bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
,,Wer Jesus Christus begegnet, begegnet dem Judentum". Das Verhältnis Benedikts XVI. zu Israel
Authors: Häring Hermann
Published: January 2007

Benedict XVI's intention to intensify the relationship with Israel and Judaism is based on complex theological concepts. The new pope, initially a student of Augustine's teachings, understands Christianity as a religion of fulfillment in which Israel's heritage is fully integrated. Therefore Israel, as part of the ,,old alliance", has hardly anything new to offer to the Church. What exactly the content of any dialogue could be is even harder to determine as the new pope hardly recognizes the long history of previous dialogues and meetings. Faced with the current world crisis, Benedict XVI does try to bring together the world's different religious forces and to begin a dialogue with the representatives of secular reason. What role the Jewish heritage can play in this constellation remains unclear.
Alois Hudal – ein Anti-Pacelli? Zur Diskussion um die Haltung des Vatikans gegenüber dem Nationalsozialismus
Authors: Burkard Dominik
Published: January 2007

The files that have just recently been made available from Roman archives make it possible to shed new light on and relativize the often asserted ,,Pope's silence." It can be seen, that there was no agreement within the Vatican on how to deal with National Socialism. Recent publications have constructed an antagonism between Cardinal Secretary Eugenio Pacelli and Alois Hudal, the politically active principal of the Collegio Santa Maria dell'Anima and supposedly a representative of ,appeasement'. However, it can be shown that both men initially agreed in principle with their assessment of National Socialism, even though they pursued different strategies. Hudal insisted on the public denunciation of National Socialism, on a clear positioning of the school, yet without success. Pacelli, a diplomat by training, was the one who thwarted nearly all of the Vatican's public proclamations against National Socialism.
The Mental Health Risk of Mothers and Children: The Role of Maternal HIV Infection
Authors: Brackis-Cott Elizabeth , Mellins Claude Ann , Dolezal Curtis , Spiegel Dina
Published: January 2007

Rates of mental health problems in mothers and children in families affected by maternal HIV as compared to those not affected by maternal HIV but living in similar inner-city, low-SES, primarily ethnic-minority neighborhoods were examined. In addition, correspondence between mother and child mental health was explored. Interviews were conducted with 220 mother/child dyads regarding symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants included HIV-negative early adolescents (ages 10 through 14 years) and their mothers, approximately half of whom were HIV-positive. Overall, mothers with HIV exhibited more depressive symptomatology than uninfected mothers. There were no significant differences, however, in depressive symptomatology between children of mothers who were HIV-positive and children of mothers who were HIV-negative. Among families directly affected by HIV, mothers who disclosed their status to their children endorsed greater depressive symptomatology than those who did not disclose and children who had been disclosed to were more likely to score in the clinically depressed range on the Child Depression Inventory than those who did not know. Latina mothers and their children were at increased risk for both depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly in families where the mother was not born in the United States. The results corroborate previous findings with HIV-infected women that highlight the mental health needs of HIV-infected mothers and their children, particularly children that know their mothers' status.
Does Maternal Supervision Mediate the Impact of Income Source on Behavioral Adjustment in Children From Persistently Poor Families?
Authors: De Civita Mirella , Pagani Linda S. , Vitaro Frank , Tremblay Richard E.
Published: January 2007

We examined the influence of income source within the context of persistent poverty on children's disruptive classroom behavior at age 12 and whether these associations were mediated by maternal supervision at ages 10 and 11. Using a subsample (N = 1,112) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study, we coded four economic circumstances indicating persistent poverty (income-toneeds ratio less than 1.5 times the poverty line) and income source (working poor, welfare dependent, work and welfare dependent, vs. never poor working) from ages 8 through 11. Children in welfare-dependent families showed an increase of 2.23 points on the disruptive scale compared with children in never-poor families, which could not be prospectively explained by maternal supervision. These results are above and beyond the influence of family structure, maternal characteristics, and early childhood disruptiveness.
Cluster Analysis in Sociometric Research: A Pattern-Oriented Approach to Identifying Temporally Stable Peer Status Groups of Girls
Authors: Zettergren Peter
Published: January 2007

A modern clustering technique was applied to age-10 and age-13 sociometric data with the purpose of identifying longitudinally stable peer status clusters. The study included 445 girls from a Swedish longitudinal study. The identified temporally stable clusters of rejected, popular, and average girls were essentially larger than corresponding groups identified according to the frequently used Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli (CDC) classification method. It was further shown that all stably rejected and all (but one) stably popular CDC girls were members in corresponding clusters. Although no stable clusters of neglected or controversial girls were identified, some temporally volatile clusters were found, which were interpreted as largely accidental groupings. Rejected and popular clusters showed similar associations to some childhood adjustment correlates as the CDC groups and also have been documented by earlier sociometric research. The conclusion was that the clustering technique seems to be a promising classification method in longitudinal sociometric research.
A Test of Biosocial Models of Adolescent Cigarette and Alcohol Involvement
Authors: Foshee Vangie A. , Ennett Susan T. , Bauman Karl E. , Granger Douglas A. , Benefield Thad , Suchindran Chirayath , Hussong Andrea M. , Karriker-Jaffe Katherine J. , DuRant Robert H.
Published: January 2007

The authors test biosocial models that posit interactions between biological variables (testosterone, estradiol, pubertal status, and pubertal timing) and social context variables (family, peer, school, and neighborhood) in predicting adolescent involvement with cigarettes and alcohol in a sample of 409 adolescents in Grades 6 and 8. Models including the biological and contextual variables and their interactions explain significantly more variance in adolescent cigarette and alcohol involvement than do models including only the main effects of the biological and contextual variables. Post hoc analyses of significant interactions suggest that, in most cases, moderation occurred in the hypothesized direction. Consistent with dual hazards models of adolescent antisocial behaviors, the relationships between the biological and substance use variables become positive and stronger as the context becomes more harmful. Considerations of adolescent substance use should recognize the possible role of biological variables and how their influence may vary by social context.
Capital Punishment Views in China and the United States
Authors: Jiang Shanhe , Lambert Eric G. , Wang Jin
Published: January 2007

There is a lack of research on attitudes toward capital punishment in China, and there is even less research on cross-national comparisons of capital punishment views. Using data recently collected from college students in the United States and China, this study finds that U.S. and Chinese students have differences in their views on the death penalty and its functions of deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation. This study also reveals that the respondents’ perspectives of deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, and incapacitation all affect their attitudes toward the death penalty in the United States, whereas only the first three views affect attitudes toward capital punishment in China. Furthermore, retribution is the strongest predictor in the United States, whereas deterrence is the strongest predictor in China.
Returning to Normality
Authors: Cao Liqun
Published: January 2007

The current study explored the value change as manifested in the sense of anomie during the 1990s and sources of anomie in contemporary China. The multiple regression analysis found that employment, having children, and satisfaction in life were significantly related to anomie; however, the effect of education was related to anomie in the direction that was inconsistent with what was known in the Western literature. Age had no significant effect on anomie. It is concluded that the crime rates remain relatively low even after many years of dramatic increase, and that China may not be able to maintain its tight control over politics forever.
Life Strain, Coping, and Delinquency in the People’s Republic of China
Authors: Bao Wan-Ning , Haas Ain , Pi Yijun
Published: January 2007

Using a sample of 615 middle- and high-school students from rural and urban areas of the People’s Republic of China, this study tests the effects of coping strategies predicted by Agnew’s (1992) general strain theory (GST), in which the impact of strain on delinquency is conditioned by adolescents’ social and personal resources. Results provide support for the coping strategies hypotheses posited by GST, in a non-Western culture. Social supports in the three major domains of family, school, and peer group have cross-domain and within-domain buffering effects on the relationships between juvenile delinquency and interpersonal problems in these domains, and moral beliefs have all-domain buffering effects. Girls are more likely to use cross-domain support resources in managing interpersonal problems, whereas boys are more susceptible to delinquent peers in their adaptation to interpersonal strain in all domains. The implications of the findings to intervention were discussed.
Criminological Research in Contemporary China
Authors: Zhang Lening , Messner Steven F. , Lu Jianhong
Published: January 2007

This article discusses research experience gained from a large-scale survey of criminal victimization recently conducted in Tianjin, China. The authors review some of the more important challenges that arose in the research, their responses to these challenges, and lessons learned that might be beneficial to other scholars who are interested in conducting criminological research in China. Their experience underscores the importance of understanding the Chinese political, cultural, and academic context, and the utility of collaborating with experienced and knowledgeable colleagues “on site.” Although there are some special difficulties and barriers, their project demonstrates the feasibility of original criminological data collection in China.
Drug Problems in China
Authors: Chen Zhonglin , Huang Kaicheng
Published: January 2007

Drug crime in China is on an overall rising trend. Major drug crime cases are becoming more common, the types of drugs being trafficked are more diverse, and the smuggling and trafficking of drugs into the country and the smuggling of precursor chemicals out of the country have formed a bidirectional cycle. Drug crimes in China have also begun to show a conspicuous trend of internationalization. China’s main countermeasures against drug crimes have been to pass new laws and regulations against drugs, to increase the efforts to eradicate cultivation, to establish and expand “drug-free communities” programs, and to strengthen international cooperation in antidrug campaigns. The existing problems demand prompt solutions, which include a shortage of funding and lack of accurate knowledge about prevalence of drug abuse and related data for scientifically studying the drug problems.
A Two-Stage Model of the Simultaneous Relationship Between Retail Development and Crime
Authors: Bowes David R.
Published: January 2007

This study looks at crime as one potential obstacle to the revitalization of downtown retail areas. High crime in central city neighborhoods may discourage retail development, either because crime against the establishment increases business costs or because crime and the fear of crime drive away potential customers. This study uses a two-equation system to address two seemingly conflicting hypotheses: that crime discourages retail development and that retail development attracts crime. The results of this study have implications for downtown redevelopment strategies. If higher crime does significantly reduce retail development, then no matter what type of programs are implemented to encourage new retail businesses in downtown areas, they may not be effective if there is not also an adequate effort to reduce violent crime.
State Patterns of Occupational Earnings: Implications for Long-Term Growth
Authors: Riefler Roger F.
Published: January 2007

This article focuses on the role of real and money wages in a state’s growth (macro) and location (micro) prospects. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey for 2000 were used first to indirectly estimate state cost-of-living (COL) indices. These COL indices are the major contribution of this article. The methodology employed, in combination with the current 6-month reporting cycle for the OES, should eventually allow the computation of accurate inflation indices for states and regions. By applying these COL indices to OES- reported money wages by occupation, estimates of real wages are derived. Likely growth scenarios, both in terms of total employment and for certain key occupations, are investigated under two assumptions: first, that workers positively respond, by entry and migration, to those areas having above-average real wages, and second, that capital flows respond to below-average money wages.
The Effect of Fiscal Conditions of Local Government Authorities on Their Economic Development
Authors: Carmeli Abraham
Published: January 2007

This article examines the effect of the prior fiscal conditions of local government authorities in Israel on subsequent development in two major areas: education and employment. The relationships between the fiscal conditions of local government authorities in Israel for 1997 and 1998 and the levels of education and employment in 2001 are empirically examined. The results show that prior fiscal conditions of local governments had a significant effect on their subsequent educational and employment development. Compared to relatively fiscally poor local authorities, those that were fiscally healthier in 1997 and 1998 enjoyed better education and employment systems in 2001.
The Geography of Innovation Commercialization in the United States During the 1990s
Authors: Rosenbloom Joshua L.
Published: January 2007

This article analyzes the geographic distribution and interrelationship of three measures of innovation commercialization across the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States and estimates a model of the factors explaining variations in the location of innovation commercialization. Innovation commercialization tends to be highly concentrated geographically, suggesting the presence of substantial external economies in these functions. Beyond these scale effects, however, the author finds that university science and engineering capacity and local patenting activity both help to account for intercity differences in the level of innovation commercialization activity.
Using Text Messages in U.S. Mobile Phone Surveys
Authors: Steeh Charlotte , Buskirk Trent D. , Callegaro Mario
Published: January 2007

Attempts to interview the general population using cell phones have revealed underlying weaknesses. Noncoverage is severe because all persons who rely solely on fixedline telephones are excluded. Nonresponse stemming from the difficulty of contacting potential respondents and convincing them to participate also increases. Only the spread of mobile technology will remedy noncoverage. This article presents the results of an experiment that tests the effectiveness of sending text messages to improve non-response. The results give little support to our hypothesis that sending an advance text message would make contacting respondents easier. Other outcome rates do show positive effects. We also discovered that the act of sending the text message provided valuable data about the sample unit. This outside information, similar to the information traditional telephone surveys obtain from directories, indicates whether a mobile number is in service and allows researchers to adapt their calling rules to achieve greater efficiency.
Validity and Reliability of Qualitative Data Analysis: Interobserver Agreement in Reconstructing Interpretative Frames
Authors: Moret Margriet , Reuzel Rob , van der Wilt Gert Jan , Grin John
Published: January 2007

Many authors have discussed criteria for assessing the quality of qualitative studies. However, relatively few have presented the results of using criteria for validity of qualitative studies. We investigated the quality of reconstructing interpretative frames, a method for analyzing interview transcripts. The aim of this method is to describe a person's perspective, distinguishing between perceived problem definitions, proposed solutions, empirical background theories, and normative preferences. Based on this description, one should be able to estimate this person's cooperation on implementing specific changes in his or her practice. In this article, we assessed the interobserver reliability of this analytical method as an indicator of its rigor. Six analysts reconstructed interpretative frames on the basis of verbatim transcripts of three interviews. The analysts agreed only moderately about the issues identified and which problems should be prioritized. However, they showed remarkable unanimity as to the estimates of the respondents' cooperation on proposed solutions.
The Influence of Visual Stimuli in Ethnobotanical Data Collection Using the Listing Task Method
Authors: Miranda Tatiana Mota , de Mello Amorozo Maria Christina , Govone José Sílvio , Miranda Daniela Mota
Published: January 2007

The listing task, a method used in social and behavioral sciences, is frequently used in ethnobotanical research to construct folk taxonomies and select relevant items for subsequent research. The objective of the present study was to determine whether visual stimuli are associated with responses to the theme “plants” or if context influences the answers. Interviews were conducted with 400 women in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil, in four different locations: three with a visible presence of plants (a plant store, a supermarket, and a public plaza) and one with no plants (a street corner in the center of the city). The women were asked to name plants. Analysis indicates that visual stimuli influenced responses and that this is more marked in the plant store than in the other locations. The plants cited most often—roses, orchids, ferns, violets, and daisies—were, with little variation, the same in all the locales studied.
Las Vegas Mon Amour
Authors: Borchard Kurt
Published: January 2007

Here, the author uses the film/screenplay Hiroshima Mon Amourto discuss contemporary trends in Las Vegas. A new elitism/renaissance in the city can be contrasted against an absence of history/memory. New gambling technologies promote a smoother capitalism while simultaneously encouraging nostalgia and distracting players from considering the house's edge. Television has also gained greater importance in defining Las Vegas, both nationally and locally. These seemingly innocuous patterns, though, belie a core (yet often unspoken) truth: that what is commonly promoted as entertainment in Las Vegas is also destructive. The city is one that ethnographers should take more seriously as an expression of deep, contradictory currents in postmodern life.
A newly established murine immature dendritic cell line can be differentiated into a mature state, but exerts tolerogenic function upon maturation in the presence of glucocorticoid
Authors: Bros Matthias , Jährling Frank , Renzing Andrea , Wiechmann Nadine , Dang Ngoc-Anh , Sutter Arne , Ross Ralf , Knop Jürgen , Sudowe Stephan , Reske-Kunz Angelika B.
Published: January 2007

The phenotype and function of murine dendritic cells (DCs) are primarily studied using bone-marrow–derived DCs (BM-DCs), but may be hampered by the heterogenous phenotype of BM-DCs due to their differential state of maturation. Here we characterize a newly established murine DC line (SP37A3) of myeloid origin. During maintainance in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and M-CSF, SP37A3 cells resemble immature DCs characterized by low expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II and costimulatory molecules and low T-cell stimulatory capacity. Upon stimulation, SP37A3 cells acquire a mature phenotype and activate naive T cells as potently as BM-DCs. Similar to BM-DCs, SP37A3 cells activated in the presence of dexamethasone-induced regulatory T cells, which were anergic upon restimulation and suppressed proliferation of naive T cells. This tolerogenic state was reflected by lower expression levels of costimulatory molecules and proinflammatory cytokines compared with mature cells, as well as up-regulated expression of FcγRIIB and interleukin-1RA (IL-1RA). SP37A3 cells were responsive to dexamethasone even when applied at later time points during activation, suggesting functional plasticity. Thus, DC line SP37A3 represents a suitable model to study functions of immature and mature as well as tolerogenic myeloid DCs, circumventing restrictions associated with the use of primary DCs and BM-DCs.
Genetic abnormalities and survival in multiple myeloma: the experience of the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome
Authors: Avet-Loiseau Hervé , Attal Michel , Moreau Philippe , Charbonnel Catherine , Garban Frédéric , Hulin Cyrille , Leyvraz Serge , Michallet Mauricette , Yakoub-Agha Ibrahim , Garderet Laurent , Marit Gérald , Michaux Lucienne , Voillat Laurent , Renaud Marc , Grosbois Bernard , Guillerm Gaelle , Benboubker Lotfi , Monconduit Mathieu , Thieblemont Catherine , Casassus Philippe , Caillot Denis , Stoppa Anne-Marie , Sotto Jean-Jacques , Wetterwald Marc , Dumontet Charles , Fuzibet Jean-Gabriel , Azais Isabelle , Dorvaux Véronique , Zandecki Marc , Bataille Régis , Minvielle Stéphane , Harousseau Jean-Luc , Facon Thierry , Mathiot Claire
Published: January 2007

Acquired genomic aberrations have been shown to significantly impact survival in several hematologic malignancies. We analyzed the prognostic value of the most frequent chromosomal changes in a large series of patients with newly diagnosed symptomatic myeloma prospectively enrolled in homogeneous therapeutic trials. All the 1064 patients enrolled in the IFM99 trials conducted by the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome benefited from an interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis performed on purified bone marrow plasma cells. They were systematically screened for the following genomic aberrations: del(13), t(11;14), t(4;14), hyperdiploidy, MYC translocations, and del(17p). Chromosomal changes were observed in 90% of the patients. The del(13), t(11;14), t(4;14), hyperdiploidy, MYC translocations, and del(17p) were present in 48%, 21%, 14%, 39%, 13%, and 11% of the patients, respectively. After a median follow-up of 41 months, univariate statistical analyses revealed that del(13), t(4;14), nonhyperdiploidy, and del(17p) negatively impacted both the event-free survival and the overall survival, whereas t(11;14) and MYC translocations did not influence the prognosis. Multivariate analyses on 513 patients annotated for all the parameters showed that only t(4;14) and del(17p) retained prognostic value for both the event-free and overall survivals. When compared with the currently used International Staging System, this prognostic model compares favorably. In myeloma, the genomic aberrations t(4;14) and del(17p), together with β2-microglobulin level, are important independent predictors of survival. These findings have implications for the design of risk-adapted treatment strategies.
Seismic velocities of unconsolidated sands: Part 2 — Influence of sorting- and compaction-induced porosity variation
Authors: Zimmer Michael A. , Prasad Manika , Mavko Gary , Nur Amos
Published: January 2007

Unaccounted-for porosity variation in unconsolidated sediments can cloud the interpretation of the sediment’s seismic velocities for factors such as fluid content and pressure. However, an understanding of the effects of porosity variation on the velocities can permit the remote characterization of porosity with seismic methods. We present the results of a series of measurements designed to isolate the effects of sorting- and compaction-induced porosity variation on the seismic velocities and their pressure dependences in clean, unconsolidated sands. We prepared a set of texturally similar sand and glass-bead samples with controlled grain-size distributions to cover an initial porosity range from 0.26 to 0.44. We measured the compressional- and shear-wave velocities and porosity of dry samples over a series of hydrostatic pressure cycles from [Formula: see text]. Over this rangeof porosities, the velocities of the dry samples at a given pressure vary by [Formula: see text]. However, the water-saturated compressional-wave velocities, modeled with Gassmann fluid substitution, demonstrate a consistent increase with decreasing porosity. In both the dry and water-saturated cases, the porosity trend at a given pressure is approximately described by the isostress (harmonic) average between the moduli of the highest-porosity sample at that pressure and the moduli of quartz, the predominant mineral component of the samples. Empirical power-law fit coefficients describing the pressure dependences of the dry bulk, shear, and constrained (P-wave) moduli from each sample also demonstrate no significant, systematic relationship with the porosity. The porosity dependence of the water-saturated bulk and constrained moduli is primarily contained in the empirical coefficient representing the modulus at zero pressure.
An improved mesh generation scheme for the wavefront construction method
Authors: Lee Kyoung Jin , Gibson Richard L.
Published: January 2007

Wavefront construction is an effective tool for the rapid calculation of ray fields in anisotropic media. The method explicitly tracks the propagation of a wavefront through a model, mapping it to a computational mesh that is interpolated when accuracy criteria based on paraxial ray methods are violated. Takeoff angles are used often to define the initial ray directions, but uniform sampling in the two angles leads to oversampling of the ray field in the direction of the axis. Such sampling can lead also to numerical instability associated with vanishing derivatives with respect to the azimuthal angle. We suggest a new wavefront mesh definition using the cubed-sphere mesh, which is a coordinate system used to solve partial differential equations in spherical geometries. When using this mesh, ray directions are assigned by mapping points on a regular discretization of the faces of a cube surrounding the source to corresponding rays. This scheme produces a nearly uniform distribution of rays with minimal effort and using the cubed-sphere coordinates as ray parameters to calculate partial derivatives completely eliminates the singularities that arise when takeoff angles are used as ray parameters. Numerical results for quantities related to seismic amplitudes confirm that this new mesh does provide more stable and reliable results.
Differential reduction to the pole: Revisited
Authors: Arkani-Hamed Jafar
Published: January 2007

Following a detailed investigation of the Fourier-domain differential reduction-to-the-pole (DRTP) algorithm I compared the results to those obtained using a space-domain reduction-to-the-pole algorithm. I demonstrate that DRTP reduces magnetic anomalies to the pole more effectively than the space-domain algorithm. The DRTP operator has singularities at the geomagnetic equator and enhances north-south trending features at low latitudes. The operator is modified by slightly increasing the inclination of the core field at low latitudes to suppress the singularity. This space-domain modification only affects the anomalies very close to the equator. The modified DRTP operator successfully reduces the magnetic anomalies at low latitudes to the pole. The effects of random noise added to the original magnetic anomalies are investigated in some detail, and an appropriate directional low-pass filter is used to remove the resulting enhanced noise in the reduced-to-the-pole magnetic anomalies. Very simple bodies (uniformly magnetized, cubic, or rectangular) are considered to clearly illustrate the effects of the DRTP, its modified version, and the directional low-pass filter.
Field tests of electroseismic hydrocarbon detection
Authors: Thompson A. H. , Hornbostel Scott , Burns Jim , Murray Tom , Raschke Robert , Wride John , McCammon Paul , Sumner John , Haake Greg , Bixby Mark , Ross Warren , White Benjamin S. , Zhou Minyao , Peczak Pawel
Published: January 2007

Geophysicists, looking for new exploration tools, have studied the coupling between seismic and electromagnetic waves in the near-surface since the 1930s. Our research explores the possibility that electromagnetic-to-seismic (ES) conversion is useful at greater depths. Field tests of ES conversion over gas sands and carbonate oil reservoirs succeeded in delineating known hydrocarbon accumulations from depths up to [Formula: see text]. This is the first observation of electromagnetic-to-seismic coupling from surface electrodes and geophones. Electrodes at the earth’s surface generate electric fields at the target and digital accelerometers detect the returning seismic wave. Conversion at depth is confirmed with hydrophones placed in wells. The gas sands yielded a linear ES response, as expected for electrokinetic energy conversion, and in qualitative agreement with numerical simulations. The carbonate oil reservoirs generate nonlinear conversions; a qualitatively new observation and a new probe of rock properties. The hard-rock results suggest applications in lithologies where seismic hydrocarbon indicators are weak. With greater effort, deeper penetration should be possible.
Fast location of seismicity: A migration-type approach with application to hydraulic-fracturing data
Authors: Rentsch S. , Buske S. , Lüth S. , Shapiro S. A.
Published: January 2007

We propose a new approach for the location of seismic sources using a technique inspired by Gaussian-beam migration of three-component data. This approach requires only the preliminary picking of time intervals around a detected event and is much less sensitive to the picking precision than standard location procedures. Furthermore, this approach is characterized by a high degree of automation. The polarization information of three-component data is estimated and used to perform initial-value ray tracing. By weighting the energy of the signal using Gaussian beams around these rays, the stacking is restricted to physically relevant regions only. Event locations correspond to regions of maximum energy in the resulting image. We have successfully applied the method to synthetic data examples with 20%–30% white noise and to real data of a hydraulic-fracturing experiment, where events with comparatively small magnitudes [Formula: see text] were recorded.
Cancer Care, Money, and the Value of Life: Whose Justice? Which Rationality?
Authors: Sulmasy Daniel P.
Published: January 2007

Cost-containment in oncology is a moral issue. While economists use the word “rationing” to describe all limitations on resource utilization that result from human choice, the ordinary language distinction between allocation and rationing is morally meaningful and can help oncologists to determine their proper moral role in cost-containment. It is argued that oncologists should not be required to ration at the bedside, nor should they be given financial incentives to practice frugally, nor should they be subjected to a variety of bureaucratic mechanisms to control costs indirectly. In addition, it is argued that the fact that treatments have a price does not logically imply that patients have a price. Cost-effectiveness analysis is often suggested as a means of deciding how best to allocate resources, but some of its many ethical limitations are discussed. The alternative is an open, public, participatory process about how to ration care, abandoning the formulaic pretenses of cost-effectiveness analysis, but with a commitment to reason, good will, and common sense. Oncologists would then be free to advocate for their patients within the constraints imposed by this public process.
Costs of Cancer Care: A View From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Authors: Bach Peter B.
Published: January 2007

Fee-for-service Medicare pays for a very substantial portion of all cancer care delivered in the United States. By virtue of its size and visibility, its payment policies at times also influence those of other health care payers. As a result, Medicare affects both the overall economics and the incentive structures of oncology care. Three aspects of how Medicare finances cancer care are particularly germane to the issue of costs. First, Medicare finances all aspects of cancer care in independent payment units, paying separately for physician services, laboratory tests, procedures, imaging, radiation, drug administration, and drugs. Second, Medicare is currently managing and monitoring a very substantial overhaul in payment for cancer care, which aims to reduce or eliminate incentives that have favored aggressive and costly treatments in clinical situations where alternative therapeutic approaches might have been equivalent or preferable. Third, Medicare is trying to increase the focus on care quality and transparency, as improved efficiency and greater value is needed if costs of care are to be contained. Understanding these three aspects of cancer care financing can help clarify what Medicare is capable of doing to control the rising costs that are occurring in cancer today.
Interpreting the Economic Literature in Oncology
Authors: Grusenmeyer Patrick A. , Wong Yu-Ning
Published: January 2007

New treatment options provide hope for patients with localized and advanced cancer. However, these advances are associated with cost, both in terms of treatment-related expenditures and effects on quality of life. It is important that patients, physicians, insurers, and policymakers understand the relationship between costs and outcomes of new cancer treatments. Various methods of cost analysis can provide a structured manner to assess cost. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) compares the cost of the intervention with the effect, resulting in a cost per effect (eg, cost per year of life gained) that can be compared across interventions. In this article, we review three recent CEAs in the oncology literature, including chemoprevention in breast cancer, adjuvant endocrine therapy in early-stage breast cancer, and salvage chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer. The important elements of CEA, including the recommendations of the US Public Health Service Panel on Cost Effectiveness in Health and Medicine as they relate to cancer treatments, are discussed. Many well-done CEAs in cancer treatment have been performed during the last decade. As with clinical trials, the rigor and methods of the analysis are critical to the reliability of the results. Therapies with high cost and small incremental improvement in survival and/or quality of life may find it difficult to meet the societal thresholds for what is considered cost effective. CEA is a method to assess the cost and effect of cancer treatments, providing important insights into the best use (ie, obtaining the most value for) of health care expenditures. As the literature indicates, one must be cognizant of the fact that there can be extraordinary costs associated with some newer cancer therapies that provide small incremental clinical benefit. Better understanding of the cancer economic literature can help lead to an informed dialogue on the health policy implications of resource allocation in cancer care.
Economics of New Oncology Drug Development
Authors: DiMasi Joseph A. , Grabowski Henry G.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Review existing studies and provide new results on the development, regulatory, and market aspects of new oncology drug development.

Methods

We utilized data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), company surveys, and publicly available commercial business intelligence databases on new oncology drugs approved in the United States and on investigational oncology drugs to estimate average development and regulatory approval times, clinical approval success rates, first-in-class status, and global market diffusion.

Results

We found that approved new oncology drugs to have a disproportionately high share of FDA priority review ratings, of orphan drug designations at approval, and of drugs that were granted inclusion in at least one of the FDA's expedited access programs. US regulatory approval times were shorter, on average, for oncology drugs (0.5 years), but US clinical development times were longer on average (1.5 years). Clinical approval success rates were similar for oncology and other drugs, but proportionately more of the oncology failures reached expensive late-stage clinical testing before being abandoned. In relation to other drugs, new oncology drug approvals were more often first-in-class and diffused more widely across important international markets.

Conclusion

The market success of oncology drugs has induced a substantial amount of investment in oncology drug development in the last decade or so. However, given the great need for further progress, the extent to which efforts to develop new oncology drugs will grow depends on future public-sector investment in basic research, developments in translational medicine, and regulatory reforms that advance drug-development science.
Prevention of Bone Loss in Survivors of Breast Cancer: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Greenspan Susan L. , Bhattacharya Rajib K. , Sereika Susan M. , Brufsky Adam , Vogel Victor G.
Published: January 2007

Background: Few data are available on the safety and efficacy of once-weekly oral bisphosphonate therapy in breast cancer survivors.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether risedronate, 35 mg weekly, is efficacious and safe in preventing bone loss associated with chemotherapy-induced menopause.

Design: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial over 12 months.

Setting and Participants: Participants included 87 newly postmenopausal women with status post chemotherapy, recruited from a breast cancer clinic in an academic medical center.

Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to receive risedronate 35 mg/wk or placebo.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes were the 12-month changes in spine and hip bone mineral density. Secondary outcomes included changes in markers of bone resorption (urine N-telopeptide cross-linked collagen type I) and formation (osteocalcin, N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase).

Results: After 12 months, bone mineral density increased by 1.2% at the spine and 1.3% at the hip in women on risedronate vs. significant decreases for women in the placebo group of 0.9% at the spine and 0.8% at the hip (P < 0.01, difference between groups). N-telopeptide cross-linked collagen type I, a marker of bone resorption, decreased by 19.3%, and N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen, a marker of bone formation, decreased by 26.6% in participants on active therapy compared with increases in the control group. Risedronate was well tolerated, and the retention rate was 95% at 1 yr.

Conclusions: Risedronate once weekly prevented bone loss and reduced bone turnover in women with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy. Early measures to prevent bone loss should be considered in this cohort of breast cancer survivors.
Approach to the Patient with Subclinical Hyperthyroidism
Authors: Cooper David S.
Published: January 2007

Endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism, defined by normal circulating levels of free T4 and T3 and low levels of TSH, is a common clinical entity and is typically caused by the same conditions that account for the majority of cases of overt hyperthyroidism: Graves’ disease, toxic multinodular goiter, and solitary autonomously functioning thyroid nodules. Subclinical hyperthyroidism has been associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation and mortality, decreased bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, and mild hyperthyroid symptoms. Treatment of subclinical hyperthyroidism remains controversial, given the lack of prospective randomized controlled trials showing clinical benefit with restoration of the euthyroid state. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to treat older individuals whose serum TSH levels are less than 0.1 mU/liter and certain high-risk patients, even when the serum TSH is between 0.1 and the lower limit of the normal range.
Queer Nahuatl: Sahagún's Faggots and Sodomites, Lesbians and Hermaphrodites
Authors: Sigal Pete
Published: January 2007

This article provides a method for interpreting the place of sexuality in texts that defy analysis. The author uses one source, the Florentine Codex, a large and complex bilingual Nahuatl and Spanish document, to decipher some elements about cross-dressing individuals, homosexualities, and gender inversions in Nahua society at the time of the Spanish conquest. The methodology used combines close narrative analysis with intellectual genealogy. The author argues that decoding the texts in this way allows us to uncover a cross-dressing male who engaged in “passive” homosexual acts and had a degraded but institutionalized role to play.
“Heran Todos Putos”: Sodomitical Subcultures and Disordered Desire in Early Colonial Mexico
Authors: Tortorici Zeb
Published: January 2007

This essay focuses on a 1604 document from Morelia's criminal archive dealing initially with the prosecution of two Purépecha men accused of committing sodomy in a temascal. Attention is paid to individual testimonies and details surrounding sexual acts between the men in the temascal and between other Purépecha men from Uruapan, Tzintzuntzan, and surrounding pueblos. This criminal case offers strong evidence that sodomitical subcultures—social networks of men who knew when and where to seek out sex with other men—existed outside of urban areas in colonial Mexico. The document further demonstrates how Spaniards conceptualized sodomy in the highly gendered terms of activity and passivity that suggested domination and submission, and how this model of male-male sexual relations is inadequate and problematic for understanding historical realities.
From Sodomy to Superstition: The Active Pathic and Bodily Transgressions in New Spain
Authors: Lewis Laura A.
Published: January 2007

Engaging primary documents and scholarly debates, this article examines an array of practices in colonial Mexico as it undertakes a discursive account of how gender ideologies informed the politics of discipline and a range of behaviors from atypical sexuality to cross-dressing and witchcraft. It speaks to a lived world set ambiguously between violations of social norms and the uncertainties of official culture as it examines these heterodox practices, especially as they relate to Indians.
Suppression of water loss during adult diapause in the northern house mosquito,Culex pipiens
Authors: Benoit Joshua B. , Denlinger David L.
Published: January 2007

One of the major challenges of overwintering in the mosquito, Culex pipiens, is prevention of dehydration. In this study, we compare the water balance requirements of nondiapausing and diapausing adult females of C. pipiens. Although their percentage water content is lower, diapausing females contain both higher initial and dry masses than nondiapausing individuals. Both nondiapausing and diapausing females tolerate a loss of up to 40% of their water mass before dying, but diapausing female C. pipiens reach this point after a longer period due to their lower rate of water loss. Males, which do not overwinter in diapause,showed no differences in their water balance characteristics when reared under diapausing or nondiapausing conditions. Likewise, no changes were noted in the water balance of pupae, indicating that diapause-related changes do not occur prior to adult eclosion. This mosquito does not replenish internal water stores by generating metabolic water or by absorbing vapor from the atmosphere, but instead relies on drinking liquid water (or blood feeding in the case of nondiapausing females). The critical transition temperature, a point where water loss increases rapidly with temperature, was the highest for females, then males, then pupae, but was not influenced by the diapause program. Females in diapause did not utilize common polyols (glycerol,trehalose and sorbitol) to retain water, but instead the presence of twice the amount of cuticular hydrocarbons in diapausing compared with nondiapausing females suggests that the deposition of hydrocarbons contribute to the reduced rates of water loss. The laboratory results were also verified in field-collected specimens: mosquitoes in the late fall and winter had a lower percentage water content and water loss rate, higher initial mass, dry mass and more cuticular hydrocarbons than individuals collected during the summer. Thus, the major features of diapause that contribute to the suppression of water loss are the large size of diapausing females (reduction of surface area to volume ratio lowers cuticular water loss), their low metabolic rate and the deposition of extra cuticular hydrocarbons.
Experimental study of coordination patterns during unsteady locomotion in mammals
Authors: Abourachid Anick , Herbin Marc , Hackert Rémi , Maes Ludovic , Martin Véronique
Published: January 2007

A framework to study interlimb coordination, which allowed the analysis of all the symmetrical and asymmetrical gaits, was recently proposed. It suggests that gait depends on a common basic pattern controlling the coordination of the forelimbs (fore lag, FL), the coordination of the hindlimbs (hind lag, HL)and the relationship between these two pairs of limbs (pair lag, PL) in an anteroposterior sequence of movement (APS). These three time parameters are sufficient for identifying all steady gaits. We assumed in this work that this same framework could also be used to study non-steady locomotion, particularly the transitions between symmetrical and asymmetrical gaits. Moreover, as the limbs are coordinated in time and also in space during locomotion, we associated three analogous space parameters (fore gap, FG; hind gap, HG and pair gap, PG) to the three time parameters. We studied the interlimb coordination of dogs and cats moving on a runway with a symmetrical gait. In the middle of the runway, the gait was disturbed by an obstacle, and the animal had to change to an asymmetrical coordination to get over it. The time(FL, HL, PL) and space (FG, HG, PG) parameters of each sequence of the trials were calculated. The results demonstrated that the APS method allows quantification of the interlimb coordination during the symmetrical and asymmetrical phases and during the transition between them, in both dogs and cats. The space and time parameters make it possible to link the timing and the spacing of the footfalls, and to quantify the spatiotemporal dimension of gaits in different mammals. The slight differences observed between dogs and cats could reflect their morphological differences. The APS method could thus be used to understand the implication of morphology in interlimb coordination. All these results are consistent with current knowledge in biomechanics and neurobiology, therefore the APS reflects the actual biological functioning of quadrupedal interlimb coordination.