bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hemangiopericytoma in the Small Intestine: A Case Report
Authors: Coha B. , Krizanovic D. , Perusinovic Z. , Marinic S. , Jakovina K.
Published: December 2008

Hemangiopericytoma is a rare tumor, mostly composed of pericytes of ramified appearance that are normally found all along the venules and capillaries. An 18-year-old female was admitted on March 17, 1997 to the Department of Infectious Diseases for fever, chills and failure to thrive. Physical examination revealed a palpable tumorous mass in the iliac region on the right. The patient was transferred to the Department of Surgery. Vaginal examination and echotomography of the abdomen and pelvis minor were performed and revealed the presence of an irregular, inhomogeneous tumorous formation of 8 cm in diameter in the pelvis minor, differentially diagnostic right ovary, i.e. acute adnexitis or perityphlitic tumor. After that, small intestine resection, tumor excision in toto, and appendectomy were performed on April 16, 1997. Pathohistological diagnosis was hemangiopericytoma and chronic appendicitis. The biological behavior of this tumor is difficult to predict on the basis of clinical and morphological parameters. In our patient, local tumor excision was not followed by adjuvant therapy. After ten years, the patient is well, healthy and a mother of two healthy children.
The Contribution of Podocytes to Chronic Allograft Nephropathy
Authors: Pippin Jeffrey , Kumar Vineeta , Stein Alicia , Jablonski Paula , Shankland Stuart J. , Davis Connie L.
Published: December 2008

Background: Progressive proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis characterize chronic allograft nephropathy. However, the causes are not fully elucidated. Podocytes function to prevent proteinuria; injury to this glomerular cell leads to glomerulosclerosis. The potential role of podocytes in the failing transplanted kidney is unknown. A rat model of kidney transplantation, characterized by proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis, was utilized to examine the potential role of podocytes. Methods: Archival tissue was examined from allografts (Dark Agouti kidneys transplanted into operationally tolerant Albino Surgery rats), isografts (Dark Agouti) and controls (Dark Agouti: age-matched or after unilateral nephrectomy). The number of podocytes (by WT-1 staining) as well as the podocyte proteins podocin, nephrin and synaptopodin (by immunostaining) were measured at days 0, 2, 6 and at 6 months after transplantation. Changes in these parameters were compared between groups and correlated with urinary protein excretion. Results: At 6 months, podocyte number was reduced in allografted kidneys, accompanied by a decrease in nephrin and synaptopodin, but not podocin staining. Remnant kidneys in the uninephrectomized rats also showed a decreased podocyte number but no change in podocyte protein staining. Podocyte loss in allografts was established on day 6, whereas a decrease in nephrin and synaptopodin was not evident until 6 months. In contrast, podocyte number and protein staining was decreased but not significantly so in remnant and isografted kidneys. Conclusion: A decrease in the slit diaphragm proteins, nephrin and synaptopodin, is a component of chronic allograft pathology.
The First Golden Minutes of the Extremely-Low-Gestational-Age Neonate: A Gentle Approach
Authors: Vento Máximo , Cheung Po-Yin , Aguar Marta
Published: December 2008

An increasing body of evidence has revealed that interventions performed during resuscitation of extremely-low-gestational-age neonates (ELGANs) may have a direct influence on the immediate survival and also on long-term morbidity. It has been proposed that interventions in the delivery room and/or hypothermia could trigger changes constitutive of chronic lung disease. New approaches in the first minutes of life using more gentle parameters of intervention are being studied. Thus, titrating inspiratory fraction of oxygen, the use of non-invasive ventilation to reduce trauma to the lung, the use of polyethylene/polyurethane wrapping to avoid hypothermia and delaying cord clamping altogether constitute promising initiatives. The first minutes of life are a valuable window for intervention. However, whilst these practice changes make sense and there are emerging data to support them, further evidence including long-term follow up is needed to definitively change resuscitation procedures in ELGANs.
Pharmacokinetic Study of the Variability of Indinavir Drug Levels when Boosted with Ritonavir in HIV-Infected Children
Authors: Curras Verónica , Höcht Christian , Mangano Andrea , Niselman Viviana , Mariño Hernández Eduardo , Cáceres Guido Paulo , Mecikovsky Débora , Bellusci Carolina , Bologna Rosa , Sen Luisa , Rubio Modesto C. , Bramuglia Guillermo F.
Published: December 2008

The aim of this work is to: (1) assess therapeutic drug monitoring of indinavir (IDV) during clinical routine practice in HIV-infected children, whose antiretroviral treatment includes IDV boosted with ritonavir (RTV), and (2) describe a possible relationship between IDV pharmacokinetics and MDR1 genotypes. In 21 ambulatory pediatric patients receiving IDV plus RTV, IDV plasma levels and MDR1 genotypes on exon 26 (C3435T) were determined. Nine of the 21 patients initially receiving 250 mg/m2 IDV yielded trough levels below 0.10 μg/ml (median: 0.21, range: 0.04–1.31 μg/ml). When the dosage was increased to 400 mg/m2 IDV plus 100 mg/m2 RTV b.i.d., all, except 1 patient, achieved levels above 0.10 μg/ml. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed higher volume of distribution median values related to the C/C genotype in comparison with C/T or T/T genotypes for exon 26 (4.57 vs. 1.20 and 1.50 l/kg, respectively; p = 0.002). Although a higher median value of clearance was observed with the C/C genotype, the difference was not statistically significant (1.43 vs. 0.27 and 0.42 l/h, respectively; p = 0.052). These results may be explained by a reduced absorption of the drug, related with lower plasma IDV levels in patients carrying the C/C genotype in exon 26.
Fasudil Hydrochloride Hydrate, a Rho-Kinase Inhibitor, Suppresses 5-Hydroxytryptamine-Induced Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation via JNK and ERK1/2 Pathway
Authors: Chen Xue-Yan , Dun Jie-Ning , Miao Qing-Feng , Zhang Yong-Jian
Published: December 2008

Excessive proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) plays a critical role in the development of pulmonary artery hypertension, and inhibition of PASMC proliferation has been shown to be beneficial to patients with this disease. Recent studies indicate that Rho/ROCK is critically involved in the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. However, the signal transduction of Rho/ROCK and its downstream signaling are not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the antiproliferation effect of fasudil hydrochloride hydrate, a Rho-kinase inhibitor, on rat PASMC proliferation, and the possible relation of Rho/ROCK to ERK, JNK pathways. The results indicate that fasudil effectively inhibited 5-HT-induced PASMC proliferation, as evaluated by MTT assay and protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Flow cytometry analysis showed that fasudil markedly blocked 5-HT-induced cell-cycle progression by arresting the cells in the G₀/G1 phase. Consistently, 5-HT-induced ROCK-1 mRNA expression and MYPT-1 phosphorylation were markedly suppressed by fasudil. In addition, fasudil significantly decreased 5-HT-induced JNK activation, ERK translocation to the nucleus and subsequent c-fos and c-jun expression. Taken together, these results indicate that Rho/ROCK is essential for PASMC proliferation produced by 5-HT. Fasudil effectively suppressed 5-HT-induced PASMC proliferation and cell-cycle progression, which was associated with inhibition of JNK activation, ERK translocation to nucleus and subsequent c-fos and c-jun expression.
Early Treated Hypotension and Outcome in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Kuint Jacob , Barak Moran , Morag Iris , Maayan-Metzger Ayala
Published: December 2008

Background: Early hypotension is a common problem among preterm infants. Studies have shown conflicting data regarding the definition of hypotension, the way to treat it and the correlation to outcome. Objectives: To investigate the risk factors for developing hypotension and its relations to short- and long-term outcomes. Methods: Medical charts of all surviving very low birth weight infants were retrospectively reviewed during a 4-year period. The data of infants suffering from early hypotension and needed treatment were compared with those of a control group with ‘normal’ blood pressure. In addition, medical charts were reviewed for neurodevelopment outcome. Results: The study and control groups comprised 109 infants each. The mean blood pressures were 24.1 ± 3.2 and 30.3 ± 4.3 mm Hg in the study and control groups (p < 0.0001). No significant perinatal variables were found to predict hypotension. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and retinopathy of prematurity were related to treated hypotension. Logistic regression analysis found that neonatal treated hypotension was related to periventricular leukomalacia, with an odds ratio of 2.61 (95% CI 1.0–7.12), p = 0.049. Intraventricular hemorrhages grades 2–4 were found to be related to lower mean blood pressure, with an odds ratio of 1.3 (95% CI 1.12–1.51), p < 0.01. Major long-term neurological disability was found by regression analysis to be related to periventricular leukomalacia and treated hypotension, with odds ratios of 63.1 (95% CI 13.3–299, p < 0.001) and 5.4 (95% CI 1.29–22.7, p = 0.01). Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that early provision of antihypotensive therapy is related to intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia and major neurodevelopment impairment.
Taste Changes in Patients Who Underwent Cochlear Implantation by the Nonmastoidectomy Approach
Authors: Migirov Lela , Drendel Michael , Kronenberg Jona
Published: December 2008

Objectives: To describe taste changes following a nonmastoidectomy approach to cochlear implantation (CI). Study Design: Retrospective. Method: Ninety-fouradult patients (63 females) who underwent CI using the suprameatal approach (SMA) were studied. They responded to a questionnaire on post-CI taste changes, duration of these changes and their influence on eating habits, weight and quality of life. Results: Fourteen patients (14.9%, all females) reported taste dysfunction (13 ranked as being mild). In 1 patient, the symptoms lasted >24 months, and dysgeusia was counted as permanent in this case. One patient changed her eating habits: she now prefers vegetarian food. The patients with early (<1 month) recovery of taste function were younger than those with delayed recovery. Conclusions: The SMA is a favorable technique for the preservation of taste sensation in CI patients. Manipulation on the chorda tympani nerve during the SMA did not much disturb the patients’ eating habits and their quality of life.
Corruption of Innate Immunity by Bacterial Proteases
Authors: Potempa Jan , Pike Robert N.
Published: December 2008

The innate immune system of the human body has developed numerous mechanisms to control endogenous and exogenous bacteria and thus prevent infections by these microorganisms. These mechanisms range from physical barriers such as the skin or mucosal epithelium to a sophisticated array of molecules and cells that function to suppress or prevent bacterial infection. Many bacteria express a variety of proteases, ranging from nonspecific and powerful enzymes that degrade many proteins involved in innate immunity to proteases that are extremely precise and specific in their mode of action. Here we have assembled a comprehensive picture of how bacterial proteases affect the host’s innate immune system to gain advantage and cause infection. This picture is far from being complete since the numbers of mechanisms utilized are as astonishing as they are diverse, ranging from degradation of molecules vital to innate immune mechanisms to subversion of the mechanisms to allow the bacterium to hide from the system or take advantage of it. It is vital that such mechanisms are elucidated to allow strategies to be developed to aid the innate immune system in controlling bacterial infections.
Chronic Plaque Psoriasis Is Associated with Increased Arterial Stiffness
Authors: Gisondi Paolo , Fantin Francesco , Del Giglio Micol , Valbusa Filippo , Marino Francesca , Zamboni Mauro , Girolomoni Giampiero
Published: December 2008

Background: Patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. Arterial stiffness is a measure of endothelial dysfunction and an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Objectives: To investigate whether chronic plaque psoriasis is associated with an increased arterial stiffness. Methods: A cross-sectional study on 39 adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis and 38 control patients with skin diseases other than psoriasis was conducted. Arterial stiffness was assessed by carotid-femoral and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWVcf, PWVcr). Results: PWVcf was significantly higher in patients with psoriasis than in controls (means ± SD; 8.88 ± 1.96 vs. 7.57 ± 1.34 m/s; p = 0.001). Difference was still significant after adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, hypertension and body mass index (8.78 ± 1.98 vs. 7.78 ± 2.0 m/s; p = 0.03). There was a positive correlation between PWVcf and years of psoriasis duration (r = 0.58; p = 0.0001), but not with disease severity. Conclusion: Moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis may be independently associated with increased arterial stiffness. Psoriasis duration could be a risk factor for arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis.
You gonna be here long? Religion and Sustainability
Authors: Gottlieb Roger
Published: December 2008

Responding to the environmental crisis requires a fundamental transformation of world religions. In the concept of sustainability we find a change not only in religion's understanding of the value of the natural world and the need to alter its own ecological practices, but a possible awakening to the finite nature of human—including religious—existence.
Globalization, Linguistic Diversity, and Information Dissemination in Malawi
Authors: Kamwendo Gregory
Published: December 2008

In a linguistically heterogeneous country, one of the critical challenges is to make information accessible to all people. Various communication media can be used: television, radio, telephone, the Internet and others. Malawi needs to embrace Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to achieve development in all spheres of human life. Malawi's use of ICTs ranks low. The critical challenge, therefore, is to promote an increased use of ICTs with the aim of improving people's access to information. Given that only a minority of Malawians have access to ICTs, that television has not significantly penetrated into rural areas where 80 % of the population lives, and that there is also a high illiteracy rate, the radio becomes the most accessible form of technology for information dissemination in Malawi.
The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) and Tertiary Education in Africa: Opportunities and Predicaments of Centralized Knowledge Broadcasting Programs on the World Scale
Authors: Assié-Lumumba N'Dri
Published: December 2008

In the context of the increasing use of ICTs as a medium for higher education delivery across national borders, the World Bank established the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN). GDLN's official mission was to facilitate rapid and simultaneous dissemination of knowledge to audiences in various socio-geographic spaces and the expansion of the opportunity for tertiary education in developing countries. Using the case of Centre d'Education à Distance de Côte d'Ivoire, one of the GDLN national institutional affiliates in Africa, this study illustrates the agendas of liberalization and globalization through ICTs in spite of the potential for local educational gains.
Production vs. Realisation in Marx's Theory of Value: A Reply to Kincaid
Authors: Saad-Filho Alfredo , Fine Ben
Published: December 2008

In a review of our work, Kincaid suggests that we are 'productivist', reducing interpretation of Marx and capitalism to production at the expense of the relatively independent role that can be played by the value-form in general and by the money-form in particular. In response, we argue that he distorts interpretation of our work through this prism of production versus exchange, unduly emphasises the independence of exchange to the point of underconsumptionism, and simplistically collapses the mediation between production and exchange in the restructuring that accompanies the accumulation of capital.
Mapping Moroccan Literature: The Spatial Practices of Modernity in 'Abdelmajīd Ben Jallūn's Fī al-Tufūla
Authors: Campbell Ian
Published: December 2008

This article addresses 'Abdelmajīd Ben Jallūn's 1956 autobiographical novel Fī al-Tufūla from the perspective of the spatial theories of the French cultural geographer Henri Lefebvre. Ben Jallūn spent his early childhood in England and brought the sociospatial practices of 20th-century Britain—what Lefebvre would term "abstract space"—to Morocco with him, where he encounters a profoundly different set of sociospatial practices. The paper describes these Moroccan practices and defines them as "labyrinthine space" by examining the differences Ben Jallūn's childhood alter ego encounters when trying to make his way through the city and receive an education. As he grows into adolescence, Ben Jallūn adapts to the labyrinthine spaces of traditional Islamic culture in Morocco and creates a hybrid space of his own; this enables him to have a bird's-eye view of the nascent Moroccan literary scene. He uses this space and the perspective it provides him to create a map of Moroccan literature and in effect creates the idea of "Moroccan literature" as opposed to literatures by authors from various Moroccan cities. Yet this act is itself a political act, an accrual of power to Ben Jallūn.
The Portrayal of Paul's Outer Appearance in the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Re-Considering the Correspondence between Body and Personality in Ancient Literature
Authors: Omerzu Heike
Published: December 2008

This essay claims that Paul's description in Acts Paul Thecl. 3, if read against the background of Graeco-Roman physiognomics, i.e., the belief in the coherence between outer appearance and inner qualities of a person, is not derogative as assumed in older research but agreeable. The positive interpretation of Paul's outer appearance is corroborated by an analysis of the reactions he evokes in followers (Onesiphorus, Thecla) as well as opponents (Theoclia, Thamyris). It is demonstrated that Paul's physiognomy corresponds to his apostolic identity.
Making Tradition of an Ass. Zênôn the Alexandrian, a White Donkey, and Conversion to Hellenism
Authors: Wellman Tennyson Jacob
Published: December 2008

Modern discussions of religious change in the ancient Mediterranean have frequently focused on the steady increase in Christian authority and numbers, and the related decrease in the number of 'pagans.' This is frequently paired with a supercessionist logic that suggests Christianity is a new thing in contrast to the older, static, Jewish and pagan cultures. Looking at an invented conversion ritual (one moving from Judaism to Hellenism), we can begin to question the standard ideas of tradition and innovation in Late Antique religious cultures, and to see the ways that some Jews and Hellenes used Christian discourses to assert their own independence and agency.
Sacrificial Iconography: Creating History, Making Myth, and Negotiating Ideology on the Ara Pacis Augustae
Authors: Armstrong Gail
Published: December 2008

Augustus, first emperor of Rome, invented a new genealogy, myth of origins, and history for himself and for Rome as he negotiated for authority with the Roman senate. As part of these negotiations the senate dedicated the Ara Pacis Augustae on the Campus Martius in 9 B.C.E. The function, location, and iconography of the monument participated in Augustus's attempts to link his present with the prehistory of Rome. In order for power and authority to be negotiated and legitimized, and for a history and myth to be invented, audience participation is required. This essay argues that the Ara Pacis Augustae was a symbol of the senate's participation and acceptance of Augustus's status, as well as a statement of its own power vis-à-vis that of the emperor.
Beyond Anthropocentricity – Botho/Ubuntu and the Quest for Economic and Ecological Justice in Africa
Authors: LenkaBula Puleng
Published: December 2008

This essay suggests that the anthropocentric interpretations of the concept of botho/ubuntu in African intellectual scholarship, whether religious, theological and social sciences, limit the potential of botho/ ubuntu in the quest for the fullness of life, and the affirmation of the integrity of creation, wholeness and wellbeing. The essay suggests therefore that when the expanded and creative interpretation of botho which acknowledges its socio-economic, political, and ecological scope or horizon is utilised, it has the potential to become a resource, principle and norm for overcoming ecological degradation and economic injustices in the world today. The essay thus posits botho/ubuntu as a vibrant, vital and ecologically and economically viable principle and norm for the wellbeing of humanity and of the integrity of creation.
A Low-Order Model Investigation of the Analysis of Gravity Waves in the Ensemble Kalman Filter
Authors: Neef Lisa J. , Polavarapu Saroja M. , Shepherd Theodore G.
Published: December 2008

The behavior of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is examined in the context of a model that exhibits a nonlinear chaotic (slow) vortical mode coupled to a linear (fast) gravity wave of a given amplitude and frequency. It is shown that accurate recovery of both modes is enhanced when covariances between fast and slow normal-mode variables (which reflect the slaving relations inherent in balanced dynamics) are modeled correctly. More ensemble members are needed to recover the fast, linear gravity wave than the slow, vortical motion. Although the EnKF tends to diverge in the analysis of the gravity wave, the filter divergence is stable and does not lead to a great loss of accuracy. Consequently, provided the ensemble is large enough and observations are made that reflect both time scales, the EnKF is able to recover both time scales more accurately than optimal interpolation (OI), which uses a static error covariance matrix. For OI it is also found to be problematic to observe the state at a frequency that is a subharmonic of the gravity wave frequency, a problem that is in part overcome by the EnKF. However, error in the modeled gravity wave parameters can be detrimental to the performance of the EnKF and remove its implied advantages, suggesting that a modified algorithm or a method for accounting for model error is needed.
Ocean–Atmosphere Coupling on Different Spatiotemporal Scales: A Mechanism for Intraseasonal Instabilities
Authors: Zhou Lei , Murtugudde Raghu
Published: December 2008

The possibility of interactions between oceanic and atmospheric oscillations with different temporal and spatial scales is examined with analytical solutions to idealized linear governing equations. With a reasonable choice for relevant parameters, the mesoscale oceanic features and the large-scale atmospheric oscillations can interact with each other and lead to unstable waves in the intraseasonal band in the specific coupled model presented in this study. This mechanism is different from the resonance mechanism, which requires similar temporal or spatial scales in the two media. Instead, this mechanism indicates that even in the cases in which the temporal and spatial scales are different but the dispersion relations (i.e., functions of frequency and wavenumber) of the oceanic and atmospheric oscillations are proximal, instabilities can still be generated due to the ocean–atmosphere coupling.
Distinguishing Aerosol Impacts on Climate over the Past Century
Authors: Koch Dorothy , Menon Surabi , Del Genio Anthony , Ruedy Reto , Alienov Igor , Schmidt Gavin A.
Published: December 2008

Aerosol direct (DE), indirect (IE), and black carbon–snow albedo (BAE) effects on climate between 1890 and 1995 are compared using equilibrium aerosol–climate simulations in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model coupled to a mixed layer ocean. Pairs of control (1890)–perturbation (1995) with successive aerosol effects allow isolation of each effect. The experiments are conducted both with and without concurrent changes in greenhouse gases (GHG). A new scheme allowing dependence of snow albedo on black carbon snow concentration is introduced. The fixed GHG experiments global surface air temperature (SAT) changed by −0.2°, −1.0°, and +0.2°C from the DE, IE, and BAE. Ice and snow cover increased 1% from the IE and decreased 0.3% from the BAE. These changes were a factor of 4 larger in the Arctic. Global cloud cover increased by 0.5% from the IE. Net aerosol cooling effects are about half as large as the GHG warming, and their combined climate effects are smaller than the sum of their individual effects. Increasing GHG did not affect the IE impact on cloud cover, however they decreased aerosol effects on SAT by 20%, and on snow/ice cover by 50%; they also obscure the BAE on snow/ice cover. Arctic snow, ice, cloud, and shortwave forcing changes occur mostly during summer–fall, but SAT, sea level pressure, and longwave forcing changes occur during winter. An explanation is that aerosols impact the cryosphere during the warm season but the associated SAT effect is delayed until winter.
A Surface Energy Perspective on Climate Change
Authors: Andrews Timothy , Forster Piers M. , Gregory Jonathan M.
Published: December 2008

A surface forcing response framework is developed that enables an understanding of time-dependent climate change from a surface energy perspective. The framework allows the separation of fast responses that are unassociated with global-mean surface air temperature change (ΔT), which is included in the forcing, and slow feedbacks that scale with ΔT. The framework is illustrated primarily using 2 × CO2 climate model experiments and is robust across the models. For CO2 increases, the positive downward radiative component of forcing is smaller at the surface than at the tropopause, and so a rapid reduction in the upward surface latent heat (LH) flux is induced to conserve the tropospheric heat budget; this reduces the precipitation rate. Analysis of the time-dependent surface energy balance over sea and land separately reveals that land areas rapidly regain energy balance, and significant land surface warming occurs before global sea temperatures respond. The 2 × CO2 results are compared to a solar increase experiment and show that some fast responses are forcing dependent. In particular, a significant forcing from the fast hydrological response found in the CO2 experiments is much smaller in the solar experiment. The different fast response explains why previous equilibrium studies found differences in the hydrological sensitivity between these two forcings. On longer time scales, as ΔT increases, the net surface longwave and LH fluxes provide positive and negative surface feedbacks, respectively, while the net surface shortwave and sensible heat fluxes change little. It is found that in contrast to their fast responses, the longer-term response of both surface energy fluxes and the global hydrological cycle are similar for the different forcing agents.
Outflow of Arctic Ocean Sea Ice into the Greenland and Barents Seas: 1979–2007
Authors: Kwok R.
Published: December 2008

Twenty-nine years of Arctic sea ice outflow into the Greenland and Barents Seas are summarized. Outflow is computed at three passages: Fram Strait, between Svalbard and Franz Josef Land (S–FJL), and between Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya (FJL–SZ). Ice drift at the flux gates has been reprocessed using a consistent and updated time series of passive microwave brightness temperature and ice concentration (IC) fields. Over the record, the mean annual area outflow at the Fram Strait is 706(113) × 103 km2; it was highest in 1994/95 (1002 × 103 km2) when the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index was near its 29-yr peak. The strength of the “Transpolar Drift Stream” (TDS) was high during the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. There is no statistically significant trend in the Fram Strait area flux. Even though there is a positive trend in the gradient of cross-strait sea level pressure, the outflow has not increased because of a negative trend in IC. Seasonally, the area outflow during recent summers (in 2005 and 2007) has been higher (> 2σ from the mean) than average, contributing to the decline of summer ice coverage. Without updated ice thickness estimates, the best estimate of mean annual volume flux (between 1991 and 1999) stands at ∼2200 km3 yr−1 (∼0.07 Sv: Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1). Net annual outflow at the S–FJL passage is 37(39) × 103 km2; the large outflow of multiyear ice in 2002–03, marked by an area and volume outflow of 141 × 103 km2 and ∼300 km3, was unusual over the record. At the FJL–SZ passage, there is a mean annual inflow of 103(93) × 103 km2 of seasonal ice into the Arctic. While the recent pattern of winter Arctic circulation and sea level pressure (SLP) has nearly reverted to its conditions typical of the 1980s, the summer has not. Compared to the 1980s, the recent summer SLP distributions show much lower SLPs (2–3 hPa) over much of the Arctic. Overall, there is a strengthening of the summer TDS. Examination of the exchanges between the Pacific and Atlantic sectors shows a long-term trend that favors the summer advection of sea ice toward the Atlantic associated with a shift in the mean summer circulation patterns.
Projected Changes to the Southern Hemisphere Ocean and Sea Ice in the IPCC AR4 Climate Models
Authors: Sen Gupta Alexander , Santoso Agus , Taschetto Andréa S. , Ummenhofer Caroline C. , Trevena Jessica , England Matthew H.
Published: December 2008

Fidelity and projected changes in the climate models, used for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), are assessed with regard to the Southern Hemisphere extratropical ocean and sea ice systems. While individual models span different physical parameterizations and resolutions, a major component of intermodel variability results from surface wind differences. Projected changes to the surface wind field are also central in modifying future extratropical circulation and internal properties. A robust southward shift of the circumpolar current and subtropical gyres is projected, with a strong spinup of the Atlantic gyre. An associated increase in the core strength of the circumpolar circulation is evident; however, this does not translate into robust increases in Drake Passage transport. While an overarching oceanic warming is projected, the circulation-driven poleward shift of the temperature field explains much of the midlatitude warming pattern. The effect of this shift is less clear for salinity, where, instead, surface freshwater forcing dominates. Surface warming and high-latitude freshwater increases drive intensified stratification, and a shoaling and southward shift of the deep mixed layers. Despite large intermodel differences, there is also a robust weakening in bottom water formation and its northward outflow. At the same time the wind intensification invigorates the upwelling of deep water, transporting warm, salty water southward and upward, with major implications for sequestration and outgassing of CO2. A robust decrease is projected for both the sea ice concentration and the seasonal cycling of ice volume, potentially altering the salt and heat budget at high latitudes.
Evaluation of CMORPH Precipitation Products at Fine Space–Time Scales
Authors: Zeweldi Dawit A. , Gebremichael Mekonnen
Published: December 2008

In this study, a comparison of the spatial patterns of high-resolution precipitation products obtained from the Climate Prediction Center’s morphing technique (CMORPH), which is a satellite-only product, and gauge-adjusted Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) rainfall observations is performed using a variety of statistical techniques for the Little Washita watershed region in Oklahoma for a 3-yr period. Results show that 1) the performance statistics of CMORPH show tremendous variability from one hour to the next, suggesting that the performance statistics are dynamic in time, and therefore each satellite rainfall product should be accompanied by an error product to make it more meaningful; 2) CMORPH is positively biased in summer and negatively biased in winter, consistent with the findings of previous studies; 3) CMORPH spatial fields tend to be smoother than NEXRAD output; 4) the errors are temporally correlated, in particular within the range from 1 to 6 accumulation hours, implying that averaging CMORPH products over these time scales does not reduce the errors significantly; and 5) the errors become less correlated in time as the averaging time scale increases to the range from 6 to 24 h.
An Assessment of National Weather Service Warning Procedures for Ice Storms
Authors: Call David A.
Published: December 2008

Ice storms cause substantial damage to the United States every winter season, and the costs have increased in recent years. Accurate prediction and timely dissemination of warnings are effective ways to reduce the effects, because institutions and individuals can take actions to reduce the impacts. The National Weather Service (NWS) is the U.S. government agency charged with issuing warnings of impending ice storms. A survey of NWS warning coordination meteorologists was conducted to assess their awareness of the ice storm hazard, procedures followed to warn for ice storms, and level of contact with members of the community. Several warnings issued in advance of a recent ice storm were also examined. The findings of this research are twofold. First, most meteorologists with the NWS perceive the ice storm hazard with a level of seriousness consistent with climatology. Most follow established procedure and actively engage in warning specific groups before a storm. The second finding was that individual offices maintain a high level of autonomy. While this offers valuable flexibility and the opportunity to try new approaches, there is significant variation in the length and tone of ice storm warnings themselves. Additionally, several offices do not contact outsiders or offer general educational products, which may underserve constituents in their forecast areas. To solve these problems, it is suggested that NWS management encourage and support proactive communication policies. The NWS should also analyze the audience of their warning products and consider guidelines regarding intended audience, tone, and length.
Governance Deficits in Residential Housing Estates in Ireland
Authors: Mahon Marie , Cinnéide Micheál Ó
Published: December 2008

The interpretation and operation of planning guidelines relating to private housing estates in Ireland, and the structures for involving residents in their management thereafter, are examined. Institutional and legislative weaknesses underlying the current approaches to estate management have created a range of governance deficits, with potentially longer-term adverse impacts for the development of a sense of local community and for the promotion of participatory democracy and civil society. Drawing on evidence from several recently constructed private housing estates, this paper explores these issues in terms of the institutional context in which planning policies are being administered and the relative position of the relevant stakeholders within this process. An open, participatory approach, that recognises residents as legitimate stakeholders in the process of managing their own estates, is strongly advocated.
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Tolerability, and Safety of Exenatide in Japanese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Kothare Prajakti A. , Linnebjerg Helle , Isaka Yoshitaka , Uenaka Kazunori , Yamamura Ayuko , Yeo Kwee Poo , de la Peña Amparo , Teng Choo Hua , Mace Kenneth , Fineman Mark , Shigeta Hirofumi , Sakata Yukikuni , Irie Shin
Published: December 2008

In this single‐blind, parallel, placebo‐controlled study, the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, tolerability, and safety of subcutaneous exenatide were evaluated in 40 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients were allocated to 4 groups and randomized to receive exenatide (n = 8/group) or placebo (n = 2/group), with all receiving placebo on day 1. On day 2, patients received single‐dose exenatide (2.5 μg [group A] or 5 μg [groups B, C, and D]) or placebo and then bid on days 3 to 5. On days 6 to 10, groups A and B continued on 2.5 and 5 μg bid; groups C and D received 10 and 15 μg bid, respectively. The last dose was given on the morning of day 10. All adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. Exenatide was generally well tolerated up to 10 μg. Exenatide was well absorbed with a median tmax of 1.5 hours and mean t1/2 of 1.6 hours; exposure increased with dose. Up to 10 μg, exenatide reduced postprandial glucose concentrations in a dose‐dependent fashion compared with placebo; decreases were similar for 10 and 15 μg. An Emax model demonstrated that doses higher than 2.5 μg were necessary for adequate glycemic response. Based on tolerability and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships, 5 and 10 μg exenatide may be considered for further clinical development in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.
Why Did Universities Start Patenting?
Authors: Popp Berman Elizabeth
Published: December 2008

This paper draws on institutional theory to explain the rise of university patenting in the USA. While observers have traditionally attributed this development to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, recent research has shown that university patenting was increasing throughout the 1970s and argued that the Act's impact was less than has generally been assumed. This paper attempts to reconcile these opposing positions by explaining the rise of university patenting as a process of institution-building. Beginning in the 1960s, a skilled actor within the federal bureaucracy created a proto-institution that simplified university patenting and encouraged the development of a community of university patent administrators. In the 1970s, that community in turn allied itself with government proponents of patent policy liberalization and representatives of small business in a successful effort to pass the Bayh-Dole Act. The Act itself should be seen not as creating modern technology transfer, but rather as a final step in a state-driven process of institutionalization that was already well under way by 1980. The case is used to discuss how an institutional approach, which is infrequently seen in STS, can sometimes be useful to it.
The Role of Protestant Children's Homes in Nineteenth-Century Ontario: Child Rescue or Family Support?
Authors: Neff Charlotte
Published: December 2008

The Children's Protection Act of 1893 introduced Ontario's first full-fledged child protection scheme. However, for half a century, children's homes had been helping disadvantaged children, and they played a key role in the evolution of an empathetic child-protection system. During the course of the nineteenth century, the provincial government had increasingly accepted responsibility for disadvantaged children and had developed legislative definitions of a child in need of protection and of neglect that were incorporated into the 1893 Act. The work of the children's homes went hand in hand with these developments, as they not only helped needy children but also helped develop these concepts of neglect and provided models for the home placements promoted by J. J. Kelso and mandated by the Act.
Inheritance and Intergenerational Wealth Transmission in Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Kastamonu: an Empirical Investigation
Authors: Ergene Boğaç A. , Berker Ali
Published: December 2008

This article investigates the relationship between inheritance and wealth in the context of eighteenth-century Ottoman Kastamonu. Based on the estate inventories of the deceased (sing. tereke ) as recorded in Kastamonu court records (sicils ), the article introduces a variety of quantitative techniques to measure the impact of Islamic inheritance practices on wealth accumulation across subsequent generations and to understand how it influenced wealth mobility among various socioeconomic groups. The estimations provided in this article suggest that while the inheritance practice in Kastamonu caused wealth fragmentation, the process also contributed to the durability of economic divisions within the provincial Ottoman society.
Arthroscopic Second-Generation Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Compared with Microfracture for Chondral Lesions of the Knee
Authors: Kon Elizaveta , Gobbi Alberto , Filardo Giuseppe , Delcogliano Marco , Zaffagnini Stefano , Marcacci Maurilio
Published: December 2008

Background

Various approaches have been proposed to treat articular cartilage lesions, which are plagued by inherent limited healing potential.

Purpose

To compare the clinical outcome of patients treated with second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation implants with those treated with the microfracture repair technique at 5-year follow-up.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

Eighty active patients (mean age, 29.8 years) and grade III to IV cartilage lesions of the femoral condyles or trochlea were treated with arthroscopic second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation Hyalograft C or microfracture (40 patients per group). Patients achieved a minimum 5-year follow-up and were prospectively evaluated.

Results

Both groups showed statistically significant improvement of all clinical scores from preoperative interval to 5-year follow-up. There was a significant improvement for the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score from preoperative to 5-year follow-up (Wilcoxon test, P < .001). In the microfracture group, the International Knee Documentation Committee objective score increased from 2.5% normal and nearly normal knees before the operation to 75% normal and nearly normal knees at 5-year follow-up, and the subjective score increased from 41.1 ± 12.3 preoperatively to 70.2 ± 14.7 at 5-year follow-up. In the group treated with Hyalograft C, the International Knee Documentation Committee objective score increased from 15% normal and nearly normal knees before the operation to 90% normal and nearly normal knees at 5-year follow-up, and its subjective score increased from 40.5 ± 15.2 preoperatively to 80.2 ± 19.1 at 5-year follow-up (Wilcoxon test, P < .001). When comparing the groups, better improvement of the International Knee Documentation Committee objective (P < .001) and subjective (P = .003) scores was observed in the Hyalograft C group at 5-year follow-up. The return to sports at 2 years was similar in both groups and remained stable after 5 years in the Hyalograft C group; it worsened in the microfracture group.

Conclusion

Both methods have shown satisfactory clinical outcome at medium-term follow-up. Better clinical results and sport activity resumption were noted in the group treated with second-generation autologous chondrocyte transplantation.
Plantar Loading Comparisons between Women with a History of Second Metatarsal Stress Fractures and Normal Controls
Authors: Queen Robin M. , Abbey Alicia N. , Chuckpaiwong Bavornrit , Nunley James A.
Published: December 2008

Background

Stress fractures are common in athletics and are more prevalent in women. The current literature has not identified a reason for this gender difference.

Hypothesis

Women with a history of a second/third metatarsal stress fracture will demonstrate differences in loading in the middle forefoot.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Fifteen men, 15 control women, and 9 women with a history of a second/third metatarsal stress fracture were asked to run at 3.3 m/s ± 5% along a 10-m runway. Plantar loading parameters were recorded using a Pedar-X system.

Results

The women with fractures demonstrated a decrease in contact area and maximum force beneath the middle forefoot when compared with the female controls. Men demonstrated a decreased contact area in the medial and middle forefoot when compared with the control women. In addition, the women with fractures had decreased maximum force in the middle forefoot when compared with the control women.

Conclusions

The decrease in maximum force in the middle forefoot in patients with a previous stress fracture could have resulted from gait alterations after the fracture. Therefore, prospective studies need to be completed to better understand the loading differences that could be used to predict stress-fracture injury risk.

Clinical Relevance

It is unclear whether plantar loading can be used as a predictor of stress-fracture injury risk as these patients were tested after a stress fracture.
Extrapyramidal Syndrome Presenting as Dysphagia: A Case Report
Authors: Gonzalez Faustino
Published: December 2008

Extrapyramidal symptoms are well-documented complications of therapy with haloperidol, even when small doses are used. Dysphagia, though uncommon, can be quite debilitating and can mimic a paraneoplastic syndrome. It is important to always review the medications the patient is taking and consider them as etiological culprits in any new symptom complex. This report highlights a case of drug-induced dysphagia in a patient receiving haloperidol for obsessive nocturnal thoughts and auditory disturbances.
Modelling measurement errors and category misclassifications in multilevel models
Authors: Goldstein Harvey , Kounali Daphne , Robinson Anthony
Published: December 2008

Models are developed to adjust for measurement errors in normally distributed predictor and response variables and categorical predictors with misclassification errors. The models allow for a hierarchical data structure and for correlations among the errors and misclassifications. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation is used and implemented in a set of MATLAB macros.
GLM-methods for volatility models
Authors: Castillo Joan del , Lee Youngjo
Published: December 2008

We propose a multivariate volatility model for the behaviour of eight international equity indices. We show that many volatility models with heavy tails in financial work can be viewed as the GLM class of models with random effects in the dispersion. Hence, the h-likelihood approach, which provides efficient and simpler algorithms for GLM class, can be used as an estimation method for models used in finance. A comparison of the h-likelihood estimators with the ML estimators is made and its relative merits are discussed.
Bayesian inference in STAR models using neighbourhood effects
Authors: Beamonte Asuncion , Gargallo Pilar , Salvador Manuel
Published: December 2008

In this paper we propose a semi-parametric Bayesian analysis of a spatio-temporal autoregressive model (STAR) with neighbourhood effects similar to those of Pace et al. (1998, 2000). This approach allows us to make inferences about the parameters of the model and, more particularly, about the number of neighbours, without having to appeal to asymptotic results. In addition, the procedure used to obtain the out-sample predictions takes into account the uncertainty associated to the estimation of the model parameters in a more realistic way. The methodology is illustrated by means of an application to the real estate market in the city of Zaragoza (Spain).