greatest opportunity for understanding the political and social contexts in which music operated. Through investigation of the contemporary French press it can be shown that: (1) the perceived function of musical performance was adjusted to suit the practical and symbolic needs of a besieged city; (2) all the factions competing for power during the war and the post-war insurrection in Paris appropriated the connotations of civilization, social stability, and good taste that surrounded “art music”; (3) the Commune's sudden rejection of the Austro-German musical tradition marked a brief but significant moment in which nationalistic preoccupations supplanted historically cosmopolitan attitudes toward foreign art. The study concludes with a meditation on Alfred Roll's painting of the execution of a Communard trumpeter, in which we find one of the strongest images relating war and rebellion to music in the France of 1871.
From Impurity to Piety: Mid 17th-Century French Devotional Airs and the Spiritual Conversion of Women
Authors: GORDON-SEIFERT CATHERINE
Published: June 2005

With his three books of airs de dévotion (1656, 1658, 1662), Father François Berthod offered singers the best of two worlds: newly-written sacred texts set to preexisting love songs by prominent French composers. In his dedications, he indicates that his parodies were written for women, enabling them to sing passionate melodies while maintaining their “modesty, piety, and virtue.” Inspired by the adopted musical settings, Berthod retained the provocative language of the original texts but directed expressions of concupiscent love toward Jesus in lieu of mortal man. Drawing on church documents, devotional treatises, and introductions to sources of sacred music, it can be shown how Berthod's devotional airs—a repertory virtually ignored by scholars—were part of a Catholic campaign to convert female aristocrats from a life of frivolity and immorality to one of religious devotion. This study examines Berthod's choice of airs, his organization of topics, and his parodic procedures as representations of religious “conversions.” Also addressed is the debate surrounding his textual transformations, for some questioned whether women could enter into the spirit of the devotional text without thinking about its “sinful” version. The airs, in fact, embody a central, yet controversial, interpretation of post-Tridentine doctrine: In order to know what is good one must know what is not. Ultimately this study reveals that Church leaders believed that by singing airs de dévotion, a woman, even if married with children, would transcend worldly desire, fantasize amorous conversations with Jesus, and express her love for him “as her true husband.”
The Cadence of Mozart's Cadenzas
Authors: MIRKA DANUTA
Published: June 2005

The cadenzas Mozart supplied for his piano concertos are designed to close with a standard schema that conforms to the cadence as it was understood by musicians of the 18th century and described by such writers as Heinrich Christoph Koch. Melodic ingredients included the note of preparation, the cadential note, and the caesura note. The cadential schema may be elongated and manipulated in diverse ways, and in extreme cases, as witnessed in Mozart's practice, manipulations of the schema may yield sophisticated strategies that encompass several phases of approaching closure.

Since the cadence of the cadenza served as a crucial means of communication between soloist and orchestra, its playful handling by the soloist presumably elicited amusing behavior among the orchestral musicians as they prepared to enter for the end of the final ritornello. This factor contributed a certain visual dimension to the communication between soloist and audience, in accordance with the aesthetic of witticism ascribed to the cadenza by 18th-century writers.
Crisis Between the Wars: Derrida and the Origins of Undecidability
Authors: BATES DAVID
Published: June 2005

ABSTRACT Jacques Derrida's turn to the political took deconstruction in a new direction this past decade. Central to this later political writing was the concept of undecidability. This essay traces the use of undecidability in Derrida's work, from its early appearance in textual theory to its redeployment in his political philosophy, before tracing out the origins of this idea in interwar thought. The argument is that this idea was already highly politicized in interwar discourse. Mathematical and logical concepts of undecidability were linked to other approaches to crisis and decision in the period. Unearthing this context shows that any evaluation of deconstruction's impact will require a thorough historicization of twentieth-century thought, something that has been hindered by Derrida's own lack of engagement with these broader intellectual currents.
George Eliot: Immanent Victorian
Authors: GALLAGHER CATHERINE
Published: June 2005

ABSTRACT Using Middlemarch as its primary instance, this essay argues that George Eliot's realism (and by extension nineteenth-century British realism generally) contains a tension between reference (to types of extradiegetic persons) and realization (which is aligned with the fictionality of novelistic characters). The dynamic of Eliot's novels involves the constant deviation of characters away fromtypes and toward fictional particularity, and it thereforematches a more general turn in British culture away froma desire for salvation conceived of as spiritual or ideational transcendence and toward a longing to attain a state of immanent existence that escapes the requirements of “meaning.”
Raymond Hains's “France in Shreds” and the Politics of Décollage
Authors: McDONOUGH TOM
Published: June 2005

ABSTRACT This article traces the reception of Raymond Hains's 1961 exhibition of torn posters relating to the war in Algeria, titled “La France déchirée” (France in Shreds). By examining how these works were read, and how they both mobilized and contained their imagery for different audiences, the political instability of montage during the early sixties—its availability as a tool of ambiguity for artists like Hains—becomes clear.
Conceptual and Practical Implications of Breast Tissue Geometry: Toward a More Effective, Less Toxic Therapy
Authors: Norton Larry
Published: June 2005

Mathematics provides greater understanding of the complex process of tumorigenesis.

Based on the Gompertzian phenomenon and the Norton-Simon hypothesis, enhanced cell kill can be obtained through a greater chemotherapy dose rate. Results from the 1995 Bonadonna et al. study and the CALGB/Intergroup C9741 study demonstrated that patients in the dose-dense arms had significantly longer disease-free survival and overall survival.

Because of the demonstrated applicability of Gompertzian kinetics, attention has been turned to the etiology of the Gompertzian curve. Breast tumor dimensions, as with all tissue dimensions in biology, can be calculated by fractals. A less cell-dense tissue usually has a lower fractal dimension than a tissue with more cells (i.e., a higher cell density is usually due to a higher fractal dimension). Density is the number of cells divided by the tissue volume. When allowed to grow, the density of a tissue with a lower fractal dimension drops quickly. However, a tumor, since it has a higher fractal mass dimension, maintains a high density as it grows bigger, resulting in a more rapid growth rate and a larger final size. Fractal dimensions of infiltrating ductal adenocarcinomas of the breast are high (i.e., 2.98), which results in a very dense tissue compared with normal breast tissue (with a fractal dimension of about 2.25). As expected, the higher fractal dimension results in a high rate of growth.

The reason for this high fractal dimension is that breast cancer can be considered as a conglomerate of many small Gompertzian tumors, each of which has a high cell density and hence ratio of mitosis to apoptosis. In mathematical terms, each component of the conglomerate can be considered a small metastasis in itself. Thus, the primary tumor is composed of multiple self-metastases that form around a seed from the tumor to itself. Conventional thinking is that cancers metastasize because they are large, but in fact it may be that they are large because they are self-metastatic.

Many genes are associated with the biology of metastasis; these include: A) obligatory cancer genes (most of which regulate mitosis and mitotic rate); B) genes relating to self-metastasis and growth of tumors at local sites, conferring the ability to invade and grow with high cell density; and C) genes that relate to the ability of the cancer to metastasize to distant areas. Additionally, fibroblasts may send out abnormal growth signals causing abnormal breast tissue growth. Consequently, we are not only dealing with abnormal cancer cells, but also with the tissue that surrounds them, or the microenvironment, that is, the “Smith-Bissell” model.

These new insights may lead us to change the thrust of our attack from genes involved in mitosis to those involved in metastasis, including metastasis to self, and to use and further improve dose-dense regimens.
VEGF-Targeted Therapy: Therapeutic Potential and Recent Advances
Authors: Rosen Lee S.
Published: June 2005

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Compare and contrast the mechanism of action for angiogenesis inhibitors currently being explored for the treatment of cancer.Compare the efficacy of standard chemotherapy alone to that of chemotherapy combined with an antiangiogenic agent for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.Describe the rationale for the use of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer.Assess recent data describing the efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

After over 30 years of theorizing, the use of angiogenesis inhibitors as anticancer therapy has finally moved from the realm of research to reality. Normal adult vasculature is generally quiescent in nature, with endothelial cells dividing approximately every 10 years. In contrast, the growth of tumors requires constant vascular growth and remodeling in order for solid tumors to grow beyond 1–2 mm3 in size. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors are key regulators of the process of angiogenesis, which makes them attractive therapeutic targets. A multitude of VEGF-targeted inhibitory agents are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer. This review article focuses on recent developments in the use of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.
A Phase II Study of Epirubicin and Thalidomide in Unresectable or Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhu Andrew X. , Fuchs Charles S. , Clark Jeffrey W. , Muzikansky Alona , Taylor Kerry , Sheehan Susan , Tam Kayao , Yung Elizabeth , Kulke Matthew H. , Ryan David P.
Published: June 2005

Background. The median survival time for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is <6 months, and no effective standard systemic chemotherapy is available. Both epirubicin (Ellence®; Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, New York, NY, http://www.pfizer.com) and thalidomide (Thalomid®; Celgene Corporation, Warren, NJ, http://www.celgene.com) have reported activity for HCC as single agents, and they have different mechanisms of action and nonoverlapping toxicities. Therefore, we performed a phase II study using the combination of epirubicin and thalidomide in patients with unresectable and metastatic HCC.

Methods. Nineteen patients with measurable, unresectable, or metastatic HCC were enrolled. All patients were required to have adequate major organ function and performance status. The treatment consisted of weekly epirubicin at a dose of 20 mg/m2 administered i.v. and daily thalidomide at a dose of 200 mg orally given as a 3-weeks-on/1-week-off schedule. Intrapatient dose escalation of thalidomide was allowed every 2 weeks up to 800 mg daily as long as tolerated. Physical examinations, toxicity assessments, and serum chemistry analyses were performed weekly, and tumor measurements were conducted every 8 weeks.

Results. All 19 patients enrolled into the study were evaluable for toxicity assessment and 17 patients were evaluable for response assessment. A total of 71 cycles of chemotherapy was administered, with a median of two cycles administered to each patient (range 1–14). No complete or partial responses were observed. Seven patients (41%) had stable disease, with a median duration of 6 months (range 5–14). The median survival time for all 19 patients was 196 days (95% confidence interval 93–302). The treatment was generally well tolerated. Treatment-related toxicities included constipation (grade 3, 5%; grade 2, 37%; grade 1, 21%), fatigue (grade 3, 5%; grade 2, 42%), and sensory neuropathy (grade 2, 5%; grade 1, 32%). Four patients required dose reductions of thalidomide due to treatment-related toxicities, and the median tolerated dose of thalidomide was 200 mg daily.

Conclusions. The combination of epirubicin and thalidomide was well tolerated when administered in the schedule used in this study. This regimen has limited activity in HCC, with some patients achieving stable disease and clinical benefit. There is a need for defining more effective systemic therapies for HCC.
Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Elderly
Authors: Rossi Antonio , Maione Paolo , Colantuoni Giuseppe , Guerriero Ciro , Ferrara Carmine , Del Gaizo Filomena , Nicolella Dario , Gridelli Cesare
Published: June 2005

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 20% of lung carcinomas. Chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for SCLC. In limited disease, the median survival time is about 12–16 months, with a 4%–5% long-term survival rate; in extensive disease the median survival time is 7–11 months. More than 50% of lung cancer patients are diagnosed when they are over the age of 65, and about 30% are over 70. Elderly patients tolerate chemotherapy poorly compared with their younger counterparts, because of age-related progressive reductions in organ function and comorbidities. The standard therapy for limited disease is combined chemoradiotherapy, followed by prophylactic brain irradiation for patients achieving complete responses. In the elderly, the addition of radiotherapy to chemotherapy must be carefully evaluated, considering the slight survival benefit and potential for substantial toxicity incurred with this treatment. The best approach is to design clinical trials that specifically include geriatric assessment to develop active and well-tolerated chemotherapy regimens for elderly SCLC patients. Survival improvement for SCLC patients requires a better understanding of tumor biology and the subsequent development of novel therapeutic strategies. Several targeted agents have been introduced into clinical trials in SCLC, but a minority of these new agents offers a promise of improved outcomes, and negative results are reported more commonly than positive ones. This review focuses on the main issues in the treatment of elderly SCLC patients.
Pharmacokinetics of repinotan in healthy and brain injured animals
Authors: Schwarz Thomas , Beckermann Bernhard , Buehner Klaus , Mauler Frank , Schuhmacher Joachim , Seidel Dietrich , Steinke Wolfram , Weinz Corinna , Zimmerd Dieter
Published: June 2005

Repinotan hydrochloride (repinotan) is a highly potent and selective 5‐HT1A full receptor agonist. The ability of repinotan to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and penetrate into rat brain tissue was investigated, because rapid penetration into brain tissue is thought to be essential for neuroprotective efficacy. Intravenous (i.v.) repinotan was rapidly distributed into brain, and the distribution equilibrium between blood and brain was reached immediately after the start of infusion. Free concentrations of repinotan were identical in brain and plasma, indicating that repinotan crosses the BBB freely in both directions with diffusion as a driving force. The brain concentration of repinotan was determined by the free plasma concentration. Thus, the total plasma concentration of repinotan (sum of bound and unbound compound) is only indicative for the brain concentration as long as the unbound fraction remains constant. Metabolites of repinotan do not penetrate the BBB and are retained in the perfusing blood due to their increased polarity. The penetration of [14C] repinotan into ischemic areas of the brain was dependent on time. In studies using injured animals (pMCAO), high levels of [14C] repinotan could be detected in ischemic areas when the compound was administered up to 5 h post injury. [14C] repinotan radioactivity could no longer be detected in ischemic areas when administered 18 h after pMCA‐O. After the end of infusion, repinotan was rapidly and completely eliminated from rat brains. Elimination occurred in parallel from plasma and brain with half‐lives of about 1 h. In conclusion, repinotan rapidly and to a considerable extent penetrates into brain tissue of healthy and injured animals. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Two‐Component Gel‐Phase Materials—Highly Tunable Self‐Assembling Systems
Authors: Hirst Andrew R. , Smith David K.
Published: June 2005

In the past 10 years, the molecular self‐assembly and network formation of small molecule gelators has become one of the most active frontiers of the emergent area of nanochemistry. Increasingly, research efforts have begun to focus on multicomponent gelators, which rely on the initial interaction of distinct individual components to form a complex that subsequently self‐assembles into a fibrous supramolecular polymer. In true two‐component systems, an individual component can be present in isotropic solution, and only on addition of the second component will a gel actually form. In some cases, however, two‐component gels are reported in which the second component significantly modifies the behaviour of a known gelator. Both systems are discussed in this article. The additional level of supramolecular control in the hierarchical self‐assembly of two‐component gels confers exquisite tunability and controllability. Functionality can be readily built into the material by simple variation of one of the individual components. This article discusses the key approaches used to control self‐assembly by manipulating single molecular‐recognition events and illustrates how controlling the transcription of information from the molecular to the macroscopic level by the simple addition of a second component allows complex functional materials to be selectively assembled from simple building blocks.
Clinical management of osteoporosis in women with a history of breast carcinoma
Authors: Van Poznak Catherine , Sauter Nicholas P.
Published: June 2005

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder that is characterized by low bone mass and compromised bone strength. Fractures are the clinically important consequence of osteoporosis and result not only in disability but also in excess mortality. Women who have a history of breast carcinoma may represent a unique population for whom screening and treatment for osteoporosis should be modified. A review of the English literature was performed that included original, review, consensus, and statement articles that were identified through Medline or National Institutes of Health‐related links. According to the literature, osteoporosis constitutes a major public health problem. Approximately 55% of the U.S. population ≥ 50 years of age has low bone mass (osteopenia or osteoporosis). Annually, > 200,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast carcinoma. Due to the high prevalence rates of both low bone mass and breast carcinoma in women, these two diseases commonly coexist in the same individuals. Women with a history of breast carcinoma may be at increased risk of developing bone loss and fragility fractures as a consequence of antineoplastic therapies. The majority of women treated for early‐stage breast carcinoma do not develop recurrences, as a result of recent advances in therapy. Ensuring the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of long‐term toxicities and comorbid conditions like osteoporosis in breast carcinoma survivors is a serious concern and is of increasing importance. In this article, the authors address the evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis in women who have a history of early‐stage breast carcinoma. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.