bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional Electrical Stimulation of Ankle Plantarflexor and Dorsiflexor Muscles
Authors: Kesar Trisha M. , Perumal Ramu , Reisman Darcy S. , Jancosko Angela , Rudolph Katherine S. , Higginson Jill S. , Binder-Macleod Stuart A.
Published: October 2009

Background and Purpose—

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a popular poststroke gait rehabilitation intervention. Although stroke causes multijoint gait deficits, FES is commonly used only for the correction of swing-phase foot drop. Ankle plantarflexor muscles play an important role during gait. The aim of the current study was to test the immediate effects of delivering FES to both ankle plantarflexors and dorsiflexors on poststroke gait.

Methods—

Gait analysis was performed as subjects (N=13) with chronic poststroke hemiparesis walked at their self-selected walking speeds during walking with and without FES.

Results—

Compared with delivering FES to only the ankle dorsiflexor muscles during the swing phase, delivering FES to both the paretic ankle plantarflexors during terminal stance and dorsiflexors during the swing phase provided the advantage of greater swing-phase knee flexion, greater ankle plantarflexion angle at toe-off, and greater forward propulsion. Although FES of both the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles improved swing-phase ankle dorsiflexion compared with noFES, the improvement was less than that observed by stimulating the dorsiflexors alone, suggesting the need to further optimize stimulation parameters and timing for the dorsiflexor muscles during gait.

Conclusions—

In contrast to the typical FES approach of stimulating ankle dorsiflexor muscles only during the swing phase, delivering FES to both the plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles can help to correct poststroke gait deficits at multiple joints (ankle and knee) during both the swing and stance phases of gait. Our study shows the feasibility and advantages of stimulating the ankle plantarflexors during FES for poststroke gait.
Glucose Regulation in Acute Stroke Patients (GRASP) Trial
Authors: Johnston Karen C. , Hall Christiana E. , Kissela Brett M. , Bleck Thomas P. , Conaway Mark R.
Published: October 2009

Background and Purpose—

Hyperglycemia is associated with worse outcome in patients with acute stroke.

Methods—

We conducted a prospective, randomized, multicenter, 3-arm trial (tight control [target 70 to 110 mg/dL], loose control [target 70 to 200 mg/dL], and control usual care [70 to 300 mg/dL]) to assess the feasibility and safety of 2 insulin infusion protocol targets in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The planned sample was 72 subjects.

Results—

A total of 74 subjects were enrolled. Seventy-two (97%) had data available for the primary analyses and 73 (99%) had 3-month clinical outcome data. Median age was 67 years, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 8, median glucose was 163 mg/dL, and median time to randomization was 10.7 hours. Fifty-nine percent of patients were diabetic, 35% received thrombolysis, and 14% of subjects died within 3 months. The loose control and usual care groups had median glucose concentrations of 151 mg/dL. The tight control group had a median glucose concentration of 111 mg/dL. The loose control group spent 90% of the first 24 hours in target and the tight group 44% of time in target. There was only one symptomatic patient with hypoglycemia in the loose control group (4%) and zero in the tight control group. The overall rates of hypoglycemia (<55 mg/dL) were 4% in control, 4% in loose, and 30% in tight. Exploratory efficacy analysis was conducted.

Conclusions—

Insulin infusion for patients with acute ischemic stroke is feasible and safe using the insulin infusion protocol in the Glucose Regulation in Acute Stroke Patients (GRASP) trial. Exploratory efficacy analysis supports further comparative study.
Blood Pressure and Stroke in Heart Failure in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study
Authors: Pullicino Patrick M. , McClure Leslie A. , Wadley Virginia G. , Ahmed Ali , Howard Virginia J. , Howard George , Safford Monika M.
Published: October 2009

Background and Purpose—

The prevalence of stroke is increased in individuals with heart failure (HF). The stroke mechanism in HF may be cardiogenic embolism or cerebral hypoperfusion. Stroke risk increases with decreasing ejection fraction and low cardiac output is associated with hypotension and poor survival. We examine the relationship among blood pressure level, history of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), and HF.

Methods—

We compared the prevalence of self-reported history of stroke or TIA in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) participants with HF (as defined by current digoxin use) and without HF. We excluded participants with atrial fibrillation or missing data. We examined the relationship between HF and history of stroke/TIA within tertiles of systolic blood pressure (SBP) adjusting for patient demographic and health characteristics.

Results—

Prevalent stroke/TIA were reported by 66 (26.3%) of 251 participants with and 1805 (8.5%) of 21 202 participants without HF (
P
<0.0001). Within each tertile of SBP, the unadjusted OR (95% CI) for prior stroke/TIA among those with HF compared with those without HF (the reference group) was, 4.0 (2.8 to 5.8) for SBP <119.5 mm Hg, 2.7 (1.8 to 3.9) for SBP ≥119.5 but <131.5 mm Hg, and 2.3 (1.6 to 3.2) for SBP ≥131.5 mm Hg. After adjustment, the relationship between prior stroke/TIA and HF remained significant only within the lowest tertile of SBP (<119.5 mm Hg; 3.0; 1.5 to 6.1).

Conclusions—

The odds of prevalent self-reported stroke/TIA are increased in participants with HF and most markedly increased in participants with low SBP. Longitudinal data are needed to determine whether this reflects stroke/TIA secondary to thromboembolism from poor cardiac function or secondary to cerebral hypoperfusion.
Analysis of Genetic Variability and Whole Genome Linkage of Whole-Brain, Subcortical, and Ependymal Hyperintense White Matter Volume
Authors: Kochunov Peter , Glahn David , Winkler Anderson , Duggirala Ravindranath , Olvera Rene L. , Cole Shelley , Dyer Thomas D. , Almasy Laura , Fox Peter T. , Blangero John
Published: October 2009

Background and Purpose—

The cerebral volume of T2-hyperintense white matter (HWM) is an important neuroimaging marker of cerebral integrity. Pathophysiology studies identified that subcortical and ependymal HWM are produced by 2 different mechanisms but shared a common risk factor: high arterial pulse pressure. Recent studies have demonstrated high heritability of the whole-brain HMW volume and reported significant and suggestive evidence of genetic linkage. We performed heritability and whole-genome linkage analysis to replicate previous reported findings and to study shared genetic variance, and possible overlap for specific loci, between subcortical and ependymal HWM volumes in a population of healthy Mexican Americans.

Methods—

The volumes of subcortical and ependymal HWM regions were measured from high-resolution (1 mm
3
), 3-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images acquired for 459 (283 females, 176 males) active participants in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. Subjects ranged in age from 19 to 85 years of age (47.9±13.5 years) and were part of 49 families (9.4±8.5 individuals per family).

Results—

The volumes of whole-brain, subcortical, and ependymal HWM were highly heritable (
h
2
=0.72, 0.66, and 0.73, respectively). The subcortical and ependymal HWM volumes shared 21% of genetic variability indicating significant pleiotropy. Genomewide linkage analysis showed only a suggestive bivariate linkage for subcortical and ependymal HWM volumes (log of odds=2.12) on chromosome 1 at 288 cM.

Conclusion—

We replicated previous findings of high heritability for the whole-brain HWM volume. We also showed that subcortical and ependymal volume shared a significant portion of genetic variability and the bivarate linkage analysis produced a suggestive linkage near the locus previously identified in a study of whole-brain HWM volume and arterial pulse pressure.
Baroreflex: A New Therapeutic Target in Human Stroke?
Authors: Sykora Marek , Diedler Jennifer , Turcani Peter , Hacke Werner , Steiner Thorsten
Published: October 2009

Background and Purpose—

Autonomic dysfunction, including increased sympathetic drive and blunted baroreflex, has repeatedly been observed in acute stroke. Of clinical importance is that the stroke-related autonomic imbalance seems to be linked to worse outcome after stroke. Here, we discuss the role of baroreflex impairment in acute stroke and its possible pathophysiological and therapeutic relevance.

Summary of Review—

Possible mechanisms linking baroreflex impairment with unfavorable outcome in stroke may include increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, promotion of secondary brain injury due to local inflammation, hyperglycemia, or altered cerebral perfusion.

Conclusions—

We suggest therefore that the modifying of autonomic functions may have important therapeutic implications in acute ischemic as well as in hemorrhagic stroke.
Joseph as a Model for Faunus-Hermes: Myth, History, and Fiction in the Fourth Century
Authors: Garstad Benjamin
Published: October 2009

Faunus-who-is-also-Hermes is one of the composite god-kings dealt with in the polemical Christian 'Picus-Zeus narrative' of the fourth century. The narrative of his life is based on the Biblical account of Joseph, along with the elaborations on Joseph's life in Hellenistic Jewish fiction. Whereas Joseph is a virtuous hero, however, Faunus-Hermes is a villain who practices sorcery and usurpation and ultimately induces men to worship him as a god. The Hellenistic novels and especially the philosophical considerations of Philo of Alexandria accentuate the ambiguities in Joseph which might allow a bad character to be developed out of his good character. The Clementine Recognitions, moreover, offer an understanding of history and human character according to which good and evil come in contrasting and inimical pairs. Altogether, the use of Joseph as a model for Faunus-Hermes allows the author to subtly introduce a moral message in what seems to be a blunt and unadorned history.
Microwave Emission Brightness Temperature Histograms (METH) Rain Rates for Climate Studies: Remote Sensing Systems SSM/I Version-6 Results
Authors: Chiu Long S. , Chokngamwong Roongroj
Published: October 2009

A satellite microwave emission brightness temperature histograms (METH) technique has been applied to Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) data taken on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites and preprocessed by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) Co. to produce 21 yr (July 1987–present) of oceanic rainfall products. These rain products are used as input to the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) rain maps. Analysis of the METH product using SSM/I version-4 (V4) data shows jumps in vertically polarized 19-GHz brightness temperatures that are attributed to changes in DMSP satellites. A version-6 (V6) SSM/I that corrects for intersatellite differences was released by RSS in 2006. The jumps in the time series are reduced, with most of the changes occurring in the early part of the DMSP F13 data. The bias between RSS V6 and V4 of brightness temperature at 19 and 22 GHz is less than 0.5 K. METH rain rates were reprocessed using V6 data and were analyzed. The 20-yr global mean difference between the METH V4 and V6 is less than 0.3%, with differences as large as 3% in individual years. Trend analyses show increases in the oceanic rain belts, such as the intertropical convergence zone and the South Pacific convergence zone, and in the Bay of Bengal. These rain-rate trends, from both linear trend analysis and empirical mode decomposition analysis, are comparable to the version-2 GPCP analyses but are smaller than those found in the unified microwave ocean retrieval algorithm.
Microwave Backscatter and Extinction by Soft Ice Spheres and Complex Snow Aggregates
Authors: Petty Grant W. , Huang Wei
Published: October 2009

Coupled-dipole approximation (CDA) calculations of microwave extinction and radar backscatter are presented for nonhomogeneous (soft) ice spheres and for quasi-realistic aggregates of elementary ice crystal forms, including both simple needles and real dendrites. Frequencies considered include selections from the Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR; 13.4 and 35.6 GHz) and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI; 18.7, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz), both slated for orbit on the GPM mission.

The computational method is first validated against Mie theory using dipole structures representing solid ice spheres as well as stochastically generated “soft” ice spheres of variable ice–air ratio. Neither the traditional Bruggeman nor Maxwell Garnett dielectric mixing formula is found to correctly predict the full range of CDA results for soft spheres. However, an excellent fit is found using the generalized mixing rule of Sihvola with ν = 0.85.

The suitability of the soft-sphere approximation for realistic aggregates is investigated, taking into account the spectral dependence of backscatter and/or extinction per unit mass at key DPR and GMI frequencies. Even when spheres of nonequal mass are considered, there is no single combination of fraction and mass that simultaneously captures all the relevant radiative properties. All four aggregate models do, however, exhibit a predictable power-law dependence of the mass extinction coefficient on the total particle mass. Dual-frequency mass extinction ratios are only very weakly dependent on particle masses; moreover, the ratio is found to be approximately proportional to frequency raised to the power 2.5.

The dual-frequency backscatter ratio is found to be a predictable function of the aggregate mass for particles smaller than 3 mg. Above this size, the ratio is strongly sensitive to aggregate shape, a finding that raises concerns about the utility of dual-frequency backscatter ratio measurements whenever larger particles might be present in a volume of air.

The validity of the Rayleigh–Gans approximation applied to radar backscatter from snow aggregates was also examined. Although the dual-frequency backscatter ratio was reasonably well reproduced, the absolute magnitude was not.
A Nonlinear Perspective on the Dynamics of the MJO: Idealized Large-Eddy Simulations
Authors: Wedi Nils P. , Smolarkiewicz Piotr K.
Published: October 2009

The 30–60-day intraseasonal atmospheric oscillation in the equatorial atmosphere, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), is most visible in its signature of outgoing longwave radiation and associated convective centers. Diabatic processes related to tropical convection and two-way atmosphere–ocean interaction are hence generally believed to be crucial in explaining the origin of the MJO phenomenon. However, reliable deterministic forecasting of the MJO in global circulation models and understanding its mechanism remains unsatisfactory. Here a different approach is taken, where the hypothesis is tested that eastward-propagating MJO-like structures originate fundamentally as a result of nonlinear (dry) Rossby wave dynamics. A laboratory-scale numerical model is constructed, where the generation of solitary structures is excited and maintained via zonally propagating meanders of the meridional boundaries of a zonally periodic β plane. The large-eddy simulations capture details of the formation of solitary structures and of their impact on the convective organization. The horizontal structure and the propagation of anomalous streamfunction patterns, a diagnostic typically used in tracing the equatorial MJO, are similar to archetype solutions of the Korteweg–deVries equation, which extends the linear shallow water theory—commonly used to explain equatorial wave motions—to a weakly nonlinear regime for small Rossby numbers. Furthermore, the characteristics of the three-dimensional laboratory-scale numerical results compare well with observed features of the equatorial MJO and thus the study provides indirect evidence of the basic principles underlying the wave-driven eastward propagation of the MJO.
Regimes of Dry Convection above Wildfires: Sensitivity to Fire Line Details
Authors: Kiefer Michael T. , Parker Matthew D. , Charney Joseph J.
Published: October 2009

Fire lines are complex phenomena with a broad range of scales of cross-line dimension, undulations, and along-line variation in heating rates. While some earlier studies have examined parcel processes in two-dimensional simulations, the complexity of fire lines in nature motivates a study in which the impact of three-dimensional fire line details on parcel processes is examined systematically. This numerical modeling study aims to understand how fundamental processes identified in 2D simulations operate in 3D simulations where the fire line is neither straight nor uniform in intensity. The first step is to perform simulations in a 3D model, with no fire line undulations or inhomogeneity. In general, convective modes simulated in the 2D model are reproduced in the 3D model. In one particular case with strong vertical wind shear, new convection develops separate from the main line of convection as a result of local changes to parcel speed and heating. However, in general the processes in the 2D and 3D simulations are identical. The second step is to examine 3D experiments wherein fire line shape and along-line inhomogeneity are varied. Parcel heating, as well as convective mode, is shown to exhibit sensitivity to fire line shape and along-line inhomogeneity.
The Signature of the Midlatitude Tropospheric Storm Tracks in the Surface Winds
Authors: Booth James F. , Thompson Lu Anne , Patoux Jérôme , Kelly Kathryn A. , Dickinson Suzanne
Published: October 2009

Storm-track analysis is applied to the meridional winds at 10 m and 850 hPa for the winters of 1999–2006. The analysis is focused on the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean basins and the Southern Ocean spanning the region south of the Indian Ocean. The spatial patterns that emerge from the analysis of the 850-hPa winds are the typical free-tropospheric storm tracks. The spatial patterns that emerge from the analysis of the surface winds differ from the free-tropospheric storm tracks. The spatial differences between the surface and free-tropospheric storm tracks can be explained by the influence of the spatial variability in the instability of the atmospheric boundary layer. Strongly unstable boundary layers allow greater downward mixing of free-tropospheric momentum (momentum mixing), and this may be the cause of the stronger surface storm tracks in regions with greater instability in the time mean. Principal component analysis suggests that the basin-scale variability that is reflected in the storm-track signature is the same for the free-tropospheric and surface winds. Separating the data based on the boundary layer stability shows that the surface storm track has a local maximum in the region of maximum instability, even when there is no local maximum in the free-tropospheric storm track above the region. The spatial patterns of the surface storm tracks suggest a positive feedback for storm development as follows: 1) an existing storm generates strong free-tropospheric wind variability, 2) the momentum mixing of the unstable boundary layers acts to increase the ocean–atmosphere energy fluxes, and 3) the fluxes precondition the lower atmosphere for subsequent storm development.
Warm Pool and Cold Tongue El Niño Events as Simulated by the GFDL 2.1 Coupled GCM
Authors: Kug Jong-Seong , Choi Jung , An Soon-Il , Jin Fei-Fei , Wittenberg Andrew T.
Published: October 2009

Recent studies report that two types of El Niño events have been observed. One is the cold tongue (CT) El Niño, which is characterized by relatively large sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eastern Pacific, and the other is the warm pool (WP) El Niño, in which SST anomalies are confined to the central Pacific. Here, both types of El Niño events are analyzed in a long-term coupled GCM simulation. The present model simulates the major observed features of both types of El Niño, incorporating the distinctive patterns of each oceanic and atmospheric variable. It is also demonstrated that each type of El Niño has quite distinct dynamic processes, which control their evolutions. The CT El Niño exhibits strong equatorial heat discharge poleward and thus the dynamical feedbacks control the phase transition from a warm event to a cold event. On the other hand, the discharge process in the WP El Niño is weak because of its spatial distribution of ocean dynamic field. The positive SST anomaly of WP El Niño is thermally damped through the intensified evaporative cooling.
Analysis and Simulation of Human Activity Impact on Streamflow in the Huaihe River Basin with a Large-Scale Hydrologic Model
Authors: Yang Chuanguo , Lin Zhaohui , Yu Zhongbo , Hao Zhenchun , Liu Shaofeng
Published: October 2009

A hydrologic model coupled with a land surface model is applied to simulate the hydrologic processes in the Huaihe River basin, China. Parameters of the land surface model are interpolated from global soil and vegetation datasets. The characteristics of the basin are derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) and a national geological survey atlas using newly developed algorithms. The NCEP–NCAR reanalysis dataset and observed precipitation data are used as meteorological inputs for simulating the hydrologic processes in the basin. The coupled model is first calibrated and validated by using observed streamflow over the period of 1980–87. A long-term continuous simulation is then carried out for 1980–2003, forced with observed rainfall data. Results show that the model behavior is reasonable for flood years, whereas streamflows are sometimes overestimated for dry years since the 1990s when water withdrawal increased substantially because of the growing industrial activities and the development of water projects. Observed streamflow and water withdrawal data showed that human activities have obviously affected the surface rainfall–runoff process, especially in dry years. Two methods are proposed to study the human dimension in the hydrologic cycle. One method is to reconstruct the natural streamflow series using local volumes of withdrawals. The simulated results are more consistent with the reconstructed hydrograph than the initially observed hydrograph. The other method is to integrate a designated module into the coupled model system to represent the effect of human activities. This method can significantly improve the model performance in terms of streamflow simulation.
A Coupled Model Study on the Formation and Dissipation of Sea Fogs
Authors: Heo Ki-Young , Ha Kyung-Ja
Published: October 2009

This study examined the impact of air–sea coupling using a coupled atmosphere–ocean modeling system consisting of the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System as the atmospheric component and the Regional Ocean Modeling System as the oceanic component. Numerical experiments for advection and steam fog events were carried out to clarify the modulation of the formation and dissipation of sea fogs by the air–sea temperature difference (air temperature minus sea surface temperature) and the atmospheric stability. The coupled simulation showed that advection fog is obviously controlled by low-level atmospheric stability and downward latent heat flux with oceanic cooling through air–sea coupling. In particular, air–sea coupling stabilizes the low-level atmosphere at the dissipation stage, and then suppresses vertical mixing, which retards the dissipation of advection fog. In the case of a steam fog event, the upward turbulent heat fluxes are increased significantly from the formation time to the mature time. A decrease in sea surface temperature cools the low-level atmosphere, which increases the condensation rate and low-level atmospheric stability, eventually retarding the dissipation of steam fog.
Naval Research Laboratory Multiscale Targeting Guidance for T-PARC and TCS-08
Authors: Reynolds Carolyn A. , Doyle James D. , Hodur Richard M. , Jin Hao
Published: October 2009

As part of The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC) and the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR’s) Tropical Cyclone Structure-08 (TCS-08) experiments, a variety of real-time products were produced at the Naval Research Laboratory during the field campaign that took place from August through early October 2008. In support of the targeted observing objective, large-scale targeting guidance was produced twice daily using singular vectors (SVs) from the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS). These SVs were optimized for fixed regions centered over Guam, Taiwan, Japan, and two regions over the North Pacific east of Japan. During high-interest periods, flow-dependent SVs were also produced. In addition, global ensemble forecasts were produced and were useful for examining the potential downstream impacts of extratropical transitions. For mesoscale models, TC forecasts were produced using a new version of the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) developed specifically for tropical cyclone prediction (COAMPS-TC). In addition to the COAMPS-TC forecasts, mesoscale targeted observing products were produced using the COAMPS forecast and adjoint system twice daily, centered on storms of interest, at a 40-km horizontal resolution. These products were produced with 24-, 36-, and 48-h lead times. The nonhydrostatic adjoint system used during T-PARC/TCS-08 contains an exact adjoint to the explicit microphysics. An adaptive response function region was used to target favorable areas for tropical cyclone formation and development. Results indicate that forecasts of tropical cyclones in the western Pacific are very sensitive to the initial state.
Doublethinking Our Way to “Scientific” Legitimacy: the Desiccation of Human Experience
Authors: Hoffman Irwin Z.
Published: October 2009

A multifaceted contemporary movement aims to correct alleged weaknesses in the scientific foundation of psychoanalysis. For both pragmatic-political and scientific reasons we are encouraged to do and/or study systematic empirical research on psychoanalytic process and outcome, as well as apparently relevant neuroscience. The thesis advanced here is that the privileged status this movement accords such research as against in-depth case studies is unwarranted epistemologically and is potentially damaging both to the development of our understanding of the analytic process itself and to the quality of our clinical work. In a nonobjectivist hermeneutic paradigm best suited to psychoanalysis, the analyst embraces the existential uncertainty that accompanies the realization that there are multiple good ways to be, in the moment and more generally in life, and that the choices he or she makes are always influenced by culture, by sociopolitical mind-set, by personal values, by countertransference, and by other factors in ways that are never fully known. Nevertheless, a critical, nonconformist psychoanalysis always strives to expose and challenge such foundations for the participants’ choices. The “consequential uniqueness” of each interaction and the indeterminacy associated with the free will of the participants make the individual case study especially suited for the advancement of “knowledge”—that is, the progressive enrichment of sensibility—in our field.
The Role of Environmental Influences on Schizophrenia Admissions in Israel
Authors: Aviv Alex , Bromberg Genadi , Baruch Yehuda , Shapira Yinon , Blass David M.
Published: October 2009

Objective: The role of environmental factors in hospitalization of patients with schizophrenia is incompletely understood. This study attempts to relate the pattern of hospital admissions to environmental variables such as season and to social factors such as nationally celebrated holidays.

Methods: Charts of all adults ( n = 4,331) with a discharge diagnosis of schizophrenia admitted to the Abarbanel Mental Health Centre (Bat Yam, Israel) between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2005 were reviewed. Hospitalizations were classified by gender, first or repeat admission, month and season of admission, and whether or not the admission coincided with a major Jewish holiday period.

Results: There was a significant reduction ( p < 0.05) in first admissions for men during April, the month corresponding to Passover, the most widely celebrated holiday in Israel. This pattern was not seen for women or for repeat admissions. There was no significant effect of the season upon admission rates, using two different methods of defining the season.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated significant monthly variability in admission rates and a possible protective effect of a widely celebrated public religious holiday. A consistent effect of season upon rates of admission was not found. Future studies need to identify which specific social factors exert a protective or harmful effect and study how knowledge of these effects can be translated into clinical practice.
Officer Perceptions of Risk of Contracting HIV/AIDS in Prison: A Two-State Comparison
Authors: Alarid Leanne Fiftal , Marquart James W.
Published: October 2009

A theme of the late modernity perspective as applied to prisons is maximizing safety and minimizing risk in the face of an uncertain work environment. Correctional officers in two states were surveyed about how their knowledge of HIV relates to their perceptions of risk. Officers who knew less about HIV, had less formal education, feared contact with prisoners known to be HIV positive, and who viewed prisoner tattooing, intravenous drug use, and sex as common at the unit in which they worked were more likely to perceive a higher risk of contracting HIV on the job.
The Influence of Water Vapor Plasma Treatment on Specific Properties of Bleached and Mercerized Cotton Fabric
Authors: Gorjanc Marija , Bukošek Vili , Gorenšek Marija , Vesel Alenka
Published: October 2009

The influence of water vapor plasma on chemical, morphological and mechanical properties of bleached and mercerized cotton fabric was studied. Reactive exhaust dyeing was used for loading of nano silver. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy results show that plasma treatment enhanced nano silver adhesion to the fabric, which also contributed to antimicrobial effectiveness to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Surface changes of plasma treated cotton were observed with scanning electron microscopy. Xray photoelectron spectroscopy results show the decrease of C—C bonds in favor of C—O, O—C—O, C=O, and O=C—O bonds and higher O/C atomic ratio in plasma treated fibers. Mechanical properties of cotton yarn after plasma treatment remained unchanged.
Design Coding and the Creative, Market and Regulatory Tyrannies of Practice
Authors: Carmona Matthew
Published: October 2009

This paper reflects on a pilot programme to evaluate the use and effectiveness of design coding. It focuses on the roles and relationships between the different stakeholders in the coding process and compares the preconceptions about coding with actual experiences in use. The paper reveals the gulf in professional cultures that impact on the development process. This is underpinned by the continuing struggle between creative, market-driven and regulatory modes of praxis. The paper is polemical in that it points the finger at approaches that potentially undermine the creation of the built environment as a collective endeavour. It is also propositional in that it draws from the evidence-base provided by the pilot programme to propose that design coding could, if used correctly, positively regulate the essentials of urbanism, whilst leaving room for design creativity and enhanced market value. Effective coding can help to mediate the tyrannies of practice.
The Regulation of Design in Global Architecture Firms: Embedding and Emplacing Buildings
Authors: Faulconbridge James R.
Published: October 2009

The emergence of global architecture firms and their role in the production of city architectures raises a number of questions for social scientists. For example, how— indeed do—global architects ensure that the buildings they design are ‘in place’ and appropriate for the urban cultural, economic, social and political contexts in which they are to be built? The aim of the paper is to consider this question. ‘Regulation’ is taken in its broadest sense and the paper explores the role of standards and codes as well as other forms of social regulation in the process of emplacing designs. It is argued that, in order to understand how buildings are put in their place, analysis is needed of both the design-side adaptations architects make to buildings and also the consumption side regulation of designs and the way the behaviours of those inhabiting buildings produce ‘local’ meaning.
Putting Architecture in its Social Place: A Cultural Political Economy of Architecture
Authors: Jones Paul
Published: October 2009

As well as being shaped by bureaucratically codified state regulations, architecture is also fundamentally conditioned by the broader political-economic context in which it is commissioned, designed and understood. However, drawing attention to these noncodified regulations can be controversial, as it necessitates questioning the complex social production of architecture, in the process challenging those discourses that position architecture as a practice concerned primarily with the design of socially meaningful form and meaning. Such discourses have been problematised elsewhere and, building on these contributions, this paper suggests a framework for taking seriously architecture’s distinctive relationship with aesthetics and semiotics while also maintaining a sense of architects’ position as a cultural élite working in definite political-economic contexts. Drawing primarily on theories associated with Pierre Bourdieu and cultural political economy, the paper uses the case of iconic architecture to illustrate this argument. The central role of architecture in recent place-marketing strategies is understood as a resonance between the agendas of high-profile architects and those political and economic agencies ‘selling places’. The role of architecture in providing a culturalised frame within which economic transformation is embedded is a crucial consideration here. In short, this paper suggests the necessity of a non-reductionist, political-economic foundation to the regulation and built environment research agenda.
Written and Unwritten Building Conventions in a Contested City: The Case of Belfast
Authors: Brand Ralf
Published: October 2009

Many design conventions are legally binding, state-issued building codes and regulations, but many others derive their authority from other sources, are enforced by other means and exist for other purposes. This paper therefore introduces a scheme to cover the wide variety of de facto building conventions. Particularly interesting examples of seemingly atypical conventions can be found in Northern Ireland where the specific socio-political situation requires particular design approaches. Many design conventions guide the creation of artefacts that attempt to influence people’s behaviour. The distinction between corpo-active versus symbolic mechanisms and socio-fugal versus socio-petal effects is introduced in order to grasp further differences between such socio-active artefacts. The latter are of special significance in situations where communities in strife are slowly learning to practise a peaceful co-existence, as is demonstrated with one specific case study.
Absence of Effect of Telbivudine on Cardiac Repolarization: Results of a Thorough QT/QTc Study in Healthy Participants
Authors: Poordad Fred , Zeldin Gillian , Harris Stuart I. , Ke June , Xu Limin , Mayers Douglas , Zhou Xiao‐Jian
Published: October 2009

The effect of telbivudine on cardiac repolarization was evaluated in healthy participants at clinical and supratherapeutic doses. Sixty‐two participants were enrolled, stratified by sex, and randomized according to a crossover design among 4 treatment sequences: placebo, a single moxifloxacin 400‐mg dose as positive calibrator, and telbivudine 600 and 1800 mg/d for 7 days. Intensive time‐matched electrocardiogram measurements and pharmacokinetic sampling were performed at baseline and on day 7 over 24 hours. For telbivudine and moxifloxacin, time‐matched, placebo‐adjusted change from baseline in QT was calculated and corrected using Fridericia's formula (QTcF). While moxifloxacin produced the expected significant changes in QTcF, none of the changes in QTcF for either doses of telbivudine exceeded 5 ms, and none of the associated upper 1‐sided 95% confidence intervals (CI) exceeded the limit of 10 ms. There was no increase in QTcF with increasing plasma telbivudine. The supratherapeutic dose of telbivudine was well tolerated with a safety profile similar to the clinical dose despite a 3‐fold increase in plasma exposure. This study therefore met the criteria for a negative thorough QT study. Telbivudine had no adverse effect on cardiac repolarization in healthy participants, even at supratherapeutic exposure, suggesting a broad safety margin.
Laropiprant in Combination With Extended‐Release Niacin Does Not Alter Urine 11‐Dehydrothromboxane B2, a Marker of In Vivo Platelet Function, in Healthy, Hypercholesterolemic, and Diabetic Subjects
Authors: Lauring Brett , Dishy Victor , Luo Wen‐Lin , Laterza Omar , Patterson Jaclyn , Cote Josee , Chao Alice , Larson Patrick , Gutierrez Maria , Wagner John A. , Lai Eseng
Published: October 2009

Laropiprant, an antagonist of the PGD2receptor, DP1, is effective in reducing the flushing symptoms associated with extended‐release (ER) niacin and thereby improves the tolerability of niacin therapy for dyslipidemia. Because PGD2has been reported to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro, it has been speculated that antagonism of DP1 may enhance platelet reactivity. Three clinical studies evaluated the potential effect of laropiprant, with or without coadministration of ER niacin, on in vivo platelet function in healthy subjects and hypercholesterolemic or diabetic subjects by measuring urinary levels of 11‐dehydrothromboxane B2(11‐dTxB2), a marker of in vivo platelet activation. Following 7 days of multiple‐dose administration, coadministration of laropiprant with ER niacin did not increase urinary 11‐dTxB2levels compared to ER niacin alone in healthy, hypercholesterolemic, or diabetic subjects. In hypercholesterolemic and diabetic subjects, laropiprant did not increase urinary 11‐dTxB2levels compared to placebo. These results demonstrate that laropiprant does not enhance in vivo platelet reactivity, either alone or in combination with niacin.
There’s No Substitute for Belonging: Self-Affirmation Following Social and Nonsocial Threats
Authors: Knowles Megan L. , Lucas Gale M. , Molden Daniel C. , Gardner Wendi L. , Dean Kristy K.
Published: October 2009

Feelings of belonging are closely linked to feelings of self-esteem. This article examines whether these feelings are regulated in a similar manner. Research on self-esteem maintenance shows that self-enhancement strategies are interchangeable; self-esteem threats in one domain instigate indirect self-affirmations in unrelated domains that effectively replace needs to directly address the original threats. From this perspective, when self-esteem threats arise from a lack of belonging, indirect self-affirmations should again be both preferred and effective. However, belonging regulation may be distinct from self-esteem regulation. From this belonging maintenance perspective, indirect affirmations that enhance esteem, but do not directly repair belonging, may be relatively less preferred and effective following belonging threats. Supporting the belonging maintenance perspective, four studies demonstrated that whereas intelligence threats tended to elicit indirect self-affirmations, belonging threats elicited relatively more direct self-affirmations. Furthermore, whereas indirect affirmation strategies effectively repaired intelligence threats they did not effectively repair belonging threats.
Potassium Bromate Enhances N-Ethyl-N-Hydroxyethylnitrosamine–Induced Kidney Carcinogenesis Only at High Doses in Wistar Rats: Indication of the Existence of an Enhancement Threshold
Authors: Wei Min , Hamoud Al-Salmy , Yamaguchi Takashi , Kakehashi Anna , Morimura Keiichirou , Doi Kenichiro , Kushida Masahiko , Kitano Mitsuaki , Wanibuchi Hideki , Fukushima Shoji
Published: October 2009

As susceptibility to carcinogens varies considerably among different strains of experimental animals, evaluation of dose-response relationships for genotoxic carcinogen in different strains is indispensable for risk assessment. Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is a genotoxic carcinogen inducing kidney cancers at high doses in male F344 rats, but little is known about its carcinogenic effects in other strains of rats. The purpose of the present study was to determine dose-response relationships for carcinogenic effects of KBrO3 on N-ethyl-N-hydroxyethylnitrosamine (EHEN)–induced kidney carcinogenesis in male Wistar rats. We found that KBrO3 showed significant enhancement effects on EHEN-induced kidney carcinogenesis at above 250 ppm but not at doses of 125 ppm and below when evaluated in terms of induction of either preneoplastic lesions or tumors in male Wistar rats. Furthermore, KBrO3 significantly increased the formation of oxidative DNA damage at doses of 125 and above but not at doses of 30 ppm and below in kidneys. These results demonstrated that low doses of KBrO3 exert no effects on development of EHEN-initiated kidney lesions and induction of oxidative DNA damage. Taking account of previous similar findings in male F344 rats, it is strongly suggested that a threshold dose exists for enhancement effects of KBrO3 on kidney carcinogenesis in rats.
Expanding Spectrum of Encephalitis With NMDA Receptor Antibodies in Young Children
Authors: Lebas Axel , Husson Béatrice , Didelot Adrien , Honnorat Jerôme , Tardieu Marc
Published: October 2009

The authors report here 2 cases of subacute-onset encephalitis with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antibodies. One had a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with a neuroblastoma, whereas the other had no primary tumor. This disease was originally described as a paraneoplastic syndrome in young women with ovarian teratoma. The clinical features of both children resembled the typical symptoms reported for older patients with this disease: psychomotor deterioration, movement disorders, and seizures. One of the reported cases is the first known case of paraneoplastic encephalitis with NMDA antibodies in a child with neuroblastoma. Both cases described here were younger than any of the previously reported cases. Consistent with recently published series, this report suggests that the spectrum of symptoms of encephalitis with NMDA receptor antibodies is probably wider than previously thought.
Novice Special Educators’ Instructional Practices, Communication Patterns, and Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics
Authors: Griffin Cynthia C. , Jitendra Asha K. , League Martha B.
Published: October 2009

In this study, the authors examine the influence of teacher and student communication patterns, instructional practices, and teacher pedagogical content knowledge on students’ mathematics learning in both general and special education mathematics classrooms. Five pre-service special education teachers in field placements and 43 students with varying disabilities participated in this study. Observations of teachers during mathematics lessons and follow-up interviews were conducted. Students in these settings completed a pretest and posttest of mathematics content taught over 6 weeks of instruction. Results reveal two sets of instructional practices, communication patterns, and teacher understandings of mathematics for teaching that differentially affected student performance. Implications are discussed for teacher education and further research.
Examining Perceptions of Systematic Integration of Instructional Technology in a Teacher Education Program
Authors: Allsopp David H. , Alvarez McHatton Patricia , Cranston-Gingras Ann
Published: October 2009

In this article, the authors describe a systematic effort by a department of special education to integrate technology into teaching through a one-to-one laptop initiative and to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions concerning their experiences with the initiative. The authors investigate beliefs about preservice teachers’ proficiency in using technology for teaching, their attitudes toward the use of technology for teaching, and their perceptions of the integration of instructional technology practices by faculty across three semesters using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Preservice teachers’ perceptions of their ability to integrate technology in their teaching increased whereas their attitudes toward integrating technology remained consistently high across program semesters. They believed that faculty effectively integrated and modeled the use of technology in their instruction. Implications of the results are discussed.
The Impact of a College Course Where Pre-Service Teachers and Peers With Intellectual Disabilities Study Together
Authors: Carroll Stuart Z. , Petroff Jerry G. , Blumberg Richard
Published: October 2009

In 2006, the authors’ college joined the ranks of those offering programs for young adults with intellectual disabilities on campus. The program includes several inclusive courses in which typical students study together with their peers with intellectual disabilities. This article describes how 12 pre-service teachers who participated in an inclusive liberal learning understood their experience. The analysis of interviews with these pre-service teachers suggests that they emerged from the course with a commitment to the idea that students with intellectual disabilities have a right to a challenging liberal education. Most emerged with a stronger commitment to inclusive teaching practice and felt that the use of small group activities and discussions was the best way to build classroom community, create relationships among participants, and maximize learning. All of the interviewed pre-service teachers considered this course a positive academic experience.
Concept Mapping as a Research Tool to Evaluate Conceptual Change Related to Instructional Methods
Authors: Miller Kevin J. , Koury Kevin A. , Fitzgerald Gail E. , Hollingsead Candice , Mitchem Katherine J. , Tsai Hui-Hsien , Meeaeng Ko Park
Published: October 2009

Concept maps are commonly used in a variety of educational settings as a learning aid or instructional tool. Additionally, their potential as a research tool has been recognized. This article defines features of concept maps, describes the use of pre- and postconcept maps as a research tool, and offers a protocol for employing concept maps as an effective research tool. To illustrate the viability of concept maps as a research tool, specific steps and examples are provided from a study that used concept maps to investigate the conceptual change of pre-service and in-service teachers after participation in special and general education courses using multimedia case-based instruction. Support for concept maps as a research tool to evaluate learning and growth in knowledge are provided with specific procedures for creating a concept map quality scoring system.