bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactions, Functions, and Independence of Plasma Membrane STIM1 and TRPC1 in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Li Jing , Sukumar Piruthivi , Milligan Carol J. , Kumar Bhaskar , Ma Zhi-Yong , Munsch Christopher M. , Jiang Lin-Hua , Porter Karen E. , Beech David J.
Published: September 2008

Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is a predicted single membrane–spanning protein involved in store-operated calcium entry and interacting with ion channels including TRPC1. Here, we focus on endogenous STIM1 of modulated vascular smooth muscle cells, which exhibited a nonselective cationic current in response to store depletion despite strong buffering of intracellular calcium at the physiological concentration. STIM1 mRNA and protein were detected and suppressed by specific short interfering RNA. Calcium entry evoked by store depletion was partially inhibited by STIM1 short interfering RNA, whereas calcium release was unaffected. STIM1 short interfering RNA suppressed cell migration but not proliferation. Antibody that specifically bound STIM1 revealed constitutive extracellular N terminus of STIM1 and extracellular application of the antibody caused fast inhibition of the current evoked by store depletion. The antibody also inhibited calcium entry and cell migration but not proliferation. STIM1 interacted with TRPC1, and TRPC1 contributed partially to calcium entry and cationic current. However, the underlying processes could not be explained only by a STIM1-TRPC1 partnership because extracellular TRPC1 antibody suppressed cationic current only in a fraction of cells, TRPC1-containing channels were important for cell proliferation as well as migration, and cell surface localization studies revealed TRPC1 alone, as well as with STIM1. The data suggest a complex situation in which there is not only plasma membrane–spanning STIM1 that is important for cell migration and TRPC1-independent store-operated cationic current but also TRPC1-STIM1 interaction, a TRPC1-dependent component of store-operated current, and STIM1-independent TRPC1 linked to cell proliferation.
Induction of Neurogenesis in the Adult Dentate Gyrus by Cortical Spreading Depression
Authors: Urbach Anja , Redecker Christoph , Witte Otto W.
Published: September 2008

Background and Purpose—

Spreading depression (SD) is an epiphenomenon of neurological disorders, like stroke or traumatic brain injury. These diseases have been associated with an increased neurogenesis in the adult rodent dentate gyrus. Such proliferative activity can also be induced by conditions that—like SD—coincide with a disturbed neuronal excitability, eg, epilepsy. Thus we hypothesized that SD might likewise influence hippocampal neurogenesis and potentially act as mediator of injury-induced neurogenesis.

Methods—

Repetitive cortical SD were induced by epidural application of 3 mol/L KCl. At different time points thereafter dentate gyrus neurogenesis was investigated by means of intraperitoneal bromodeoxyuridine injections and immunocytochemistry. Spatial learning and memory was tested in a Morris water maze.

Results—

Cortical SD significantly increased proliferative activity in the ipsilateral subgranular zone on days 2 and 4. We detected about 280% more newborn cells in the dentate gyrus of rats that received bromodeoxyuridine during the first week after SD and were allowed to recover for 6 weeks. Most of these cells expressed the mature neuronal marker NeuN. The mitogenic action of SD was suppressed by systemic administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Behavioral performance of SD animals in the Morris water maze did not improve significantly.

Conclusions—

From our data we postulate that the increased dentate gyrus neurogenesis observed after brain injury may at least partly be mediated by SD-like epiphenomena. Furthermore they indicate that even a strongly enhanced dentate gyrus neurogenesis may occur without significant improvements in hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory.
The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Ecosystem Approach
Authors: Fabra Adriana , Gascón Virginia
Published: September 2008

Lack of adequate governance of the high seas areas has resulted in the continued degradation of ocean and marine habitats. The ecosystem approach, which comprises integrated, precautionary management policies, can be an important tool to reverse this situation. CCAMLR was a pioneer in the incorporation of an ecosystem approach to the conservation and management of marine living resources, and continues to be a leader in its implementation. Through its actions at scientific, institutional and compliance levels, it has attempted to balance conservation objectives with the maintenance of commercial fisheries. CCAMLR has many achievements in this regard, but needs to face new challenges posed by the expansion of fisheries, including illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, if it is not to abandon the core conservation principles embodied in the Antarctic Treaty. Other regional fishery bodies that have committed themselves to incorporating the ecosystem approach in their regimes can learn important lessons from CCAMLR's successes and also from its difficulties. Incorporating the ecosystem approach is an ambitious goal, but one that can contribute significantly to ocean governance.
Mediterranean Challenges: Between Old Problems and New Solutions
Authors: Gavouneli Maria
Published: September 2008

True to its venerable tradition, the Mediterranean system seems poised to embark on a new attempt at innovation. Within the first few months of 2008, we have celebrated the adoption of the much-awaited new protocol on integrated coastal zone management in the Mediterranean and we have witnessed a number of mutually reinforcing initiatives, coming from both the neighbourhood, especially the European Union, and from afar, including financial organisations such as the World Bank. They are all designed, if not to reverse, then at least to prevent the threat to biodiversity from accelerating. In essence, the wider Mediterranean community is moving beyond the traditional allocation of state jurisdiction at sea and expanding both landwards, towards the coast, and seawards, towards the high seas. In so doing, it is developing and making use of new tools for environmental protection, challenging and perhaps redesigning in the process the traditional jurisdictional tenets of the law of the sea. This paper will attempt to map these developments and come up with a first assessment of their prospects, given the daunting structural and financial deficiencies of the system.
Wider Caribbean Region—A Pivotal Time to Strengthen Regional Instruments For Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: Lausche Barbara
Published: September 2008

The countries of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) are linked economically by their transboundary living marine resources. The region is facing a continued decline of these resources. Science is improving our understanding of the human contributions to this decline, but national policies and programmes have not kept pace with this understanding. The Caribbean Regional Seas Programme and its Cartagena Convention and Protocols provide the regional legal framework for protection and sustainable management of the WCR's living marine and coastal resources. This article focuses on the Cartagena Convention's Protocol for biodiversity conservation, the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW), arguing that governments and organizations need to significantly increase participation in this regional treaty regime to effectively address transboundary environmental challenges. A new initiative, the Global Environment Facility-supported Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem project, will help in this effort. International policy supports strengthened regional seas programmes. It is now imperative for all levels and sectors to assist governments in strengthening this important treaty regime for biodiversity conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Links between Tropical Pacific SST and Cholera Incidence in Bangladesh: Role of the Eastern and Central Tropical Pacific
Authors: Cash Benjamin A. , Rodó Xavier , Kinter James L.
Published: September 2008

Recent studies arising from both statistical analysis and dynamical disease models indicate that there is a link between incidence of cholera, a paradigmatic waterborne bacterial disease (WBD) endemic to Bangladesh, and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, a physical mechanism explaining this relationship has not yet been established. A regionally coupled, or “pacemaker,” configuration of the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies atmospheric general circulation model is used to investigate links between sea surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific and the regional climate of Bangladesh. It is found that enhanced precipitation tends to follow winter El Niño events in both the model and observations, providing a plausible physical mechanism by which ENSO could influence cholera in Bangladesh.

The enhanced precipitation in the model arises from a modification of the summer monsoon circulation over India and Bangladesh. Westerly wind anomalies over land to the west of Bangladesh lead to increased convergence in the zonal wind field and hence increased moisture convergence and rainfall. This change in circulation results from the tropics-wide warming in the model following a winter El Niño event. These results suggest that improved forecasting of cholera incidence may be possible through the use of climate predictions.
Trends in Extreme Temperatures in Relation to Urbanization in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota
Authors: Sen Roy Shouraseni , Yuan Fei
Published: September 2008

The long-term trends in extreme summer season temperatures across the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) associated with urbanization are examined. To assess trends in extreme temperature data, maximum and minimum temperatures from 1975 to 2002 were assembled for seven stations located in both rural and urban areas. Furthermore, urbanization since 1975 was assessed by estimating the percentage of impervious surfaces from Landsat images acquired for various years. The results of this study indicated a greater rate of increase in overall minimum temperatures, resulting in a slightly declining trend in diurnal temperature range for all of the stations. In the case of extreme temperatures, most of the peripheral urban and rural stations experienced negative trends in extreme maximum temperatures, accompanied by positive trends in extreme minimum temperatures. This was also validated by the simultaneous increase in the percentage of impervious surfaces in those locations. The greatest changes were observed for Stillwater, which is located relatively close to the heart of the TCMA but has undergone a faster rate of urbanization.
Summer Moisture and Wildfire Risks across Canada
Authors: Girardin Martin P. , Wotton B. Mike
Published: September 2008

The Fire Weather Index System has been in use across Canada for the past 30 years in the daily operations of fire management agencies. As part of this system, the Drought Code (DC) was developed to act as a daily index of water stored in the soil. A major obstacle to the completion of climate risk analyses on the DC is that lengthy series of daily temperature and precipitation are not available for large portions of the circumboreal forest. Here the authors present a methodological modification to the daily DC to allow its approximation using monthly data. This new Monthly Drought Code (MDC) still retains its ability to capture moisture trends in deep organic layers. On the basis of high-resolution temperature and precipitation data, an analysis of summer moisture availability across Canada over 1901–2002 is presented. The driest periods on record were from the 1920s to the early 1960s, with the driest years being 1955, 1958, and 1961. The wettest period was from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. For the century-long period, drying was statistically significant in northern Canada. Locations south of the Hudson Bay, in the eastern Maritimes, and in western Canada recorded a trend toward decreasing dryness. When analyzed over 1951–2002, trends could hardly be distinguished from the (multi) decadal variability. Annual values of a spatial average of all July MDC grid cells showed an excellent fit against fire statistics: 63% of the variance in the Canada-wide annual area burned from 1959 to 1999 was explained by summer moisture availability.
Anomalies of Central England Temperature Classified by Air Source
Authors: Parker David E.
Published: September 2008

Daily anomalies of mean central England temperature (CET), relative to daily 1961–90 climatology, are analyzed in terms of the source of the air estimated from fields of mean sea level pressure. The average CET anomaly for a given source and calendar month during 1961–90 is taken as an estimate of the influence of atmospheric circulation for that source and calendar month, and the uncertainty in this influence is provided by the associated standard error. The atmospheric circulation influences are subtracted from the daily CET anomalies since the late nineteenth century to yield “residual anomalies,” which represent the influence of forcings other than atmospheric circulation. The use of air sources captures more circulation-related daily CET variance than the airflow indices used in previous studies. The warming in central England since the 1970s is not predominantly a result of atmospheric circulation changes, and the long-term changes of CET for air from major source regions are on the whole very similar to each other and to the overall long-term changes.
Reconciling Non-Gaussian Climate Statistics with Linear Dynamics
Authors: Sardeshmukh Prashant D. , Sura Philip
Published: September 2008

Linear stochastically forced models have been found to be competitive with comprehensive nonlinear weather and climate models at representing many features of the observed covariance statistics and at predictions beyond a week. Their success seems at odds with the fact that the observed statistics can be significantly non-Gaussian, which is often attributed to nonlinear dynamics. The stochastic noise in the linear models can be a mixture of state-independent (“additive”) and linearly state-dependent (“multiplicative”) Gaussian white noises. It is shown here that such mixtures can produce not only symmetric but also skewed non-Gaussian probability distributions if the additive and multiplicative noises are correlated. Such correlations are readily anticipated from first principles. A generic stochastically generated skewed (SGS) distribution can be analytically derived from the Fokker–Planck equation for a single-component system. In addition to skew, all such SGS distributions have power-law tails, as well as a striking property that the (excess) kurtosis K is always greater than 1.5 times the square of the skew S. Remarkably, this K–S inequality is found to be satisfied by circulation variables even in the observed multicomponent climate system. A principle of “diagonal dominance” in the multicomponent moment equations is introduced to understand this behavior.

To clarify the nature of the stochastic noises (turbulent adiabatic versus diabatic fluctuations) responsible for the observed non-Gaussian statistics, a long 1200-winter simulation of the northern winter climate is generated using a dry adiabatic atmospheric general circulation model forced only with the observed long-term winter-mean diabatic forcing as a constant forcing. Despite the complete neglect of diabatic variations, the model reproduces the observed K–S relationships and also the spatial patterns of the skew and kurtosis of the daily tropospheric circulation anomalies. This suggests that the stochastic generators of these higher moments are mostly associated with local adiabatic turbulent fluxes. The model also simulates fifth moments that are approximately 10 times the skew, and probability densities with power-law tails, as predicted by the linear theory.
Examining the Interaction of Growing Crops with Local Climate Using a Coupled Crop–Climate Model
Authors: Osborne Tom , Slingo Julia , Lawrence David , Wheeler Tim
Published: September 2008

This paper examines to what extent crops and their environment should be viewed as a coupled system. Crop impact assessments currently use climate model output offline to drive process-based crop models. However, in regions where local climate is sensitive to land surface conditions more consistent assessments may be produced with the crop model embedded within the land surface scheme of the climate model. Using a recently developed coupled crop–climate model, the sensitivity of local climate, in particular climate variability, to climatically forced variations in crop growth throughout the tropics is examined by comparing climates simulated with dynamic and prescribed seasonal growth of croplands.

Interannual variations in land surface properties associated with variations in crop growth and development were found to have significant impacts on near-surface fluxes and climate; for example, growing season temperature variability was increased by up to 40% by the inclusion of dynamic crops. The impact was greatest in dry years where the response of crop growth to soil moisture deficits enhanced the associated warming via a reduction in evaporation. Parts of the Sahel, India, Brazil, and southern Africa were identified where local climate variability is sensitive to variations in crop growth, and where crop yield is sensitive to variations in surface temperature. Therefore, offline seasonal forecasting methodologies in these regions may underestimate crop yield variability. The inclusion of dynamic crops also altered the mean climate of the humid tropics, highlighting the importance of including dynamical vegetation within climate models.
Impact of the Stratosphere on the Winter Tropospheric Teleconnections between ENSO and the North Atlantic and European Region
Authors: Cagnazzo Chiara , Manzini Elisa
Published: September 2008

The possible role of stratospheric variability on the tropospheric teleconnection between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic and European (NAE) region is addressed by comparing results from two ensembles of simulations performed with an atmosphere general circulation model fully resolving the stratosphere (with the top at 0.01 hPa) and its low-top version (with the top at 10 hPa). Both ensembles of simulations consist of nine members, covering the 1980–99 period and are forced with prescribed observed sea surface temperatures. It is found that both models capture the sensitivity of the averaged polar winter lower stratosphere to ENSO in the Northern Hemisphere, although with a reduced amplitude for the low-top model. In late winter and spring, the ENSO response at the surface is instead different in the two models. A large-scale coherent pattern in sea level pressure, with high pressures over the Arctic and low pressures over western and central Europe and the North Pacific, is found in the February–March mean of the high-top model. In the low-top model, the Arctic high pressure and the western and central Europe low pressure are very much reduced. The high-top minus low-top model difference in the ENSO temperature and precipitation anomalies is that North Europe is colder and the Northern Atlantic storm track is shifted southward in the high-top model. In addition, it has been found that major sudden stratospheric warming events are virtually lacking in the low-top model, while their frequency of occurrence is broadly realistic in the high-top model. Given that this is a major difference in the dynamical behavior of the stratosphere of the two models and that these events are favored by ENSO, it is concluded that the occurrence of sudden stratospheric warming events affects the reported differences in the tropospheric ENSO–NAE teleconnection. Given that the essence of the high-top minus low-top model difference is a more annular (or zonal) pattern of the anomaly in sea level pressure, relatively larger over the Arctic and the NAE regions, this interpretation is consistent with the observational evidence that sudden stratospheric warmings play a role in giving rise to persistent Arctic Oscillation anomalies at the surface.
Sea Surface Height Signals as Indicators for Oceanic Meridional Mass Transports
Authors: Hirschi Joël J-M. , Killworth Peter D. , Blundell Jeffrey R. , Cromwell David
Published: September 2008

Numerical models are used to test whether the sea surface height (SSH) can be used as an indicator for the variability of Atlantic meridional oceanic mass transports. The results suggest that if the transports over the western boundary current region and those in the eastern part of the basin are considered separately, significant correlations (0.3–0.9) are found between zonal SSH differences and the meridional transports in the top 1100 m. Much weaker correlations are found for the basinwide transport, which corresponds to the surface branch of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC). For the eastern and western branches of the meridional transport, combining the SSH signal with the baroclinic structure obtained from Rossby wave theory enables calculation of a quantitative estimate of the transport variability in the top 1100 m. The results of the method are less convincing for the variability of the MOC. The reason for this is that even small relative errors in the variability of the eastern and western branches can be large compared with the MOC variability. These errors project onto the sum of the eastern and western transports and therefore onto the surface branch of the MOC. Nevertheless, being able to infer transport anomalies from SSH signals in the eastern and western parts of the Atlantic might prove useful in interpreting MOC observations from the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council Rapid Climate Change (RAPID) mooring array at 26°N, which show a large subannual variability that is mainly due to changes at the western boundary. Transports inferred from the SSH could help to identify the origin of this variability and whether transport anomalies propagate into the western boundary region from the basin interior or from other latitudes.
Multifrequency Decoding of a Phased Array Doppler Sodar
Authors: Rao I. Srinivasa , Anandan V. K. , Kumar M. Shravan
Published: September 2008

Doppler sodar is being used for studying the lower part of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and wind profiling. To obtain maximum altitude coverage multifrequency transmission has been used along with more transmitted power. In this article, the implementation of multifrequency transmission of a Doppler sodar and its decoding to extract the atmospheric parameters are presented. This article also shows the advantage of profiling using multifrequency sodar operation. The range of frequency used for transmission is between 1700 and 2100 Hz. The decoded Doppler spectra have shown significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as higher altitude coverage compared to single-frequency transmission and reception. Wind profiles obtained from sodar have been compared with data obtained from high-resolution GPS sonde balloons, which were launched from a place close to the sodar system. The authors observed that 30% more wind data height coverage in when transmission is in multifrequency mode; the consistency in wind estimate is also improved compared to the single-frequency transmission.
Inferring Propagation Direction of Nonlinear Internal Waves in a Vertically Sheared Background Flow
Authors: Mirshak Ramzi , Kelley Daniel E.
Published: September 2008

Internal waves heave the background flow through which they propagate. If the background flow is vertically sheared, the high-pass-filtered velocity field will thus contain signals of both the wave velocity and the heaved flow. Under conditions of large wave amplitude and large background shear—a common situation for nonlinear internal waves in coastal waters—the velocity fluctuations caused by wave heaving of the background flow can be comparable to the wave velocity itself. This complicates the inference of wave properties such as energy flux and propagation direction. The present study deals with methods to infer propagation direction in such situations. Attention is given to three methods that may be applied to acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements: a “filtering” method that estimates wave signals from high-pass-filtered time series, a “beamwise” method that infers wave direction from lagged correlations of echo intensity between the spatially separated acoustic beams of the profiler, and a “modal” method that separates background and wave signals by regressing the high-pass-filtered velocity field onto a normal-mode wave model. The methods are tested using synthetic datasets. The results suggest that the filtering method is biased by wave heaving of the background shear, while the beamwise and modal methods are resistant to heaving. The beamwise method provides accurate predictions of wave propagation angle for cases in which the measurements have high temporal resolution and the environment exhibits no depth-averaged background flow. The limitation on depth-averaged flow is relaxed for the modal method, but it requires the measurement of stratification. These issues are illustrated, and the applicability of these methods is explored with a series of sensitivity tests, and it is found that the different methods perform well under different circumstances.
Mesoscale Convective Systems over Western Equatorial Africa and Their Relationship to Large-Scale Circulation
Authors: Jackson Brian , Nicholson Sharon E. , Klotter Douglas
Published: September 2008

This study examines mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) over western equatorial Africa using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. This region experiences some of the world’s most intense thunderstorms and highest lightning frequency, but has low rainfall relative to other equatorial regions. The analyses of MCS activity include the frequency of occurrence, diurnal and annual cycles, and associated volumetric and convective rainfall. Also evaluated is the lightning activity associated with the MCSs. Emphasis is placed on the diurnal cycle and on the continental-scale motion fields in this region. The diurnal cycle shows a maximum in MCS count around 1500–1800 LT, a morning minimum, and substantial activity during the night; there is little seasonal variation in the diurnal cycle, suggesting stationary influences such as orography. Our analysis shows four maxima in MCS activity, three of which are related to local geography (two orographic and one over Lake Victoria). The fourth coincides with a midtropospheric convergence maximum in the right entrance quadrant of the African easterly jet of the Southern Hemisphere (AEJ-S). This maximum is substantially stronger in the September–November rainy season, when the jet is well developed, than in the March–May rainy season, when the jet is absent. Lightning frequency and flashes per MCS are also greatest during September–November; maxima occur in the right entrance quadrant of the AEJ-S. The lightning maximum is somewhat south of the MCS maximum and coincides with the low-lying areas of central Africa. Overall, the results of this study suggest that large-scale topography plays a critical role in the spatial and diurnal patterns of convection, lightning, and rainfall in this region. More speculative is the role of the AEJ-S, but this preliminary analysis suggests that it does play a role in the anomalous intensity of convection in western equatorial Africa.
Dynamical and Precipitation Structures of Poleward-Moving Tropical Cyclones in Eastern Canada, 1979–2005
Authors: Milrad Shawn M. , Atallah Eyad H. , Gyakum John R.
Published: September 2008

Tropical cyclones in the western North Atlantic basin are a persistent threat to human interests along the east coast of North America. Occurring mainly during the late summer and early autumn, these storms often cause strong winds and extreme rainfall and can have a large impact on the weather of eastern Canada. From 1979 to 2005, 40 named (by the National Hurricane Center) tropical cyclones tracked over eastern Canada. Based on the time tendency of the low-level (850–700 hPa) vorticity, the storms are partitioned into two groups: “intensifying” and “decaying.” The 16 intensifying and 12 decaying cases are then analyzed using data from both the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) and the NCEP global reanalysis. Composite dynamical structures are presented for both partitioned groups, utilizing both quasigeostrophic (QG) and potential vorticity (PV) perspectives. It is found that the proximity to the tropical cyclone and subsequent negative tilt (or lack thereof) of a precursor trough over the Great Lakes region is crucial to whether a storm “intensifies” or “decays.” Heavy precipitation is often the main concern when tropical cyclones move northward into the midlatitudes. Therefore, analyses of storm-relative precipitation distributions show that storms intensifying (decaying) as they move into the midlatitudes often exhibit a counterclockwise (clockwise) rotation of precipitation around the storm center.
The Effects of Cilostazol on Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: O'Donnell Mark E. , Badger Stephen A. , Anees Sharif Muhammed , Makar Ragai R. , Young Ian S. , Lee Bernard , Soong Chee V.
Published: September 2008

Background Evidence from diabetic animal models suggests that cilostazol, a cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor used in the treatment of claudication, is efficacious in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, although this is unproven in humans. The main aim of this study was to assess the effects of cilostazol on neuropathic symptomatology in diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods Diabetic patients with PAD were prospectively recruited to a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Baseline clinical data were recorded prior to trial commencement following medical optimization. Neurological assessment included the Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Scoring system (TCNS) and vibration perception thresholds (VPT) with a neurothesiometer at baseline, 6 weeks, and 24 weeks. Results Twenty-six patients were recruited from December 2004 to January 2006, which included 20 males. Baseline patient allocation to treatment arms was matched for age, sex, and medical comorbidities. There was no significant difference in neurological assessment between the treatment groups using the TCNS and VPT at 6 and 24 weeks. Conclusions Despite extensive animal-based evidence that cilostazol attenuates neuropathic symptomatology, our results do not support this effect in human diabetic PAD patients.
Effects of Antioxidants on Endothelial Function in Human Saphenous Vein in an Ex vivo Model
Authors: Sharif Muhammed Anees , Bayraktutan Ulvi , Arya Nityanand , Badger Stephen A. , O'Donnell Mark E. , Young Ian S. , Soong Chee V.
Published: September 2008

This ex vivo study is aimed at determining the beneficial effects of antioxidant agents on human saphenous vein endothelial function. Vein rings harvested during infrainguinal bypass surgery were assessed in an organ bath for endothelium-dependent relaxation, initially without and then with the addition of 10 μM manganese tetrakis benzoic acid porphyrin (MnTBAP), 0.01% N-acetylcysteine (NAC), 0.02% NAC, 10 μM vitamin C, and 100 μM vitamin C. Fifty-five vein rings from 22 patients were analyzed. MnTBAP improved the endothelium-dependent relaxation when compared with control (57.0% vs 37.8%, P < .01). Addition of 0.01% or 0.02% NAC did not improve the endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation (28.2% vs 18.6%, P = ns and 37.8% vs 29.8%, P = ns, respectively). Although 10-μM vitamin C failed to improve endothelial function (50.6% vs 37.2%, P = ns), 100-μM vitamin C significantly enhanced endothelium-dependent relaxation (66.5% vs 38.3%, P < .001). These results suggest that the addition of MnTBAP and high-dose vitamin C can improve the endothelial function of harvested saphenous vein segments in an ex vivo model.
Predicting Performance in a Community College Content-Area Course from Academic Skill Level
Authors: Goldstein Miriam T. , Perin Dolores
Published: September 2008

Binary logistic regression analyses were performed on institutional data from a large urban community college in order to identify predictors of performance in a content course (psychology) that had high literacy demands. It was found that students who completed college English were more likely to pass the content course than students with developmental-level English skills. Also, academically underprepared students who completed developmental English passed the content course at the same rate as students who entered the college with college-level skills. Thus, once students' current level of literacy skill, measured by the highest English course completed, was considered, their initial literacy level upon entry in college was not predictive of achievement in the content course. This finding suggests that the English courses completed by students between the time of college entry and content course enrollment may have had a positive effect on their achievement in the content course.
Psychosis and depression associated with alteration to amiodarone therapy
Authors: Cheesman N. , Taylor D.
Published: September 2008

Presented is a case study of a seventy five year old man who experienced psychosis and depression related to the onset and termination of amiodarone therapy. The study looks at the pharmacology of amiodarone and the mechanisms that may have led to the emergence of these symptoms. It also raises the issue of making a careful assessment of a patient’s life event history in that life events that may not be classically regarded as significant life events may be important in the precipitation of mental illness.
A randomised controlled study of risperidone and olanzapine for schizophrenic patients with neuroleptic-induced acute dystonia or parkinsonism
Authors: Chan HY , Chang CJ , Chiang SC , Chen JJ , Chen CH , Sun HJ , Hwu HG , Lai MS
Published: September 2008

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of risperidone and olanzapine in schizophrenic patients with intolerant extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) on first generation antipsychotics. We conducted an 8-week, rater-blinded, flexible dose study. Seventy patients with schizophrenia, who met the DSM-IV research criteria of having neuroleptic-induced acute dystonia or parkinsonism, were randomly assigned to risperidone or olanzapine group. The primary outcome was a comparison of the incidence of concomitant anticholinergic drugs usage between the groups to manage their acute dystonia and parkinsonism. The average doses of risperidone and olanzapine from baseline to study end point were 1.8—3.5 mg/day and 7.7—11.7 mg/day, respectively. There were no significant differences in demographic data, severity of EPS or psychotic symptoms between the groups at baseline assessment. Patients taking risperidone had significantly higher incidence of using anticholinergic drugs to manage acute dystonia or parkinsonism overall during the study (OR = 5.17, 95%CI = 1.49—17.88, P = 0.013). There was no significant between-group difference in the changing of rating scales of EPS and psychotic symptoms. The results of our study favour olanzapine as a better choice in schizophrenic patients with intolerant EPS. Double-blinded, fixed dose and different ethnical study for EPS-intolerant schizophrenic patients is needed to confirm the results of our study.
Intraoperative Acoustic Evaluation of Living Human Cartilage of the Elbow and Knee during Mosaicplasty for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Elbow
Authors: Nishitani Kohei , Nakagawa Yasuaki , Gotoh Tadashi , Kobayashi Masahiko , Nakamura Takashi
Published: September 2008

Background

Autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty for osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum is being used increasingly In adolescent patients. Little research has been published on the material properties of living human cartilage of the elbow and knee.

Hypothesis

The cartilage of the osteochondritis dissecans lesion is detected as degenerated by ultrasound. The material properties of the cartilage of the intact part of the elbow are not different from those of the intact knee except in thickness.

Study Design

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods

The authors studied 10 young male athletes with osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum who underwent mosaicplasty. An acoustic probe was used for measurement, and the wavelet transform method was used. Three parameters were used: signal intensity (Index of cartilage stiffness), signal duration (index of roughness), and signal interval (index of thickness).

Results

The cartilage of the osteochondritis dissecans lesion had lower signal intensity than did the intact part of the capitellum. The cartilage of the radial head opposite the capitellum had significantly lower signal intensity and higher signal duration than did other sites. The signal intensity of the radial head was significantly higher in early-stage patients than in late-stage Patients, although the macroscopic view was almost all intact. The signal intensity of the plug was decreased significantly after 9rafting.

Conclusion

The osteochondritis dissecans lesion had lower signal intensity than did the intact part of the capitellum. Although the macroscopic view looked intact, the radial head cartilage was degenerated as measured acoustically.

Clinical Relevance

Not only the cartilage of the capitellum but the cartilage of the radial head are acoustically degenerated in osteochondritis dissecans patients. Plugs might be damaged in the transplanting procedure, and further follow-up is necessary.
The Validity of a Proxy Acculturation Scale Among U.S. Hispanics
Authors: Cruz Theresa H. , Marshall Stephen W. , Bowling J. Michael , Villaveces Andrés
Published: September 2008

This study examines the validity of a proxy acculturation scale composed of four acculturation-related variables. The authors use data from a nationally representative sample of 1,437 U.S. Hispanics. Results indicate good internal scale reliability, a high degree of correlation between the proxy scale and the full acculturation measure, and substantial agreement between dichotomized versions of the two scales. Although reliability declines slightly, validity increases with removal of generational status from the scale. Validity is found to be high for the three largest subpopulations by country of ancestry (Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba). The proxy acculturation scale is a useful tool for the measurement of acculturation level among the majority of U.S. Hispanics when use of a more comprehensive acculturation scale is infeasible or impractical.
English and Spanish Acquisition by Hispanic Second Graders in Developmental Bilingual Programs
Authors: Fuhui Tong  , Irby Beverly J. , Lara-Alecio Rafael , Mathes Patricia G.
Published: September 2008

The authors studied a longitudinal English intervention in a 70/30 (Spanish/ English) developmental bilingual education (DBE) program ( n = 302) and compared this model with a typical-practice, 80/20, late-exit transitional bilingual education program ( n = 187) in terms of students' language and literacy acquisition from kindergarten to second grade in an urban school district in southeastern Texas. The findings revealed significant differences ( p values < .05) in favor of DBE students on (a) English measures of oral language, preliteracy skills, and reading fluency and comprehension (effect sizes of .12 to .71) and (b) Spanish measures of letter name and sound, preliteracy skills, and reading comprehension (effect sizes of .19 to .38). It was concluded that quality English instruction that incorporates direct and focused instruction, context-embedded vocabulary learning, and ongoing professional training in DBE programs is much needed to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.
Surface Treatment of Pure and PEG-4000 Blended Fibroin Films and their Characterizations as Matrices for in vitro Fibroblast Culture
Authors: Acharya Chitrangada , Dutta Anindya , Kundu S.C.
Published: September 2008

This study reports the effects of treatment with various concentrations of organic solvents for varying time points on matrices of fibroin, a silk protein isolated from the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, which in native form has been extensively used in tissue engineering. Treatment of pure fibroin as well as polyethylene glycol- blended films with 90% organic solvent for 60 min induces optimal surface hydrophobicity and maximum conversion of the secondary structure from random coil to β sheet. Long-term cell viability studies reveal that methanol and isopropanol-treated pure and blended films support cell adhesion, proliferation, and viability.
Anemia in the Critically Ill Patient
Authors: Hassan Erkan
Published: September 2008

Anemia in critically ill patients has been described as an acute form of anemia of inflammatory disease and is characterized by a blunted erythropoietic response due in part to proinflammatory mediators. Management of anemia in critically ill patients is a complex issue and is best approached via a multiprofessional team regarding the use of allogenic blood, iron, nutritional therapy, and erythropoietic agents. Indiscriminant, ``routine'' red blood cell transfusions may not only be unnecessary, but may pose unnecessary risk to the intensive care unit patient. Most intensive care unit patients can tolerate lower hemoglobin/hematocrit concentrations than the typically accepted ``10/30 rule.'' Lower transfusion triggers with an overall transfusion strategy is warranted in the intensive care unit patient. The use of recombinant human erythropoietic agents may not be necessary with appropriate transfusion practices.
Gout and Hyperuricemia: New Guidelines and Treatments
Authors: Wall Geoffrey C. , Cooper Sarah A.
Published: September 2008

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in western countries and the incidence is increasing. Additionally, evidence now exists that cases of severe, refractory gout seem to be increasing. The management of gout and hyperuricemia has remained largely unchanged for decades and includes antiinflammatories used initially for acute attacks and primarily allopurinol to prevent future attacks. Evidence-based guidance for the management of gout and hyperuricemia has been plagued by a lack of randomized, controlled studies and the lack of new medications. Recently evidence-based guidelines by the European League Against Rheumatism were published; one of the first attempts by a major medical body to assess the state of gout and hyperuricemia treatment. Additionally, several new compounds seem poised to be released for hyperuricemia treatment. This review details the important aspects of the gout guidelines relating to pharmacotherapy and critically examines the data surrounding new modalities to decrease serum uric acid.
The emergence of a community mapping network: coastal eelgrass mapping in British Columbia
Authors: Boyer Leanna , Roth Wolff-Michael , Wright Nikki
Published: September 2008

The purpose of this paper is to document and theorize the emergence of a network of stewards concerned about the conservation of a marine habitat called eelgrass along the coastline of British Columbia, Canada. Today, by engaging as professional biologists, government employees, and volunteers using various mapping, outreach, and communication tools, these stewards generate knowledge on the geographic location and health of eelgrass habitat, how to educate the public, how to coordinate volunteers, and how to approach local governments— with the ultimate goal of convincing others that eelgrass is worth protecting. Our two-year ethnographic study began in the second year of a project that was designed to train twenty community coordinators how to map and monitor eelgrass habitat. The coordinators were faced with complex social, cultural, political, historical, and material landscapes—which made us wonder about how it was possible for the network to hold together while extending its reach. We provide evidence to support the claim that the network became more stable and was extended by particular performances. These performances emerged from recognition and resolution of resistances, in which the network was both resource for and object of its activity. In the process, (a) knowledge produced is made to move and do something, (b) coordinators and scientists involved acted as knowledge brokers between various communities, and (c) communication between coordinators was enabled and maintained.
Just around the corner: rhetorics of progress and promise in genetic research
Authors: Evans Robert , Kotchetkova Inna , Langer Susanne
Published: September 2008

The emerging “diabetes epidemic” threatens to affect 366 million people worldwide by 2030. In the UK, almost 2 million people (about 3.9 percent of the population) are currently diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that a further 1 million people have the disease but do not realize it. The prevalence of diabetes, its complications and their effects on the lives of those living with diabetes mean that diabetes research has the potential to bring significant benefits. In this paper, we are concerned with the research involving human embryonic stem (HES) cells that sees diabetes as a potential therapeutic location. Drawing on the idea of the “certainty trough” we examine how the hopes and uncertainties associated with this complex research agenda are understood. We show that those at the research front and those most opposed to the research agenda appear to be the most aware of the uncertainties that need to be resolved. In contrast, funders, typically one-step removed from the research work, see the promise of the research as more real and more likely to be achieved. Significantly, these optimistic funders are supported in their beliefs by the research scientists as constitutive claims are reproduced within the contingent forum. The effect is a collaborative project in which the promise of a technical solution “just around the corner” is sustained whilst concerns about the future difficulties are marginalized.

Because the science is so new, we are very hopeful that breakthroughs, particularly using cells in the pancreas for the treatment of diabetes, are on the horizon.
Religiosity as a perceptual filter: examining processes of opinion formation about nanotechnology
Authors: Brossard Dominique , Scheufele Dietram A. , Kim Eunkyung , Lewenstein Bruce V.
Published: September 2008

Using national survey data, we examine how people use science media, factual knowledge related to nanotechnology, and predispositions such as strength of religious beliefs, to form attitudes about nanotechnology. We show that strength of religious beliefs is negatively related to support for funding of the technology. Our findings also confirm that science media use plays an important role in shaping positive attitudes toward the technology. Overall public support for funding nanotechnology is not directly related to levels of knowledge among the electorate, but on risk and benefits perceptions and the use of media frames. However, knowledge about the technology does tend to be interpreted through the lens of religious beliefs and therefore indirectly affect levels of support.
Self-censorship and science: a geographical review of media coverage of climate tipping points
Authors: Antilla Liisa
Published: September 2008

Public perception of global climate change is strongly influenced by media constructions of scientific knowledge. This paper explores recent scientific findings and the press coverage thereof and is based on a content analysis of two years of global reporting on climate related positive feedback mechanisms (climate system responses to global warming which lead to further warming). Results indicate that non-US news organizations, especially in the UK, are at the forefront of the discourse on climate feedback loops. Poor US press coverage on such climate thresholds might be understood not only as self-censorship, but as a “false negative” error.