bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Stable Layer Formation over the Po Valley on the Development of Convection during MAP IOP-8
Authors: Reeves Heather Dawn , Lin Yuh-Lang
Published: October 2006

During intensive observation period (IOP)-8 of the Mesoscale Alpine Program, there was a stable layer of air in the lowest levels of the Po Valley and just upstream of the Apennines. In this study, the effects of the stable layer on the formation of convection in the southern Alpine region were investigated through a series of two-dimensional, idealized experiments. The goals of this study were twofold: 1) to determine if stable layer strength affected the placement of convection and 2) to test the notion that the stable layer during IOP-8 behaved as an effective mountain. To accomplish the first objective, three simulations were compared in which the strength of the inversion and low-level cooling in the Po Valley and upstream of the Apennines was varied. The results of these simulations show that the stronger the inversion and low-level cooling, the farther south the convection was positioned. Additionally, it was found that convection developed as a result of the formation of a broad region of moist instability over the stable layer. Cellular convection developed in this region of moist instability. The second objective was tested through a simulation where the cold pool was replaced by terrain (MMTN). As in the reference (or STB10) simulation, the upslope of the terrain in the MMTN simulation was characterized by a wide zone of moist instability. However, wave structures to the lee of the Apennines were markedly different in the STB10 and MMTN simulations. This led to different convective and precipitation patterns, with the MMTN simulation exhibiting heavier convection over the Po Valley while the heaviest convection in STB10 was upstream of the Apennines. These results suggest that, at best, the stable layer in the STB10 simulation can only be roughly approximated by terrain.
Vertical Moist Thermodynamic Structure and Spatial–Temporal Evolution of the MJO in AIRS Observations
Authors: Tian Baijun , Waliser Duane E. , Fetzer Eric J. , Lambrigtsen Bjorn H. , Yung Yuk L. , Wang Bin
Published: October 2006

The atmospheric moisture and temperature profiles from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit on the NASA Aqua mission, in combination with the precipitation from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), are employed to study the vertical moist thermodynamic structure and spatial–temporal evolution of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). The AIRS data indicate that, in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, the temperature anomaly exhibits a trimodal vertical structure: a warm (cold) anomaly in the free troposphere (800–250 hPa) and a cold (warm) anomaly near the tropopause (above 250 hPa) and in the lower troposphere (below 800 hPa) associated with enhanced (suppressed) convection. The AIRS moisture anomaly also shows markedly different vertical structures as a function of longitude and the strength of convection anomaly. Most significantly, the AIRS data demonstrate that, over the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, the enhanced (suppressed) convection is generally preceded in both time and space by a low-level warm and moist (cold and dry) anomaly and followed by a low-level cold and dry (warm and moist) anomaly.

The MJO vertical moist thermodynamic structure from the AIRS data is in general agreement, particularly in the free troposphere, with previous studies based on global reanalysis and limited radiosonde data. However, major differences in the lower-troposphere moisture and temperature structure between the AIRS observations and the NCEP reanalysis are found over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where there are very few conventional data to constrain the reanalysis. Specifically, the anomalous lower-troposphere temperature structure is much less well defined in NCEP than in AIRS for the western Pacific, and even has the opposite sign anomalies compared to AIRS relative to the wet/dry phase of the MJO in the Indian Ocean. Moreover, there are well-defined eastward-tilting variations of moisture with height in AIRS over the central and eastern Pacific that are less well defined, and in some cases absent, in NCEP. In addition, the correlation between MJO-related midtropospheric water vapor anomalies and TRMM precipitation anomalies is considerably more robust in AIRS than in NCEP, especially over the Indian Ocean. Overall, the AIRS results are quite consistent with those predicted by the frictional Kelvin–Rossby wave/conditional instability of the second kind (CISK) theory for the MJO.
Connecting with the Culture
Authors: Hawkes Ethan , Kwortnik Robert J.
Published: October 2006

In a destination dominated by all-inclusive resorts, a different tourism venture seeks to offer guests a genuine connection to the community. “VillageLife Tourism” and its associated “Okra Inn” demonstrate how tourism can be sustainable and can benefit both tourists and local purveyors. This message has so far gone largely unheard in a market that celebrates sand, sun, and service—in resorts that operate in fenced-off compounds. This case study analyzes VillageLife’s challenges and prospects, the most promising of which is partnering with the all-inclusive properties.
Expenditures of Accommodations Tax Revenue: A South Carolina Study
Authors: Litvin Stephen W. , Crotts John C. , Blackwell Calvin , Styles Alan K.
Published: October 2006

The collection of accommodations taxes, generally paid by nonresident visitors, has become a well-accepted means of raising tax revenues in tourism communities. This article looks at small communities and counties across the State of South Carolina to determine categories of use that may provide local governments their best return on their expenditure of these funds. The findings, decidedly exploratory in nature, suggest that the use of accommodation tax funds for the promotion of the arts, cultural events, and other tourism-related events is a successful strategy, enabling tourism growth (as measured by growth in the accommodations sector) while hopefully fueling a virtuous cycle that yields still greater tourism dollars for the community.
Searching for the Future: Challenges Faced by Destination Marketing Organizations
Authors: Gretzel Ulrike , Fesenmaier Daniel R. , Formica Sandro , O’Leary Joseph T.
Published: October 2006

Threats in the external environment and changes in the industry’s markets and structures have challenged destination marketing organizations to change in fundamental ways. The strategic responses to these developments are essentially decisions to proactively shape, adapt to, or passively struggle through a crisis. Envisioning the future of tourism and examining possible ways of reaching various future scenarios are essential exercises in this process of deciding which strategic approach to adopt. In response to the increasing need for new visions of the future of tourism and particularly destination marketing, leading destination marketers from the midwestern United States were invited to participate in a large focus group to discuss the specific challenges encountered by their organizations. This article summarizes the issues raised and their implications for destination marketing organizations as well as tourism research.
A Structural Analysis of Destination Travel Intentions as a Function of Web Site Features
Authors: Kaplanidou Kyriaki , Vogt Christine
Published: October 2006

This study used the technology acceptance model to assess the influence of tourism Web site characteristics on perceived Web site usefulness in planning a trip. Furthermore, the impact of Web site usefulness on intentions to travel to a destination was examined using structural equation modeling analysis. Consumer characteristics such as previous visits to the destination or its Web site, online travel-planning experience, and Internet use were included in the model. The results showed that motivating visuals and trip information functionality were significant predictors of Web site usefulness. Web site usefulness was a significant predictor of intent to travel to the destination, whereas previous visits to the destination or its Web site had significant but small negative influence on intentions to travel. The motivating visuals factor was also a significant direct predictor of intentions to travel to the destination, whereas trip information functionality had indirect influence on intentions through Web site usefulness. Specific theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Environmental Concern and Knowledge of Ecotourism among Three Groups of Swedish Tourists
Authors: Wurzinger Silvia , Johansson Maria
Published: October 2006

The present study is aimed at investigating whether eco-tourists are more ecologically oriented than nature tourists and city tourists. In questionnaire surveys, in line with the hypotheses, the ecotourists expressed more general environmental beliefs than the nature tourists, who, in turn, had more pro-environmental beliefs than the city tourists. Similar results were found in the attitudes the three groups of tourists had toward the impacts of tourism on local people. The eco-tourists and the nature tourists also reported a more pro-environmental behavior than the city tourists. The ecotourists and nature tourists, did not, however, differ in this respect. In all three groups, knowledge about ecotourism was limited and mainly associated with ecologically sound tourism. The application of Stern and colleagues’ schematic causal model of environmental concern proved to be useful, and implications for the tourism industry can be derived.
Futuring Internet Marketing Activities Using Change Propensity Analysis
Authors: Wang Youcheng , Hwang Yeong-Hyeon , Fesenmaier Daniel R.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the current use and predict future Web-based marketing activities of U.S. convention and visitor bureaus. A survey was sent to 600 randomly selected American convention and visitor bureaus with a focus on assessing the applications included in the bureaus’ Web sites, their Web site promotion techniques, and customer relationship management programs in relation to these Web sites. The results indicate that most bureaus’ Internet marketing activities are relatively limited, focusing on providing travel information to prospective visitors. Future trends of Internet marketing activities were then evaluated using change propensity analysis (CPA) and suggest a number of emerging activities that will be adopted during the next few years. The implications of the findings are then discussed.
When I started to using BLUR
Authors: Schneider Edgar W. , Miethaner Ulrich
Published: October 2006

This article introduces BLUR, an electronic corpus of Blues lyrics from the early twentieth century, as a valuable resource for the study of syntactic phenomena in Earlier African American English and investigates the properties and origins of a peculiar construction found in it. The design of the BLUR corpus is presented, and methodological consequences resulting from the nature of the texts are discussed. Subsequently, a few noteworthy syntactic structures documented in it are briefly illustrated. The most challenging of these, a sequence of inchoative verbs (notably begin, start, or commence), the particle to, and a verbal –ing form, as in begin to falling, is then analyzed in some detail, considering syntactic constraints and historical documentation in potentially related varieties, represented by electronic corpora and other sources from Late Middle English to present-day dialects. Based on these findings, a hypothesis on the likely origins and diffusion of this construction is developed.
Can the Problem of the Theologico-Political be Resolved? Leo Strauss and Claude Lefort
Authors: Labelle Gilles
Published: October 2006

The starting point of this article is that there is a kind of ‘hidden dialogue’ that Claude Lefort is trying to conduct with Leo Strauss on the theologico-political problem. If Strauss claims this problem to be ‘irresolvable’, Lefort seeks to show that the ‘permanence of the theologico-political’ in modernity is only an appearance, as democracy has, in the last instance, succeeded in ‘cutting’ the knot tied between the theological and the political in pre-modern societies. Moreover, while Strauss associates recognition of the irresolvable character of the theologico-political problem with moderation, Lefort takes the exact opposite view, insisting on the lack of moderation, even excess, that weighs particularly on modern politics consequent to any attempt to amalgamate the theological with the political.
Dogville, or, the Dirty Birth of Law
Authors: Brighenti Andrea
Published: October 2006

While avoiding the pretence of producing an exhaustive reading of such a complex object as Lars Von Trier's Dogville, this article selectively uses the film to explore the process of the emergence of a new legality and a new set of legal relationships within a community. Two superimposed layers of meaning, the biblical and the mythic, are considered and their interaction with two different reasons, the symbolic and the economic, is suggested and explored. The categories of ‘critical being’, by Fitzpatrick and Tuitt, and homo sacer, by Agamben, are taken as useful tools to understand such interaction and the connected dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. Throughout the article, it is argued that the perspective of the sacrifice, as framed especially by Girard, is useful to highlight an anthropological mechanism that can be retrieved in Dogville.
Evaluating effects of wind-induced pressure fluctuations on soil-atmosphere gas exchange at a landfill using stochastic modelling
Authors: Poulsen Tjalfe G. , Møldrup Per
Published: October 2006

The impact of wind turbulence-induced pressure fluctuations at the soil surface on landfill gas transport and emissions to the atmosphere at an old Danish landfill site was investigated using stochastic modelling combined with soil property and gas transport data measured at the site. The impacts of soil physical properties (including air permeability and volumetric water content) and wind-induced pressure fluctuation properties (amplitude and temporal correlation) on landfill gas emissions to the atmosphere were evaluated. Soil-air permeability and pressure fluctuation amplitude were found to be the most important parameters. Wind-induced gas emissions were further compared with gas emissions caused by diffusion and by long-term pressure variations (due to passing weather systems). Here diffusion and wind-induced gas transport were found to be equally important with wind-induced gas transport becoming the most important at lower soil-air contents.
Household, hotel and market waste audits for composting in Vietnam and Laos
Authors: Byer Philip H. , Hoang Chi Phuong , Nguyen Thi Thuc Thuy , Chopra Sangeeta , Maclaren Virginia , Haight Murray
Published: October 2006

In Da Nang and Ha Long, Vietnam and in Vientiane, Laos, there was interest by local authorities in separating and composting waste in order to reduce environmental and health problems at the local landfills and to produce a soil conditioner for local agricultural use. To assist in the planning of composting projects, three studies were carried out to estimate waste quantities and composition.

1. A 9-day audit of waste from 45 vendors in a market in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The total quantity of waste and the quantity in each of nine categories were estimated for each of six different types of vendors.

2. A 7-day audit of waste disposed by three hotels in the tourist area of Ha Long, Vietnam. Waste quantities were estimated in total, on a per guest basis, and in three main categories: compostables, recyclables and miscellaneous.

3. A 7-day audit of waste collected from 74 households in Da Nang, the fourth largest city in Vietnam. Waste from each household was separated into compostable and non-compostable waste.

Over 60% of each waste source comprised compostable waste and this was considered significant enough to warrant further planning of composting operations.
Graded landfill requirements in South Africa - the climatic water balance classification
Authors: Blight G. E.
Published: October 2006

Landfilling in South Africa is controlled by a set of statutory Minimum Requirements, based on a landfill classification system. Landfills are classified according to the type of waste, the projected final size of the landfill and the climate. Climate is important as climatic conditions in South Africa vary from humid sub-tropical in the east, to semi-arid on the central plateau, to semi-desert in the west. Anti-pollution measures are closely related to climate and size, with the pollution potential of small, general (i.e. domestic) waste landfills in dry climates being regarded as negligible. At the other end of the scale, large landfills where hazardous wastes are disposed have a serious pollution potential and must be designed as containment systems. The paper describes the method currently in use for deciding on the climatic classification of a site, followed by the new method that will be adopted when the latest revision of the Minimum Requirements appears shortly.
This Is My Child: Differences Among Foster Parents in Commitment to Their Young Children
Authors: Dozier Mary , Lindhiem Oliver
Published: October 2006

In this study, the authors examined variables associated with foster mothers’ level of commitment to their young foster children, who ranged in age from 5 months to 5 years. Commitment was assessed using a semistructured interview known as the “This Is My Baby” interview (TIMB; Bates & Dozier, 1998). Among 84 foster parent-child dyads, foster mothers who had fostered more children previously showed lower levels of commitment than did foster mothers who had fostered fewer children. Commitment also was associated with child age at placement, with foster parents showing higher levels of commitment to children who were placed at younger ages than to children who were placed at older ages. Commitment predicted the stability of the relationship, with higher levels of commitment associated with a greater likelihood of adoption or long-term placement. These results suggest the importance of designing a child welfare system that will enhance caregivers’ ability to commit to the children for whom they provide care.
Conflict and Control
Authors: Johnson Michael P.
Published: October 2006

Four types of individual partner violence are identified based on the dyadic control context of the violence. In intimate terrorism, the individual is violent and controlling, the partner is not. In violent resistance, the individual is violent but not controlling; the partner is the violent and controlling one. In situational couple violence, although the individual is violent, neither the individual nor the partner is violent and controlling. In mutual violent control, the individual and the partner are violent and controlling. Evidence is presented that situational couple violence dominates in general surveys, intimate terrorism and violent resistance dominate in agency samples, and this is the source of differences across studies with respect to the gender symmetry of partner violence. An argument is made that if we want to understand partner violence, intervene effectively in individual cases, or make useful policy recommendations, we must make these distinctions in our research.
Do Voters Vote For Government Coalitions?
Authors: Blais André , Aldrich John H. , Indridason Indridi H. , Levine Renan
Published: October 2006

In many countries, elections produce coalition governments. Downs points out that in such cases the rational voter needs to determine what coalitions are possible, i.e. to ascertain their probability and to anticipate the policy compromises that they entail. Downs adds that this may be too complex a task and concludes that ‘most voters do not vote as though elections were government-selection mechanisms’ (Downs, 1957: 300). We test Downs' ‘pessimistic’ conclusion in the case of the 2003 Israeli election, an election that was bound to produce a coalition government and in which the issue of what the possible coalitions were was at the forefront of the campaign. We show that voters' views about the coalitions that could be formed after the election had an independent effect on vote choice, over and above their views about the parties, the leaders and their ideological orientations. We estimate that for one voter out of ten, coalition preferences were a decisive consideration, that is, they induced the voter to support a party other than the most preferred one. For many others, they were a factor, though perhaps not the dominant one. Furthermore, the least informed were as prone to vote on the basis of coalition preferences as the most informed. Our evidence disconfirms Downs' pessimistic view that voters will decide not to care about the formation of government. When they are provided with sufficient information about the possible options, voters think ahead about the coalitions that may be formed after the election.
Party Politicization Of The Environment In Britain
Authors: Carter Neil
Published: October 2006

The impact of the environment on established political parties, especially in polities without an electorally successful green party, is surprisingly under-researched. This article provides a theoretically informed and empirically comprehensive analysis of the party politicization of the environment in Britain. Four hypotheses are developed, drawn from the party competition and ‘new politics’ perspectives, which predict the response of the three major British parties to environ-mental issues. These hypotheses are tested against a range of quantitative and qualitative sources, notably the Manifesto Research Group and expert survey data. Party politicization of the environment is found to be limited, but there are important variations in party responses. Party competition is critical in explaining these responses. However, the ‘new politics’ insight that the environmental issue dimension cuts across the traditional left–right cleavage identifies ideology as a further signifi-cant constraint on the willingness of established parties to embrace this issue.
The relationship between patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes in schizophrenia
Authors: Chue Pierre
Published: October 2006

In recent years, the goals of treatment in schizophrenia have evolved from objective improvements in psychotic symptoms to encompass patient-related factors such as subjective response and quality of life. In order to examine factors that influence patient satisfaction with treatment, subjective quality of life and subjective response to treatment, two literature searches were performed using PubMed. The first searched for articles of any kind with no time limits using the search parameters ‘schizophrenia AND satisfaction’, ‘antipsychotic AND satisfaction’, ‘schizophrenia AND subjective response’, ‘schizophrenia AND therapeutic alliance’, ‘schizophrenia AND psychosocial OR psychoeducation’. Secondly, PubMed was searched between January 1990 and December 2005 using the key words ‘satisfaction’, ‘subjective response’ and ‘quality of life’ in combination with an array of atypical agents.

Results demonstrated that patient satisfaction with antipsychotic therapy is influenced by multiple factors. The most frequently reported reasons for dissatisfaction include drug side effects, lack of involvement in treatment planning or decision-making and lack of involvement of family members in the care plan. The majority of studies have demonstrated that the atypical antipsychotics are associated with significant improvements in quality of life, functional status and patient satisfaction compared with conventional agents. The therapeutic alliance is key to achieving optimal outcomes, by providing information and education to meet patients’ needs, while facilitating compliance with drug therapy to ensure better clinical outcomes. A long-acting atypical antipsychotic that can ensure medication delivery will provide a platform for psychosocial interventions, and thus may further increase patient satisfaction and, ultimately, improve long-term outcomes in schizophrenia.
‘Drinking stories’ from a playgroup
Authors: Killingsworth Ben
Published: October 2006

The narratives and comments presented in this article are drawn from material gathered while conducting fieldwork for a larger ethnographic project on mothers, motherhood and playgroups in Australia. In this article I focus on the way in which the mothers of one playgroup ‘used’ alcohol. The material presented shows a group of middle-class women engaged in a collective and individual struggle to come to terms with their new role as mothers. Their utterances reveal the ways in which they conceived of their identities as women prior to motherhood - positive views of themselves in the world that (national) cultural/societal expectations relating to motherhood unexpectedly threatened to undermine. Alcohol, an important symbolic constituent in their identities as young (childless) women, was important again in establishing and communicating their agency in relation to their performance of their roles as mothers, an agency that allowed them to construct positive identities as women and mothers.
Teacher, teach thyself
Authors: Dressman Mark
Published: October 2006

This ethnography examines the potential of having teachers study their own practice in order to ‘liberate’ them as an oppressed and ‘voiceless’ group and to raise issues within their discourse communities about social, cultural, and political aspects of education. The study was conducted as part of a graduate program in education in which two courses were organized in a teacher research format. Although the teachers in these courses reported feeling supported and found their experience to have a marked effect on their awareness of their own and their students’ discourse patterns, they showed less apparent willingness to move from the examination of specific instances of teaching to an openly critical examination of their and their communities’ beliefs about students’ home lives or about schools as institutions and their roles in them. These findings in turn raise issues about what these teachers’ resistance to my critical perspective as an applied ethnographer may indicate about assumed relationships in the teacher research literature between the construction of ‘voice’ in teachers’ ethnographic writing and the culture and politics of schooling.
Classical Cultural Sociology
Authors: Hałas ELŻbieta
Published: October 2006

It is argued that a renewed reception of the works of the Polish and American scholar Florian Znaniecki should be carried out by any so–called ‘cultural turn’ in sociology. If the new cultural sociology is to obtain firm and broader theoretical grounds, it needs to transcend its mere reaction against structural–functional normativism in search of classic studies of cultural dynamics such as those of Florian Znaniecki. The reasons behind the blurring of Znaniecki's influence upon 20th–century sociologists, including Talcott Parsons and Alfred Schutz, are investigated through a general examination of the reception contexts of his work. An overview of Znaniecki's general theoretical contribution to cultural sociology is simultaneously presented.
Ludwik Krzywicki
Authors: Olszewski Wojciech
Published: October 2006

Ludwik Krzywicki, a classical author of Polish sociology, is generally known and presented as a Marxist and evolutionary theorist. The present article analyses the past major presentations and historical reception contexts of Krzywicki's work, and finds that this understanding of him as a ‘Marxist’ and ‘evolutionist’ essentially employs synthetic categorizations' which are not only misleading, but essentially wrong. The recent claim that the present lack of interest in Krzywicki's work is the result of a contemporary shift away from Marxism and evolutionism in Polish sociology is here confronted with the argument that it is actually the result of a much older process arising from these very synthetic categorizations of Krzywicki's work. Upon the basis of this critical analysis and then the insightful commentaries of Krzywicki's humanistically oriented contemporaries Znaniecki and Obrębski, which after World War II up until the present have been neglected, a first attempt is made to open up Krzywicki's work as a non-synthesizable ‘primary dynamics of cultural change’.
Ludwik Gumplowicz
Authors: Adamek Wojciech , Radwan-Pragłowski Janusz
Published: October 2006

The article presents the classical sociology of Ludwik Gumplowicz, who was one of the forerunners of scientific sociology. Connected with Graz in Austria and primarily writing in German, he is generally regarded as a representative of Austrian sociology. This paper highlights the Polish origins of the scholar, as well as the multicultural influences that shaped his thought, and treats him as a classic of both Austrian and Polish sociology. His scholarly work and biography are presented with special regard to the historical reception of his thought. An attempt is also made to try to show the circumstances which led to a relatively quick depreciation of his work, and some new regenerative works on his sociology are highlighted.
Stationarity and Major League Baseball Attendance Analysis
Authors: Fort Rodney , Lee Young Hoon
Published: October 2006

If a sports time series, such as attendance, is nonstationary, then the use of level data (e.g., demand estimation using panel data) leads to biased estimates, and the direction of the bias is unknown. In past works, authors have failed to reject nonstationary data, taken first differences, and proceeded with further analysis. That is a legitimate approach, although limiting (e.g., no elasticity estimates can be had from first differences). However, if the data are stationary, then all is well with the usual applications to level data (e.g., taking logs gives direct elasticity estimates). This article rejects that the Major League Baseball attendance time series is nonstationary with break points and suggests the break points deserve additional analysis to facilitate attendance demand investigations.
Caspase-8 prevents sustained activation of NF-κB in monocytes undergoing macrophagic differentiation
Authors: Rébé Cédric , Cathelin Séverine , Launay Sophie , Filomenko Rodolphe , Prévotat Laurent , L'Ollivier Coralie , Gyan Emmanuel , Micheau Olivier , Grant Steven , Dubart-Kupperschmitt Anne , Fontenay Michaëla , Solary Eric
Published: October 2006

Caspases have demonstrated several nonapoptotic functions including a role in the differentiation of specific cell types. Here, we show that caspase-8 is the upstream enzyme in the proteolytic caspase cascade whose activation is required for the differentiation of peripheral-blood monocytes into macrophages. On macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) exposure, caspase-8 associates with the adaptor protein Fas-associated death domain (FADD), the serine/threonine kinase receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and the long isoform of FLICE-inhibitory protein FLIP. Overexpression of FADD accelerates the differentiation process that does not involve any death receptor. Active caspase-8 cleaves RIP1, which prevents sustained NF-κB activation, and activates downstream caspases. Together these data identify a role for caspase-8 in monocytes undergoing macrophagic differentiation, that is, the enzyme activated in an atypical complex down-regulates NF-κB activity through RIP1 cleavage.
Diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular events in survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation: a report from the bone marrow transplantation survivor study
Authors: Scott Baker K. , Ness Kirsten K. , Steinberger Julia , Carter Andrea , Francisco Liton , Burns Linda J. , Sklar Charles , Forman Stephen , Weisdorf Daniel , Gurney James G. , Bhatia Smita
Published: October 2006

We ascertained the prevalence of self-reported late occurrence of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular (CV) disease in 1089 hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors who underwent HCT between 1974 and 1998, survived at least 2 years, and were not currently taking immunosuppressant agents and compared them with 383 sibling controls. All subjects completed a 255-item health questionnaire. The mean age at survey completion was 39.3 years for survivors and 38.6 years for siblings; mean follow-up was 8.6 years. Adjusting for age, sex, race, and body mass index (BMI), survivors of allogeneic HCT were 3.65 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82-7.32) more likely to report diabetes than siblings and 2.06 times (95% CI, 1.39-3.04) more likely to report hypertension compared with siblings but did not report other CV outcomes with any greater frequency. Recipients of autologous HCTs were no more likely than siblings to report any of the outcomes studied. Allogeneic HCT survivors were also more likely to develop hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.45-3.67) than autologous recipients. Total body irradiation (TBI) exposure was associated with an increased risk of diabetes (OR = 3.42; 95% CI, 1.55-7.52). Thus, HCT survivors have a higher age- and BMI-adjusted risk of diabetes and hypertension, potentially leading to a higher than expected risk of CV events with age.
The histone methyltransferase MLL is an upstream regulator of endothelial-cell sprout formation
Authors: Diehl Florian , Rössig Lothar , Zeiher Andreas M. , Dimmeler Stefanie , Urbich Carmen
Published: October 2006

Posttranslational histone modification by acetylation or methylation regulates gene expression. Here, we investigated the role of the histone lysine methyltransferase MLL for angiogenic functions in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Suppression of MLL expression by siRNA or incubation with the pharmacologic methyltransferase inhibitor 5′-deoxy-5′-(methylthio)adenosine significantly decreased endothelial-cell migration and capillary sprout formation, indicating that methyltransferase activity is required for proangiogenic endothelial-cell functions. Because the expression of homeodomain transcription factors (Hox) is regulated by MLL, we elucidated the role of Hox gene expression. MLL silencing was associated with reduced mRNA and protein expression of HoxA9 and HoxD3, whereas HoxB3, HoxB4, HoxB5, and HoxB9 were not altered. Overexpression of HoxA9 or HoxD3 partially compensated for impaired migration in MLL siRNA-transfected endothelial cells, suggesting that HoxA9 and HoxD3 both contribute to MLL-dependent migration. As a potential underlying mechanism, MLL siRNA down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of the HoxA9-dependent axon guidance factor EphB4. In contrast, MLL knockdown effects on capillary sprouting were not rescued by HoxA9 or HoxD3 overexpression, indicating that MLL affects additional targets required for 3-dimensional sprout formation. We conclude that MLL regulates endothelial-cell migration via HoxA9 and EphB4, whereas sprout formation requires MLL-dependent signals beyond HoxA9 and HoxD3.
REEF: searching REgionally Enriched Features in genomes
Authors: Coppe Alessandro , Danieli Gian Antonio , Bortoluzzi Stefania
Published: October 2006

Background

In Eukaryotic genomes, different features including genes are not uniformly distributed. The integration of annotation information and genomic position of functional DNA elements in the Eukaryotic genomes opened the way to test novel hypotheses of higher order genome organization and regulation of expression.

Results

REEF is a new tool, aimed at identifying genomic regions enriched in specific features, such as a class or group of genes homogeneous for expression and/or functional characteristics. The method for the calculation of local feature enrichment uses test statistic based on the Hypergeometric Distribution applied genome-wide by using a sliding window approach and adopting the False Discovery Rate for controlling multiplicity. REEF software, source code and documentation are freely available at http://telethon.bio.unipd.it/bioinfo/reef/.

Conclusion

REEF can aid to shed light on the role of organization of specific genomic regions in the determination of their functional role.
Inactivation of tumor suppressor Dlg1 augments transformation of a T-cell line induced by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax protein
Authors: Ishioka Kojiro , Higuchi Masaya , Takahashi Masahiko , Yoshida Sakiko , Oie Masayasu , Tanaka Yuetsu , Takahashi Sugata , Xie Li , Green Patrick L , Fujii Masahiro
Published: October 2006

Background

The interaction of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax1 protein with the tumor suppressor Dlg1 is correlated with cellular transformation.

Results

Here, we show that Dlg1 knockdown by RNA interference increases the ability of Tax1 to transform a mouse T-cell line (CTLL-2), as measured interleukin (IL)-2-independent growth. A Tax1 mutant defective for the Dlg1 interaction showed reduced transformation of CTLL-2 compared to wild type Tax1, but the transformation was minimally affected by Dlg1 reduction. The few Tax1ΔC-transduced CTLL-2 cells that became transformed expressed less Dlg1 than parental cells, suggesting that Dlg1-low cells were selectively transformed by Tax1ΔC. Moreover, all human T-cell lines immortalized by HTLV-1, including the recombinant HTLV-1-containing Tax1ΔC, expressed less Dlg1 than control T-cell lines.

Conclusion

These results suggest that inactivation of Dlg1 augments Tax1-mediated transformation of CTLL-2, and PDZ protein(s) other than Dlg1 are critically involved in the transformation.
Pulmonary edema and acute upper airway obstruction
Authors: Tami Thomas A. , Chu Felix , Wildes Thomas O. , Kaplan Michael
Published: October 2006

Pulmonary edema following the relief of acute upper airway obstruction is unusual and unpredictable. The cause is usually attributed to pulmonary and hemodynamic changes resulting from high negative intrathoracic pressures during obstructed respiration. The incidence of this problem is not known. Why pulmonary edema develops in only certain patients is also unclear. We reviewed the records of 27 consecutive adult patients admitted and treated for acute upper airway obstruction. Three of 27 (11%) developed pulmonary edema. Age, sex, diagnosis, duration of obstruction, history of cardiopulmonary disease, and perioperative fluid administration were evaluated. No differences were noted between those who did and those who did not develop pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema following acute upper airway obstruction appears to be more common than is generally appreciated, however, no specific factors seem related to its occurrence.
Acoustical analysis of the underlying voice differences between two groups of professional singers: opera and country and western
Authors: Burns Paul
Published: October 2006

An acoustical analysis of the speaking and singing voices of two types of professional singers was conducted. The vowels /i/, /a/, and /o/ were spoken and sung ten times each by seven opera and seven country and western singers. Vowel spectra were derived by computer software techniques allowing quantitative assessment of formant structure (F1‐F4), relative amplitude of resonance peaks (F1‐F4), fundamental frequency, and harmonic high frequency energy. Formant analysis was the most effective parameter differentiating the two groups. Only opera singers lowered their fourth formant creating a wide‐band resonance area (approximately 2,800 Hz) corresponding to the well‐known “singing formnnt.” Country and western singers revealed similar resonatory voice characteristics for both spoken and sung output. These results implicate faulty vocal technique in country and western singers as a contributory reason for vocal abuse/fatigue.
Otologic manifestations of AIDS: The otosyphilis connection
Authors: Smith Marshall E. , Canalis Rinaldo F.
Published: October 2006

Five cases of otosyphilis presenting in patients with HIV infection are discussed. The group is representative of the known stages of the disease, from asymptomatic carrier to the fully expressed immunodeficiency syndrome, and it is of relevance because otosyphilis appears to have developed at an accelerated rate from the primary infection. Four patients had been treated with penicillin 2 to 5 years previously and had a positive fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA‐ABS) test. The fifth had concurrent neurosyphilis and was VDRL‐test (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) negative 2 years prior to the onset of symptoms. In all five patients, syphilis was in the latent stage. It is proposed that it is during this phase of the disease that HIV may alter its course and hasten the development of otosyphilis. It is also suggested that otosyphilis can present at any stage of HIV infection and should be considered in seropositive patients presenting with otologic complaints.
Evaluation of syncope from head and neck cancer
Authors: Papay Francis A. , Roberts Jay K. , Levine Howard L. , Wegryn Tara L. , Gordon Terry
Published: October 2006

Five patients suffering from recurrent syncope in association with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were examined. Two patients had exhaustive diagnostic work‐up for syncope, which eventually disclosed previously undiagnosed, recurrent squamous cell carcinoma. Case reports describe glossopharyngeal neuralgia, a well recognized cause of syncope in the head and neck cancer patient, characterized by acute unilateral head or neck pain preceding each syncopal episode. The literature on the diagnosis of syncope is reviewed, and the syncopal mechanisms unique to the head and neck cancer patient are analyzed and discussed. A diagnostic approach to syncope in head and neck cancer is proposed.
Congenital perilymphatic fistula: A prospective study in infants and children
Authors: Reilly James S.
Published: October 2006

A 3‐year prospective study of 244 children (aged 5 months to 17 years) with sensorineural hearing loss of unknown cause revealed that 57 children (23%) had radiographic evidence of abnormalities of the temporal bone, detected by computed tomography scan, and/or progression of sensorineural hearing loss. Of these 57 children, 42 (74%) underwent surgical exploration, with 15 children (26%) of this subgroup demonstrating active congenital perilymphatic fistula. The prevalence of congenital perilymphatic fistula in a large, closely monitored population of children with unexplained sensorineural hearing loss appears to be at least 6% (15 of 244 children). The incidence may be higher because some congenital perilymphatic fistulae may leak intermittently and not be observed during middle ear surgery. Therefore, in children with suspected sensorineural hearing loss, early and frequent audiological evaluations should be made to rule out progressive/fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss. These children should also have radiographic imaging of their temporal bone by computed tomography scan. The use of both methods is the best indicator for congenital perilymphatic fistula.
Development of morphological and physiological changes in the cochlea induced by cytomegalovirus
Authors: Keithley Elizabeth M. , Woolf Nigel K. , Harris Jeffrey P.
Published: October 2006

The effect of viral infection in the cochlea was investigated by inoculation of live cytomegalovirus or inactivated virus. Auditory thresholds were measured on the day of inoculation and on the terminal day. Two to 8 days following inoculation, the animals were killed and the cochleae were evaluated histologically. The compound nerve potential showed an increase in threshold prior to the cochlear microphonic, indicating the nerve was affected prior to the outer hair cells. All experimental cochleas contained inflammatory and cytomegalic inclusion cells and showed degenerative changes. The number of infected cells was small relative to the histopathology. Control cochleae had normal structure and function. The degeneration, therefore, might be mediated by inflammation as well as by the cytopathic effect of the virus. Viral infections, therefore, might be better managed with anti‐inflammatory therapy in addition to antiviral agents.
The surgical management of extensive nasopharyngeal angiofibromas with the infratemporal fossa approach
Authors: Andrews James C. , Fisch Ugo , Aeppli Ulrich , Valavanis Anton , Makek Miro S.
Published: October 2006

Large juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas are a therapeutic challenge because of their relation to major vasculature and cranial nerves at the base of the skull, and their propensity for recurrence. A classification scheme based on the growth pattern of this tumor is proposed to help the surgeon choose a procedure to access this lesion.

This report describes the results obtained with the surgical removal of large (class III and IV) nasopharyngeal angiofibromas through the infratemporal fossa approach. Fourteen patients were cured and one individual developed a recurrence which was totally removed at a second procedure. Surgical morbidity was minimal and there was no mortality. Radiation therapy was necessary in only one patient who had tumor infiltration of the cavernous sinus.
Hyoid bone involvement by squamous cell carcinoma: Clinical and pathological features
Authors: Timon Conrad I. , Gullane Patrick J. , Brown Dale , Van Nostrand A. W. Peter
Published: October 2006

The incidence of hyoid bone involvement by neoplasia is undetermined, despite its importance in hyoid‐preserving surgery. Eleven (1.46%) of 755 whole‐organ laryngeal specimens examined demonstrated hyoid bone infiltration. These included 6 cases originating from the larynx, 3 from the vallecula, and 1 case each from the pyriform fossa and tongue base.

Clinically, vallecular involvement was helpful in determining hyoid invasion; however, computed tomography (CT) was disappointing.

The greater cornu was the sole site of invasion in six cases. Ten of 11 cases were secondary to direct tumor spread. All carcinomas were advanced, with variable differentiation. Vascular and neural invasion was a prominent feature.

Hyoid bone invasion is rare, and associated with a poor prognosis. Hyoid bone preservation is feasible in a majority of patients.
Frontal sinus fractures in the pediatric population
Authors: Wright Darin L. , Hoffman Henry T. , Hoyt David B.
Published: October 2006

Full development of the frontal sinus is not achieved until approximately 19 years of age. An evaluation of frontal sinus injuries isolated to the subset of patients less than 20 years old has yet to be reported. In order to determine whether age was a factor in the clinical course of patients with frontal sinus fractures, 209 patients who sustained frontal sinus fractures from January 1985 to April 1990 were identified using the trauma registry from all six major trauma centers, one of which is a pediatric trauma center, in a county of 2.5 million people. Forty patients (19%) were between the ages of 6 and 19 years at the time of their injury. Computed tomography imaging of these pediatric patients identified associated head and neck fractures in 37 (93%) as well as significant central nervous system injury in 22 (55%). Seventeen pediatric patients were treated nonoperatively and 1 died prior to the planned surgery. A detailed analysis of extent of injury and treatment together with a comparison of the 169 adult and the 40 pediatric patients is presented.