bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Young Children's Reasoning about Many‐to‐One Correspondences
Authors: Sophian Catherine , Madrid Samara
Published: September 2003

Young children's understanding of many‐to‐one correspondence problems was studied to illuminate the developmental transition from additive to multiplicative numerical knowledge. A many‐to‐one correspondence exists when a fixed number of target objects (greater than 1) is associated with each of a set of referents, as in putting 3 flowers in each of several vases. Two experiments examined effects of a brief training procedure that highlighted the iterative nature of many‐to‐one mappings. In Experiment 1, 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children did not benefit from the training, but a subset of 7‐year‐olds did. In Experiment 2, 7‐year‐olds showed training effects that extended to generalization problems. Patterns of performance across experimental and generalization problems suggested that some children had difficulty applying what they learned from training to the experimental problems.
Semantic‐Based Information Retrieval for Content Management and Security
Authors: Yun Bo‐Hyun , Seo Chang‐Ho
Published: September 2003

An information retrieval system has to retrieve all and only those documents that are relevant to a user query, even if index terms and query terms are not matched exactly. However, term mismatches between index terms and query terms have been a serious obstacle to the enhancement of retrieval performance. In this article, we discuss automatic term normalization between words and phrases in text corpora and their application to a Korean information retrieval system. We perform three new types of term normalizations: transliterated word normalization, noun phrase normalization, and context‐based term normalization. Transliterated words are normalized into equivalence classes by using contextual similarity to alleviate lexical term mismatches. Then, noun phrases are normalized into phrasal terms by segmenting compound nouns as well as normalizing noun phrases. Moreover, context‐based terms are normalized by using a combination of mutual information and word context to establish word similarities. Next, unsupervised clustering is done by using the K‐means algorithm and cooccurrence clusters are identified to alleviate semantic term mismatches. These term normalizations are used in both the indexing and the retrieval system. The experimental results show that our proposed system can alleviate three types of term mismatches and can also provide the appropriate similarity measurements. As a result, our system can improve the retrieval effectiveness of the information retrieval system.
Web Discovery and Filtering Based on Textual Relevance Feedback Learning
Authors: Lam Wai , Wang Wei , Yue Che‐Wang
Published: September 2003

We develop a new approach for Web information discovery and filtering. Our system, called WID, allows the user to specify long‐term information needs by means of various topic profile specifications. An entire example page or an index page can be accepted as input for the discovery. It makes use of a simulated annealing algorithm to automatically explore new Web pages. Simulated annealing algorithms possess some favorable properties to fulfill the discovery objectives. Information retrieval techniques are adopted to evaluate the content‐based relevance of each page being explored. The hyperlink information, in addition to the textual context, is considered in the relevance score evaluation of a Web page. WID allows users to provide three forms of the relevance feedback model, namely, the positive page feedback, the negative page feedback, and the positive keyword feedback. The system is domain independent and does not rely on any prior knowledge or information about the Web content. Extensive experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the discovery performance achieved by WID.
Inductive Inference by Using Information Compression
Authors: Choi Ben
Published: September 2003

Inductive inference is of central importance to all scientific inquiries. Automating the process of inductive inference is the major concern of machine learning researchers. This article proposes inductive inference techniques to address three inductive problems: (1) how to automatically construct a general description, a model, or a theory to describe a sequence of observations or experimental data, (2) how to modify an existing model to account for new observations, and (3) how to handle the situation where the new observations are not consistent with the existing models. The techniques proposed in this article implement the inductive principle called the minimum descriptive length principle and relate to Kolmogorov complexity and Occam's razor. They employ finite state machines as models to describe sequences of observations and measure the descriptive complexity by measuring the number of states. They can be used to draw inference from sequences of observations where one observation may depend on previous observations. Thus, they can be applied to time series prediction problems and to one‐to‐one mapping problems. They are implemented to form an automated inductive machine.
Unified Risk Analysis of Fatigue Failure in Ductile Alloy Components During All Three Stages of Fatigue Crack Evolution Process
Authors: Patankar Ravindra
Published: September 2003

Statistical fatigue life of a ductile alloy specimen is traditionally divided into three stages, namely, crack nucleation, small crack growth, and large crack growth. Crack nucleation and small crack growth show a wide variation and hence a big spread on cycles versus crack length graph. Relatively, large crack growth shows a lesser variation. Therefore, different models are fitted to the different stages of the fatigue evolution process, thus treating different stages as different phenomena. With these independent models, it is impossible to predict one phenomenon based on the information available about the other phenomenon. Experimentally, it is easier to carry out crack length measurements of large cracks compared to nucleating cracks and small cracks. Thus, it is easier to collect statistical data for large crack growth compared to the painstaking effort it would take to collect statistical data for crack nucleation and small crack growth. This article presents a fracture mechanics‐based stochastic model of fatigue crack growth in ductile alloys that are commonly encountered in mechanical structures and machine components. The model has been validated by Ray (1998) for crack propagation by various statistical fatigue data. Based on the model, this article proposes a technique to predict statistical information of fatigue crack nucleation and small crack growth properties that uses the statistical properties of large crack growth under constant amplitude stress excitation. The statistical properties of large crack growth under constant amplitude stress excitation can be obtained via experiments.
Consumer Risk Perceptions Toward Agricultural Biotechnology, Self‐Protection, and Food Demand: The Case of Milk in the United States
Authors: Zepeda Lydia , Douthitt Robin , You So‐Ye
Published: September 2003

This study is an econometric systems approach to modeling the factors and linkages affecting risk perceptions toward agricultural biotechnology, self‐protection actions, and food demand. This model is applied to milk in the United States, but it can be adapted to other products as well as other categories of risk perceptions. The contribution of this formulation is the ability to examine how explanatory factors influence risk perceptions and whether they translate into behavior and ultimately what impact this has on aggregate markets. Hadden's outrage factors on heightening risk perceptions are among the factors examined. In particular, the article examines the role of labeling as a means of permitting informed consent to mitigate outrage factors. The effects of attitudinal, economic, and demographic factors on risk perceptions are also explored, as well as the linkage between risk perceptions, consumer behavior, and food demand. Because risk perceptions and self‐protection actions are categorical variables and demand is a continuous variable, the model is estimated as a two‐stage mixed system with a covariance correction procedure suggested by Amemiya. The findings indicate that it is the availability of labeling, not the price difference, between that labeled milk and milk produced with recombinant bovine Somatotropin (rbST) that significantly affects consumer's selection of rbST‐free milk. The results indicate that greater availability of labeled milk would not only significantly increase the proportion of consumers who purchased labeled milk, its availability would also reduce the perception of risk associated with rbST, whether consumers purchase it or not. In other words, availability of rbST‐free milk translates into lower risk perceptions toward milk produced with rbST.
The Polls: Searching for Determinism: A Comparative Assessment of First Term Approval Volatility, Buoyancy, and Polarization
Authors: Behr Joshua G.
Published: September 2003

This research examines evidence of deterministic patterns in first term presidential approval scores, Eisenhower through Clinton. Rather than relying on single‐presidency trend lines, approval is evaluated along the dimensions of volatility, buoyancy, and polarization. Borrowing from both the cumulative decision and psychological response explanations for approval paths, posited is an agenda articulation approach, which reasons presidential approval reflects the president's ability to define an agenda by staking positions on salient issues early in the administration. The findings report deterministic patterns in approval volatility and buoyancy. Data are from a unique compilation of presidential approval scores drawn from seven polling organizations allowing for a two‐week unit of analysis.
Mechanisms for deposition and etching in fluorosilane plasma processing of silicon
Authors: Williams Keri L. , Butoi Carmen I. , Fisher Ellen R.
Published: September 2003

A variety of analytical tools have been used to examine the gas-phase and surface chemistry of SiF4 and SiF4/H2 plasmas interacting with Si substrates. The effect of rf power (P) and source gas ratios on film composition, gas-phase species densities, and plasma–surface interactions of SiF and SiF2 have been studied. Film characterization was performed using Fourier transfer infrared, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Using the imaging of radicals interacting with surfaces technique, spatially resolved laser-induced fluorescence images of SiFx radicals were collected and used to characterize both the plasma-surface interface and the gas phase. Additional gas-phase characterization was achieved using optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. From all of these data, three plasma types have been defined. In etching systems (type 1) (e.g., 100% SiF4 plasmas at P>20 W), no net deposition occurs, and SiF2 radicals are produced at the surface. When only F atom incorporation occurs with no net etching or deposition (type 2), SiF2 can exhibit either surface loss or surface production, depending on other plasma parameters. In a-Si:H,F film depositing systems (type 3), SiF2 is lost at the surface under most conditions. Gas phase and surface mechanisms to describe these three plasma types are proposed.
Growth and trends in Auger-electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for surface analysis
Authors: Powell C. J.
Published: September 2003

A perspective is given of the development and use of surface analysis, primarily by Auger-electron spectroscopy (AES) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), for solving scientific and technological problems. Information is presented on growth and trends in instrumental capabilities, instrumental measurements with reduced uncertainties, knowledge of surface sensitivity, and knowledge and effects of sample morphology. Available analytical resources are described for AES, XPS, and secondary-ion mass spectrometry. Finally, the role of the American Vacuum Society in stimulating improved surface analyses is discussed.
Application-driven development of plasma source technology
Authors: Hopwood J. , Mantei T. D.
Published: September 2003

This article reviews major developments in etch- and deposition-driven plasma source technology over the past decades. We first review the radio-frequency parallel plate diode, summarizing its great impact but also its inherent problems. Ensuing sections then treat microwave plasma generation, electron cyclotron resonance power transfer enhancement, inductively coupled plasma sources, and (very briefly) the radio-frequency helicon source. We then introduce the important and relatively new issues of control of the ion energy distribution function and the tailoring of plasma chemistry, including the decoupling of chemistry from pressure and power. The emerging areas of ambient pressure plasma sources and miniature “plasmas on a chip” are summarized, and we conclude with a brief view to the future.
Determination of phenyl-N-methylcarbamates and their hydrolysis products in water, using solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV and electrospray mass spectrometric detection
Authors: Atrache Latifa Latrous , Sabbah Sadok
Published: September 2003

In this study, eight phenyl-N-methylcarbamates (PNMCs) were considered. Reversed-phase LC was set up for UV and mass spectrometry (MS) detection mode. Gradient elution was used, and the mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water. UVvis was performed at 220 nm. The method was tested with different reversed-phase columns. Comparison between chromatographic parameters: retention time (tR), resolution (RS), and selectivity (α) was established. Hydrolysis kinetics of three of the PNMCs were reported. The major hydrolysis products were determined by LCUV, and the effect of pH on hydrolysis was also studied. Also, chromatographic separation of a mixture of PNMCs and four of their hydrolysis products was carried out. The preconcentration of 12 studied solutes was realized by solid-phase extraction. C18 extraction cartridges of 1 g were used to extract solutes from a 100 mL volume of tap and surface water spiked at 10 µg/L. The recoveries were, respectively, between 6886% and 6283% with relative a standard deviation of less than 11%. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged, respectively, from 14 µg/L and from 410 µg/L. Since standard UV detection does not provide adequate selectivity for water samples, an electrospray (ES)-MS instrument equipped with a triple quadrupole mass filter was used. MS data acquisition was performed by a time-scheduled, selected-ion monitoring (SIM) program. Limits of quantitation gave values between 0.10.5 µg/L.Key words: phenyl-N-methylcarbamates, water analysis, solid-phase extraction, LCUVvis, LCES-MS.
Patterns of Secondary Prevention in Older Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting During Hospitalization for Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Foody JoAnne Micale , Ferdinand Francis D. , Galusha Deron , Rathore Saif S. , Masoudi Frederick A. , Havranek Edward P. , Nilasena David , Radford Martha J. , Krumholz Harlan M.
Published: September 2003

Background—

Aggressive risk factor modification decreases cardiovascular events and mortality in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Little is known regarding the use of secondary prevention in older patients undergoing CABG during hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods and Results—

Medical records were reviewed for a sample of 37,513 patients hospitalized with AMI in the United States between April 1998 and March 1999. Patients ≥65 years of age who underwent CABG after AMI (n=2,267 [8%]) were evaluated for the prescription of 4 therapies at discharge: aspirin, β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and lipid lowering, in eligible patients without contraindications to therapy and compared with patients who did not undergo CABG (n=26,484 [92%]). Patients undergoing CABG had higher rates of aspirin than patients who did not undergo CABG (88.0% versus 83.2%,
P
=0.0002). However, CABG patients were less likely to receive β-blockers (61.5% versus 72.1%,
P
<0.0001), ACE inhibitors (55.5% versus 72.1%,
P
<0.0001), or lipid lowering (34.7% versus 55.7%,
P
<0.0001) prescriptions than patients who did not undergo CABG. After adjustment for disease severity, patients undergoing CABG were no longer more likely to receive discharge aspirin, and the magnitude of other differences in care increased.

Conclusions—

Evidence-based discharge therapies are underutilized in older patients who underwent CABG during hospitalization for AMI. Although national efforts focusing on improving short-term surgical mortality have been successful, strategies should be developed to increase the utilization of therapies known to improve long-term mortality in patients undergoing CABG.
Reoperation for Bioprosthetic Mitral Structural Failure: Risk Assessment
Authors: Jamieson W.R.E. , Burr L.H. , Miyagishima R.T. , Janusz M.T. , Fradet G.J. , Lichtenstein S.V. , Ling H.
Published: September 2003

Background—

The predominant complication of bioprostheses is structural valve deterioration and the consequences of reoperation. The purpose of the study was to determine the mortality and risk assessment of that mortality for mitral bioprosthetic failure.

Methods and Results—

From 1975 to 1999, 1 973 patients received a heterograft bioprosthesis in 2 152 operations. The procedures were performed with concomitant coronary artery bypass (CAB) in 694 operations and without in 1 458 operations. There were 481 reoperations for structural valve deterioration performed in 463 patients with 34 fatalities (7.1%). Of the 481 re-replacements, 67 had CAB and 414 had isolated replacement; the mortality was 11.9% (8) and 6.3% (26), respectively. Eleven predictive factors inclusive of age, concomitant CAB, urgency status, New York Heart Association (NYHA; reoperation), and year of reoperation (year periods) were considered. The mortality from 1975 to 1986 was 9.8% (6/61), from 1987 to 1992 it was 10.8% (20/185), and from 1993 to 2000 it was 3.4% (8/235) (I versus III
P
=0.0458, II versus III
P
=0.0047). The mortality by urgency status was elective/urgent 6.0% (26/436) and emergent 17.8% (8/45) (
P
=0.00879). The mortality was NYHA I/II 0.00% (0/37), III 5.1% (14/273), and IV 11.7% (20/171) (
P
=0.0069). The predictive risk factors by multivariate regression analysis were age at implant, odds ratio (OR) 0.84 (
P
=0.0113); age at explant, OR 1.2 (
P
=0.0089); urgency, OR 2.8 (
P
=0.0264); NYHA, OR 2.5 (
P
=0.015); 1975–1986 versus 1993–2000 of reoperations, OR 5.8 (
P
=0.0062); and 1987–19 92 versus 1993–2000, OR 4.0 (
P
=0.0023). For the period 1993 to 2000 of reoperations, only age at implant and age at explant were significant; NYHA class, urgency status, and concomitant CAB were not significant.

Conclusion—

Bioprosthetic mitral reoperative mortality can be lowered by reoperations on an elective/urgent basis in low to medium NYHA functional class. The routine evaluation of patients can achieve earlier low risk reoperative surgery.
The Social and Political Impact of Economic Crisis in South Korea: A Comparative Note
Authors: Han Joon , Lim Hyun-Chin
Published: September 2003

The five-year term of President Kim Dae Jung ended up deepening political cleavages in the wake of growing social conflicts. We find it ironic that the Kim Dae Jung regime, the first case of horizontal power transfer through election, has seen social conflicts worsening instead of weakening. Since the economic crisis of 1997, the country has undergone a profound societal and political transformation as a result of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s program of liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation. We investigate the structural realignment - power shift, social conflicts, and coalition change - in the wake of the economic crisis in Korea. We critically examine the impact of various reform measures on state-society relations. Our starting point is a belief that the stability of a regime depends not only on economic performance but also on social and political performance. The current Korean situation might even suggest that social and political factors are more important than economic performance in evaluating structural adjustment programs. We begin by examining the underlying nature of the Kim Dae Jung regime's reform measures. Then we address the social realignment, coalition change, and social conflicts, and assess their implications for consolidation of democracy. Finally we draw some policy implications.
Language and Nation: For a Cultural Renewal of India
Authors:   Oommen
Published: September 2003

West European nation-states which emerged after the Treaty of West Phalia concluded in 1648 were established based on the maxim: one nation, one (official language). But this principle and policy are inappropriate for multinational and ployglot polities. And yet, the tendency to imitate the nation-state model persists all over the world. The inherent inappropriateness of this model is unfolded through an examinationof the linguistic situation and language policy in India. After locating the deficits in the three approaches advocated in India-traditionalist, nationalist and modernist-the pluralist approach is put forward as a viable and democratic alternative for a cultural renewal of India. This approach, it is argued, will facilitate the programme of eradication of illiteracy, project of participatory development and the process of socio-political transformation all of which are pre-requisites for cultural renewal.
The Pleasure of your Company: Arendt, Kristeva, and an Ethics of Public Happiness
Authors: Birmingham Peg
Published: September 2003

In this essay, I examine Arendt's and Kristeva's account of the archaic event of natality, arguing that each attempts to show how this event is the source of our pleasure in the company of others. I first examine Arendt's understanding of natality, showing that in her early writings, specifically in The Origin of Totalitarianism, the event of natality carries with it a capacity for violence that Arendt does not continue to develop in her later formulations. This lack of development leaves her later thought, specifically her notion of "public happiness" strangely light-minded on the topic of domination, unable to give an account of how violence can be part and parcel of our appearance in the public space itself. I then turn to Kristeva's understanding of the event of natality, arguing that her account, specifically the "violence beneath our desires" contributes significantly to Arendt's account of natality, allowing us to understand how pleasure in the company of others is possible despite such violence. I argue that Kristeva locates our capacity for public happiness in the aspect of natality Arendt abandons in her later thought. I conclude by showing how Kristeva's account of natality provides a foundation for Arendt's understanding of public happiness.
History's Remains: Of Memory, Mourning, and the Event
Authors: Naas Michael
Published: September 2003

Jacques Derrida has written much in recent years on the topic of mourning. This essay takes Derrida's insights into mourning in general and collective mourning in particular in order to ask about the relationship between mourning and politics. Taking a lead from a recent work of Derrida's on Jean-François Lyotard, the essay develops its argument through two examples, one from ancient Greece and one from twentiethcentury America: the role mourning plays in the constitution and maintenance of the state in Plato's Laws and the controversy surrounding the consecration of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier of Vietnam in Arlington National Cemetery. This latter example provides the occasion for questioning the possibilities of mourning the unknown or the unidentifiable and for addressing some of the ways in which the United States has mourned or failed to mourn, remembered or failed to remember, in the wake of September 11.
Relative Overexpression of Macrophage-Derived Cytokines in Orbital Adipose Tissue from Patients with Graves’ Ophthalmopathy
Authors: Kumar Seema , Bahn Rebecca S.
Published: September 2003

Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disorder involving the adipose and connective tissues of the orbit. The study of cytokines present in these tissues may reveal the nature of the cells and immune responses involved in GO pathogenesis. In the current study, we performed relative quantification of the expression of cytokine genes in orbital adipose tissue from patients with GO (n = 6) and normal individuals (n = 2). Real-time RT-PCR was performed using fluorescent probes and primers for cytokines including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. Results showed IL-1β to be the gene having the greatest fold expression increase over normal in four of six patients. TNF-α was increased in all six GO patients. In addition, IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-γ were increased in five of six GO patients. We found no evidence of either IL-4 or IL-5 expression in any of the GO or normal samples. The increased expression of the macrophage-derived cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 suggests the presence of macrophage activation and ongoing antigen presentation within the orbit in GO. In addition, the overexpression of IFN-γ, without evidence of IL-4 or IL-5 expression, supports the concept that cell-mediated, rather than humoral, immunity plays the predominant role in pathogenesis of this disorder.
Multi‐variable relations for soil effects on seismic ground motion
Authors: Bouckovalas George D. , Papadimitriou Achilleas G.
Published: September 2003

Soil effects on peak ground acceleration, velocity and elastic response spectra (5% damping) are expressed by simple approximate relations in terms of five key parameters: (a) the fundamental vibration period of the non‐linear soil, TS, (b) the period of a bedrock site of equal thickness, Tb, (c) the predominant excitation period, Te, (d) the peak seismic acceleration at outcropping bedrock, a, and (e) the number of significant excitation cycles, n. Furthermore, another relation is proposed for the estimation of TS in terms of the soil thickness H, the average shear wave velocity of the soil V̄S,o and a. The aforementioned parameters were first identified through a simplified analytical simulation of the site excitation. The multivariable approximate relations were then formulated via a statistical analysis of relevant data from more than 700 one‐dimensional equivalent‐linear seismic ground response analyses, for actual seismic excitations and natural soil conditions. Use of these relations to back‐calculate the numerical results in the database gives an estimate of their error margin, which is found to be relatively small and unbiased. The proposed relations are also independently verified through a detailed comparison with strong motion recordings from seven well‐documented case studies: (a) two sites in the San Fernando valley during the Northridge earthquake, and (b) five different seismic events recorded at the SMART‐1 accelerometer array in Taiwan. It is deduced that the accuracy of the relations is comparable to that of the equivalent‐linear method. Hence, they can be readily used as a quick alternative for routine applications, as well as for spreadsheet computations (e.g. GIS‐aided seismic microzonation studies) where numerical methods are cumbersome to implement. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Patterns in Holocene colluvium and alluvial fans across the prairie–forest transition in the midcontinent USA
Authors: Bettis E. Arthur
Published: September 2003

The sediments composing alluvial fans and colluvial slopes harbor some of the most well‐preserved and continuous records of human habitation on the North American continent. Geoarchaeological investigations in the midcontinent of North America have revealed spatial and temporal patterns of sedimentation that control regional and local visibility, preservation, and distribution of archaeological deposits in colluvial slope and alluvial fan settings. Regional colluvial slope and alluvial fan sedimentation began ca. 8,500 yr B.P. Two major fan and slope building episodes are represented in most areas: 8500–6500 and 6000–2000 yr B.P. Within each of the major aggradation episodes, sedimentation was episodic, with shorter intervening periods of reduced sedimentation and soil formation. Late Holocene shifting of feeder stream trenches removed earlier apex and mid‐fan fan sediments, formed a complex series of cut‐and‐fill fan‐trench sequences, and deposited a series of coalescing distal fan lobes. Archaeological deposits older than approximately 8500 yr B.P. pre‐date aggradation of Holocene alluvial fans and colluvial slopes and are not found in these landforms, while archaeological deposits younger than 2000 yr B.P. are shallowly buried on colluvial slopes and alluvial fans except in filled fan‐head trenches and distal fan lobes. The challenge for interpreting and managing cultural resources in alluvial fan and colluvial slope settings is to properly evaluate how geologic processes have modified cultural patterns and affected the visibility of the archaeological record. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Activation of CEA‐CAM‐1‐mediated cell adhesion via CD98: involvement of PKCδ
Authors: Kakugawa Kiyokazu , Hattori Masakazu , Beauchemin Nicole , Minato Nagahiro
Published: September 2003

CD98 is a multifunctional protein involved in amino acid transport and regulation of integrin‐mediated cell adhesion. Herein, we demonstrated that CD98 stimulation by anti‐CD98 antibodies induced CEA‐CAM‐1‐mediated cell adhesion in BaF3 cells expressing CEA‐CAM‐1, and suggest that this might be responsible for compact clumping of F9 embryonic carcinoma cells by CD98 stimulation. CEA‐CAM‐1 was co‐immunoprecipitated by anti‐CD98 antibody. CD98 stimulation induced the translocation of cytoplasmic protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) to the cell adhesion sites, and rottlerin that inhibited the PKCδ translocation abolished the cell aggregation without affecting integrin activation. The results suggested that CD98 stimulation could activate CEA‐CAM‐1‐mediated cell adhesion independently of integrins.
Ethical and legal approaches to ‘the fetal patient’
Authors: Dickens B.M. , Cook R.J.
Published: September 2003

The concept of fetuses being ‘patients’ can serve a benign protective, cautionary purpose, alerting healthcare providers and pregnant women to the implications that medical treatment can have for fetuses. The concept allows women to provide the children they intend to deliver with the care they consider appropriate. A negative effect occurs, however, if healthcare providers decide to treat pregnant women according to providers’ own views of the best interests of fetuses, and compromise patients’ care and self‐determination without their informed consent. Some activists advocate rights of fetuses for the purpose of limiting pregnant women's self‐determination. Recognition that fetuses have legitimate interests, rather than rights, is common, and opens a way to balancing various competing interests without compromising patients’ rights to decide on their medical care. Courts of law generally favor this approach, and tend to allow few limits on women's choice of indicated medical care while pregnant.
Adolescents and their parents’ perceptions about parenting characteristics. Who can better predict the adolescent's academic competence?
Authors: Pelegrina Santiago , Garcı́a‐Linares M.Cruz , Casanova Pedro F
Published: September 2003

This study examined family factors reported by parents and their children in relation to children's academic competence. Adolescents and their parents (N=323) reported about the same family characteristics: parental acceptance and involvement in the children's education. Measures related to children's academic competence were: academic competence rated by the teacher, self‐reported grades, perceived academic competence and motivational orientation. The results revealed low interrater agreement in family measures. Moreover, ratings by children about parenting characteristics seem higher than those of their parents in predicting academic‐related measures. This was true especially in the case of children's reports on acceptance. However, in the case of involvement, parent's reports contributed towards predicting a higher number of variables.
Clinical Outcomes for the Surgical Treatment of Sinonasal Headache
Authors: Harley David H. , Powitzky Eric S. , Duncavage James
Published: September 2003

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to explore the changes in patient‐relevant clinical outcomes in a selected group undergoing surgery for nasal septal and turbinate abnormalities.

STUDY DESIGN

Seventy‐nine consecutive patients with headache and correctable anatomic nasal obstruction were seen at the study institution from March 1998 to May 2000. These patients were evaluated for changes in patient‐relevant clinical outcomes measures after surgical correction of their anatomic abnormalities.

RESULTS

Seventy‐one patients underwent surgical correction of nasal obstruction. More than half of these patients had contact points preoperatively. Statistically significant improvements were observed in the patient population with respect to 8 of the 10 clinical outcomes measures. Importantly, a decrease in the severity and frequency of headaches was noted after surgery, especially after the correction of contact points.

CONCLUSION

The surgical correction of the septum and turbinates resulted in predictable improvement in headache and a majority of other important outcomes measures.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Pain may improve after surgical correction of septal and turbinate abnormalities in a properly selected group.
Functional Evaluation of a Great Toe Transfer and the Osteoplastic Technique for Thumb Reconstruction in the Same Individual
Authors: SABAPATHY S. R. , VENKATRAMANI H. , BHARATHI R. R.
Published: September 2003

Since the popularization of microvascular toe transfer, there has been a tendency to relegate osteoplastic reconstruction techniques for the thumb to history. A case is presented which shows that a successful and well-planned osteoplastic thumb reconstruction can match microsurgical reconstruction in all functional activities. Cosmetically, the toe transfer is the better reconstructive option but it may cause significant donor site morbidity.
Latissimus Dorsi Transfer for External Rotation Weakness of the Shoulder in Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy
Authors: Al-QATTAN M. M.
Published: September 2003

This report describes the results of latissimus dorsi transfer for weakness of shoulder external rotation in 12 children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy. Selection criteria for the muscle transfer procedure included good passive external rotation of the shoulder, normal skeletal development of the shoulder joint, and adequate power of the deltoid. In addition to measuring the ranges of motion of joints before and after surgery, a modified Mallet grading system was utilized for the functional assessment of shoulder external rotation. At a mean follow-up of 4 years, two of the 12 children had recurrence of the shoulder deformity. In the remaining 10 children, the mean active external rotation was 30° (range, 20–60°), mean shoulder abduction was 140° (range, 90–170°), and all children had achieved a modified Mallet score of 4.
Early Outcome and Cost-Effectiveness of Endoscopic Versus Open Carpal Tunnel Release: A Randomized Prospective Trial
Authors: SAW N. L. B. , JONES S. , SHEPSTONE L. , MEYER M. , CHAPMAN P. G. , LOGAN A. M.
Published: September 2003

Proponents of endoscopic carpal tunnel release have been advocating the technique for more than 10 years but there is still debate about its efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness. We have performed a randomized, prospective, blind trial to compare early outcome after single portal endoscopic or open carpal tunnel surgery and to assess the cost-effectiveness of the procedures. There were no significant differences in symptom and functional activity scores, grip strength or anterior carpal pain in the first 3 months. For those in employment, we found a statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups with the endoscopic group returning to work, on average, 8 (95% CI, 2–13 days) days sooner than the open group. This translates into a cost saving to industry. There were no major neurovascular complications in either group. On the basis of these findings, we recommend that endoscopic carpal tunnel release should be considered in the employed as a cost-effective procedure, but perhaps not in the general population as a whole.
Pseudorotation of the Little Finger Metacarpal
Authors: SMITH N. C. , MONCRIEFF N. J. , HARTNELL N. , ASHWELL J.
Published: September 2003

Fractures of the little finger metacarpal are common, and are often associated with significant soft-tissue swelling and the appearance of rotational malalignment when the fingers are flexed. Our hypothesis is that soft-tissue swelling causes this apparent rotational deformity of the flexed little finger. The fourth intermetacarpal spaces of three of the authors’ non-dominant hands were injected with saline. Following injection, all the hands exhibited the appearance of internal rotation of the little finger. The mean change in rotation was 16° and the maximum was 25°. There was no change in the plane of the nail plate in extension in any hand. We conclude that soft-tissue swelling can cause the appearance of internal rotation of the flexed little finger in the absence of fracture.
A Clinical Questionnaire for the Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: KAMATH V. , STOTHARD J.
Published: September 2003

This prospective study compared the sensitivities of a scored questionnaire and electrophysiological examination in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Patients were assessed by a hand surgeon using a scored questionnaire, and then underwent an electrophysiological assessment by an experienced neurophysiologist (blinded to the questionnaire results). Patients diagnosed as having carpal tunnel syndrome by either the questionnaire, the electrophysiological examination or both underwent decompression. Symptom relief was taken as the “gold standard” for true carpal tunnel syndrome.

The results showed a sensitivity of 85% for the scored questionnaire and 92% for nerve conduction studies with a positive predictive value of 90% for the scored questionnaire and 92% for nerve conduction studies.

The authors recommend that a scored questionnaire can replace nerve conduction studies in the initial assessment of whether patients presenting with dysaesthesiae in the fingers should undergo surgery. This will give major time, personnel and cost benefits.
Transdermal fentanyl: informed prescribing is essential
Authors: Ross Joy R. , Quigley Columba
Published: September 2003

While morphine is historically the gold standard for the management of severe cancer pain, some patients either do not achieve adequate analgesia, or suffer intolerable side‐effects. For these patients an alternative opioid is recommended. One such alternative is the potent mu opioid agonist fentanyl, delivered in a transdermal controlled release formulation. Similar to morphine, transdermal fentanyl is effective for the management of moderate to severe cancer pain. However, inappropriate prescribing of transdermal fentanyl, particularly in the clinical setting of unstable pain, can cause significant opioid toxicity, as highlighted in the case reports described.
Mutation analysis of copper transporter genes in patients with ethylmalonic encephalopathy, mitochondriopathies and copper deficiency phenotypes
Authors: Fu X. , Rinaldo P. , Hahn S. H. , Kodama H. , Packman S.
Published: September 2003

Summary: The trace metal copper is an essential cofactor for a number of biological processes, including mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, free‐radical eradication, neurotransmitter synthesis and maturation, and iron metabolism. Consequently, copper transport at the cell surface and the delivery of copper to intracellular proteins are critical events in normal cellular homeostasis. Four genes have been reported to influence the cellular uptake and the delivery of copper to specific cell compartments and proteins. These include hCTR1, which regulates cellular copper uptake; HAH1, which mediates the transfer of copper to the Menkes and Wilson disease transporters; CCS, which is related to the transfer of copper to superoxide dismutase; and hCOX17, which directs trafficking of copper to mitochondrial cytochrome‐c oxidase. At present, no genetic disorders have been associated with defects in these four copper transporter genes. In this study, we test the possibility that defective copper uptake or intracellular translocation represents the basic defect in three categories of candidate phenotypes among 22 patients: ethylmalonic encephalopathy; mitochondriopathies of unknown aetiology; and neurodevelopmental abnormalities with clinical and chemical evidence of copper deficiency. Mutation analyses of the copper uptake protein, hCTR1, and the three copper chaperones were performed by direct sequencing of the whole coding regions. No causative mutations were identified for the four copper transporter genes in 22 patients. A heterozygous polymorphism (847G>A) for CCS was detected in 7 patients. For the distinct disease entity ethylmalonic encephalopathy, we additionally show normal mRNA levels for each of the four genes. The negative results notwithstanding, we encourage ongoing study of additional patients with candidate phenotypes. Further, our results are consistent with the notion that other unknown copper‐related transporters could be involved in diseases.
The relationship of plasma glutamine to ammonium and of glycine to acid–base balance in propionic acidaemia
Authors: Al‐Hassnan Z. N. , Boyadjiev S. A. , Praphanphoj V. , Hamosh A. , Braverman N. E. , Thomas G. H. , Geraghty M. T.
Published: September 2003

Summary: Hyperammonaemia is a common and serious complication of propionic acidaemia. Treatment of hyperammonaemia with sodium phenylacetate or phenylbutyrate has not been well studied in this disorder. We reviewed the medical records of 5 patients with propionic acidaemia over a 16‐year period. We collected information on events where plasma amino acids and ammonium, plasma acids and acid‐base balance, or all 3 parameters were obtained simultaneously. All patients were on protein‐restricted diet and carnitine throughout the period. In contrast to hyperammonaemia in patients with a urea cycle disorder, plasma glutamine levels were below the normal mean and there was no correlation between plasma ammonium and glutamine levels. The absence of positive correlation between plasma glutamine and ammonium suggests that the routine use of sodium phenylacetate or phenylbutyrate to treat hyperammonaemia in propionic acidaemia should be questioned until further studies are done. Throughout follow‐up of our propionic acidaemia patients, we have observed that plasma glycine levels correlated positively with serum bicarbonate. The association of high plasma glycine with good acid‐base balance might have a potential role in management and warrants further investigation.
A multiplex real‐time PCR for quantification of HIV‐1 DNA and the human albumin gene in CD4+ cells
Authors: ERIKSSON LARS E. , LEITNER THOMAS , WAHREN BRITTA , BOSTRÖM ANN‐CHARLOTTE , FALK KERSTIN I.
Published: September 2003

We have established a simple system for measuring HIV‐1 DNA load in CD4+ cells. In a multiplex configuration, a conserved region in the HIV‐1 pol gene and a section of the human albumin gene were simultaneously amplified to estimate the number of HIV‐1 DNA copies per cellular genome. An established Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) standard system was used to calibrate the HIV‐1 quantification. Our multiplex PCR system was tested on different in vitro developed HIV‐1 strains and on longitudinal samples from eight patients. The system was able to amplify both in vitro and in vivo samples of various genetic compositions. In all eight patients, HIV‐1 DNA was detected and ranged between 0.17 and 51×10−3 copies per CD4+ cell and could be monitored longitudinally, including long‐term PI‐ART and STI. The measured HIV‐1 DNA load may be used to select the best time for the institution or re‐institution of therapy.
A quantitative ELISA‐based co‐culture angiogenesis and cell proliferation assay
Authors: FRIIS TINA , KJÆR SØRENSEN BIRGITTE , ENGEL ANNE‐MARIE , RYGAARD JØRGEN , HOUEN GUNNAR
Published: September 2003

Since solid tumours and metastases depend on adequate blood supply, much research is focused on inhibition of angiogenesis. Unfortunately, most known angiogenesis inhibitors have serious side effects when used as therapeutic agents in man. It is therefore important to develop methods to identify well‐tolerated and efficient angiogenesis inhibitors. As a method for identification of new angiogenesis inhibitors we have further developed the procedure described by Bishop et al. (Angiogenesis 1999;3:335–44) to a quantitative ELISA‐based fibroblast and endothelial cell co‐culture angiogenesis assay. In each well of a 96‐microwell plate, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) are seeded onto normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and propagated in co‐culture for 72 h with or without a potential angiogenesis inhibitor. The effect on total cell proliferation is evaluated by quantitative immunochemical measurement of DNA, and on endothelial tube formation by quantification of CD 31, von Willebrand factor, and collagen IV. After ELISA reading, the morphology of the tubular structures formed by HUVEC is visualised with BCIP/NBT, permitting a quantitative result and a qualitative evaluation of cell morphology from the same well. We have used the assay to demonstrate the effect of well‐known angiogenesis inhibitors on HUVEC tube formation.
Genetic characterization of glycopeptide‐resistant enterococci of human and animal origin from mixed pig and poultry farms
Authors: BOGØ JENSEN LARS , WILLEMS ROB J. L. , VAN DEN BOGAARD A. E.
Published: September 2003

Glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE) isolated from animals and humans were characterised using both AFPL typing and genetic characterisation of the glycopeptide resistance transposon Tn1546. All isolates were collected in 1997 when the glycopeptide avoparcin was still being used as growth promoter. All investigated animal isolates were from mixed pig and poultry farms in the Netherlands and the human isolated from the farmers of these farms. A total of 24 isolates were investigated. AFLP and Tn1546 typing revealed that both pig and poultry related enterococcal and vanA transposon genotypes were found among the human isolates indicating spread of glycopeptide resistance from both pig and poultry to the farmers. These findings contradict previous finding that showed that GRE recovered from the general population were genotypically undistinguishable from GRE isolated from pigs but are in line with other studies that demonstrated spread of GRE from poultry to farmers in poultry farms.