bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Haemorheological, platelet and endothelial indices in relation to global measures of cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients: a substudy of the Anglo‐Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial
Authors: Spencer C. G. C. , Felmeden D. C. , Blann A. D. , Lip G. Y. H.
Published: January 2007

Introduction and Methods.  We tested the hypothesis that there was a significant relationship between haemorheological markers [white blood cell count (WCC), plasma viscosity (PV), haematocrit (HCT) and fibrinogen], as well as plasma von Willebrand factor (vWf, an index of endothelial damage/dysfunction) and soluble P‐selectin (sP‐sel, an index of platelet activation), to five global measures of cardiovascular risk [i.e. Framingham coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and cardiovascular death score, the Pocock cardiovascular risk score and the sum of individual risk factors].

Results.  Men with a high (≥median, n=156) Framingham 10‐year CHD risk score had higher levels of WBC (P = 0.027), fibrinogen (P = 0.012) and vWF (P = 0.002) than 153 men with results < median. Men with a high 10‐year stroke risk score had significantly higher levels of fibrinogen (P = 0.01) and vWF (P < 0.0001). In stepwise linear regression analysis in men, vWF and fibrinogen were independent predictors of the number of risk factors (P < 0.0001), whilst WCC, vWF and fibrinogen emerged as independent predictors of Framingham CHD risk (P < 0.0001), and fibrinogen and vWF predicted Framingham stroke risk (R2 = 0.089, P < 0.0001). vWF, PV and fibrinogen were predictors of Pocock cardiovascular death risk (P < 0.0001) but vWF was the only independent predictor of Framingham cardiovascular death risk (P = 0.001).

Conclusions.  Abnormal haemorheological factors (particularly high plasma fibrinogen levels) and endothelial damage/dysfunction (high vWF), but not platelet activation (sP‐sel), are related to established cardiovascular and death risk scores. This relationship was most evident amongst male ‘high‐risk’ hypertensive subjects.
Contribution of sensitivity, volume and tone to visceral perception in the upper gastrointestinal tract in man: emphasis on testing
Authors: Gregersen H. , Kwiatek M. A. , Schwizer W. , Tutuian R.
Published: January 2007

Abstract  Upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms occur frequently in the general population, making them among the most common indications responsible for patients consulting the healthcare system. Consequently, understanding and characterization of the upper GI symptoms is important for the diagnosis and assessment of organ dysfunction. In practice, assessment of clinical symptoms is difficult and it is still to a large extent unclear how sensitivity, volume and tone contribute to visceral perception in the upper GI tract. The goal of advanced research in upper GI symptoms is to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in transduction, transmission, and perception under normal and pathophysiological conditions. An important step towards this goal is understanding the information provided by and the inherent limitations of the currently available measuring techniques. This article focuses on the sensory testing of the oesophagus, and methods and concepts used to assess the relation between gastric volumes or tone and upper GI symptoms. It also summarizes the contributions of these techniques towards identifying the components responsible for the generation of upper GI symptoms.
Suspected toxic shock‐like syndrome in a dog with closed‐cervix pyometra
Authors: Declercq Jan
Published: January 2007

Several cases of toxic shock‐like syndrome (TSLS) have been reported in dogs but no inciting cause has been identified. TSLS associated with a closed‐cervix pyometra was suspected in the reported bitch. The dog was evaluated for the complaint of generalized dermatopathy (erythema and oedema) and systemic signs with multiorganic involvement (depression, fever, immature neutrophilia, hypoalbuminaemia, renal disease, vomiting and diarrhoea). Histological features consistent with TSLS included superficial dermatitis with epidermal neutrophilic exocytosis and necrotic keratinocytes. The tentative diagnosis of TSLS was based on case history, clinical presentation, laboratory and histopathological findings, and the resolution of all clinical signs following surgical removal of the localized bacterial infection.
Morphology of Dromedary Camel Oocytes and their Ability to Spontaneous and Chemical Parthenogenetic Activation
Authors: Abdoon ASS , Kandil OM , Berisha B , Kliem H , Schams D
Published: January 2007

Contents

The present work was conducted to examine (1) the morphology of dromedary cumulus‐oocytes complexes (COCs), (2) to study the incidence of spontaneous development of oocytes in vivo and (3) to assess the ability of in vitro matured dromedary oocytes to chemical parthenogenetic activation compared with in vitro fertilized (IVF) oocytes. COCs were recovered from dromedary ovaries classified according to their morphology into six categories. Oocyte diameter was measured using eye piece micrometer. For chemical activation, COCs with at least three layers of cumulus‐cells were in vitro matured (IVM) in TCM 199 + 10 μg/ml FSH + 10 IU hCG/ml + 10% FCS + 50 μg/ml gentamycin. COCs were incubated for 40 h at 38.5°C under 5% CO2 in humidified air. After IVM, matured oocytes with first polar body (first Pb) were divided into two groups. Group 1: activated in 7% ethanol (E) for 5 min followed by culture in 2 mM 6‐dimethylaminopurin (6‐DMAP, E D, subgroup 1) or 10 μg/ml cycloheximide (CHX, E CHX, subgroup 2) for 3.5 h at 38.5°C under 5% CO2. In group 2, oocytes were activated using 50 μM Ca A23187 (Ca A) for 5 min followed by culture in 2 mM 6‐DMAP (Ca D, subgroup 3) or 10 μg/ml CHX(Ca CHX, subgroup 4) for 3.5 h at 38.5°C under 5% CO2. For control group, IVM oocytes were fertilized using frozen‐thawed camel spermatozoa separated by swim‐up method then suspended in Fert‐TALP medium supplemented with 6 mg/ml BSA (FAF) + 10 μg/ml heparin. In all groups, oocytes were in vitro cultured in SOFaa medium + 5% FCS and 5 μg/ml insulin + 50 μg/ml gentamycin. Cleavage rate and embryo development were checked on Days 2, 5 and 8. An average of 11.3 ± 0.3 COCs were recovered/dromedary ovary. Categories 1 and 2 represented 33.1% and 34.8%, respectively, and were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than the other categories (19.1, 9.2 and 2.6% for categories 3–5, respectively). Category 6 (embryo‐like structures) represented 1.2% of the recovered oocytes, staining of these embryo‐like structures with orcien dye indicated the presence of divided cells with condensed nuclei. Dromedary oocytes averaged 166.2 ± 2.6 μm in diameter with black cytoplasm. Chemical activation of IVM dromedary oocyte with first Pb in 7% ethanol or 50 μM Ca A followed by culture in 2 mM 6‐DMAP showed significantly higher (p < 0.01) cleavage and developmental rates to the morula stage than oocytes activated using 7% ethanol or 50 μM Ca A followed by 10 μg/ml CHX or in vitro fertilized control group. Higher (p < 0.01) proportion of oocytes sequentially cultured in 10 μg/ml CHX or that in vitro fertilized were arrested at the 2–4‐cell stage compared with that cultured in 6‐DMAP.
Role of the tertiary child protection paediatrician: Expert and advocate
Authors: Cruickshanks Penelope , Skellern Catherine
Published: January 2007

Aim:  The role of the child protection paediatrician is varied. This study examines perceptions of how tertiary child protection (tCP) paediatricians view their multifaceted roles, perceived adequacy of length of pre‐FRACP training and how this relates to confidence and satisfaction in their roles.

Methods:  An anonymous self‐report survey was distributed to child protection paediatricians working in tertiary hospitals across New Zealand and Australia. The survey addressed the adequacy of training and confidence within the diverse roles encountered within child protection work. It also identified perceptions of stress and satisfaction.

Results:  Responses were received from 32 out of 45 of eligible tCP paediatricians (72%). The majority (71.8%) had entered directly into a tCP unit in their first consultant position. Two‐thirds (65.7%) of tCP paediatricians received less than 4 months of pre‐FRACP child protection training while a third received no training at all. Generally tCP paediatricians perceived their training in all domains of child protection to be inadequate although their current confidence levels in all roles are high. They expressed most concerns within their role as forensic expert.

Conclusion:  Despite receiving little or no training pre‐FRACP in child protection, this group of tCP paediatricians function in their specialised roles in tCP and feel confident in fulfilling the dimensions of forensic expert and child advocate. As the field of medical child protection continues to evolve, it is important for training to keep pace with expectations of the varied roles of the paediatric specialist in child protection.
Successful treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous zygomycosis in an immunosuppressed patient with aplastic anaemia
Authors: Chan Yumin , Goldwater Paul , Saxon Ben
Published: January 2007

Abstract:  Zygomycosis in patients with persistent neutropenia had been associated with poor outcomes despite aggressive surgical and antifungal therapy. We describe the case of a 10‐year‐old girl with aplastic anaemia and persistent neutropenia who developed cutaneous and subcutaneous zygomycosis of her right thigh that was successfully treated with extensive surgical debridement, intravenous liposomal amphotericin B, later changed to oral posaconazole for long‐term suppressive therapy and granulocyte colony stimulating factor.
Variability in odour reception in the peripheral sensory system of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Cribb Bronwen W , Hull Craig D , Moore Chris J , Cunningham John Paul , Zalucki Myron P
Published: January 2007

Abstract  Mixtures of single odours were used to explore the receptor response profile across individual antennae of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Seven odours were tested including floral and green‐leaf volatiles: phenyl acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, β‐caryophyllene, limonene, α‐pinene, 1‐hexanol, 3Z‐hexenyl acetate. Electroantennograms of responses to paired mixtures of odours showed that there was considerable variation in receptor tuning across the receptor field between individuals. Data from some moth antennae showed no additivity, which indicated a restricted receptor profile. Results from other moth antennae to the same odour mixtures showed a range of partial additivity. This indicated that a wider array of receptor types was present in these moths, with a greater percentage of the receptors tuned exclusively to each odour. Peripheral receptor fields show variation in the spectrum of response within a population (of moths) when exposed to high doses of plant volatiles. This may be related to recorded variation in host choice within moth populations as reported by other authors.
Dasineura banksiae: a new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) feeding on Banksia coccinea (Proteaceae) in Australia
Authors: Kolesik Peter , Woods Bill , Crowhurst Max , Wirthensohn Michelle G
Published: January 2007

Abstract  Banksia coccinea is a shrub with large red flower heads, grown commercially as a cut flower plant in Western Australia and South Australia. Dasineura banksiae Kolesik, a gall midge species new to science and formally described here, was found inducing galls on leaves of B. coccinea in natural populations and in commercial plantations in Western Australia. White, globular, hairy galls occur on the leaf underside, each containing larvae of D. banksiae. The presence of galls decreases commercial value of the infested flower stalks and the gall midge is considered a horticultural pest. Descriptions of the male, female, pupa, larva and gall of the new species are given. Nucleotide sequence of 488‐bp‐long segment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene of D. banksiae sp. n. is lodged with GenBank under the accession number DQ480722.
Focus Groups and Political Marketing: Science and Democracy as Axiomatic?
Authors: Savigny Heather
Published: January 2007

Focus groups are an established and influential way of generating public opinion data. They have been extensively used by the British Labour Party and are more broadly associated with marketing. Focus groups, as referred to within much of the political marketing literature and used in political practice, are underpinned by two central but largely implicit claims: first, that the use of focus groups is scientific; second, this claim to science is conflated with the normative assertion that focus groups enhance the democratic process. This article renders explicit and disentangles these underlying assumptions that inform the theory and practice of focus groups. These theoretical concerns are illustrated by reference to the Labour Party, in particular its modernisation process during the build-up to the 1997 election. By separating and interrogating these basic premises two salient issues subsequently emerge. First, it is contended that the use of focus groups, in the political marketing literature and in political practice violates ‘scientific’ principles. Second, it is argued that over-reliance on focus groups challenges normative claims to democracy, by confining the potential for democratic debate to the few, rather than the many.
Democratic Socialism and Sectarianism: The Northern Ireland Labour Party and Progressive Unionist Party Compared
Authors: Edwards Aaron
Published: January 2007

Since the 1970s academic studies of the Protestant community in Northern Ireland have dwelt on either the conservative nature of its political culture or the phenomenon of paramilitary activism among its grass-roots. Few scholars have attempted to analyse the democratic socialist political discourse articulated by some of its ‘non-combatant’ actors. As a means of redressing this imbalance this article compares and contrasts the ideologies and discourse of the Northern Ireland Labour party (NILP) and the Progressive Unionist party (PUP). Although these two parties are separated by distinct historical and political circumstances, their significance nonetheless points to the existence of residual class sentiment among Ulster Protestants.
VALUE AND INTELLIGENT COLLEGIATE DEPRESSION
Authors: DOUBLE RICHARD
Published: January 2007

Abstract: Philosophy teachers converse with troubled students who suffer from what I dub “intelligent collegiate depression” (ICD): a lack of self‐esteem, feelings of futility and pessimism about their futures, a distrust of academic values, and a lack of conviction that their lives matter. Students express their values and their resignation with what approaches conventional wisdom for them: They must be allowed to act as they wish so long as they do not hurt anyone; otherwise it does not matter what they do with their lives. I argue here that students' endorsement of this near‐nihilistic version of Mill's harm principle shows that they are committed to believing in more values than they realize. I then show how to parlay this commitment into a rejection of the worst effects of ICD—all the while holding in abeyance the question of metaethical objectivism vs. subjectivism. My approach shows that accepting a popular ICD premise logically undermines much of the unhappy ICD worldview.
TOPICAL EPISTEMOLOGIES
Authors: STEWART TODD
Published: January 2007

Abstract: What is the point of developing an epistemology for a topic—for example, morality? When is it appropriate to develop the epistemology of a topic? For many topics—for example, the topic of socks—we see no need to develop a special epistemology. Under what conditions, then, does a topic deserve its own epistemology? I seek to answer these questions in this article. I provide a criterion for deciding when we are warranted in developing an epistemological theory for a topic. I briefly apply this criterion to moral epistemology and argue that some approaches to moral epistemology should be abandoned. I also argue that we can develop an epistemology for a topic without committing ourselves to a specific substantive theory of justification, such as reliabilism or coherentism, if we work within a suitably neutral framework.
The Artist in Contemplation: Love and Creation in Schiller's Philosophische Briefe
Authors: Colosimo Jennifer Driscoll
Published: January 2007

In addition to documenting the development of the author's philosophical world‐view from his student days to his first years as an independent artist, Schiller's Philosophische Briefe provide a unique view into his continued endeavour to define and defend the artist's role in society. The examination of the artistic nature forms a remarkable subtext throughout the entire Philosophische Briefe project. It is certainly not Schiller's conscious intent to expose his own doubts and insecurities regarding the moral tendency of his profession. Indeed, his stance in the foreword to the work is so urgently self‐assured that he betrays himself primarily by protesting too much. However, the frame narrative and the internal philosophical essay, the Theosophie des Julius, reveal just how much his early philosophy centres on the justification of the artist, and how tenuous this justification is. This article addresses the representation of the artist in each of the three sections that compose the Philosophische Briefe, with reference to other works of the same period that relate thematically. Taken together, these representations illuminate some of the key reasons why Schiller felt compelled to defend his life's pursuit, and against what or whom.
Products of the Imagination: Mining, Luxury, and the Romantic Artist in Heinrich von Ofterdingen
Authors: Erlin Matt
Published: January 2007

Scholars have long been interested in the relationship between capitalism and early romantic aesthetics. The following investigation offers a fresh perspective on this topic through a reconsideration of the figure of the miner and the representation of mining in Friedrich von Hardenberg's Heinrich von Ofterdingen. Rather than elucidating this representation on the basis of general concepts like alienation and instrumental rationality, as has often been the case, the essay situates mining within the context of the wide‐ranging late eighteenth‐ and early nineteenth‐century debates about luxury. When contextualised along these lines, it becomes clear that Hardenberg's representation of mining is best understood as part of an effort to defend the legitimacy of literature, especially the still fragile legitimacy of the novel. Re‐framing the representation of mining in the work in this way also necessitates a re‐evaluation of other key aspects of the novel, most significantly, its negotiation with processes of economic modernisation and especially its stance toward an incipient consumer culture in which reading and literature play a paradigmatic role.
‘Männerbund’ and ‘Mutterrecht’: Herman Wirth, Sophie Rogge‐Börner and the Ura‐Linda‐Chronik
Authors: Davies Peter
Published: January 2007

This paper explores the ideological complexity of issues connected with matriarchal myth within National Socialism's view of women and motherhood by examining the controversy over the Ura‐Linda‐Chronik, which purported to demonstrate that the Germanic ‘Urvolk’ was organised along matriarchal lines. Exposed as a clear forgery soon after its publication in 1872, it was forgotten until 1933, when its republication by the ‘völkisch’ scholar Herman Wirth provoked a far‐reaching debate on theories of matriarchy and patriarchy, masculinity and femininity in the ‘völkisch’ movement and on the role of women in the construction of the Third Reich.
‘Erinnerung ideologisch entschlacken’ or Lost in Translation: Reflections on Jana Hensel's Zonenkinder and its American Translation
Authors: Pinfold Debbie
Published: January 2007

Jana Hensel's stated intention in her best‐selling Zonenkinder (2002) was ‘Erinnerung ideologisch zu entschlacken’, to present the former GDR not as a political system but as the ‘Herkunftsraum’ of her childhood experience. The text is rich in historical and cultural allusions, but these are often presented from the perspective of the experiencing child who either does not fully understand them or takes them for granted. This presents a serious challenge to the translator of Zonenkinder, who must negotiate between the culture of the source text and that of the target audience. This paper argues that the American translation of Zonenkinder, After the Wall (2004), frequently distorts the tone of the source text by using a much more explicit political language than the original, thus imposing another ideological framework on an ostensibly non‐ideological text in order to make it comprehensible (and perhaps acceptable) to the new target audience. At the same time, however, Hensel's references to the ‘Aufklärung’ discourse prevalent at the time of the ‘Wende’ and other cultural allusions which suggest a less obvious political message prove more difficult to capture in translation.
New Forms of Damage in Negligence
Authors: Nolan Donal
Published: January 2007

Although damage is an essential component of negligence liability, important extensions of the categories of actionable damage occur with little or no analysis or even acknowledgement of the fact. In this article, consideration is given to a number of new forms of actionable damage which appear either to have received recognition by the courts in recent years, or to be close to receiving such recognition. The article is divided into three core sections, dealing with negligent imprisonment, wrongful conception and educational negligence. The principal conclusions are that redress for negligent imprisonment is best achieved through recognition of imprisonment as actionable damage in negligence; that an unwanted pregnancy is a form of personal injury, albeit an unusual one; that the conventional sum award in wrongful conception cases is best analysed as compensation for a diminution in the parents' autonomy; and that while untreated learning disorders are now treated by the courts as a form of personal injury, in the absence of such a disorder educational under‐development ought not to be recognised as actionable damage in its own right.
Intergenerational Mobility and Interracial Inequality: The Return to Family Values
Authors: MASON PATRICK L.
Published: January 2007

This paper investigates two questions. First, what is the relative importance of the components of childhood family environment—parental values versus parental class status—for young adult economic outcomes? Second, are interracial differences in labor market outcomes fully explained by differences in family environment? We find that both family values and family class status affect intergenerational mobility and inter‐racial inequality. Consideration of racial differences in parental values and class status alters but does not eliminate the impact of race on the labor market outcomes of young adults.
The Abortion Debate in Mexico: Realities and Stalled Policy Reform
Authors: KULCZYCKI ANDRZEJ
Published: January 2007

Over 500,000 clandestine abortions occur annually in Mexico, many under unfavourable health conditions. An uneasy silence about this situation has long prevailed. Since the 1970s, abortion has appeared periodically in public discourse and on the decision‐making agenda, only for action to be repeatedly postponed. Mobilisation around the abortion issue grew slowly, but debate and controversy became nationwide as the country began to experience systemic change in 2000. Despite increasing political pluralism and growing awareness of the existing problems, for now in Mexico, as elsewhere in Latin America, the question of abortion is not judged sufficiently pressing to merit major policy change. However, improved contraceptive use and the institution of new technologies and post‐abortion care are helping to make abortions safer and rarer.
Early gene expression during natural spinal cord regeneration in the salamander Ambystoma mexicanum
Authors: Monaghan James R. , Walker John A. , Page Robert B. , Putta Srikrishna , Beachy Christopher K. , Voss S. Randal
Published: January 2007

In contrast to mammals, salamanders have a remarkable ability to regenerate their spinal cord and recover full movement and function after tail amputation. To identify genes that may be associated with this greater regenerative ability, we designed an oligonucleotide microarray and profiled early gene expression during natural spinal cord regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum. We sampled tissue at five early time points after tail amputation and identified genes that registered significant changes in mRNA abundance during the first 7 days of regeneration. A list of 1036 statistically significant genes was identified. Additional statistical and fold change criteria were applied to identify a smaller list of 360 genes that were used to describe predominant expression patterns and gene functions. Our results show that a diverse injury response is activated in concert with extracellular matrix remodeling mechanisms during the early acute phase of natural spinal cord regeneration. We also report gene expression similarities and differences between our study and studies that have profiled gene expression after spinal cord injury in rat. Our study illustrates the utility of a salamander model for identifying genes and gene functions that may enhance regenerative ability in mammals.
How Does Cash and Counseling Affect Costs?
Authors: Dale Stacy B. , Brown Randall S.
Published: January 2007

Objective. To test the effect of a consumer‐directed model (Cash and Counseling) of Medicaid personal care services (PCS) or home‐ and community‐based waiver services (HCBS) on the cost of Medicaid services.

Data Sources/Study Setting. Medicaid claims data were collected for all enrollees in the Cash and Counseling demonstration. Demonstration enrollees included those eligible for PCS (in Arkansas), those assessed to receive such services (in New Jersey), and recipients of Medicaid HCBS (in Florida). Enrollment occurred from December 1998 through April 2001. The follow‐up period covered up to 24 months after enrollment.

Study Design. Demonstration volunteers were randomly assigned to have the option to participate in Cash and Counseling (the treatment group), or to receive Medicaid services as usual from an agency (the control group). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to estimate the effect of the program on costs for Medicaid PCS/waiver services and other Medicaid services, while controlling for consumers' preenrollment characteristics and preenrollment Medicaid spending. Models were estimated separately for nonelderly and elderly adults in each state and for children in Florida.

Data Extraction Methods. Each state supplied claims data for demonstration enrollees.

Principal Findings. Largely because the program increased consumers' ability to get the authorized amount of paid care, expenditures for personal care/waiver services were higher for the treatment group than for the control group in each state and age group, except among the elderly in Florida. Higher costs for personal care/waiver services were partially offset by savings in other Medicaid services, particularly those related to long‐term care. During year 1, total Medicaid costs were generally higher for the treatment group than for the control group, with treatment–control cost differences ranging from 1 percent (and statistically insignificant) for the elderly in Florida to 17 percent for the elderly in Arkansas. In year 2, these cost differences were generally greater than in year 1. Only in Arkansas did the treatment–control difference in total cost shrink over time—to less than 5 percent (and statistically insignificant) in year 2.

Conclusions. Medicaid costs were generally higher under Cash and Counseling because those in the traditional system did not get the services they were entitled to. Compared with the treatment group, (1) control group members were less likely to receive any services at all (despite being authorized for them), and (2) service recipients received a lower proportion of the amount of care that was authorized. In addition, a flaw in Florida's reassessment procedures led to treatment group members receiving more generous benefit amounts than control group members. To keep total Medicaid costs per recipient at the level incurred under the traditional system, consumer‐directed programs need to be carefully designed and closely monitored.
Flexibility Meets Accountability: State Charter School Laws and Their Influence on the Formation of Charter Schools in the United States
Authors: Shober Arnold F. , Manna Paul , Witte John F.
Published: January 2007

Using an original and unique database of state charter school laws that we have developed, we analyze how state policymakers have incorporated two key values into state charter school laws: flexibility and accountability. We supplement this database with other state‐level measures to answer two specific questions: What factors influence the degree of flexibility and accountability in state charter school laws? How does the content of state charter school laws, and the different values those laws embrace, affect the formation of charter schools in the United States? Overall, we show that state political and contextual factors help account for the degree of flexibility, but not accountability, in state charter school laws. Further, we show that the degree of flexibility, accountability, and political and contextual factors influence the number of charter schools that form in the states.
Systemic dermatological treatment with relevance for male fertility
Authors: Grunewald Sonja , Paasch Uwe , Glander Hans‐Jürgen
Published: January 2007

The dermatologist employs systemic agents with likely gametotoxic side effects, including cytotoxic, immunosuppressive, immunomodulatory and biological agents. The impact of chemotherapy on male fertility depends on the treatment protocol as well as the pre‐treatment spermatogenesis status. Sperm concentration starts to drop about 2 weeks after beginning chemotherapy and reaches a maximum after 2–3 months. About half show recovery after 12–36 months. One year after therapy is completed, a treated patient has no increased risk of fathering a malformed child. There are no reports of methotrexate patients fathering children with malformations, most likely because impaired fertility or embryogenesis arrest. Cryopreservation of male gametes should be recommended prior to cytotoxic treatment, since the likelihood of post‐treatment fertility is unpredictable. The cryopreservation causes a loss of vital spermatozoa by 30–70% but does not influence the genetic information of gametes. Males treated with retinoids have no reproductive safety risk. Biologicals inhibiting TNF α show a positive effect on sperm function in vitro.
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE—ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE
Authors: King Justice Donald B.
Published: January 2007

The article reviews the California court system and the adversary system for resolving divorce and makes substantial recommendations for changing this process, emphasizing judicial management in a problem‐solving context rather than the current system of pitting the two parents against one another. This article represents a major statement in the nature of a forum to create a more humane and just process.
FAULT CONTROLS ON SEDIMENT DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS, LIMÓN BASIN, COSTA RICA
Authors: Brandes C. , Astorga A. , Back S. , Littke R. , Winsemann J.
Published: January 2007

The Limón back‐arc basin on the Caribbean Seaboard of Costa Rica is an excellent area in which to study the influence of fault activity on patterns of sediment dispersal. The basin can be divided into northern and southern sub‐basins which are characterized by different structural histories. Whereas the North Limón Basin is dominated by extension, the South Limón Basin has been deformed by northeastward directed compression. Data from a grid of seismic lines in the offshore parts of these two sub‐basins allowed us to map the basin‐fill architecture and the key tectonic elements. Sediment thickness maps were used to infer the sediment distribution during the Middle Miocene, Late Miocene, Pliocene and Quaternary.

The results of this study show that the extensional North Limón Basin has the characteristics of a passive continental margin. A wide and structurally homogeneous depocentre developed in relative tectonic quiescence. Tectonic activity increased in Plio‐Pleistocene times and pronounced normal faulting led to the formation of structurally‐controlled depocentres. The configuration in the South Limón Basin is different, since compressional tectonics created a heterogeneous pattern of accommodation space and sediment thickness. In this region, a number of small depocentres have been active since the Middle Miocene and their location changed continuously through time. These changes are most obvious in the Plio‐Pleistocene, where a succession of piggy‐back basins evolved in response to offshore activity on the Limón fold‐and‐thrust belt. Today, ongoing thrust tectonics causes topographic breaks at the sea‐floor of the South Limón Basin. These morphological features control the position of recent submarine channels.

The data and interpretations presented here document the influence of fault activity on depositional patterns in a sedimentary basin. This study shows that tectonically controlled depocentres can be highly variable in space and time.
Development of dosimetry using detectors of diagnostic digital radiography systems
Authors: Ariga Eiji , Ito Shigeki , Deji Shizuhiko , Saze Takuya , Nishizawa Kunihide
Published: January 2007

Dosimetry using an imaging plate (IP) of computed radiography (CR) systems was developed for quality control of output of the x‐ray equipment. Sensitivity index, or the number, of the CR systems was used for estimating exposure dose under the routine condition: exposure dose from , tube voltages from , and added filtration from . The IP was calibrated by using a ionization chamber having traceability to the National Standard Ionization Chamber. The uncertainty concerning the fading effect was suppressed less than 1.9% by reading the latent image after irradiation at the room temperature . The number decreased linearly on the logarithmic graph regardless of the beam quality as exposure dose increased. The relationship between the exposure dose and the number was fitted by the equation . The coefficient decreased when the added filtration and the tube voltage were increased. The coefficient was in all beam qualities. The dosimetry using the IP and the equation can estimate the exposure dose in a range from within an uncertainty of required by the Japanese Industry Standard. This dose range partially included the doses under routine condition. The doses between 1.0 and under the routine condition can be shifted to the 5% region by using an absorber. The IP dosimetry is applicable to the quality control of the CR systems.
Protective Effect of Human Heat Shock Protein 60 Suggested by Its Association with Decreased Seropositivity to Pathogens
Authors: Steptoe A. , Shamaei-Tousi A. , Gylfe Å. , Bailey L. , Bergström S. , Coates A. R. , Henderson B.
Published: January 2007

The presence of heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) in human plasma has been linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, the examination of the relationship between Hsp60 in plasma and seropositivity for three microbial agents, which are thought to be risk factors for CVD, surprisingly revealed a negative association between Hsp60 and seropositivity, suggesting a protective effect of this circulating stress protein.
Dynamics of
Helicobacter pylori
-Specific Immunoglobulin G for 2 Years after Successful Eradication of
Helicobacter pylori
Infection in an American Indian and Alaska Native Population
Authors: Miernyk Karen M. , Bruden Dana L. , Bruce Michael G. , McMahon Brian J. , Hennessy Thomas W. , Peters Helen V. , Hurlburt Debby A. , Sacco Frank , Parkinson Alan J.
Published: January 2007

Helicobacter pylori
antibodies were measured over 24 months in American Indian and Alaska Native persons who cleared their infections. Two months after treatment, 82% of
H. pylori
-negative persons remained seropositive. While there were declines in
H. pylori
antibodies for 12 months, after 24 months 71% of persons remained seropositive.
Enzymatic Defects of the nsP2 Proteins of Semliki Forest Virus Temperature-Sensitive Mutants
Authors: Balistreri Giuseppe , Caldentey Javier , Kääriäinen Leevi , Ahola Tero
Published: January 2007

We have analyzed the biochemical consequences of mutations that affect viral RNA synthesis in Semliki Forest virus temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants. Of the six mutations mapping in the multifunctional replicase protein nsP2, three were located in the N-terminal helicase region and three were in the C-terminal protease domain. Wild-type and mutant nsP2s were expressed, purified, and assayed for nucleotide triphosphatase (NTPase), RNA triphosphatase (RTPase), and protease activities in vitro at 24°C and 35°C. The protease domain mutants (ts4, ts6, and ts11) had reduced protease activity at 35°C but displayed normal NTPase and RTPase. The helicase domain mutation ts1 did not have enzymatic consequences, whereas ts13a and ts9 reduced both NTPase and protease activities but in different and mutant-specific ways. The effects of these helicase domain mutants on protease function suggest interdomain interactions within nsP2. NTPase activity was not directly required for protease activity. The similarities of the NTPase and RTPase results, as well as competition experiments, suggest that these two reactions utilize the same active site. The mutations were also studied in recombinant viruses first cultivated at the permissive temperature and then shifted up to the restrictive temperature. Processing of the nonstructural polyprotein was generally retarded in cells infected with viruses carrying the ts4, ts6, ts11, and ts13a mutations, and a specific defect appeared in ts9. All mutations except ts13a were associated with a large reduction in the production of the subgenomic 26S mRNA, indicating that both protease and helicase domains influence the recognition of the subgenomic promoter during virus replication.
Pepsi's 'Painful Marriage' in Sichuan
Authors: Liu Shengjun
Published: January 2007

Pepsi had been competing strongly against Coke throughout the world. In 1993, to gain an upper hand in a new market, Pepsi established a bottling plant in cooperation with the local government in Sichuan, an inland province of China. Sichuan Pepsi's business was a big success. The troubles, however, soon started. Sichuan Pepsi refused to follow the policy of allocating separate sales areas for each bottler. It compelled Pepsi China to reduce the price of the concentrate and was eager to produce beverages with new brands to compete with Pepsi. Investigations showed that the management of Sichuan Pepsi took many actions which went against its agreement with Pepsi. The company had transformed from a state-owned enterprise to a company controlled by individuals who formed the top management of Sichuan Pepsi. Both the local government and Pepsi China had lost control of this new cooperative. This case illustrates a special kind of risk in joint ventures in transitional economies: the privatization of the local enterprise partner through some form of management buyout. This risk is further complicated by the changing relationship between the government and enterprises in China, the guanxi-dominated institutional environment and continuous economic reform characterized by 'crossing the river by feeling each stone' which refers to Deng Xiaoping's policy of moving ahead with economic reforms slowly and pragmatically. In order to succeed in such an environment, a firm must be prepared to face the 'crouching tiger, hidden dragon'.
Parenchymal tethering, airway wall stiffness, and the dynamics of bronchoconstriction
Authors: Bates Jason H. T. , Lauzon Anne-Marie
Published: January 2007

We do not yet have a good quantitative understanding of how the force-velocity properties of airway smooth muscle interact with the opposing loads of parenchymal tethering and airway wall stiffness to produce the dynamics of bronchoconstriction. We therefore developed a two-dimensional computational model of a dynamically narrowing airway embedded in uniformly elastic lung parenchyma and compared the predictions of the model to published measurements of airway resistance made in rats and rabbits during the development of bronchoconstriction following a bolus injection of methacholine. The model accurately reproduced the experimental time-courses of airway resistance as a function of both lung inflation pressure and tidal volume. The model also showed that the stiffness of the airway wall is similar in rats and rabbits, and significantly greater than that of the lung parenchyma. Our results indicate that the main features of the dynamical nature of bronchoconstriction in vivo can be understood in terms of the classic Hill force-velocity relationship operating against elastic loads provided by the surrounding lung parenchyma and an airway wall that is stiffer than the parenchyma.
Impact of Experience on the Representation of Object-Centered Space in the Macaque Supplementary Eye Field
Authors: Moorman David E. , Olson Carl R.
Published: January 2007

Many neurons in the macaque supplementary eye field (SEF) exhibit object-centered spatial selectivity, firing at different rates when the monkey plans a saccade to the left or right end of a horizontal bar. Is this property natural to the SEF or is it a product of specialized training in the laboratory? To answer this question, we monitored the activity of single SEF neurons in two monkeys before and after training to select eye-movement targets by an object-centered rule. During stage 1, the monkeys performed a color delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task in which a red or green central cue dictated an eye movement to the matching end of a horizontal bar. Many neurons at this stage exhibited object-centered spatial selectivity. During stage 2, the monkeys performed a color-conditional object-centered task in which a green or red central cue instructed an eye movement to the left or right end of a gray bar. More neurons exhibited object-centered spatial selectivity during this stage than during stage 1. During stage 3, the monkeys again performed the color DMS task. The fraction of neurons exhibiting object-centered spatial selectivity remained at a level comparable to that observed during stage 2 and above that observed during stage 1. Thus object-centered spatial selectivity was present before training on an object-centered rule, was enhanced as a product of object-centered training, and outlasted active use of an object-centered rule. We conclude that neural representations of object-centered space, naturally present in the primate brain, can be sharpened by training.
The mouse seminal vesicle shape mutation is allelic withFgfr2
Authors: Kuslak Sheri L. , Thielen Joshua L. , Marker Paul C.
Published: January 2007

The mouse seminal vesicle shape (svs) mutation is a spontaneous recessive mutation that causes branching morphogenesis defects in the prostate gland and seminal vesicles. Unlike many other mutations that reduce prostatic and/or seminal vesicle branching, the svs mutation dramatically reduces branching without reducing organ growth. Using a positional cloning approach, we identified the svs mutant lesion as a 491 bp insertion in the tenth intron of Fgfr2 that results in changes in the pattern of Fgfr2alternative splicing. An engineered null allele of Fgfr2 failed to complement the svs mutation proving that a partial loss of FGFR2(IIIb)isoforms causes svs phenotypes. Thus, the svs mutation represents a new type of adult viable Fgfr2 allele that can be used to elucidate receptor function during normal development and in the adult. In the developing seminal vesicles, sustained activation of ERK1/2 was associated with branching morphogenesis and this was absent in svs mutant seminal vesicles. This defect appears to be the immediate downstream effect of partial loss of FGFR2(IIIb)because activation of FGFR2(IIIb) by FGF10 rapidly induced ERK1/2 activation,and inhibition of ERK1/2 activation blocked seminal vesicle branching morphogenesis. Partial loss of FGFR2(IIIb) was also associated with down-regulation of several branching morphogenesis regulators including Shh, Ptch1, Gli1, Gli2, Bmp4, and Bmp7. Together with previous studies, these data suggest that peak levels of FGFR2(IIIb) signaling are required to induce branching and sustain ERK1/2 activation, whereas reduced levels support ductal outgrowth in the prostate gland and seminal vesicles.
Oxford House: Deaf-Affirmative Support for Substance Abuse Recovery
Authors: Alvarez Josefina , Adebanjo Aderonke M , Davidson Michelle K , Jason Leonard , Davis Margaret I
Published: January 2007

Deaf individuals seeking substance abuse recovery are less likely to have access to treatment and aftercare services because of a lack of culturally and linguistically specific programs and insufficient information about existing services. Previous research indicates that Oxford House, a network of resident-run recovery homes, serves a diverse group of individuals in recovery. However, research has not addressed the experiences of Deaf Oxford House residents. The present study found no significant differences between Deaf and hearing men living in Oxford House in terms of sense of community and abstinence self-efficacy. However, while most of the hearing participants were employed, none of the Deaf Oxford House members were. The study's findings indicate that Oxford House may be a promising Deaf-affirmative alternative for individuals seeking recovery from substance abuse. However, since Oxford Houses are self-supporting, Oxford Houses designed for the Deaf community may face unique economic challenges.
The Dressman's Line: Transforming the Work of Costumers in Popular Hindi Film
Authors: Wilkinson-Weber Clare M
Published: January 2007

Costumes in Hindi cinema are traditionally cared for on set by workers known as dressmen. Dressmen have always employed informal methods and techniques in their work, and they now find their skills, knowledge, as well as their privilege of maleness in a male-dominated industry being eroded as Hindi filmmaking is transforming itself aesthetically and organizationally in response to global forces. Interviews with dressmen with careers spanning nearly fifty years form the basis of a description of dressmen's discourses and practices. Dressman practices, in particular, are revealed to contribute in important ways to the appearance and meaning of costume in film. De-skilling of the dressman's job coincides with new organizational structures and the entry of assistant directors, many of them female, who claim superior knowledge of filmmaking techniques and of the fashion world that informs film costume. Studying film workers like dressmen informs our understanding of urban skilled workers in the Indian context, and provides a corrective to the exclusively semiotic approach to costume analysis that has prevailed to date.