bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of syllable-scale timing to discriminate words
Authors: Port Robert F. , Reilly William T. , Maki Daniel P.
Published: October 2005

Assuming that only primitive, imperfect phonetic labeling of speech could be achieved by an automatic speech segmenter, words from several small vocabularies were identified using discriminant analysis, where the locations of prominent acoustic boundaries were combined in the optimum linear fashion. A set of two-syllable words that shared the same spelling in a weak alphabet (using categories like stop closure, fricative, vowel, etc.), but that differed in such features as which syllable was stressed, the tensity of the vowel, the identity of particular segments, etc., was selected. Discriminant analysis on the vector of six segmental boundaries achieved recognition accuracy 6.3 times better than chance. The words were produced by six talkers at two speaking tempos and measured by hand from sound spectrograms. Testing was performed on productions different from those used in training. When more confusable words (sharing the same stress pattern) were employed, performance was still five times better than chance. In a third experiment, the first two word sets were combined, and a subset of the variables (four of them) shared in common was employed for identification. This time recognition using temporal information was still able to do a reasonable job of discriminating the words. The results suggest that considerable information is available in segmental timing for identifying words even when the phonetic labeling of speech is weak.
Regulation of aldosterone production from zona glomerulosa cells by ANG II and cAMP: evidence for PKA-independent activation of CaMK by cAMP
Authors: Gambaryan Stepan , Butt Elke , Tas Piet , Smolenski Albert , Allolio Bruno , Walter Ulrich
Published: October 2005

Aldosterone production in zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells of adrenal glands is regulated by various extracellular stimuli (K+, ANG II, ACTH) that all converge on two major intracellular signaling pathways: an increase in cAMP production and calcium (Ca2+) mobilization. However, molecular events downstream of the increase in intracellular cAMP and Ca2+content are controversial and far from being completely resolved. Here, we found that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs) play a predominant role in the regulation of aldosterone production stimulated by ANG II, ACTH, and cAMP. The specific CaMK inhibitor KN93 strongly reduced ANG II-, ACTH-, and cAMP-stimulated aldosterone production. In in vitro kinase assays and intact cells, we could show that cAMP-induced activation of CaMK, using the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin or the cAMP-analog Sp-5,6-DCI-cBIMPS (cBIMPS), was not mediated by PKA. Activation of the recently identified cAMP target protein Epac (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP) by 8-pCPT-2′- O-Me-cAMP had no effect on CaMK activity and aldosterone production. Furthermore, we provide evidence that cAMP effects in ZG cells do not involve Ca2+or MAPK signaling. Our results suggest that ZG cells, in addition to PKA and Epac/Rap proteins, contain other as yet unidentified cAMP mediator(s) involved in regulating CaMK activity and aldosterone secretion.
Lipid metabolism response to a single, prolonged bout of endurance exercise in healthy young men
Authors: Magkos Faidon , Wright David C. , Patterson Bruce W. , Mohammed B. Selma , Mittendorfer Bettina
Published: October 2005

To discover the alterations in lipid metabolism linked to postexercise hypotriglyceridemia, we measured lipid kinetics, lipoprotein subclass distribution and lipid transfer enzymes in seven healthy, lean, young men the day after 2 h of cycling and rest. Compared with rest, exercise increased fatty acid rate of appearance and whole body fatty acid oxidation by ∼65 and 40%, respectively ( P < 0.05); exercise had no effect on VLDL-triglyceride (TG) secretion rate, increased VLDL-TG plasma clearance rate by 40 ± 8%, and reduced VLDL-TG mean residence time by ∼40 min and VLDL-apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) secretion rate by 24 ± 8% (all P < 0.05). Exercise also reduced the number of VLDL but almost doubled the number of IDL particles in plasma ( P < 0.05). Muscle lipoprotein lipase content was not different after exercise and rest, but plasma lipoprotein lipase concentration increased by ∼20% after exercise ( P < 0.05). Plasma hepatic lipase and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase concentrations were not affected by exercise, whereas cholesterol ester transfer protein concentration was ∼10% lower after exercise than after rest ( P = 0.052). We conclude that 1) greater fatty acid availability after exercise does not stimulate VLDL-TG secretion, probably because of the increase in fatty acid oxidation and possibly also fatty acid use for restoration of tissue TG stores; 2) reduced secretion of VLDL-apoB-100 lowers plasma VLDL particle concentration; and 3) increased VLDL-TG plasma clearance maintains low plasma TG concentration but is not accompanied by similar increases in subsequent steps of the delipidation cascade. Acutely, therefore, the cardioprotective lowering of plasma TG and VLDL concentrations by exercise is counteracted by a proatherogenic increase in IDL concentration.
Identification of fatty acid translocase on human skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes: essential role in fatty acid oxidation
Authors: Bezaire Veronic , Bruce Clinton R. , Heigenhauser George J. F. , Tandon Narendra N. , Glatz Jan F. C. , Luiken Joost J. J. F. , Bonen Arend , Spriet Lawrence L.
Published: October 2005

Fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) is a transport protein with a high affinity for long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). It was recently identified on rat skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes and found to be required for palmitate uptake and oxidation. Our aim was to identify the presence and elucidate the role of FAT/CD36 on human skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes. We demonstrate that FAT/CD36 is present in highly purified human skeletal mitochondria. Blocking of human muscle mitochondrial FAT/CD36 with the specific inhibitor sulfo- N-succimidyl-oleate (SSO) decreased palmitate oxidation in a dose-dependent manner. At maximal SSO concentrations (200 μM) palmitate oxidation was decreased by 95% ( P < 0.01), suggesting an important role for FAT/CD36 in LCFA transport across the mitochondrial membranes. SSO treatment of mitochondria did not affect mitochondrial octanoate oxidation and had no effect on maximal and submaximal carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity. However, SSO treatment did inhibit palmitoylcarnitine oxidation by 92% ( P < 0.001), suggesting that FAT/CD36 may be playing a role downstream of CPT I activity, possibly in the transfer of palmitoylcarnitine from CPT I to carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase. These data provide new insight regarding human skeletal muscle mitochondrial fatty acid (FA) transport, and suggest that FAT/CD36 could be involved in the cellular and mitochondrial adaptations resulting in improved and/or impaired states of FA oxidation.
Human duodenal enteroendocrine cells: source of both incretin peptides, GLP-1 and GIP
Authors: Theodorakis Michael J. , Carlson Olga , Michopoulos Spyros , Doyle Máire E. , Juhaszova Magdalena , Petraki Kalliopi , Egan Josephine M.
Published: October 2005

Among the products of enteroendocrine cells are the incretins glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1, secreted by L cells) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP, secreted by K cells). These are key modulators of insulin secretion, glucose homeostasis, and gastric emptying. Because of the rapid early rise of GLP-1 in plasma after oral glucose, we wished to definitively establish the absence or presence of L cells, as well as the relative distribution of the incretin cell types in human duodenum. We confirmed the presence of proglucagon and pro-GIP genes, their products, and glucosensory molecules by tissue immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR of laser-captured, single duodenal cells. We also assayed plasma glucose, incretin, and insulin levels in subjects with normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes for 120 min after they ingested 75 g of glucose. Subjects with normal glucose tolerance ( n = 14) had as many L cells (15 ± 1), expressed per 1,000 gut epithelial cells, as K cells (13 ± 1), with some containing both hormones (L/K cells, 5 ± 1). In type 2 diabetes, the number of L and L/K cells was increased (26 ± 2; P < 0.001 and 9 ± 1; P < 0.001, respectively). Both L and K cells contained glucokinase and glucose transporter-1, -2, and -3. Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects had increased plasma GLP-1 levels between 20 and 80 min, concurrently with rising plasma insulin levels. Significant coexpression of the main incretin peptides occurs in human duodenum. L and K cells are present in equal numbers. New onset type 2 diabetes is associated with a shift to the L phenotype.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D influences triglyceride-rich lipoprotein metabolism
Authors: Raikwar Nandita S. , Cho Won Kyoo , Bowen Rosario F. , Deeg Mark A.
Published: October 2005

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) is a minor HDL-associated protein. Because many minor HDL-associated proteins exchange between different lipoprotein classes during the postprandial state and are also involved in triglyceride (TG) metabolism, we hypothesized that GPI-PLD may play a role in the metabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins. To test this hypothesis, we examined the distribution of GPI-PLD among lipoprotein classes during a fat tolerance test in C57BL/6 and LDL receptor-deficient (LDLR−/−) mice fed either a chow or high-fructose diet. In the fasting state in wild-type mice fed a chow diet, GPI-PLD was only present in HDL, whereas in LDLR−/−mice GPI-PLD was present in HDL and intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL)/LDL. During the fat tolerance test, there was no change in total serum GPI-PLD levels in either model; however, a significant amount of GPI-PLD appeared in both VLDL (0.5–1% of total GPI-PLD) and IDL/LDL (5–10% of total GPI-PLD) in both models. The high-fructose diet increased both fasting and postprandial TG and serum GPI-PLD levels in both strains as well as the amount of GPI-PLD in VLDL. To determine whether GPI-PLD plays a direct role in TG metabolism, we increased liver GPI-PLD expression in C57BL/6 mice by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, which resulted in a sevenfold increase in serum GPI-PLD levels. This change was associated with an increase in fasting (30%) and postprandial TG (50%) and a twofold reduction in TG-rich lipoprotein catabolism compared with saline or control adenovirus-treated mice. These studies demonstrate that GPI-PLD affects serum TG levels by altering catabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins.
Changes in basal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal activity during exercise training are centrally mediated
Authors: Park Edward , Chan Owen , Li Qifu , Kiraly Mike , Matthews Stephen G. , Vranic Mladen , Riddell Michael C.
Published: October 2005

The effects of exercise training on hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function are unclear. We investigated whether pituitary-adrenal adaptation during exercise training is mediated by changes in neuropeptide and corticosteroid receptor gene expression in the brain and pituitary. Sprague-Dawley rats were subject to either daily swimming (DS) or sham exercise (SE) for 45 min/day, 5 days/week, for 2 (2W), 4 (4W), or 6 wk (6W) ( n = 7–10/group). Corticosterone (Cort) and catecholamine responses during swimming were robust at 6W compared with 2W and 4W, indicating that HPA response to exercise during training is not attenuated when absolute intensity is progressively increased. In DS, basal (morning) plasma ACTH and Cort levels increased from 2W to 4W but plateaued at 6W, whereas in SE, they increased from 4W to 6W, with 6W values higher than in DS. In DS, there was a transient decrease in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and pituitary and a transient increase in corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA. In contrast, hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA and PVN GR mRNA decreased from 4W to 6W in SE, with 6W values lower than in DS. These findings suggest that exercise training prevents an elevation in basal pituitary-adrenal activity potentially via transient alterations in the gene transcription of PVN and pituitary GR as well as CRH to suppress central drive to the HPA axis. In contrast, the increase in basal pituitary-adrenal activity with repeated sham exercise appears to be associated with decreases in hippocampal MR and PVN GR mRNA expression.
Gene expression of 5-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenases and leukotriene receptors along the rat nephron
Authors: Reinhold Stephan W. , Vitzthum Helga , Filbeck Thomas , Wolf Konrad , Lattas Christos , Riegger Günter A. J. , Kurtz Armin , Krämer Bernhard K.
Published: October 2005

The arachidonate signaling pathways comprise prostanoids formed by cyclooxygenases, EETs, and HETEs formed by cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes and HETEs and leukotrienes generated by lipoxygenases. Whereas the intrarenal localization of cyclooxygenases and of some CYP enzymes along the nephron has already been determined, the localization of lipoxygenases and leukotriene-forming enzymes together with leukotriene receptors in the kidney is less clear. This study therefore aimed to determine the expression of 5-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenases as well as the leukotriene receptors along the rat nephron. The kidneys were dissected into cortex and outer and inner medulla, and the microdissected nephron segments were collected after a collagenase digestion. mRNA abundance was determined by RT-PCR and real-time PCR. 15-LOX mRNA showed a characteristic expression pattern along the distal nephron. 12-LOX mRNA was only found in the glomerulus. Similarly, 5-LOX mRNAs together with 5-LOX-activating protein mRNAs were expressed in the glomerulus and also in the vasa recta. The leukotriene A4 hydrolase was found in all nephron segments, whereas leukotriene C4 synthase mRNA could not be found in any nephron segment. The leukotriene receptor B4 and the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor type 1 were selectively expressed in the glomerulus, whereas cysteinyl receptor type 2 was not found in any nephron segment. Our data suggest that the glomerulus is a major source and target for 5- and 12-HETE and for leukotrienes. The collecting duct system, on the other hand, appears to be a major source of 15-HETE.
Role of deadenylation and AUF1 binding in the pH-responsive stabilization of glutaminase mRNA
Authors: Schroeder Jill M. , Ibrahim Hend , Taylor Lynn , Curthoys Norman P.
Published: October 2005

During chronic metabolic acidosis, increased expression of renal glutaminase (GA) results from selective stabilization of the GA mRNA. This response is mediated by a direct repeat of an 8-base adenylate-uridylate (AU) sequence that binds ζ-crystallin and functions as a pH response element (pH-RE). A tetracycline-responsive promoter system was developed in LLC-PK1-F+cells to perform pulse-chase analysis of the turnover of a chimeric β-globin (βG) mRNA that contains 960 bp of the 3′-UTR of GA mRNA including the pH-RE. The βG-GA mRNA exhibits a 14-fold increase in half-life when the LLC-PK1-F+cells are transferred to acidic medium. RNase H cleavage and Northern blot analysis of the 3′-ends established that rapid deadenylation occurred concomitantly with the rapid decay of the βG-GA mRNA in cells grown in normal medium. Stabilization of the βG-GA mRNA in acidic medium is associated with a pronounced decrease in the rate of deadenylation. Mutation of the pH-RE within the βG-GA mRNA blocked the pH-responsive stabilization, but not the rapid decay, whereas insertion of only a 29-bp segment containing the pH-RE was sufficient to produce both a rapid decay and a pH-responsive stabilization. Various kidney cells express multiple isoforms of AUF1, an AU-binding protein that enhances mRNA turnover. RNA gel-shift assays demonstrated that the recombinant p40 isoform of AUF1 binds to the pH-RE with high affinity and specificity. Thus AUF1 may mediate the rapid turnover of the GA mRNA, whereas increased binding of ζ-crystallin during acidosis may inhibit degradation and result in selective stabilization.
Hyperexcitability of Axotomized and Neighboring Unaxotomized Sensory Neurons Is Reduced Days After Perineural Clonidine at the Site of Injury
Authors: Liu Baogang , Eisenach James C.
Published: October 2005

Hyperexcitability after peripheral nerve injury occurs in axotomized and neighboring unaxotomized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and contributes to hypersensitivity. Previous studies have focused on proximal nerve injury and have not examined unaxotomized neurons innervating the site of sensory testing. The current study used a distal nerve injury (partial sciatic nerve ligation [PSNL]), and identified, using fluorescent tracers, axotomized and unaxotomized neurons innervating the site of hypersensitivity. We hypothesized that reduced hypersensitivity after perineural clonidine was associated with reduced hyperexcitability of DRG neurons. Rats underwent sham or PSNL surgery, followed 2 wk later by a single injection at the injury site of clonidine or saline. PSNL, but not sham surgery, reduced hindpaw mechanical withdrawal threshold, and clonidine, but not saline, partially reversed this effect 3 days after injection. Intracellular recording of neurons in whole DRG demonstrated similar changes in membrane properties and excitability in unaxotomized and axotomized neurons after PSNL compared with sham surgery, primarily depolarized resting membrane potential, reduced rheobase, presence of oscillations, and capability to fire repetitively. Most of these changes were present in small-, medium-, and large-diameter neurons. Perineural clonidine 3 days later significantly reversed many of these effects, whereas saline was without effect. We speculate that perineural clonidine reduces signals, likely proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins produced during Wallerian degeneration after nerve injury, which drive changes in ion channel expression in DRG somata leading to hyperexcitability and hypersensitivity.
Chronic heart rate reduction remodels ion channel transcripts in the mouse sinoatrial node but not in the ventricle
Authors: Leoni Anne-Laure , Marionneau Céline , Demolombe Sophie , Bouter Sabrina Le , Mangoni Matteo E. , Escande Denis , Charpentier Flavien
Published: October 2005

We investigated the effects of chronic and moderate heart rate (HR) reduction on ion channel expression in the mouse sinoatrial node (SAN) and ventricle. Ten-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were treated twice daily with either vehicle or ivabradine at 5 mg/kg given orally during 3 wk. The effects of HR reduction on cardiac electrical activity were investigated in anesthetized mice with serial ECGs and in freely moving mice with telemetric recordings. With the use of high-throughput real-time RT-PCR, the expression of 68 ion channel subunits was evaluated in the SAN and ventricle at the end of the treatment period. In conscious mice, ivabradine induced a mean 16% HR reduction over a 24-h period that was sustained over the 3-wk administration. Other ECG parameters were not modified. Two-way hierarchical clustering analysis of gene expression revealed a separation of ventricles from SANs but no discrimination between treated and untreated ventricles, indicating that HR reduction per se induced limited remodeling in this tissue. In contrast, SAN samples clustered in two groups depending on the treatment. In the SAN from ivabradine-treated mice, the expression of nine ion channel subunits, including Navβ1 (−25%), Cav3.1 (−29%), Kir6.1 (−28%), Kvβ2 (−41%), and Kvβ3 (−30%), was significantly decreased. Eight genes were significantly upregulated, including K+channel α-subunits (Kv1.1, +30%; Kir2.1, +29%; Kir3.1, +41%), hyperpolarization-activated cation channels (HCN2, +24%; HCN4, +52%), and connexin 43 (+26%). We conclude that reducing HR induces a complex remodeling of ion channel expression in the SAN but has little impact on ion channel transcripts in the ventricle.
Comparative Correlatives Comparatively
Authors: Dikken Marcel den
Published: October 2005

The comparative correlative construction (The more you eat, the fatter you get) has received sporadic attention in the literature, with few concrete results when it comes to our understanding of the syntax of the construction. This article analyzes comparative correlatives as well-behaved, crosslinguistically consistent correlative constructions whose initial clause is a relative clause adjoined to the second clause, which functions as the root of the construction. Examining comparative correlative data from a variety of languages, the article subjects the internal structure of the construction's two clauses to careful scrutiny, as well as the microscopic structure of the comparative-headed constituents introducing the two clauses.
Comparative Validity Analysis of Multiple Measures of Violence Risk in a Sample of Criminal Offenders
Authors: Douglas Kevin S. , Yeomans Melissa , Boer Douglas P.
Published: October 2005

This study compared the predictive validity of multiple indices of violence risk among 188 general population criminal offenders: Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20) Violence Risk Assessment Scheme, Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG), Violent Offender Risk Assessment Scale (VORAS), Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), and Screening Version (PCL:SV). Several indices were related to violent recidivism with large statistical effect sizes: HCR-20 (Total, Clinical and Risk Management scales, structured risk judgments), VRAG, and behavioral scales of psychopathy measures. Multivariate analyses showed that HCR-20 indices were consistently related to violence and that the VRAG entered some analyses. Findings are inconsistent with a position of strict actuarial superiority, as HCR-20 structured risk judgments—an index of structured professional or clinical judgment—were as strongly related to violence.
An Examination of the Generalizability of the LSI-R and Vrag Probability Bins
Authors: Mills Jeremy F. , Jones Michael N. , Kroner Daryl G.
Published: October 2005

Statistics such as the Pearson’s r and Receiver Operating Characteristics are often used to test the generalization of criminal and violence prediction instruments. However, these analyses overlook potential error in the assessment of risk if the rates of offending within the initial validation samples are assumed accurate for other samples. This study examined the generalizability of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised and Violence Risk Appraisal Guide probability bins in a predominantly violent correctional sample. The findings showed that the initial bin probabilities were not transferable to our sample of predominantly violent male offenders. An empirical method of optimal binning was introduced. The discussion centered on the accurate use of bin probabilities in the communication of risk.
Complexity and Life
Authors: Capra Fritjof
Published: October 2005

During the last two decades, a new understanding of life emerged at the forefront of science.The development of complexity theory, technically known as nonlinear dynamics, has allowed scientists and mathematicians to model the complexities of living systems in new ways that have yielded many important discoveries. In this article, the author reviews the basic concepts, current achievements and status of complexity theory from the perspective of the new understanding of biological life. Models and theories discussed include the theory of dissipative structures for nonlinear chemical systems, the application of bifurcation theory to genetic networks and cell differentiation, the study of the origin of biological form (morphology), a new approach to the understanding of developmental stability in embryology, and a model of the ‘origin of life’ and prebiotic evolution in tiny, membrane-bounded vesicles in the primeval oceans.
Complexity and Social Movement(s)
Authors: Chesters Graeme , Welsh Ian
Published: October 2005

The rise of networked social movements contesting neo-liberal globalization and protesting the summits of global finance and governance organizations has posed an analytical challenge to social movement theorists and called into question the applicability to this global milieu of the familiar concepts and heuristics utilized in social movement studies. In this article, we argue that the self-defining alter-globalization movement(s) might instead be engaged with as an expression and effect of global complexity, and we draw upon a ‘minor’ literature in social movement studies that includes Gregory Bateson, Gilles Deleuze and Alberto Melucci to illustrate our claims. This article uses a Deleuzian reading of complexity to describe the phase space of the ‘movement of movements’, and its perturbation of global civil society through the iteration of sense-making processes (reflexive framing) and the exploration of singularities inhering in social movement ‘plateaux’. Those transnational gatherings, protests and social forums facilitated by computer-mediated communications and the advent of unprecedented mobility which constitute a ‘shadow realm’ that remains largely invisible to political exchange theories operating within the conceptual confines of the nation-state.
The Increase of Complexity and its Reduction
Authors: Nowotny Helga
Published: October 2005

Taking the lead from complexity theory and complex systems methodology, the article argues that we are engaged in a contradictory process when encountering, analysing and dealing with complexity. We face opposite tendencies that indicate an in-built dynamic between the increase of complexity and its reduction. The increase partly comes through evolution, defined as the transmission of information and partly from the desire for a human-built world that functions more efficiently. The reduction of complexity is due partly to the necessity of minimizing unwanted and unintended consequences of its increase, and partly due to the continued re-alignment between social systems and their environments. The article examines the public debate about human stem cell research, the debates in the 18th century about the free circulation of commodities and opinions, and the attempts to provide answers to the question debated between Einstein and Freud: why war? The article concludes by arguing that the plea for a re-alignment of scientific disciplines will not suffice. Instead, the study of the co-evolution between science and society offers itself as a strategic research site by focusing on the dynamic interplay between the increase of complexity and its reduction.
The Problem of the Attractor
Authors: Mackenzie Adrian
Published: October 2005

Contemporary complexity sciences claim a literal, non-metaphorical applicability to physical, economic, social and cultural events. They envision the development of a general social or historical physics. Conversely, in the social sciences and humanities, complexity sciences have been typically treated as a source of new metaphors or tropes to be used in theory-building. Can there be a critical social or historical physics that is not a world-view and that does not treat science as a source of metaphors? The Lorenz attractor figures centrally in the history of complexity science as a popular image of ‘deterministic chaos’ and the ‘butterfly effect’, as an indication of how far complexity science has progressed in the last two decades, and, as this article argues, as an event whose multiplicity of interpretations attests to the problem it raises, the problem of generality associated with complexity. Via the Lorenz attractor, the article examines three attempts to treat complexity non-metaphorically in recent theoretical work (Delanda; Massumi; Stengers). In these accounts, the attractor performs several different functions. It forms part of a re-engineered concept of multiplicity, it helps conceptualize feeling or sensitivity, and it raises the general problem of practice in theory-building.
Reflexing Complexity
Authors: Wynne Brian
Published: October 2005

Dominant social sciences approaches to complexity suggest that awareness of complexity in late-modern society comes from various recent scientific insights. By examining today’s plant and human genomics sciences, I question this from both ends: first suggesting that typical public culture was already aware of particular salient forms of complexity, such as limits to predictive knowledge (which are often denied by scientific cultures themselves); second, showing how up-to-date genomics science expresses both complexity and its opposites, predictive determinism and reductionism, as coexistent representations of nature and scientific knowledge. I suggest we can understand this self-authored epistemic confusion in modern science by avoiding ‘the usual suspects’ – fading simpler discourses left over from previous scientific times; media oversimplifications; or the need to ‘simplify’ to essentials, for ignorant publics – and looking instead at the silent imaginations of extra-scientific reference groups reflected and projectively performed in scientific discourses-practices themselves. Thus contradictions of complex scientific understandings are systematically created by science’s own embodiment of epistemic commitments influenced by commercial cultures, and by imagined publics who are important new constructed objects of institutional scientific concerns – over authority and trust. New dimensions of complexity thus come alive through paying attention to neglected tacit dimensions of science–society interrelations.
Complexity, Science and the Public
Authors: Suteanu Cristian
Published: October 2005

This article addresses complexity by selecting some of its key aspects that share a common feature: the power to change. They seem to change not only the way the world is approached by scientists, but also the way this approach, the resulting perspectives and their multiple relationships, are interpreted. These main aspects are: (1) the challenge of measurability, with an unexpected result that escapes the gravitational field of the measurability problem; (2) the meaning of reproducibility and the redrawn boundaries of scientific inquiry, with implications for the social sciences; (3) the altered expectations concerning prediction, which seem to break with a glorious tradition of unquestioned technological success; and (4) the discovery of all-embracing patterns of events that unavoidably include large events, possibly perceived as ‘crises’, which one may hope to understand and confront, rather than rule out. The resulting geography, with its new landmarks, new relationships among its elements and new means of orientation, is expected to reach the public sooner or later, even if the effect – according to complexity theory itself – cannot be foreseen in detail. All these fibres of change are considered in the context of a fresh meaning of time and of a topology dominated by network concepts.
Relationships Between Peer Harassment and Adolescent Problem Behaviors
Authors: Rusby Julie C. , Forrester Kathleen K. , Biglan Anthony , Metzler Carol W.
Published: October 2005

Concurrent and predictive relationships between peer harassment and problem behavior were examined for middle and high school students as well as gender differences in these relationships. Students recruited in fifth through seventh grades (n = 223) and their parents provided quarterly questionnaire data and were followed up into high school. As hypothesized, experiencing frequent peer harassment in middle school was associated with greater problem behavior concurrently and prospectively into high school. Students experiencing frequent harassment exhibited more aggressive and antisocial behavior and were more likely to associate with deviant peers and use cigarettes during middle school than those experiencing some or no harassment. In regression analyses, frequent verbal harassment predicted antisocial behavior, alcohol use, and deviant peer association in high school, and frequent physical harassment predicted later antisocial behavior, aggression, deviant peer association, and multiple problem behavior. Gender interactions were found for prediction of later aggressive and antisocial behavior.
Emotion Regulation Factors as Mediators Between Body Dissatisfaction and Bulimic Symptoms in Early Adolescent Girls
Authors: Sim Leslie , Zeman Janice
Published: October 2005

Research suggests that negative affect is an important mediator in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms. This study examines the mediational role of specific emotion regulation processes (i.e., negative emotionality, poor awareness of emotion, nonconstructive coping with negative emotion) in bulimic symptoms. In addition to these emotion regulation variables, body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms were assessed in 234 girls in Grades 6 to 8 (mean age = 12 years, 11 months). The results indicated that negative affect, poor awareness of emotion, and nonconstructive coping with negative emotion partially mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic behaviors. The findings are discussed in light of previous research that suggests emotion regulation needs to be viewed as a multidimensional construct.
Family Functioning, Identity, and Problem Behavior in Hispanic Immigrant Early Adolescents
Authors: Schwartz Seth J. , Pantin Hilda , Prado Guillermo , Sullivan Summer , Szapocznik José
Published: October 2005

The present study investigated the role of identity in the relationship between family functioning and behavior problems in a sample of Hispanic immigrant early adolescents and their families. The sample consisted of 181 Hispanic immigrant adolescents (92 males, 89 females) and their participating caregivers (who were mostly mothers). Identity was measured using adolescent reports, whereas family functioning and early adolescent behavior problems were measured using both adolescent and parent reports. Correlational analyses indicated that previously obtained relationships among family functioning, identity, and behavior problems were replicated in the present sample. Structural equation models indicated that 20% of the relationship between family functioning and behavior problems operated indirectly through identity, and identity confusion partially mediates the relationship between family functioning and early adolescent behavior problems. Implications for intervention are discussed.
Human Meniscus Allografts’ in Vivo Size and Motion Characteristics
Authors: Rankin Marc , Noyes Frank R. , Barber-Westin Sue D. , Hushek Stephen G. , Seow Albert
Published: October 2005

Background

Although many reports have described clinical outcome of meniscus transplants, their size and motion patterns are not well understood. This study assessed postoperative in vivo size and motion patterns of meniscus transplants under full weightbearing conditions.

Hypothesis

The human meniscus transplant has size and motion characteristics similar to the native menisci.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Eight meniscus transplants in 7 knees were studied 15 to 34 months postoperatively. The knees were scanned in an open magnetic resonance imaging 0.5-T superconducting magnet while standing. Single slice sagittal and coronal images were obtained at 0 °, 30 °, 60 °, and 90 ° of flexion in the operative and contralateral knees.

Results

The mean height and width of the anterior and posterior horns of the transplants were similar to those of native menisci. The millimeters of coronal displacement of motion of the midbody were also similar between the transplants and the native menisci. The anterior horn of the native medial menisci moved a mean of 5 mm more (total anterior to posterior translation, P<. 05) than did the transplants. The posterior horn of the native medial menisci, and both horns of the native lateral menisci, also tended to move more than the corresponding horns of the transplanted menisci, although this result could not be confirmed statistically, given the number of menisci studied.

Conclusion

Meniscus transplants had similar size and midbody motion characteristics as the native menisci. The horns of the meniscus transplants tended to show decreased motion compared with the native menisci. The operative techniques and subsequent healing of the graft bone and peripheral attachments provided a stable meniscus construct.
Pectoralis Major Tears
Authors: Zvijac John E. , Schurhoff Matthias R. , Hechtman Keith S. , Uribe John W.
Published: October 2005

Background

Controversy exists in the diagnosis and treatment of pectoralis major tear patterns.

Hypothesis

Magnetic resonance imaging is useful in determining the grade and the location of pectoralis major tears and in guiding toward an appropriate treatment plan.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Between January 1998 and December 2002, 27 patients were treated for pectoralis major tears. All patients were evaluated by history and physical examination. A clinical impression was formed regarding the location and grade of injury, and a treatment plan was established. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and images were reviewed by an orthopaedic surgeon and a board-certified musculoskeletal radiologist, resulting in a final treatment plan. The mean follow-up was 12 months. All patients were evaluated by questionnaire and clinical examination to assess pain, function, deformity, and overall satisfaction.

Results

In 19 of 27 patients, the clinical impression and magnetic resonance imaging agreed regarding the location and the grade of the injury. A total of 19 patients underwent surgical repair, and 8 patients were treated nonoperatively. The magnetic resonance imaging result changed the treatment plan in 3 patients from operative to nonoperative.

Conclusion

The clinical impression appeared to overestimate the severity, the location, and the grade of the injury. Magnetic resonance imaging provided a more accurate assessment and, in conjunction with the clinical examination, helped to identify those patients who would benefit most from surgical repair.
An Evaluation of the Provocative Tests for Superior Labral Anterior Posterior Lesions
Authors: Parentis Michael Andrew , Glousman Ronald E. , Mohr Karen S. , Yocum Lewis A.
Published: October 2005

Background

Although our understanding of superior labral anterior posterior lesions has grown, the physical diagnosis remains imperfect.

Study Design

Cohort study (diagnostic); Level of evidence, 2.

Purpose

To determine the most effective provocative maneuver with which to diagnose superior labral anterior posterior lesions.

Methods

A series of 132 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy were examined preoperatively over a 6-month period, and the final diagnosis in each case was made arthroscopically. The following assessments were included: active compression (O'Brien), anterior slide, pain provocation, crank, Jobe relocation, Hawkins, Neer, Speed, and Yergason tests.

Results

The most sensitive diagnostic tools for type II superior labral lesions were the active compression, Hawkins, Speed, Neer, and Jobe relocation tests. When type I and type II lesions were combined, the results were similar. However, none of the sensitive tests were specific for either type I or type II lesions.

Conclusions

The authors’ results contradict the current literature regarding provocative testing for both stable and unstable superior labral lesions. There is no single maneuver that can accurately diagnose superior labral anterior posterior lesions; arthroscopy remains the standard by which to diagnose such lesions.
The Use of a Single Osteochondral Autograft Plug in the Treatment of a Large Osteochondral Lesion in the Femoral Condyle
Authors: Burks Robert T. , Greis Patrick E. , Arnoczky Steven Paul , Scher Courtney
Published: October 2005

Background

The use of osteochondral autograft plugs can be restricted because of limited amount of donor material.

Hypothesis

A small osteochondral autograft plug placed in the center of a large defect in a sheep femoral condyle will yield results superior to either an untreated or a bone-grafted defect.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Twelve adult sheep underwent bilateral hindlimb surgery. On 1 limb, a 6-mm circular osteochondral autograft plug was placed in the center of a 10-mm circular defect in the medial femoral condyle. The gap between the plug and the condyle was filled with bone graft. On the contralateral side, the defect was either left untreated or filled with bone graft (control specimens). Animals were studied at 6 and 12 months under gross examination, high-resolution radiography, and histologic evaluation.

Results

At 6 months, 4 of 6 plugs healed and showed good maintenance of the joint surface and cartilage viability in the plugs. One plug fractured and resorbed, and 1 plug settled but healed. At 1 year, all 5 plugs healed, 1 having settled slightly (1 animal died earlier). The plug specimens showed better maintenance of the condyle contour at both times, and the central plug had hyaline-appearing cartilage. The control specimens were more irregular, had a fibrocartilage fill, and appeared flatter, although no gross cavitation or collapse was indicated. Composite cartilage scores on histologic evaluation were significantly higher for the plug specimens after 6 months (P =. 02) and 1 year (P =. 036) compared with controls.

Conclusion

At 6 months and 1 year, a 6-mm osteochondral plug placed in a 10-mm defect better preserved the articular surface and contour of the condyle compared to untreated or bone-grafted defects.

Clinical Relevance

Osteochondral autograft plugs may be able to treat larger articular lesions without complete fill of the defect.
Elbow Range of Motion in Professional Baseball Pitchers
Authors: Wright Rick W. , Steger-May Karen , Wasserlauf Brett L. , O'Neal Mark E. , Weinberg Barry W. , Paletta George A.
Published: October 2005

Background

Physicians involved with the care of baseball players have noted elbow range of motion changes in pitchers. Objective data regarding the extent of these changes have rarely been documented.

Hypothesis

Dominant and nondominant elbow range of motion differences are common in baseball pitchers, and these differences are related to player age, amount and length of time professionally pitched, and history of surgical procedures on the dominant extremity.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Thirty-three professional pitchers were evaluated for elbow range of motion during spring training preseason physical examination. Dominant and nondominant elbow range of motion including flexion, extension, supination, and pronation were measured with a goniometer. Range of motion measures from the dominant and nondominant sides were compared. Baseball records were reviewed for arm dominance, age, years of professional pitching, professional innings pitched, and history of elbow surgery. These factors were evaluated for their possible association with range of motion for each side and the difference between sides.

Results

Statistically significant differences between dominant and nondominant sides were noted for elbow extension (dominant decreased 7.9° ± 7.4°, P <. 0001), flexion (dominant decreased 5.5° ± 7.8°, P =. 0003), and total flexion-extension arc (dominant decreased 13.3° ± 13.7°, P <. 0001). No significant difference between sides was found for the supination or pronation measures. No correlation was noted for age, pitching history, surgery, or arm dominance and the motion differences.

Conclusion

Professional pitchers demonstrate elbow flexion and extension differences between dominant and nondominant elbows. No correlation was found between motion differences and age, pitching history, surgery, or arm dominance.
Risk Factors for Noncontact Ankle Sprains in High School Athletes
Authors: McHugh Malachy P. , Tyler Timothy F. , Tetro Danielle T. , Mullaney Michael J. , Nicholas Stephen J.
Published: October 2005

Background

Ankle sprains are among the most common sports injuries.

Hypothesis

Poor balance as measured on a balance board and weakness in hip abduction strength are associated with an increased risk of noncontact ankle sprains in high school athletes.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

One hundred sixty-nine high school athletes (101 male athletes, 68 female athletes) from football, men's basketball, men's soccer, women's gymnastics, women's basketball, and women's soccer were observed for 2 years. Balance in single-limb stance on an instrumented tilt board and hip flexion, abduction, and adduction strength (handheld dynamometer) were assessed in the preseason. Body mass, height, generalized ligamentous laxity, previous ankle sprains, and ankle tape or brace use were also documented.

Results

There were 20 noncontact inversion ankle sprains. Balance ability (P= .72), hip abduction strength (P= .66), hip adduction strength (P= .41), and hip flexion strength (P= .87) were not significant risk factors for ankle sprains. The incidence of grade II and grade III sprains was higher in athletes with a history of a previous ankle sprain (1.12 vs 0.26 per 1000 exposures, P< .05). A higher body mass index in male athletes was associated with increased risk (P< .05). The combination of a previous injury and being overweight further increased risk (P< .01).

Conclusion

Balance as measured on a balance board and hip strength were not significant indicators for noncontact ankle sprains. The apparent high injury risk associated with the combination of a history of a previous ankle sprain and being overweight in male athletes warrants further examination.
Are Pain Location and Physical Examinations Useful in Locating a Tear Site of the Rotator Cuff?
Authors: Itoi Eiji , Minagawa Hiroshi , Yamamoto Nobuyuki , Seki Nobutoshi , Abe Hidekazu
Published: October 2005

Background

Pain is the most common symptom of patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, but little is known about the relationship between the site of pain and the site of cuff pathologic lesions. Also, accuracies of physical examinations used to locate a tear by assessing the muscle strength seem to be affected by the threshold for muscle weakness, but no studies have been reported regarding the efficacies of physical examinations in reference to their threshold.

Hypothesis

Pain location is useful in locating a tear site. Efficacies of physical examinations to evaluate the function of the cuff muscles depend on the threshold for muscle weakness.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical charts of 160 shoulders of 149 patients (mean age, 53 years) with either rotator cuff tears (140 shoulders) or cuff tendinitis (20 shoulders). The location of pain was recorded on a standardized form with 6 different areas. The diagnostic accuracies of the following tests were assessed with various thresholds for muscle weakness: supraspinatus test, the external rotation strength test, and the lift-off test.

Results

Lateral and anterior portions of the shoulder were the most common sites of pain regardless of existence of tear or tear location. The supraspinatus test was most accurate when it was assessed to have positive results with the muscle strength less than manual muscle testing grade 5, whereas the lift-off test was most accurate with a threshold less than grade 3. The external rotation strength test was most accurate with a threshold of less than grade 4+.

Conclusion

The authors conclude that pain location is not useful in locating the site of a tear, whereas the physical examinations aiming to locate the tear site are clinically useful when assessed to have positive results with appropriate threshold for muscle weakness.