bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Regionalism and Modes of Governance — Comparing US and EU Strategies in Latin America
Authors: Grugel Jean B.
Published: November 2004

This article explores the extent to which it makes sense to see EU policies towards the developing world as distinctive. It does so through a comparative analysis of EU and US policies for the governance of Latin America, paying particular attention to Mercosur. The conceptual framework is drawn from theories of new regionalism. Despite some similarities in so far as issues of economic governance are concerned, I argue that there are important differences between the EU and the US models of new regionalism, especially in terms of the discursive importance attributed to notions of ‘partnership’, support for subregional integration, and political and social inclusion. I suggest that the EU is using new regionalism as a way to lay down an identity marker of what it perceives as a more humane governance model for Latin America than that of the USA.
Explaining Political Finance Reforms
Authors: Scarrow Susan E.
Published: November 2004

This article examines how political strategies and institutional arrangements can shape the outcomes of debates over political finance reform. The article outlines two competing sets of assumptions about parties’ priorities regarding political finance regulations and explores the expectations generated by these differing assumptions. The central difference between these perspectives is whether parties view revenues primarily as a means to an electoral end, or whether they instead see fundraising as an end in itself. Each view yields slightly different predictions about the types of reforms various parties are likely to endorse under various political circumstances. The article then considers how these perspectives might illuminate actual party behavior by examining a series of political finance reform debates in Germany. Experiences here suggest that, even when scandals lend salience to the issue of party finance reform, parties will not necessarily sacrifice assured economic gains for possible political payoffs.
Political Parties as Public Utilities
Authors: van Biezen Ingrid
Published: November 2004

The exceptional relevance of the state in party finance in contemporary European democracies is not only of particular importance for the way in which parties organize, but also has a bearing on the normative connotations associated with the place of political parties in modern democracy. The contention of this article is that the increasingly prominent role of the state in the funding of parties should be understood in the context of, and has been legitimized by, an ideational transformation by which parties have gradually come to be seen as necessary and desirable institutions for democracy. Moreover, the direct involvement of the state in internal party affairs has contributed to a transformation of parties from the traditionally voluntary private associations towards parties as public utilities. A comparison of the practice of public funding and public control on party finance in the older liberal democracies with more recent cases of democratization shows that the newer European democracies in particular provide unequivocal testimony of such a new conception of parties and democracy.
The Predicament of Diaspora and Millennial Islam
Authors: Werbner Pnina
Published: November 2004

This article considers the production of an Islamic utopian or millennial discourse by British South Asian Muslims in the diasporic public sphere and its possible impact on the younger generation of Muslims growing up in the UK. Associated with such a discourse, the article considers the vulnerability of diasporas – the process whereby global events can precipitate radical diasporic estrangement, leading to self-estrangement. Such estrangement is fed by moral panics, expressed in the speeches of politicians, in newspaper columns and global news reports. This exposes the fragility of multicultural discourses in the public sphere in the UK.
Conceptualizing Cultural Groups and Cultural Difference
Authors: Pierik Roland
Published: November 2004

The aim of this article is to present a conceptualization of cultural groups and cultural difference that provides a middle course between the Scylla of essentialism and the Charybdis of reductionism. The method I employ is the social mechanism approach. I argue that cultural groups and cultural difference should be understood as the result of cognitive and social processes of categorization. I describe two such processes in particular: categorization by others and selfcategorization. Categorization by others is caused by processes of ascription:the attribution by outsiders of certain characteristics, beliefs, and practices to individuals who share a specific attribute. Self-categorization is caused by processes of inscription and community-building: the adoption of certain beliefs and practices as a result of socialization and enculturation. I therefore shift the focus from groups to categories, and from categories to processes of categorization. I show that this analytical distinction between categorization by others and self-categorization can clarify an ambiguity in dominant debates in contemporary multiculturalism. I conclude by indicating how injustices, commonly associated with multiculturalism, can better be understood as socially generated injustices, and how government should deal with these injustices.
Reaching for success: A close-up of Mexican immigrant parents in the USA who foster literacy success for their kindergarten children
Authors: Gillanders Cristina , Jiménez Robert T.
Published: November 2004

The purpose of this study was to examine the home environment of immigrant Mexican kindergarteners of low socio-economic status in the USA who display high levels of emergent literacy when compared to their peers. To examine the home environments, the study focused on the literacy beliefs and practices of four families. Findings highlight the role of parental active support and corresponding literacy practices at home, as promoters of positive effects of bilingualism and consequently literacy learning. In addition, the school’s use of Spanish facilitated the dynamic of the families’ belief in active support of their children’s literacy learning and subsequent literacy practices.
Critical lessons from the transactional perspective on early literacy research
Authors: Whitmore Kathryn F. , Martens Prisca , Goodman Yetta M. , Owocki Gretchen
Published: November 2004

This article is a synthesis of early literacy research organized according to critical lessons that delineate our shared knowledge base that we name a ‘transactional perspective on early literacy development.’ The critical lessons are grouped into three sets to present the continuum of methodological stances that interpretive researchers take as they design and carry out early literacy studies. This synthesis is particularly timely now – as children and teachers in classrooms around the world struggle to maintain control over literacy learning and teaching within narrow governmental agendas and mandates. Given current governmental agendas (i.e. No Child Left Behind in the USA, the National Literacy Strategy in the UK, among many), it is critical to remember that we share a robust theory, a transactional view of early literacy development that explains how young children come to be literate members of society.
On Dworkin’s brute-luck–option-luck distinction and the consistency of brute-luck egalitarianism
Authors: Sandbu Martin E.
Published: November 2004

Egalitarian thinkers have adopted Ronald Dworkin’s distinction between brute and option luck in their attempts to construct theories that better respect our intuitions about what it is that egalitarian justice should equalize. I argue that when there is no risk-free choice available, it is less straightforward than commonly assumed to draw this distinction in a way that makes brute-luck egalitarianism plausible. I propose an extension of the brute-luck–option-luck distinction to this more general case. The generalized distinction, called the ‘least risky prospect view’ of brute luck, implies more redistribution than Dworkin’s own solution (although less than called for by some of his other critics). Moreover, the generalized brute-luck–option-luck distinction must be parasitical on an underlying non-egalitarian theory of which sets of options are reasonable. The presupposed prior theory may be inimical to the claim that justice requires equality rather than some other distributive pattern.
Does left-libertarianism have coherent foundations?
Authors: Risse Mathias
Published: November 2004

Left-libertarian theories of justice hold that agents are full self-owners and that natural resources are owned in some egalitarian manner. Some philosophers find left-libertarianism promising because it seems that it coherently underwrites both some demands of material equality and some limits on the permissible means of promoting such equality. However, the main goal of this article is to argue that, as far as coherence is concerned, at least one formulation of left-libertarianism is in trouble. This formulation is that of Michael Otsuka, who published it first in a 1998 article, and now in his thought-provoking book Libertarianism Without Inequality. In a nutshell, my objection is that the set of reasons that support egalitarian ownership of natural resources as Otsuka understands it stand in a deep tension with the set of reasons that would prompt one to endorse Otsuka’s right to self-ownership. In light of their underlying commitments, a defender of either of the views that left-libertarianism combines would actually have to reject the other. This incoherence, it seems, can only be remedied either by an approach that renders left-libertarianism incomplete in a way that can only be fixed by endorsing more commitments than most left-libertarians would want to or by an approach that leaves left-libertarianism a philosophically shallow theory.
Children and democracy: theory and policy
Authors: Schrag Francis
Published: November 2004

This article identifies four approaches to arguing for democracy, showing that none has an adequate way of supporting both full adult inclusion and the exclusion of children. I focus in Section 2 on the arguments of David Estlund and Thomas Christiano, showing that their arguments against guardianship call into question the exclusion of children from the franchise. In Section 3, I explain why the exclusion of children constitutes an injustice, and in the final section, I consider two approaches to remedying that injustice.
‘What We’re Doing, We Do Musically’
Authors: Harvey Janet A. , Beauchamp Gary
Published: November 2004

In English schools, many responsibilities have been delegated downwards to ‘middle level leaders’. National standards for subject leadership assume that middle leadership skills are generic and the literature largely agrees with this view. This article presents data from the first pilot enquiry within ARTSLAMP (Arts Leadership and Management in Schools Project), launched by the authors in summer 2003, which challenges this assumption and suggests that there may be differences in skills required for leading and managing different subjects. It draws on interviews with four subject leaders of music in secondary schools. Participants were asked about their roles and responsibilities, professional development and perceptions of the requirements of their jobs, specifically focusing on subject specialism. They identified several ways in which they perceived their leadership and management roles to be uniquely linked to their specialist subject.
Evaluating New Criteria and Procedures for Funding Special Needs Education in the Netherlands
Authors: Pijl Sip Jan , Veneman Hillie
Published: November 2004

Contrary to the international trend towards throughput-models in special needs funding, the Dutch government has developed a new form of input-funding. The article addresses three criteria for good funding models: objectivity, cost control and fairness. A total of 919 pupil files were judged twice on eligibility by different assessment teams resulting in almost perfect agreement. This suggests a high level of objectivity in making decisions based on the new funding system. Data regarding cost control from 153 regular schools show that the new system does result in an earlier inflow of pupils from regular education. The total period pupils ‘hold’ a budget will be longer, which obviously leads to growing expenses. Finally our data show that a considerable percentage of pupils eligible under the current regulations are not eligible under the new system. Adaptations to the new system are needed in order to make it a more fair one.
Functional interdependence between septin and actin cytoskeleton
Authors: Schmidt Katja , Nichols Benjamin J
Published: November 2004

Background

Septin2 is a member of a highly conserved GTPase family found in fungi and animals. Septins have been implicated in a diversity of cellular processes including cytokinesis, formation of diffusion barriers and vesicle trafficking. Septin2 partially co-localises with actin bundles in mammalian interphase cells and Septin2-filamentmorphology depends upon an intact actin cytoskeleton. How this interaction is regulated is not known. Moreover, evidence that Septin2 is remodelled or redistributed in response to other changes in actin organisation is lacking.

Results

Septin2 filaments are associated with actin fibres, but Septin2 is not associated with actin at the leading edge of moving cells or in ruffles where actin is highly dynamic. Rather, Septin2 is spatially segregated from these active areas and forms O- and C-shaped structures, similar to those previously observed after latrunculin treatment. FRAP experiments showed that all assemblies formed by Septin2 are highly dynamic with a constant exchange of Septin2 in and out of these structures, and that this property is independent of actin. A combination of RNAi experiments and expression of truncated forms of Septin2 showed that Septin2 plays a significant role in stabilising or maintaining actin bundles.

Conclusion

We show that Septin2 can form dynamic structures with differing morphologies in living cells, and that these morphologies are dependent on the functional state of the actin cytoskeleton. Our data provide a link between the different morphological states of Septin2 and functions of Septin2 in actin-dynamics, and are consistent with the model proposed by Kinoshita and colleagues, that Septin2 filaments play a role in stabilisation of actin stress fibres thus preventing actin turnover.
Missing paternal demographics: A novel indicator for identifying high risk population of adverse pregnancy outcomes
Authors: Tan Hongzhuan , Wen Shi Wu , Walker Mark , Demissie Kitaw
Published: November 2004

Background

One of every 6 United Status birth certificates contains no information on fathers. There might be important differences in the pregnancy outcomes between mothers with versus those without partner information. The object of this study was to assess whether and to what extent outcomes in pregnant women who did not have partner information differ from those who had.

Methods

We carried out a population-based retrospective cohort study based on the registry data in the United States for the period of 1995–1997, which was a matched multiple birth file (only twins were included in the current analysis). We divided the study subjects into three groups according to the availability of partner information: available, partly missing, and totally missing. We compared the distribution of maternal characteristics, maternal morbidity, labor and delivery complications, obstetric interventions, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, congenital anomalies, fetal death, neonatal death, post-neonatal death, and neonatal morbidity among three study groups.

Results

There were 304466 twins included in our study. Mothers whose partner's information was partly missing and (especially) totally missing tended to be younger, of black race, unmarried, with less education, smoking cigarette during pregnancy, and with inadequate prenatal care. The rates of preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, Apgar score <7, fetal mortality, neonatal mortality, and post-neonatal mortality were significantly increased in mothers whose partner's information was partly or (especially) totally missing.

Conclusions

Mothers whose partner's information was partly and (especially) totally missing are at higher risk of adverse pregnant outcomes, and clinicians and public health workers should be alerted to this important social factor.
Healthcare professionals' perceptions of pain in infants at risk for neurological impairment
Authors: Breau Lynn M , McGrath Patrick J , Stevens Bonnie , Beyene Joseph , Camfield Carol S , Finley G Allen , Franck Linda , Howlett Alexandra , O'Brien Karel , Ohlsson Arne
Published: November 2004

Background

To determine whether healthcare professionals perceive the pain of infants differently due to their understanding of that infant's level of risk for neurological impairment.

Method

Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU's) at two tertiary pediatric centers. Ninety-five healthcare professionals who practice in the NICU (50 nurses, 19 physicians, 17 respiratory therapists, 9 other) participated. They rated the pain (0–10 scale and 0–6 Faces Pain Scale), distress (0–10), effectiveness of cuddling to relieve pain (0–10) and time to calm without intervention (seconds) for nine video clips of neonates receiving a heel stick. Prior to each rating, they were provided with descriptions that suggested the infant had mild, moderate or severe risk for neurological impairment. Ratings were examined as a function of the level of risk described.

Results

Professionals' ratings of pain, distress, and time to calm did not vary significantly with level of risk, but ratings of the effectiveness of cuddling were significantly lower as risk increased [F (2,93) = 4.4, p = .02]. No differences in ratings were found due to participants' age, gender or site of study. Physicians' ratings were significantly lower than nurses' across ratings.

Conclusion

Professionals provided with visual information regarding an infants' pain during a procedure did not display the belief that infants' level of risk for neurological impairment affected their pain experience. Professionals' estimates of the effectiveness of a nonpharmacological intervention did differ due to level of risk.
Locomotor activity in common spiny mice (Acomys cahirinuse): The effect of light and environmental complexity
Authors: Eilam David
Published: November 2004

Background

Rodents typically avoid illuminated and open areas, favoring dark or sheltered environments for activity. While previous studies focused on the effect of these environmental attributes on the level of activity, the present study tested whether the spatio-temporal structure of activity was also modified in illuminated compared with dark and complex compared with open arenas. For this, we tested common spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) in empty or stone-containing arenas with lights on or lights off.

Results

In an illuminated or open arena, spiny mice moved in less frequent but longer trips with relatively long distances between consecutive stops. In contrast, in either a dark arena or an arena with stones, the animals took shorter and more frequent trips, with more stops per trip and shorter inter-stop distances. In illuminated arenas spiny mice remained mainly along the walls, whereas locomotion in the center was more prevalent in dark empty arenas, and was carried out along convoluted paths. Increasing environmental complexity by adding stones to either illuminated or dark arenas increased locomotion along straight trajectories and away from walls.

Conclusions

Earlier findings of reduced activity in illuminated or open areas have been extended in the present study by demonstrating changes in the spatio-temporal structure of locomotor behavior. In the more complex arenas (with stones) spiny mice traveled along short straight segments whereas in the open their trips were longer and took the shape of a zigzag path which is more effective against fast or nearby predators. Alternatively, the zigzag path may reflect a difficulty in navigation.
Psychometric performance of an assessment scale for strain in nursing care: The M-NCAS
Authors: Kleinman Leah , Frank Lori , Ciesla Gabrielle , Rupnow Marcia , Brodaty Henry
Published: November 2004

Background

Multiple instruments exist to measure dementia behaviors, but the nursing staff perspective on those behaviors and their level of burden has not been well measured. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric performance of the Modified Nursing Care Assessment Scale (M-NCAS), a 28-item nurse rating of burden associated with care for institutionalized individuals with dementia. Nurses rate items in terms of extent to which the behavior or characteristic is present ("attitude" domain), and extent to which it is a burden ("strain" domain).

Methods

Data from 282 patients enrolled in a 12-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial comparing risperidone treatment to placebo was used to evaluate M-NCAS item performance, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity. Empirical subscales were identified via exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

Results

Four poorly-performing items were deleted from further analyses. EFA identified 3 "attitude" subscales and 5 "strain" subscales. Cronbach's alphas were 0.65 and above. Correlation with the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory and the BEHAVE-AD, clinical ratings of dementia behaviors, were low to moderate.

Conclusion

The M-NCAS provides a valid and reliable means of obtaining care burden ratings from formal caregivers in long-term care, and provides a method for evaluating dementia interventions from the perspective of nursing staff.
Anti-Ri antibodies associated with short-term memory deficits and a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary
Authors: Fadare Oluwole , Hart Hassan J
Published: November 2004

Background

The IgG autoantibody ANNA-2 (anti-Ri) is a type 2 antineuronal antibody that has been found to bind to highly conserved and widely distributed adult brain proteins encoded by the Nova-1 and Nova-2 genes. Anti-Ri antibodies are typically detected in the serum and cerebrospinal fluids of patients with neurological disorders such as opsoclonus/myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia and in association with gynecologic and breast malignancies.

Case Presentation

This report describes an unusual example of a 33-year-old female patient who developed short-term memory deficits over a 3-month period. An extensive neurological work-up, including a panel of paraneoplastic markers was negative with the exception of a high titer serum Anti-Ri (1:15,3600). A large left ovarian mass was palpated, surgically resected and eventually diagnosed as a mature cystic teratoma. Post-operatively, memory deficits had disappeared within 1 month and serum Anti-Ri titers had decreased significantly to 1:256. An extensive diagnostic work-up for other malignancies was negative.

Conclusion

Although, Anti-Ri antibodies are typically associated with malignancies, this case illustrates the potential association between benign tumors and this autoantibody.
Association between monocyte Fcγ subclass expression and acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Calverley David C , Varteresian Taya , Brass Elizabeth , Tsao-Wei Denice D , Groshen Susan , Mack Wendy J , Buchanan Thomas A , Hodis Howard N , Schreiber Alan D
Published: November 2004

Background

Atherosclerosis lesions contain abundant immunoglobulins complexed with oxidized LDL (OxLDL) that are endocytosed by macrophages to form foam cells. While recent evidence supports a role for the macrophage scavenger receptor pathway in 75–90% of OxLDL uptake, in vitro evidence suggests another potential uptake pathway could involve autoantibody binding to IgG subclass-specific Fc receptors.

Objective and Methods

To address this mechanism from an in vivo standpoint, the objective of this study was to utilize flow cytometry to prospectively determine monocyte Fcγ (FcR) I, II, and III receptor expression levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n = 48), diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 59), or neither (C, n = 88).

Results

Increased FcR I expression was found in the ACS versus DM groups [geometric mean, (95% CI) = 2.26 (2.07, 2.47) versus 1.83 (1.69, 1.98) (p < 0.001)] and versus C [1.90 (1.78, 2.03) (p = 0.005)]. Similar relationships were found with both the FcR II receptor [ACS mean = 4.57 (4.02, 5.19) versus DM 3.61 (3.22, 4.05) (p = 0.021) and versus C 3.86 (3.51, 4.24) (p = 0.09)] and FcR III receptor [ACS mean = 1.55 (1.44, 1.68) versus DM 1.36 (1.27, 1.46) (p = 0.038) and versus C 1.37 (1.30, 1.45) (p = 0.032)]. There was no difference between DM and C groups in FcR I, II or III expression.

Conclusions

This in vivo data supports a possible second OxLDL-autoantibody macrophage uptake mechanism through an Fc receptor-mediated pathway and a potential relationship between atherosclerotic plaque macrophage FcR levels and ACS.
+874(T→A) single nucleotide gene polymorphism does not represent a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Galimberti Lorenza , Arosio Beatrice , Calabresi Carmen , Scurati Silvia , Hamilton Susanna , Carpini Simona Delli , Vergani Carlo , Annoni Giorgio
Published: November 2004

In the recent years, several cytokines have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) development and progression and many studies have correlated this risk with polymorphisms in the genes encoding these molecules. Also the type 1 cytokine interferon (IFN)-γ belongs to a cytokine class that affects the immune function; in fact it plays a major role in defence against viruses and intracellular pathogens but also in the induction of the immune-mediated inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of IFN-γ in AD by studying the association of +874T→A IFN-γ gene polymorphism with AD. We included in this study 115 AD patients (70 women, 45 men, mean age 80) and 90 sex and age-matched healthy controls (HC, 51 women, 39 men, mean age 82) from northern Italy. Genomic DNA was extracted with the salting-out method from whole blood of all subjects; the genotyping at IFN-γ loci was assessed with ARMS-PCR. The data obtained from the +874T→A IFN-γ gene polymorphism analysis of AD patients and HC lack of any statistically significant differences also when stratified according to gender. In conclusion these results confirm the previous shown lack of association between +874T→A IFN-γ gene polymorphism and the risk of AD. However, other polymorphisms have been demonstrated to influence IFN-γ transcription and since natural killer cells of AD patients show higher production of the cytokine, further analysis will be necessary to clarify the role of this gene in the pathogenesis of the disease.
The pulled elbow: a review article
Authors: Broomfield DJ , Maconochie I
Published: November 2004

The pulled elbow is the most common dislocation in childhood and as such represents a significant proportion of childhood injuries presenting to an acci dent and emergency department. In this article, we bring together the available research in discussing its pathophysiology, diagnosis, investigations and management.
Impact of Concurrent Versus Sequential Tamoxifen With Radiation Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Breast Conservation Treatment
Authors: Harris Eleanor E.R. , Christensen Vasthi J. , Hwang Wei-Ting , Fox Kevin , Solin Lawrence J.
Published: November 2004

Purpose

To assess the impact of sequencing of tamoxifen and radiation therapy (RT) on outcomes in early-stage breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective study evaluates the effect of the sequence of tamoxifen with RT on outcomes in stage I to II breast cancer patients who underwent breast-conservation treatment (BCT) and received adjuvant tamoxifen, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were grouped as concurrent (tamoxifen given during RT followed by continued tamoxifen; 174 patients) and sequential (RT followed by tamoxifen; 104 patients).

Results

Median follow-up after RT was 8.6 years for both groups. The pathologic T and N stage, race, estrogen and progesterone status, number of positive nodes, and RT were comparable between the two groups (all P ≥ .08). More women age 49 years or younger and women who received chemotherapy were in the sequential group than the concurrent group (6% and 25%, respectively; P < .0001). The sequence of tamoxifen therapy did not influence 10-year local recurrence rates (sequential, 7%; concurrent, 3%; P = .52), overall survival (sequential, 86%; concurrent, 81%; P = .64), or relapse-free survival (sequential, 76%; concurrent, 85%; P = .35). When adjusting age and chemotherapy use in the multivariable Cox model, hazard ratios comparing sequential versus concurrent tamoxifen therapy were 1.56 (95% CI, 0.87 to 2.79), 1.23 (95% CI, 0.63 to 2.41), and 1.22 (95% CI, 0.33 to 4.49) for the overall survival, relapse-free survival, and local recurrence, respectively.

Conclusion

The therapeutic regimens of tamoxifen given concurrently or sequentially with RT both appear to be reasonable options for patients treated with BCT.
American Society of Clinical Oncology Technology Assessment on the Use of Aromatase Inhibitors As Adjuvant Therapy for Postmenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer: Status Report 2004
Authors: Winer Eric P. , Hudis Clifford , Burstein Harold J. , Wolff Antonio C. , Pritchard Kathleen I. , Ingle James N. , Chlebowski Rowan T. , Gelber Richard , Edge Stephan B. , Gralow Julie , Cobleigh Melody A. , Mamounas Eleftherios P. , Goldstein Lori J. , Whelan Timothy J. , Powles Trevor J. , Bryant John , Perkins Cheryl , Perotti Judy , Braun Susan , Langer Amy S. , Browman George P. , Somerfield Mark R.
Published: November 2004

Purpose

To update the 2003 American Society of Clinical Oncology technology assessment on adjuvant use of aromatase inhibitors.

Recommendations

Based on results from multiple large randomized trials, adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer should include an aromatase inhibitor in order to lower the risk of tumor recurrence. Neither the optimal timing nor duration of aromatase inhibitor therapy is established. Aromatase inhibitors are appropriate as initial treatment for women with contraindications to tamoxifen. For all other postmenopausal women, treatment options include 5 years of aromatase inhibitors treatment or sequential therapy consisting of tamoxifen (for either 2 to 3 years or 5 years) followed by aromatase inhibitors for 2 to 3, or 5 years. Patients intolerant of aromatase inhibitors should receive tamoxifen. There are no data on the use of tamoxifen after an aromatase inhibitor in the adjuvant setting. Women with hormone receptor–negative tumors should not receive adjuvant endocrine therapy. The role of other biomarkers such as progesterone receptor and HER2 status in selecting optimal endocrine therapy remains controversial. Aromatase inhibitors are contraindicated in premenopausal women; there are limited data concerning their role in women with treatment-related amenorrhea. The side effect profiles of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors differ. The late consequences of aromatase inhibitor therapy, including osteoporosis, are not well characterized.

Conclusion

The Panel believes that optimal adjuvant hormonal therapy for a postmenopausal woman with receptor-positive breast cancer includes an aromatase inhibitor as initial therapy or after treatment with tamoxifen. Women with breast cancer and their physicians must weigh the risks and benefits of all therapeutic options.
Energy consumption and capacity utilization of galvanizing furnaces
Authors: Blakey S. G. , Beck S. B. M.
Published: November 2004

An explicit equation leading to a method for improving furnace efficiency is presented. This equation is dimensionless and can be applied to furnaces of any size and fuel type for the purposes of comparison. The implications for current furnace design are discussed. Currently the technique most commonly used to reduce energy consumption in galvanizing furnaces is to increase burner turndown. This is shown by the analysis presented here actually to worsen the thermal efficiency of the furnace, particularly at low levels of capacity utilization. Galvanizing furnaces are different to many furnaces used within industry, as a quantity of material (in this case zinc) is kept molten within the furnace at all times, even outside production periods. The dimensionless analysis can, however, be applied to furnaces with the same operational function as a galvanizing furnace, such as some furnaces utilized within the glass industry.
Frictional characteristics of steel plates during abrasive particle flow: A comparison of in situ measurements made on a linear abrasive wear tester with those on a Jenike shear tester
Authors: Mengistu S , Bingley M. S. , Bradley M. S. A.
Published: November 2004

Friction measurements of the flow of abrasive particles on steel plate materials were made using two testers: the Jenike shear tester and a linear abrasive wear tester (LAWT). ‘Wall friction’ values were obtained for a range of steels and surface finishes, typical of the plates used for the manufacture of hoppers and silos in bulk solids handling applications. The abrasive used was crushed soda-lime glass. When abrasive particle flow was parallel to the surface roughness features of the plate, it was found that the friction values on the Jenike were similar to the initial ‘start-up’ values obtained on the LAWT. The latter correlated particularly well with the surface roughness ( Ra value) of the sample plates. When abrasive particle flow was perpendicular to the surface roughness features of the plate, then the Ra values could be best related to measured friction values on the Jenike tester. On the LAWT, friction was found to increase with sliding distance until a steady state level was attained. It is considered that this increase is due to the gradual accumulation of wear debris, particularly fragmented abrasive particles, on the surface of the wear specimen. Thus, the recorded LAWT friction values were considered to result from abrasive particle-plate and abrasive particle-particle debris interactions. The implications of the results for hopper and silo design are considered.
Estimation of surface film conductance during cooling of fish packages
Authors: Ansari F. A. , Abbas K. A. , Sapuan S. M.
Published: November 2004

The present paper deals with the findings of an ongoing research project regarding quality measurements in cold preserved freshwater fish. An empirical correlation, reported elsewhere, was used to design experiment for prediction of surface film conductance through transient temperature-time measurements in the fish flesh during its cooling in a chilled air duct at a constant temperature of 1°C. This surface film conductance was then used for numerical calculations of temperature variations on the basis of the finite difference method. Calculations were repeated with surface film conductance values from the Nu-Re relation most prevalently used. The two results were compared graphically at many locations inside the tested fish samples to establish that the present approach gives much improved results compared with the existing schemes available in the literature.
Weight reduction methodologies for a thrust reverser cascade using aerodynamic and structural integration
Authors: Butterfield J , Yao H , Price M , Armstrong C , Raghunathan S
Published: November 2004

This paper focuses on the aerodynamic and structural design of the cascade within a cold stream thrust reverser. Methodologies are established for improving the efficiency of the design process. Aerodynamic and structural simulations are carried out using realistic operating conditions for idealized cascade models representing three design options. The aim of this work is to minimize weight while maintaining or improving aerodynamic and structural performance. Total reverse thrust decreases by 0.28 per cent when the aerodynamic performance of the deformed cascade is compared with the undeformed case. This shows that, for the conditions tested, the displacement of the cascade vanes has a minimal affect on aerodynamic performance, and that there is scope for weight reduction. When cascade weight is reduced by 5 per cent and then 10 per cent by modifying the vane configurations, the structural performance of the cascade improves, with significantly reduced levels of vane displacement. Although reverse thrust is reduced by 9 per cent for both of the reduced-weight designs, the maximum airspeed within the thrust reverser is subsonic. The maximum airspeed is above Mach 1 for the original design. This reduces the risk of the structure being subjected to the complex loading conditions associated with the shock waves due to supersonic air flow.
Indirect approaches to individual aircraft structural monitoring
Authors: Wallace M , Azzam H , Newman S
Published: November 2004

At present, aircraft structural integrity is maintained by equally applying to an entire fleet knowledge obtained during the design phase and/or from a fleet sample and by introducing conservative assumptions, load surveys, costly inspections and maintenance procedures to safeguard airworthiness. Several investigations have highlighted the significant variations in individual aircraft usage and have indicated the inadequacy of applying “conservative” assumptions and updating the assumptions by monitoring a fleet sample. They have, in addition, suggested the importance of individual aircraft tracking (IAT). IAT can be achieved by fitting each aircraft with strain gauges to monitor critical component loads directly, but maintaining a large number of strain gauges entails high operational costs. Affordable IAT can be achieved by analysing recorded flight parameters to indicate usage, loads and fatigue indirectly. This paper reviews the key investigations into indirect IAT structural monitoring methods.
The predictive models of maintenance costs for a civil airplane
Authors: Jian Liang , Hong-fu Zuo
Published: November 2004

Airlines usually pay more attention to maintenance cost for efficiency improvement and consumption reduction. However, the airlines in the People' Republic of China have not been able to predict the maintenance cost exactly due to many uncertainties and complexities until now. In order to solve this problem, some reasonable mathematical methods are employed to build maintenance cost-forecasting models for the airlines included in this paper. Based on the analysis of the practical maintenance condition of a civil airplane, methods and tactics of economical analysis are introduced. Then, two specific methods, the project-evaluating method and the grey model GM(1, n) are employed to build maintenance cost-forecasting models. Finally, a practical case which has been carried out with the models is presented to show their effectiveness. The methods have been partly adopted by airlines, and they have proved to be helpful when successfully predicting the actual maintenance cost and when managing efficiently the maintenance fund.
Preliminary assessment of electricity costs for existing pulverized fuel plant retrofitted with an advanced supercritical boiler and turbine and solvent CO2 capture
Authors: Gibbins J R , Crane R I
Published: November 2004

Preliminary economic analyses for baseload electricity generation with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a recent UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) study are extended to include existing pulverized fuel (PF) plant retrofitted with an advanced supercritical boiler and turbine and with solvent scrubbing. Predicted generation costs are in the region of 3.2–3.5 p/kWh. This appears to be comparable with recent IEA predictions for electricity costs from new IGCC plant. Ways in which CCS plant, and solvent scrubbing plant in particular, can provide the flexibility required to complement a high proportion of renewable generation are also discussed.
Performance evaluation of reheat gas turbine cycles
Authors: Sarabchi K
Published: November 2004

The role of gas turbine power plants in electrical energy production has been considerably increased in the last two to three decades. Various methods have been proposed to improve the performance of gas turbine cycles. In this research, two methods, a reheat cycle (RC) and a cycle with a reheat and a heat exchanger (RHC), were investigated and compared with a simple cycle (SC). Today, to achieve a higher efficiency and capacity in gas turbines, higher turbine inlet temperatures (1300 °C and more) are used. Basically, application of such temperatures without turbine blade cooling is impossible. Therefore, analysis of gas turbine cycles without considering blade cooling in modelling will certainly not lead to a valid and correct result. The main objective of this paper is to study the performance of an RC and RHC under actual conditions. In this regard, all processes are treated as actual, and in particular a relatively simple and reliable approach is used to predict the amount of cooling air. It should be noted that there are many attempts being made to produce ceramic turbines, for which a much-reduced cooling requirement will be necessary. The results obtained on the basis of a model developed for this research show that reheating in the context of a realistic study may lead to an improvement both in efficiency and in specific net work.
Methodology for gas turbine performance improvement using variable-geometry compressors and turbines
Authors: Bringhenti C , Barbosa J R
Published: November 2004

Poor part-load performance is a well-known undesirable characteristic of gas turbines. Running off-design, both compressor and turbine lose performance. Flow misalignment at the various rows causes losses to increase sharply, thereby decreasing net output faster than decreasing fuel consumption. To bring the flow to alignment with the blade passages, it is required to restagger the blades both at the compressor and at the turbine. To avoid mechanical complexities, it is generally accepted to restagger only the stators. This work deals with a numerical approach to the simulation of a gas turbine equipped with variable stators at the compressor and at the turbine, enabling the search for better-performance operation. A computer program has been developed to simulate virtually any gas turbine having variable stators at the compressor stages and turbine nozzle guide vanes. Variable-inlet guide vanes (VIGVs), variable-stator vanes (VSVs), variable-nozzle guide vanes (VNGVs), variable-geometry compressors (VGCs) and variable-geometry turbines (VGTs) are the focus in this work, which analyses a one-shaft free power turbine for power generation in the search for performance improvement at part load.
Crystal structure of a group I intron splicing intermediate
Authors: ADAMS PETER L. , STAHLEY MARY R. , GILL MICHELLE L. , KOSEK ANNE B. , WANG JIMIN , STROBEL SCOTT A.
Published: November 2004

A recently reported crystal structure of an intact bacterial group I self-splicing intron in complex with both its exons provided the first molecular view into the mechanism of RNA splicing. This intron structure, which was trapped in the state prior to the exon ligation reaction, also reveals the architecture of a complex RNA fold. The majority of the intron is contained within three internally stacked, but sequence discontinuous, helical domains. Here the tertiary hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions between the domains, and the single-stranded joiner segments that bridge between them, are fully described. Features of the structure include: (1) A pseudoknot belt that circumscribes the molecule at its longitudinal midpoint; (2) two tetraloop-tetraloop receptor motifs at the peripheral edges of the structure; (3) an extensive minor groove triplex between the paired and joiner segments, P6-J6/6a and P3-J3/4, which provides the major interaction interface between the intron’s two primary domains (P4-P6 and P3-P9.0); (4) a six-nucleotide J8/7 single stranded element that adopts a μ-shaped structure and twists through the active site, making critical contacts to all three helical domains; and (5) an extensive base stacking architecture that realizes 90% of all possible stacking interactions. The intron structure was validated by hydroxyl radical footprinting, where strong correlation was observed between experimental and predicted solvent accessibility. Models of the pre-first and pre-second steps of intron splicing are proposed with full-sized tRNA exons. They suggest that the tRNA undergoes substantial angular motion relative to the intron between the two steps of splicing.
The driving force for molecular evolution of translation
Authors: NOLLER HARRY F.
Published: November 2004

It is widely argued that protein synthesis evolved out of an RNA world, in which catalytic and other biological functions now carried out by proteins were performed by RNAs. However, it is not clear what selective advantage would have provided the driving force for evolution of a primitive translation apparatus, because of the unlikelihood that rudimentary polypeptides would have contributed sufficiently useful biological functions. Here, I suggest that the availability of even simple peptides could have significantly enlarged the otherwise limited structure space of RNA. In other words, translation initially evolved not to create a protein world, but to extend the structural, and therefore the functional, capabilities of the RNA world. Observed examples of substantial structural rearrangements in RNA that are induced by binding of peptides and other small molecules support this possibility.
A synthetic A tail rescues yeast nuclear accumulation of a ribozyme-terminated transcript
Authors: DOWER KEN , KUPERWASSER NICOLAS , MERRIKH HOURA , ROSBASH MICHAEL
Published: November 2004

To investigate the role of 3′ end formation in yeast mRNA export, we replaced the mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation signal with a self-cleaving hammerhead ribozyme element. The resulting RNA is unadenylated and accumulates near its site of synthesis. Nonetheless, a significant fraction of this RNA reaches the cytoplasm. Nuclear accumulation was relieved by insertion of a stretch of DNA-encoded adenosine residues immediately upstream of the ribozyme element (a synthetic A tail). This indicates that a 3′ stretch of adenosines can promote export, independently of cleavage and polyadenylation. We further show that a synthetic A tail-containing RNA is unaffected in 3′ end formation mutant strains, in which a normally cleaved and polyadenylated RNA accumulates within nuclei. Our results support a model in which a polyA tail contributes to efficient mRNA progression away from the gene, most likely through the action of the yeast polyA-tail binding protein Pab1p.
High temperature structures of LiKSO4 crystals: normal and incommensurate phases
Authors: Speziali Nivaldo L. , Pimenta Marcos A.
Published: November 2004

Three crystallographic phases have been observed for LiKSO4 crystals between room temperature and the melting point. The study of these phases has involved many researchers for more than two decades of intense experimental investigations. Many publications with controversial results are found in the literature especially concerning the aperiodic character of the intermediate phase (708 K < T < 943 K). A recent careful X-ray diffraction study of the intermediate phase reports evidences of satellite reflections characteristic of an incommensurate modulation. A compilation of the most significant results and the ultimate conclusions are presented here.