bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Airway Caliber in Quantitative Videobronchoscopy
Authors: Czaja Paweł , Soja Jerzy , Grzanka Piotr , Çmiel Adam , Szczeklik Andrzej , Sładek Krzysztof
Published: December 2006

Background: Quantitative assessment of airway caliber is generally confined to indirect methods. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy provides a direct view of the airways, but measurement of the internal size of bronchi in a standard examination is not possible. Using a special image analysis program, we developed a method allowing quantitative assessment of airway caliber by means of videobronchoscopic (VB) examination. Objectives: The purpose of the study was toshow that quantitative videobronchoscopy (VB coupled with a computer image analysis) allows direct and accurate measurement of the bronchi diameter. Methods: To test our hypothesis, we measured the same areas of a bronchial tree in CT and in VB in 40 patients with diagnostic indications for both the procedures. Results: We measured the diameters of 149 bronchi. The mean value of the difference between VB and CT measurements was equal to –0.071 mm and was not significantly different from 0 (p = 0.086). There was no obvious relation between the difference and the mean (r = 0.026, p = 0.745). The Bland Altman limits of agreement were L = –1.071 mm and U = 0.929 mm. We also assessed the bronchial diameter after endobronchial challenge and in patients with tracheobronchomalacia to show the application of this method for dynamic measurements. Conclusions: Quantitative videobronchoscopy allows the accurate and direct measurement of an airway caliber. It may be useful in clinical setting to quantify changes in a bronchial caliber (endobronchial masses, tracheobronchomalacia). Dynamic visualization of changes in airways may be useful in research, especially to explore the mechanics of airway narrowing.
The Influence of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Comparing Mexico, China and South Africa
Authors: Gupta Aarti , Falkner Robert
Published: December 2006

This paper analyzes how the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a global regime governing trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), is influencing agricultural biotechnology policy choices in developing countries/emerging economies. Through empirical analysis of Mexico, China and South Africa, we examine whether discursive and/or institutional change has followed the negotiation and implementation of the Cartagena Protocol in these countries. We find that, although trade and market competitiveness concerns are driving biotechnology policy choices in all three cases, a precautionary biosafety discourse has gained greater legitimacy as a result of the Cartagena Protocol, empowering those domestically who voice such concerns. Related to that, debates and/or decisionmaking processes in this controversial area have become more inclusive in all three countries—an important influence of the Cartagena Protocol.We also find persisting regulatory diversity rather than harmonization of biosafety regulatory frameworks in our three countries, with international trade linkages and domestic politics playing an important mediating role in determining Protocol influence.
Variation of Surface Air Temperature in Complex Terrain
Authors: Mahrt L.
Published: December 2006

Data from three micronetworks with eddy correlation data and three additional micronetworks without eddy correlation data are analyzed to study the spatial variability of surface air temperature in complex terrain. A simple similarity relationship is constructed to relate the spatial variation of air temperature along the slope to the thermal forcing and mixing. Mixing is not included in present empirical formulations of the surface air temperature distribution in complex terrain. The development of surface temperature gradients along the slope, resulting from surface heating or cooling, is bounded by a maximum (or saturated) value, where a further increase of temperature gradients is restricted by redistribution of heat by thermally driven slope circulations. Although much of the spatial variation of the surface air temperature is governed by complex three-dimensionality and surface vegetation, a relatively simple relationship is able to account for much of the diurnal and day-to-day variation of the spatial distribution of air temperature. This relationship requires information on the surface heat flux and friction velocity over a reference surface. Required generalizations of the relationship are outlined before it can be applied to an arbitrary site.
Child Rights: An Enabling or Disabling Right? The Nexus between Child Labor and Poverty in Bangladesh
Authors: Ruwanpura Kanchana N. , Roncolato Leanne
Published: December 2006

The research reported in this article demonstrates the centrality of poverty and the structures of political economy to the prevalence of child labor in Bangladesh. This article examines the context of child laborers in Bangladesh and challenges the uncritical application of the social and cultural rights discourse to conditions where poverty and economic injustice are endemic. The authors argue the current preoccupation in development circles with cultural rights tends to disregard the fact that the economic rights of families and communities are denied, and there is a concomitant negation of the importance of poverty, material deprivation and class structures. This article indicates that the gap between the child rights discourse and poverty hampers the efforts to eradicate child labor in any comprehensive manner.
The Price of Alignment
Authors: Thornton William H. , Thornton Songok Han
Published: December 2006

While the new Asian balance of power is increasingly divided along Sino-Indian lines, nuclear parity shifts competition to the economic sphere. The question is whether this will be another GDP ‘race to the bottom,’ marked by an even greater spread between haves and have-nots, or will democracy give Indo-globalization a Senian (‘development as freedom’) advantage over Sino-globalization? To tap that advantage India will have to rediscover its Gandhian heritage of the common good. Its success or failure in this effort could profoundly impact the global outlook on whether democracy will count as an asset or liability in 21st century development.
Development, Democracy and the NGO Sector
Authors: Rahman Sabeel
Published: December 2006

The presence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries is often assumed to indicate a vibrant civil society that can help promote good governance and effective policy implementation where state infrastructure is weak. Using the case of Bangladesh, this study argues that the NGO sector as a whole has shifted away from its initial focus on promoting political mobilization and accountable government, to the apolitical delivery of basic services. The result of this ‘depoliticization’ of NGOs is an accelerated erosion of democratic institutions in Bangladesh. While current studies of NGOs are correct to stress the influence of western donors in driving this depoliticization, the process in Bangladesh results from the combination of international donor pressure with a domestic environment inimical to political activism. The study suggests that in many developing country contexts, NGOs and civil society actors need to pay more attention to mobilization efforts that can promote both the short-term empowerment of the poor and the long-term consolidation of democratic institutions.
A Multi-centre Randomized Control Group Trial on the Use of Art Therapy for Older People with Dementia
Authors: Rusted Jennifer , Sheppard Linda , Waller Diane
Published: December 2006

The principal aim of this study is to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of art therapy for older people with dementia, specifically to test the premise that participation in art therapy groups effects significant positive changes in mood and cognition both immediately within sessions and later outside the sessions to impact behaviour in the day care/residential care setting. The broader aim is to provide an evidence-based evaluation about the use of art therapy for older people with dementia. In order to isolate the impact of art therapy we compared art therapy groups with activity groups that do not have emotional expression as a central purpose.
Segregated Schools in Segregated Societies
Authors: Leonard Madeleine
Published: December 2006

In segregated societies such as Northern Ireland, schools may become sites of risk rather than sites of learning. This is particularly likely to be the case in interface areas, which are demarcated by peace– lines and other symbolic boundaries. Drawing on maps and focus group discussions with teenagers from interface areas in North Belfast, the article reveals their perceptions and experiences of schools as risky landscapes. Teenagers experienced danger going to and from school and within school gates. The article illustrates the nature of these hazards and explores how teenagers evaluate and manage risk. Teachers attempted to shield teenagers from knowledge of risk and in the process undermined teenagers' attempts to develop resilience. In many cases, teenagers demonstrated a greater level of competence in dealing with actual and perceived risks than teachers often gave them credit for. The case study suggests that teenagers’ ability to cope with and become experienced in coping with risks was sometimes muted because of their wider location in subordinate teacher–pupil relationships.
Factors That Can Enhance and Limit Resilience for Children of War
Authors: McAdam-Crisp Jacqueline L.
Published: December 2006

This article builds on the author's research in East and Central Africa, specifically Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia. It examines minority world resilience theory and explores its application in the majority world, for children in need of protection (CINP).The term ‘minority world’ refers to those in the developed world where the minority of individuals live, and the ‘majority world’refers to those in the developing or underdeveloped world. CINP are defined and the construct of resilience is presented. The strengths and limitations of various programmes are examined, an argument to support these children is offered and limitations are extrapolated upon.
Dangerous Curves in Knowledge Construction within Psychology
Authors: Valsiner Jaan
Published: December 2006

Psychology has become divided by its methodological fixations, largely overlooking the centrality of its phenomena. The alienation of methods from phenomena results in skirmishes between preferred methodological styles (e.g. qualitative vs quantitative). This defies the integrative nature of science that functionally links theoretical and empirical facets of the research process in a methodology cycle. This integration was called for by C. Lloyd Morgan a century ago in the form of integrating the researcher’s introspective and extrospective experiences on the way to creating general knowledge. In contrast, our contemporary fragmentation of the discipline is compounded by forces of social canalization—it becomes controllable by different social interest groups. What kinds of questions are asked by researchers, to whom, and with what kind of focus becomes a task of negotiation between science and the given society. The increasing social control over the domain of ‘research ethics’ in psychology is an example of the social canalization of psychology’s knowledge construction. As a result, many basic questions are no longer addressed. To return to the creation of basic knowledge, psychology needs to reverse the fragmentation of its methodology and to assert the relative autonomy of its research practices from the control of social institutions.
Theory in Applied Social Psychology
Authors: Hill Darryl B.
Published: December 2006

Across the last four decades, applied social psychology has sought to apply theories to ‘real world’ social problems, hoping for some insight into intractable social issues. This paper reviews applied social psychology discourse on the application of theory in the resolution of social problems, with a focus on the ‘post-crisis’ literature. This analysis suggests that much of applied social psychology lacks serious theoretical analysis and has yet to use the kind of theory needed to understand social problems. While exceptions to these trends are noted and discussed, current mainstream applied social psychology, as exemplified by a survey of recent texts, seems highly individualistic, rarely focused on important social issues, and generally atheoretical. Two themes, which run counter to these trends—the emergence of critical psychology and renewed attention to the limits of generalizability, along with the importance of knowing contexts—may set the agenda for further theoretical efforts in applied social psychology.
How Social Representations of Attitudes Have Informed Attitude Theories
Authors: Howarth Caroline
Published: December 2006

In this paper I discuss the importance of examining the impact of our common-sense making on the development of academic psychological constructs. In the process, I shall review the history of social psychology in understanding differences and similarities in the ways in which attitudes and social representations have been theorized. After a concise review of each of these two concepts, I examine the points of connection and tension between them, with particular reference to the dialectic of the social and the psychological. This highlights the influence of dominant constructions of the individual within the discipline of social psychology itself and on recent research in attitude theory in particular. The paper discusses how social psychologists have used, have been constrained by, and have developed particular social representations of the individual and of ‘attitudes’ themselves in the reified realm of academic psychology. By way of a conclusion, the example of racism is drawn on to reveal the conceptual and political consequences of theorizing either racist attitudes or racializing representations.
Descartes’ Demon
Authors: Gillespie Alex
Published: December 2006

Descartes argued that the existence of reflective thought should be the first principle of philosophy because it is indubitable. The present paper draws on Bakhtinian and Meadian theories to analyse the three key paragraphs in the Meditations in which Descartes argues this point. The analysis demonstrates: (1) that Descartes’ text contains the traces of significant others and the discourses of his time; (2) that the sequence of thoughts that leads Descartes to his first principle is fundamentally dialogical; (3) that Descartes’ self-awareness, which he takes as primary, depends upon his reflecting upon himself from the perspective of a more or less generalized other; and finally (4) that Descartes takes the perspective of the other by reversing his own reactions towards others, such that he reacts to himself in the same way that he previously reacted to others. This reanalysis challenges Cartesian solipsism, arguing that the mind, or self-reflection, is fundamentally social.
Projective Identification and Intersubjectivity
Authors: Forrester Michael A.
Published: December 2006

The issue of what might constitute intersubjective relations during infancy and early childhood remains something of a puzzle within and beyond psychology. This paper considers whether the psychoanalytic concept of projective identification might supplement or enrich theoretical efforts in this domain. Following introductory comments on distinctive characteristics of Merleau-Ponty’s commentary on intersubjectivity, attention turns to psychoanalytic assumptions and presuppositions underpinning projective identification. Complementary and contrastive themes are drawn out, specifically those which highlight alternative metaphysical positions taken up within these approaches. Discussion touches on the processes involved in the emergence of projective identification and what implications the concept may have for contemporary theories of intersubjectivity in developmental psychology.
Literary Realism and Psychology
Authors: Mills John A.
Published: December 2006

Moghaddam has suggested that psychologists could profit from the study of fiction. Although agreeing with Moghaddam in general, I feel it necessary to specify, fairly closely, the type of fiction which might be susceptible to psychological analysis. I choose literary realism, as defined by Wellek, as a possible area for fruitful analysis. Having discounted the difficulties possibly besetting such an analysis, I give some examples of the ways in which the study of the works of those working in the literary realist tradition could enlarge and enhance our understanding of psychological processes. Ultimately, however, I conclude that, in order to benefit fully from such a study, psychology would have to undergo a conceptual transformation since the two areas into which, ostensibly, literary knowledge could be incorporated (personality theory and the practice and theory of psychotherapy) are not constituted in such a way that such incorporation is possible.
An exploratory method to detect tephras from quantitative XRD scans: examples from Iceland and east Greenland marine sediments
Authors: Andrews John T. , Eberl D. D. , Kristjansdottir Greta B.
Published: December 2006

Tephras, mainly from Iceland, are becoming increasingly important in interpreting leads and lags in the Holocene climate system across NW Europe. Here we demonstrate that Quantitative Phase Analysis of x-ray diffractograms of the <2 mm of marine sediment fraction (ie, sand, silt and clay) from Iceland and East Greenland can detect peaks in volcanic glass concentrations (weight%) even though discrete tephra layers are not visible; thus it provides a rapid overview of the probable location of volcanic glass within sediment sequences. Experiments in spiking samples from Baffin Bay and an artificial mixture of minerals with known weight% fractions of an Icelandic tephra (Hekla 4) demonstrate a significant correlation (r2=0.92 and 0.97) between known and estimated weight percentages, although the slope of the measured to observed weight% is around 0.65 and not 1.0 as expected. In core B997-321PC off North Iceland we identify tephras from point counting in the > 150 μm fraction and identify these same peaks in XRD scans two of these correlate geochemically and chronologically with Hekla 1104 and 3. At a distal site to the WNW of Iceland, on the East Greenland margin (core MD99-2317), the weight% of volcanic glass reaches values of 11% at about the time of the Saksunarvatn tephra. The XRD method identifies the presence of volcanic glass but not its elemental composition; hence it will assist in focusing attention on specific sections of sediment cores for subsequent geochemical fingerprinting of tephras.
Fire-fuel-climate linkages in the northwestern USA during the Holocene
Authors: Marlon Jennifer , Bartlein Patrick J. , Whitlock Cathy
Published: December 2006

Variations in fire regimes can be inferred from changes in the abundance of sedimentary charcoal found in lake and bog sediments. When analysed with pollen data, inferences can be made about past vegetation dynamics and climate as well. The analysis of high-resolution charcoal records generally involves the decomposition of charcoal influx into (a) a slowly varying ‘background’ component that provides information about long-term changes in regional fire activity, biomass and/or depositional processes, and (b) a ‘peaks’ component that represents local fire events. In this study, 15 high-resolution charcoal records from the northwestern USA and associated pollen data were examined to describe the variations and controls of charcoal influx and background trends. Late-Holocene charcoal influx levels at each site were compared with late-Holocene sedimentation rates, vegetation and fire frequency, and with modern climate and physical site characteristics to better understand the spatial variability in charcoal abundance. Charcoal abundance was largely determined by physical site characteristics (eg, lake and watershed size) and the proportion of woody taxa. Background trends displayed regional similarities, and the subcontinental scale trend based on all records correlated closely with woody taxa proportions in the pollen spectra. Background charcoal and woody taxa proportions increased together from minima in the Late Glacial to maxima in the late Holocene. The strong similarity in these trends suggests that background charcoal influx is a function of fuel characteristics, which in turn are governed by climate and vegetation. Variations in sedimentation rate and fire frequency had little influence on background charcoal trends.
Surface pollen deposition on glacier forelands in southern Norway I: local patterns of representation and source area at Storbreen, Jotunheimen
Authors: Pardoe H. S.
Published: December 2006

The relationship between vegetation and surface pollen deposition is examined at Storbreen glacier foreland where a clear plant succession exists. The aim is to determine whether the distinct plant communities present produce characteristic pollen assemblages. The influence of environmental factors is also considered. Pollen assemblages from moss polsters, collected from 22 paired sampling sites across the foreland, are compared with local vegetation. Two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis are employed to identify clusters and sequences, initially in the vegetation data and subsequently in the pollen data sets. Vegetation and pollen data are compared simultaneously using canonical correspondence analysis. Three main plant communities are distinguished: pioneer, heath and snowbed. Broadly, each community produces characteristic pollen assemblages. Boundaries between groups are not clear-cut, reflecting the mosaic of plant communities present. Recognition of distinct plant communities is hampered by the prevalence of long-distance arboreal pollen and poor representation of entomophillously pollinated taxa. Late in the succession up to 78% of pollen could originate locally. Use of the non-arboreal pollen sum significantly improves correspondence with vegetation. The importance of indicator taxa is considered and both Salix and Empetrum are found to distinguish successfully early phases of succession from later phases. Strong correlations exist between the primary ordination axes of vegetation and pollen and with terrain age and altitude (for example, the correlation between altitude and total land pollen Axis 1 is r= -0.76). The surface data add new information to the interpretation of tree colonization in the area during the Holocene.
Display in Roman Warfare: The Appearance of Armies and Individuals on the Battlefield
Authors: Gilliver Kate
Published: December 2006

The paper discusses the appearance of Roman armies in battle and the contribution of arms and equipment to intimidating displays in the spectacle of pitched battle. After arguing for similarity of equipment in the Roman army but not uniformity, the paper considers the personalization of equipment by soldiers as a means of self-advertisement and individual visibility in battle to ensure reward for courageous actions. This behaviour is linked to the Roman army’s origins in the warrior society of early Rome. The paper concludes with a discussion of the significance of wearing military decorations in battle, contra Maxfield’s argument ( The Military Decorations of the Roman Imperial Army, 1981) that soldiers did not wear decorations in battle.
The ‘Schlieffen Plan’ and German War Guilt
Authors: Zuber Terence
Published: December 2006

When Gerhard Ritter said that the ‘Schlieffen plan’ was the proximate cause of the First World War, his proofs were political, cultural, and moral, and he did not bother to hide his disdain for military history. For Ritter the ‘Schlieffen plan’ was not an operational military question, it was the apotheosis of German militarism, a disease in the German body politic that needed to be cured. Inventing the Schlieffen Plan (Oxford, 2002) took the diametrically opposite stance, being a purely military history of German war planning, which showed that the ‘Schlieffen plan’ was operationally absurd. In his defence of the charge of German war guilt, Robert Foley has to adopt Ritter’s standpoint and repudiate his own previously published work concerning German operational planning.
Churchill, British Intelligence, and the German Opposition Question
Authors: Winter P. R. J.
Published: December 2006

In a previous article, ‘British Intelligence and the July Bomb Plot of 1944: A Reappraisal’, it was recorded that in 1949 Winston Churchill had stated to a surviving member of the German opposition that ‘during the war he had been misled by his assistants about the considerable strength and size of the German anti-Hitler resistance’. It also highlighted the fact that historians have argued consistently that the July bomb plot and its antecedents represented ‘an embarrassing failure by British intelligence’ due to an alleged inability to warn its political ‘consumers’ of a developing anti-Hitler conspiracy within the Third Reich. New evidence has now surfaced proving categorically that British intelligence informed Churchill not only of the potential strength of the German army opposition, but also of its determination to overthrow Hitler and his Nazi cohorts by means of a coup d’état. The present article argues that this fresh evidence, in the shape of PREM 7/7, consigns, once and for all, these accusations against British intelligence to the dustbin of history.
From Peculiar Psychiatric Disorders through Culture-bound Syndromes to Culture-related Specific Syndromes
Authors: Tseng Wen-Shing
Published: December 2006

This article reviews the historical evolution and progress of nosological concepts from exotic psychiatric disorders and culture-bound syndromes to culture-related specific syndromes. Approaches to classification and subgrouping these disorders are disccused and an argument offered for finding a place for culturally unique syndromes in the existing classification system. The characteristics of various syndromes are elaborated and suggestions are made for future research. Finally, emphasis is given to the need to be concerned with the impact of culture on every psychiatric disorder, not only culture-specific syndromes, to promote culturally competent care for every patient.
Clinical, Psychological, and Personality Correlates of Asceticism in Anorexia Nervosa: From Saint Anorexia to Pathologic Perfectionism
Authors: Fassino Secondo , Pierò Andrea , Gramaglia Carla , Daga Giovanni Abbate , Gandione Marina , Rovera Giovanni Giacomo , Bartocci Goffredo
Published: December 2006

This study investigated the personality and clinical correlates of asceticism in 154 anorectic patients. Multiple linear regression models showed that asceticism was related to angry temperament, high control over anger, perfectionism, maturity fears, and number of vomiting episodes per week. These results suggest that the self-discipline and hypercontrol of anorectic patients are related to a temperament prone to angry feelings in subjects with a fear of becoming adult and with a trait of pathologic perfectionism.
Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatric Care: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Authors: Boehnlein James K.
Published: December 2006

Cultural psychiatry has been an important contributor to the enhanced dialogue between psychiatry and religion in the past couple of decades. During this time, religion and spirituality have become more prominent in mainstream psychiatry in a number of areas of study and clinical care, including refugee and immigrant health, trauma and loss, psychotherapy, collaboration with clergy, bioethics, and psychiatric research. In looking towards the future, there is a great deal of promise for future enhancement of the study of religion and spirituality in psychiatric education, research, and clinical care.
The McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI): An Interview Schedule to Elicit Meanings and Modes of Reasoning Related to Illness Experience
Authors: Groleau Danielle , Young Allan , Kirmayer Laurence J.
Published: December 2006

This article summarizes the rationale, development and application of the McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI), a theoretically driven, semistructured, qualitative interview protocol designed to elicit illness narratives in health research. The MINI is sequentially structured with three main sections that obtain: (1) A basic temporal narrative of symptom and illness experience, organized in terms of the contiguity of events; (2) salient prototypes related to current health problems, based on previous experience of the interviewee, family members or friends, and mass media or other popular representations; and (3) any explanatory models, including labels, causal attributions, expectations for treatment, course and outcome. Supplementary sections of the MINI explore help seeking and pathways to care, treatment experience, adherence and impact of the illness on identity, self-perception and relationships with others. Narratives produced by the MINI can be used with a wide variety of interpretive strategies drawn from medical anthropology, sociology and discursive psychology.
The natural lighting of the mosaics in the Rotunda at Thessaloniki
Authors: Iliadis IG
Published: December 2006

This study examines the distribution of natural light on the mosaics in the dome of the Rotunda in Thessaloniki. It reveals that the monument is governed by a system of geometrical proportions which is repeated in the zones of mosaics in the dome. An important role in the illumination of the mosaics is played by the suitably fashioned sills of the large windows and the use of gold tesserae in the dome. The lighting is also assisted by the form of the dome and the appropriate inclination of the surface of the mosaic in relation to the light entering the large arched windows and also the light entering the lunettes which lie at the base of the dome.
The influence of visual complexity on the detection of targets investigated by computer generated images
Authors: Paulmier G , Brusque C , Carta V , Nguyen V
Published: December 2006

In urban areas, assessing the visibility of the visual cues used by motorists to make driving decisions poses a number of methodological problems. To investigate these, the authors decided to conduct laboratory experiments to investigate the detection of pedestrians at night-time. The geometric and photometric characteristics of the computer-generated images used were derived from in situmeasurements. A method for characterizing the visual complexity of the near background of a target was developed. The study has demonstrated that, when the visual complexity of the near background of an target increases, its visibility level must be increased by between 10 and 25 to achieve a detection rate of 90%. These values must be increased to 20 and 35, respectively in order to achieve a detection rate approaching 100%.
An error in brightness matching associated with the application of dimming
Authors: Fotios Steve A
Published: December 2006

This paper discusses requirements for good experimental design in brightness matching tests. Experimental and null-condition data from paired-comparison brightness matching shows a systematic bias; a tendency for the stimulus to which observers apply dimming to be set to an illuminance below that of the reference stimulus. The error is small but statistically significant.
Generalization of the unified glare rating method: a proposal and laboratory test
Authors: Sendrup P
Published: December 2006

The applicability of the unified glare rating (UGR) method is limited to interior lighting systems, with small and well-defined glare sources. The basic hypothesis of the method is to divide the visual field into a background and a number of glare sources. The distinction between background and glare sources prevents the method from being applied to large glare sources and is a disadvantage for integral measurement. This paper presents a proposal for modification of the UGR method that eliminates the need for distinction between background and glare source. The modification has little consequence for normal interior lighting conditions as shown for two examples included in CIE report 117. Two glare investigations showed however that the modified method cannot readily be applied to the general case.
Ambulant recording of light for vision and non-visual biological effects
Authors: Hubalek S , Zöschg D , Schierz C
Published: December 2006

Data on the exposure of the human eye to light are essential for investigation into the interaction of light with man. According to present knowledge, two different spectral sensitivities of the visible irradiance are relevant: (1) the spectral luminous efficiency function for vision and (2) the action spectrum for melatonin suppression, also used for other non-visual biological effects. We developed a device called LuxBlick to measure and record both quantities. It consists of two light sensors that are fixed on the wearer’s head, and a control unit and data recording mini-computer worn in a bag around the waist. Real-time data are accessible to those wearing the device. Suitable to be worn in everyday life, the parts at the head are of low mass at the head and inconspicuous.
Occupant use of switching and dimming controls in offices
Authors: Boyce P R , Veitch J A , Newsham G R , Jones C C , Heerwagen J , Myer M , Hunter C M
Published: December 2006

As part of a larger study sponsored by the Light Right Consortium, temporary office workers spent a day in an office working under one of four different lighting installations. For two of these installations the office workers had the freedom to adjust the lighting of the cubicles they occupied: either with a switchable desk lamp, or varying the direct component of a continuously dimmable overhead direct/indirect luminaire. This paper examines the illuminances chosen under these two conditions, compares the results with those found in other field and laboratory studies, and addresses pertinent questions about the behaviour of office workers when they have the freedom to adjust the lighting of their workspaces.
Education: the key to the future of lighting practice
Authors: Boyce P R , Mcibse Fiesna
Published: December 2006

This lecture discusses what needs to be done to raise the quality of lighting in functional interiors from indifferent to good. The basic problem is identified as a concentration on maximizing visual performance and minimizing visual discomfort, together with a neglect of the visual environment. The solution to this problem lies in the education of lighting designers, specifiers and legislators. Some of this education is little more than a careful restatement of existing knowledge. Some requires more research. Some requires action in the field. Four topics that need to be addressed before the necessary education can occur are identified.
MathDAMP: a package for differential analysis of metabolite profiles
Authors: Baran Richard , Kochi Hayataro , Saito Natsumi , Suematsu Makoto , Soga Tomoyoshi , Nishioka Takaaki , Robert Martin , Tomita Masaru
Published: December 2006

Background

With the advent of metabolomics as a powerful tool for both functional and biomarker discovery, the identification of specific differences between complex metabolite profiles is becoming a major challenge in the data analysis pipeline. The task remains difficult, given the datasets' size, complexity, and common shifts in migration (elution/retention) times between samples analyzed by hyphenated mass spectrometry methods.

Results

We present a Mathematica (Wolfram Research, Inc.) package MathDAMP (Mathematica package for Differential Analysis of Metabolite Profiles), which highlights differences between raw datasets acquired by hyphenated mass spectrometry methods by applying arithmetic operations to all corresponding signal intensities on a datapoint-by-datapoint basis. Peak identification and integration is thus bypassed and the results are displayed graphically.

To facilitate direct comparisons, the raw datasets are automatically preprocessed and normalized in terms of both migration times and signal intensities. A combination of dynamic programming and global optimization is used for the alignment of the datasets along the migration time dimension.

The processed datasets and the results of direct comparisons between them are visualized using density plots (axes represent migration time and m/z values while peaks appear as color-coded spots) providing an intuitive overall view. Various forms of comparisons and statistical tests can be applied to highlight subtle differences. Overlaid electropherograms (chromatograms) corresponding to the vicinities of the candidate differences from any result may be generated in a descending order of significance for visual confirmation. Additionally, a standard library table (a list of m/z values and migration times for known compounds) may be aligned and overlaid on the plots to allow easier identification of metabolites.

Conclusion

Our tool facilitates the visualization and identification of differences between complex metabolite profiles according to various criteria in an automated fashion and is useful for data-driven discovery of biomarkers and functional genomics.
Mitochondrial DNA mutations in preneoplastic lesions of the gastrointestinal tract: A biomarker for the early detection of cancer
Authors: Sui Guoping , Zhou Shaoyu , Wang Jean , Canto Marcia , Lee Edward E , Eshleman James R , Montgomery Elizabeth A , Sidransky David , Califano Joseph A , Maitra Anirban
Published: December 2006

Background

Somatic mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are common in many human cancers. We have described an oligonucleotide microarray ("MitoChip") for rapid sequencing of the entire mitochondrial genome (Zhou et al, J Mol Diagn 2006), facilitating the analysis of mtDNA mutations in preneoplastic lesions. We examined 14 precancerous lesions, including seven Barrett esophagus biopsies, with or without associated dysplasia; four colorectal adenomas; and three inflammatory colitis-associated dysplasia specimens. In all cases, matched normal tissues from the corresponding site were obtained as germline control. MitoChip analysis was performed on DNA obtained from cryostat-embedded specimens.

Results

A total of 513,639 bases of mtDNA were sequenced in the 14 samples, with 490,224 bases (95.4%) bases assigned by the automated genotyping software. All preneoplastic lesions examined demonstrated at least one somatic mtDNA sequence alteration. Of the 100 somatic mtDNA alterations observed in the 14 cases, 27 were non-synonymous coding region mutations (i.e., resulting in an amino acid change), 36 were synonymous, and 37 involved non-coding mtDNA. Overall, somatic alterations most commonly involved the COI, ND4 and ND5 genes. Notably, somatic mtDNA alterations were observed in preneoplastic lesions of the gastrointestinal tract even in the absence of histopathologic evidence of dysplasia, suggesting that the mitochondrial genome is susceptible at the earliest stages of multistep cancer progression.

Conclusion

Our findings further substantiate the rationale for exploring the mitochondrial genome as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of cancer, and confirm the utility of a high-throughput array-based platform for this purpose from a clinical applicability standpoint.
Cerebral blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass in pediatric cardiac surgery: the role of transcranial Doppler – a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Polito Angelo , Ricci Zaccaria , Di Chiara Luca , Giorni Chiara , Iacoella Claudia , Sanders Stephen P , Picardo Sergio
Published: December 2006

Background

Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (TCD) is a sensitive, real time tool for monitoring cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV). This technique is fast, accurate, reproducible and noninvasive. In the setting of congenital heart surgery, TCD finds application in the evaluation of cerebral blood flow variations during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methodology

We performed a search on human studies published on the MEDLINE using the keyword "trans cranial Doppler" crossed with "pediatric cardiac surgery" AND "cardio pulmonary by pass", OR deep hypothermic cardiac arrest", OR "neurological monitoring".

Discussion

Current scientific evidence suggests a good correlation between changes in cbral blood flow and mean cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow velocity. The introduction of Doppler technology has allowed an accurate monitorization of cerebral blood flow (CBF) during circulatory arrest and low-flow CPB. TCD has also been utilized in detecting cerebral emboli, improper cannulation or cross clamping of aortic arch vessels. Limitations of TCD routine utilization are represented by the need of a learning curve and some experience by the operators, as well as the need of implementing CBF informations with, for example, data on brain tissue oxygen delivery and consumption.

Conclusion

In this light, TCD plays an essential role in multimodal neurological monitorization during CPB (Near Infrared Spectroscopy, TCD, processed electro encephalography) that, according to recent studies, can help to significantly improve neurological outcome after cardiac surgery in neonates and pediatric patients.
Up-regulation of human monocyte CD163 upon activation of cell-surface Toll-like receptors
Authors: Weaver Lehn K , Pioli Patricia A , Wardwell Kathleen , Vogel Stefanie N , Guyre Paul M
Published: December 2006

The hemoglobin (Hb) scavenger receptor, CD163, is a cell-surface glycoprotein that is expressed exclusively on monocytes and macrophages. It binds and internalizes haptoglobin-Hb complexes and has been implicated in the resolution of inflammation. Furthermore, the regulation of CD163 during an innate immune response implies an important role for this molecule in the host defense against infection. LPS, derived from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, activates TLR4 to cause acute shedding of CD163 from human monocytes, followed by recovery and induction of surface CD163 to higher levels than observed on untreated monocytes. We now report that the TLR2 and TLR5 agonists—Pam3Cys and bacterial flagellin—have similar effects on CD163 surface expression. Up-regulation of CD163 following treatment of human PBMC with TLR2, TLR4, and TLR5 agonists parallels increased production of IL-6 and IL-10, and neutralization of IL-6 and/or IL-10 blocks CD163 up-regulation. Furthermore, simultaneous stimulation of TLR2 or TLR5 in combination with TLR4 activation results in enhanced up-regulation of CD163. It is notable that exogenous recombinant IFN-γ (rIFN-γ) suppresses cell-surface, TLR-mediated IL-10 production as well as CD163 up-regulation. Sustained down-regulation of CD163 mediated by rIFN-γ can be partially rescued with exogenous rIL-10 but not with exogenous rIL-6. This divergent regulation of CD163 by cytokines demonstrates that human monocytes react differently to infectious signals depending on the cytokine milieu they encounter. Thus, surface CD163 expression on mononuclear phagocytes is a carefully regulated component of the innate immune response to infection.
Teaching Decoding Skills to Poor Readers in High School
Authors: Penney Catherine G.
Published: December 2006

Thirty-three poor readers participated in an experimental test of a method to teach decoding skills. Twenty-one students in the experimental condition were given approximately 18 sessions of individual tutoring in which they practiced associations between letter patterns and pronunciations for pronounceable parts of words. A control group of 12 students remained in their class instead of receiving the tutoring program. Standardized tests of word identification, word attack, and passage comprehension were administered before and after the tutoring program. Analyses of covariance were used to compare performance of experimental and control participants on the reading measures. Students in the experimental group showed greater improvements on all measures than did students in the control condition when the effects of initial scores were statistically controlled.
Effective Beginning Reading Instruction
Authors: Pressley Michael
Published: December 2006

I argue that the National Reading Panel was too narrow in its presentation of scientifically-valid reading instructional research. Although the findings summarized by the Panel were valid, they were but a sampling of the many instructional practices that enjoy scientific support, most emphatically, in experiments and quasi-experiments (i.e., in the types of studies favored by the Panel). A sampler of practices that enjoy support but were ignored by the Panel is presented, as is discussion of qualitative research that was out of bounds because of the methodological strictures of the Panel. I conclude that most of the cutting edge of the scientific study of reading is entirely missing from the Panel's report, which emphasized findings massively supported by data, findings that are generally accepted by the scientific community concerned with reading instruction.
Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescents
Authors: Alvermann Donna E.
Published: December 2006

This article, written for a general audience, focuses on the importance of keeping adolescents' interests and needs foremost in mind when designing literacy instruction at the middle and high school level. It is a slightly revised version of a position paper that the Board of Directors of the National Reading Conference (NRC) commissioned this past year to underscore the need to continue literacy instruction beyond the elementary grades. Posted originally to NRC's web page ( http://nrc.oakland.edu ), the paper argues that adolescent literacy instruction, if it is to be effective, must address issues of self-efficacy and student engagement with a variety of texts (e.g., textbooks, hypermedia texts, digital texts) in diverse settings. It must also attend to the literacy demands of subject area classes, to struggling readers, to issues of critical literacy, and to participatory instructional approaches that actively engage adolescents in their own learning.
Spelling Acquisition in Two Social Groups: Mother-Child Interaction, Maternal Beliefs and Child's Spelling
Authors: Korat Ofra , Levin Iris
Published: December 2006

Spelling was investigated from socio-cultural and cognitive perspectives among low and high SES groups. Collaborative writing among 40 mothers and their second-grade children was observed, and maternal beliefs on spelling were extracted from interviews. Children's spelling was assessed prior to interaction. LSES children had more spelling errors and discussed spelling with their mothers more frequently than the HSES children. LSES mothers expressed nontolerant beliefs on spelling errors compared to the HSES mothers. Correlations were found within groups between the child's independent spelling level and the degree to which spelling was discussed in the interaction, but no correlations were found between maternal beliefs and child's spelling. Implications for children's spelling development in a sociocultural context are discussed.