bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finasteride Does Not Increase the Risk of High-Grade Prostate Cancer: A Bias-Adjusted Modeling Approach
Authors: Redman Mary W. , Tangen Catherine M. , Goodman Phyllis J. , Lucia M. Scott , Coltman Charles A. , Thompson Ian M.
Published: May 2008

Finasteride taken for 7 years in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) reduced the risk of prostate cancer by 25%, but with an apparent increased risk of high-grade disease. Subsequent analyses found that finasteride biases toward improved prostate cancer detection and accuracy in prostate cancer grading at biopsy. In our first analysis of the present study, we accounted for these biases in estimating the effect of finasteride on the risk of overall and high-grade prostate cancer. This analysis used PCPT data that included 3-month longer collection of endpoints than in the original report with observed prostate cancer rates of 22.9% (4.8% with high grade; placebo) versus 16.6% (5.8% with high grade; finasteride). Based on these updated results, the bias-adjusted prostate cancer rates are estimated to be 21.1% (4.2% high grade; placebo) and 14.7% (4.8% high grade; finasteride), a 30% risk reduction in prostate cancer [relative risk (RR), 0.70; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.64-0.76; P < 0.0001] and a nonsignificant 14% increase in high-grade cancer (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.96-1.35; P = 0.12) with finasteride. We then estimated rates of high-grade prostate cancer based on an analysis that incorporated grading information from radical prostatectomies in 500 subjects diagnosed with cancer. The resulting estimates were high-grade cancer rates of 8.2% (placebo) versus 6.0% (finasteride), a 27% risk reduction (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.96; P = 0.02) with finasteride. Our third analysis examined the impact of biopsy sensitivity on the relative risk of high-grade prostate cancer and found that differential sensitivity of biopsy between the treatment arms can have a significant impact on risk ratio estimates. These collective results suggest that the observed, unadjusted higher risk of high-grade disease with finasteride seems to have been due to facilitated diagnosis resulting primarily from increased biopsy sensitivity with finasteride. Therefore, men undergoing regular prostate cancer screening or who express an interest in cancer prevention should be informed of the opportunity to take finasteride for preventing prostate cancer.
Effect of High Fiber Density Ratio Polysulfone Dialyzer on Protein Removal
Authors: Tomo Tadashi , Matsuyama Makoto , Nakata Takeshi , Kadota Jun-ichi , Toma Shigeki , Koga Nobuhiko , Fukui Hiroyoshi , Arizono Kenji , Takamiya Tomi , Matsuyama Kazuhiro , Ueyama Satonori , Shiohira Yoshiki , Uezu Yoshinao , Higa Akira
Published: May 2008

Background/Aims: A dialyzer (APS-EX) with a higher hollow fiber density ratio was manufactured using the highest performance polysulfone hollow fiber from Asahi-Kasei Medical. Methods: We compared the performance of this device in comparison with hemodialysis (HD; APS-S) and hemodiafiltration (HDF) conditions (APS-S, 10 l post-HDF) to evaluate its merit as an internal filtration-enhanced dialyzer. Results: With low molecular weight proteins, APS-EX had a reduction ratio of 74.3% for β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), and 31.0% for α1-MG. APS-EX had a significant higher removal amount of α1-MG compared to APS-S (HDF). Significant differences were seen in albumin loss, 4.0 g for APS-EX, 3.0 g for APS-S (HDF), and 0.9 g for APS-S (HD). Using HD mode, APS-EX demonstrated a performance which was more than equivalent to approximately 10 l post-HDF. Conclusions: The results suggested the possibility that HD equivalent to HDF can be performed safely with the ultrapure dialysate when using APS-EX with internal filtration.
Human Chitotriosidase: A Potential New Marker of Sarcoidosis Severity
Authors: Bargagli Elena , Maggiorelli Claudia , Rottoli Paola
Published: May 2008

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology. The unpredictable clinical course of the disease has prompted research into biomarkers useful for predicting outcome. Among the potential markers of sarcoidosis, a recently proposed indicator was chitotriosidase, a chitinase produced by activated macrophages. Chitotriosidase is involved in the defense against pathogens containing chitin. Increased concentrations of chitotriosidase have been observed in a number of lysosomal storage diseases including Gaucher disease and more recently also in sarcoidosis. In 2004, significantly higher serum chitotriosidase activity was reported for the first time in sarcoidosis patients with respect to controls (p < 0.01); a similar increase was subsequently observed in bronchoalveolar lavage of these patients. In 2007, an increase in enzyme activity was described in juvenile sarcoidosis. Chitotriosidase activity was found to be correlated with angiotensin-converting enzyme levels in serum, radiological stages and quantitative high-resonance CT score for sarcoidosis, suggesting that this enzyme could be a potential marker of disease severity worthy of further study. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this marker, further analysis was done in other granulomatous and diffuse lung diseases. Here, we review the principal literature and the recent evidence of chitotriosidase as a possible marker of sarcoidosis.
Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations and Migraine: A New Vision
Authors: Post M.C. , van Gent M.W.F. , Snijder R.J. , Mager J.J. , Schonewille W.J. , Plokker H.W.M. , Westermann C.J.J.
Published: May 2008

Migraine is a common neurological disorder with a great impact on the quality of life and social activities. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are mostly congenital, with a prevalence of 5–50% in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). A high prevalence of PAVMs is found in patients with HHT and migraine. Embolization of PAVMs seems to decrease the prevalence of migraine. Different pathophysiological hypotheses have been proposed to explain the association between migraine and the different right-to-left shunts. This review article describes the association between a pulmonary right-to-left shunt and the occurrence of migraine.
Assignment of the human α-tropomyosin gene TPM4 to band 19p13.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization
Authors: Wilton SD. , Lim L. , Dorosz S.D. , Gunn H.C. , Eyre H.J. , Callen D.F. , Laing N.G.
Published: May 2008

Sequence-tagged sites (STSs) were developed for the human α-tropomyosin gene TPM4. One STS was used to amplify DNA from somatic cell hybrids to localize TPM4 to chromosome 19. The other, a product from a long-range PCR, was used directly as a probe to refine the localization of TPM4 to 19p13.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosome spreads.
Differences in the distribution and nature of the interstitial telomeric (TTAGGG)n sequences in the chromosomes of the Giraffidae, okapi (Okapia johnstoni), and giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis): evidence for ancestral telomeres at the okapi polymorphic rob(4;26) fusion site
Authors: Vermeesch J.R. , De Meurichy W. , Van Den Berghe H. , Marynen P. , Petit P.
Published: May 2008

Intrachromosomal telomeric sequences (TTAGGG)n were analyzed in the two members of the family Giraffidae, the giraffe and the okapi. The giraffe has a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 30, whereas the okapi chromosome number varies from 2n = 46 to 2n = 45 and 2n = 44 due to a “recent” Robertsonian fusion event. The interstitial telomeres that we detected in these species are of two types: (1) In the okapi, a long interstitial telomeric element is present at the fusion site of the rob(4;26). The nature of this interstitial telomeric element suggests that it is a remnant of the telomeres of the ancestral chromosomes that participated in the fusion event. (2) In the giraffe, short stretches or degenerate telomeric sequences which are part of the satellite DNA are present at intrachromosomal sites. The results of this study provide insights into the origin of interstitial telomeric sequences in the Giraffidae.
Analysis of constitutive heterochromatin by fluorochromes and in situ digestion with restriction enzymes in species of the group Callithrix argentata (Callitrichidae, Primates)
Authors: Pieczarka J.C. , Nagamachi C.Y. , Barros R.M.S. , Mattevi M.S.
Published: May 2008

The karyotypes of the species belonging to the group Callithrix argentata (Callitrichidae, Platyrrhini) are characterized by large amounts of distal constitutive heterochromatin (CH). The CH of the species C. argentata, C. humeralifera and C. emiliae was analyzed by banding with the restriction enzymes HinfI, MboI, AluI, RsaI, DdeI, HaeIII and MspI, as well as the fluorochromes CMA3 and DAPI. The results obtained permitted us to classify the CH of these species into three distinct types: 1) distal CH with a homogeneous response to enzymatic action, which was unchanged (HinfI, MboI, AluI, Haelll), partially digested (DdeI) or fully digested (RsaI), being CMA3+, DAPI-; 2) centromeric CH, generally presenting a reduced band size. The varying extent of reduction, ranging from none to total, and also the variation of fiuorochrome staining indicates that there is heterogeneity in this type of CH; 3) CH of the distal portion of the X chromosome of C argentata and of the Y chromosome was CMA3 – and unchanged by the enzymes, except for Rsal, which caused a reduction in size. MspIwas the only enzyme unable to induce bands. Sequential C-banding permitted us to perceive banding variations that could not be observed simply by RE banding.
Ordering of the human regulator of complement activation gene cluster on 1q32 by two-colour FISH
Authors: Pardo-Manuel de Villena F. , Heine-Suñer D. , Rodriguez de Cordoba S.
Published: May 2008

The regulator of complement activation (RCA) gene cluster and PTPRC and REN genes have been mapped to the 1q31→q32 band interval. We have used two-colour in situ hybridization to determine the chromosomal position of these genes. We report here that HF1/F13B are proximal to the C4BP/MCP genes. We also propose that PTPRC and REN genes map to a region of the RCA gene cluster between the HF1/F13B and C4BP/MCP regions. In summary, we propose the following gene order: centromere-HF1/F13B-PTPRC-REN-C4BP/MCP-telomere.
Hierarchical Self-Organization in the Finitary Process Soup
Authors: Görnerup Olof , Crutchfield James P.
Published: May 2008

Current analyses of genomes from numerous species show that the diversity of their functional and behavioral characters is not proportional to the number of genes that encode the organism. We investigate the hypothesis that the diversity of organismal character is due to hierarchical organization. We do this with the recently introduced model of the finitary process soup, which allows for a detailed mathematical and quantitative analysis of the population dynamics of structural complexity. Here we show that global complexity in the finitary process soup is due to the emergence of successively higher levels of organization, that the hierarchical structure appears spontaneously, and that the process of structural innovation is facilitated by the discovery and maintenance of relatively noncomplex, but general, individuals in a population.
The Emergence of Overlapping Scale-free Genetic Architecture in Digital Organisms
Authors: Gerlee P. , Lundh T.
Published: May 2008

We have studied the evolution of genetic architecture in digital organisms and found that the gene overlap follows a scale-free distribution, which is commonly found in metabolic networks of many organisms. Our results show that the slope of the scale-free distribution depends on the mutation rate and that the gene development is driven by expansion of already existing genes, which is in direct correspondence to the preferential growth algorithm that gives rise to scale-free networks. To further validate our results we have constructed a simple model of gene development, which recapitulates the results from the evolutionary process and shows that the mutation rate affects the tendency of genes to cluster. In addition we could relate the slope of the scale-free distribution to the genetic complexity of the organisms and show that a high mutation rate gives rise to a more complex genetic architecture.
Natural or Internal Selection? The Case of Canalization in Complex Evolutionary Systems
Authors: Riegler Alexander
Published: May 2008

Using biological examples and theoretical arguments, the case is presented for extending the notion of natural selection to include internal selection in order to account for the evolution of complex systems. It is suggested that we take into consideration internal factors that arise from the hierarchical dynamics of complex systems. In addition to environmental selection, it is argued, decisive constraints are created by the system itself. Canalization is shown to be an indispensable ingredient for evolutionary processes in both biological and artificial complex systems. In artificial life systems canalization is not only an instrument for controlling complexity, it also increases the speed and stability of evolutionary processes.
Issues and Strategies for Outer Continental Shelf Claims
Authors: Rothwell Donald R.
Published: May 2008

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS or the Commission) is a specialist body with a limited mandate with the potential to have a significant impact upon the dynamic of the law of the sea in coming decades as more coastal States seek to claim outer continental shelves (OCS). By the end of 2007, the Commission had received nine submissions but made only three recommendations. Many coastal States will be lodging OCS submissions in the coming years, raising issues as to the Commission's workload and capacity to efficiently consider each submission. Coastal States need to be mindful not only of the legal but also of the practical and strategic issues that are emerging in OCS submissions, including how many of them can meet the May 2009 submission cut-off. Making a partial OCS claim may be one approach. A review is undertaken of relevant State and Commission practice to date.
Light Reflection from Water Waves: Suitable Setup for a Polarimetric Investigation under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
Authors: Ottaviani Matteo , Stamnes Knut , Koskulics Jeff , Eide Hans , Long Steven R. , Su Wenying , Wiscombe Warren
Published: May 2008

The reflection of sunlight from a wavy water surface, often referred to as sun glint, is a well-known phenomenon that presents challenges but also hitherto untapped opportunities in remote sensing based on satellite imagery. Despite being extensively investigated in the open ocean, sun glint lacks a fundamental characterization obtained under controlled laboratory conditions. A novel apparatus is presented, which is suitable for highly time-resolved measurements of light reflection from different computer-controlled wave states, with special emphasis on the detection of the polarization components. Such a system can help establish a link between the evanescent “atomic glints” from a single wave facet and the familiar sunglint pattern obtained by time averaging over a surface area containing many facets.
Comparative Studies for the Assessment of the Quality of Near-Real-Time GPS-Derived Atmospheric Parameters
Authors: Pacione R. , Vespe F.
Published: May 2008

Accurate and frequent sampling of atmospheric parameters, such as water vapor, is important for enabling reliable weather forecasts and global climate studies over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Recent developments in global positioning system data processing have allowed the estimation of zenith total delay (ZTD), the delay of the neutral atmosphere, with a high degree of accuracy using continuously operating GPS networks. From this delay integrated water vapor can be derived by means of additional meteorological information, in particular observed pressure or numerical weather prediction model pressure. Comparisons with other independent techniques must be performed to evaluate the quality of atmospheric parameters directly estimated or retrieved from the GPS system. In this work the accuracy of GPS atmospheric parameter, namely, zenith total delay, delivered in near–real time from a European ground-based network of permanent GPS receivers has been assessed. It is compared to other GPS solutions, radiosonde profiles, and High-Resolution Limited-Area Model (HIRLAM)-derived ZTD. Intercomparisons between results from different GPS analysis centers in the framework of the Targeting Optimal Use of GPS Humidity Measurements in Meteorology (TOUGH) project show a mean ZTD station bias at the level of ±6 mm with a related standard deviation of about 7–8 mm. In the comparison with radiosondes, an overall ZTD bias of about 7 mm with a standard deviation of 9 mm is detected. Finally, the comparison of ZTD near–real time against the HIRLAM models has an average bias of about −4.8 mm and a standard deviation of 11.5 mm.
Microphysical Retrievals from Dual-Polarization Radar Measurements at X Band
Authors: Gorgucci Eugenio , Chandrasekar V. , Baldini Luca
Published: May 2008

The recent advances in attenuation correction methodology are based on the use of a constraint represented by the total amount of the attenuation encountered along the path shared over each range bin in the path. This technique is improved by using the inner self-consistency of radar measurements. The full self-consistency methodology provides an optimization procedure for obtaining the best estimate of specific and cumulative attenuation and specific and cumulative differential attenuation.

The main goal of the study is to examine drop size distribution (DSD) retrieval from X-band radar measurements after attenuation correction. A new technique for estimating the slope of a linear axis ratio model from polarimetric radar measurements at attenuated frequencies is envisioned. A new set of improved algorithms immune to variability in the raindrop shape–size relation are presented for the estimation of the governing parameters characterizing a gamma raindrop size distribution.

Simulations based on the use of profiles of gamma drop size distribution parameters obtained from S-band observations are used for quantitative analysis. Radar data collected by the NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) X-band polarimetric radar are used to provide examples of the DSD parameter retrievals using attenuation-corrected radar measurements. Retrievals agree fairly well with disdrometer data. The radar data are also used to observe the prevailing shape of raindrops directly from the radar measurements. A significant result is that oblateness of drops is bounded between the two shape models of Pruppacher and Beard, and Beard and Chuang, the former representing the upper boundary and the latter the lower boundary.
A New Method for Measuring Flow Structure in the Benthic Boundary Layer Using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter
Authors: Inoue Tetsunori , Nakamura Yoshiyuki , Sayama Mikio
Published: May 2008

A new system for precise measurement of vertical profiles of mean and turbulent flow structure immediately above the sediment–water interface is introduced. This system has an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) attached to an elevation system to allow for the precise measurement of the vertical profiles of three-component velocities in the range of 0.1–27 cm above the sediment surface in the field. This system enables an onboard operator to accurately measure height and move the ADV vertically to any point. The system was applied to in situ measurements of velocity profiles immediately above the sediment. The shear velocity, Reynolds stress value, roughness height, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation rate of turbulent energy were calculated and compared with often-cited values. The results showed the same flow properties as those from laboratory experiments and literature values. The advantages and disadvantages of the system are discussed.
A Monthly Upper-Air Dataset for North America Back to 1922 from the Monthly Weather Review
Authors: Ewen Tracy , Grant Andrea , Brönnimann Stefan
Published: May 2008

Upper-air observations with kites, aircraft, and radiosondes were performed in the United States operationally since the 1890s. In this paper, the authors present a reevaluation of newly digitized monthly mean values from the Monthly Weather Review back to 1922. Data from 46 U.S. weather stations are presented with a focus on early kite and aircraft observations during the 1922–38 period. A quality assessment of the data, based on reconstructed reference series, is carried out and the quality of the monthly mean data is found to be sufficient for analysis of variability in upper-level circulation. Anomalies of upper-level temperatures from the reevaluated station data, together with surface fields, are shown for selected periods.
Assimilation of MODIS Cloud Optical Depths in the ECMWF Model
Authors: Benedetti Angela , Janisková Marta
Published: May 2008

At the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), a large effort has recently been devoted to define and implement moist physics schemes for variational assimilation of rain- and cloud-affected brightness temperatures. This study expands on the current application of the new linearized moist physics schemes to assimilate cloud optical depths retrieved from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua platform for the first time in the ECMWF operational four-dimensional assimilation system. Model optical depths are functions of ice water and liquid water contents through established parameterizations. Linearized cloud schemes in turn link these cloud variables with temperature and humidity. A bias correction is applied to the optical depths to minimize the differences between model and observations. The control variables in the assimilation are temperature, humidity, winds, and surface pressure. One-month assimilation experiments for April 2006 demonstrated an impact of the assimilated MODIS cloud optical depths on the model fields, particularly temperature and humidity. Comparison with independent observations indicates a positive effect of the cloud information assimilated into the model, especially on the amount and distribution of the ice water content. The impact of the cloud assimilation on the medium-range forecast is neutral to slightly positive. Most importantly, this study demonstrates that global assimilation of cloud observations in ECMWF four-dimensional variational assimilation system (4DVAR) is technically doable but a continued research effort is necessary to achieve clear positive impacts with such data.
Computationally Efficient Spatial Forecast Verification Using Baddeley’s Delta Image Metric
Authors: Gilleland Eric , Lee Thomas C. M. , Halley Gotway John , Bullock R. G. , Brown Barbara G.
Published: May 2008

An important focus of research in the forecast verification community is the development of alternative verification approaches for quantitative precipitation forecasts, as well as for other spatial forecasts. The need for information that is meaningful in an operational context and the importance of capturing the specific sources of forecast error at varying spatial scales are two primary motivating factors. In this paper, features of precipitation as identified by a convolution threshold technique are merged within fields and matched across fields in an automatic and computationally efficient manner using Baddeley’s metric for binary images.

The method is carried out on 100 test cases, and 4 representative cases are shown in detail. Results of merging and matching objects are generally positive in that they are consistent with how a subjective observer might merge and match features. The results further suggest that the Baddeley metric may be useful as a computationally efficient summary metric giving information about location, shape, and size differences of individual features, which could be employed for other spatial forecast verification methods.
A Local Ensemble Prediction System for Fog and Low Clouds: Construction, Bayesian Model Averaging Calibration, and Validation
Authors: Roquelaure Stevie , Bergot Thierry
Published: May 2008

At main international airports, air traffic safety and economic issues related to poor visibility conditions are crucial. Meteorologists face the challenge of supplying airport authorities with accurate forecasts of fog and cloud ceiling. These events are difficult to forecast because conditions evolve on short space and time scales during their life cycle. To obtain accurate forecasts of fog and low clouds, the Code de Brouillard à l’Echelle Locale (the local scale fog code)–Interactions between Soil, Biosphere, and Atmosphere (COBEL–ISBA) local numerical forecast system was implemented at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. However, even with dedicated observations and initialization, uncertainties remain in both initial conditions and mesoscale forcings. A local ensemble prediction system (LEPS) has been designed around the COBEL–ISBA numerical model and tested to assess the predictability of low visibility procedures events, defined as a visibility less than 600 m and/or a ceiling below 60 m. This work describes and evaluates a local ensemble strategy for the prediction of low visibility procedures. A Bayesian model averaging method has been applied to calibrate the ensemble. The study shows that the use of LEPS for specific local event prediction is well adapted and useful for low visibility prediction in the aeronautic context. Moreover, a wide range of users, especially those with low cost–loss ratios, can expect economic savings with the use of this probabilistic system.
The Equatorial Pacific Cold Tongue Bias in a Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Misra Vasubandhu , Marx L. , Brunke M. , Zeng X.
Published: May 2008

A set of multidecadal coupled ocean–atmosphere model integrations are conducted with different time steps for coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean. It is shown that the mean state of the equatorial Pacific does not change in a statistically significant manner when the coupling interval between the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) and the ocean general circulation model (OGCM) is changed from 1 day to 2 or even 3 days. It is argued that because the coarse resolution of the AGCM precludes resolving realistic “weather” events, changing the coupling interval from 1 day to 2 or 3 days has very little impact on the mean coupled climate.

On the other hand, reducing the coupling interval to 3 h had a much stronger impact on the mean state of the equatorial Pacific and the concomitant general circulation. A novel experiment that incorporates a (pseudo) interaction of the atmosphere with SST at every time step of the AGCM was also conducted. In this unique coupled model experiment, the AGCM at every time step mutually interacts with the skin SST. This skin SST is anchored to the bulk SST, which is updated from the OGCM once a day. Both of these experiments reduced the cold tongue bias moderately over the equatorial Pacific Ocean with a corresponding reduction in the easterly wind stress bias relative to the control integration. It is stressed from the results of these model experiments that the impact of high-frequency air–sea coupling is significant on the cold tongue bias.

The interannual variation of the equatorial Pacific was less sensitive to the coupling time step between the AGCM and the OGCM. Increasing (reducing) the coupling interval of the air–sea interaction had the effect of weakening (marginally strengthening) the interannual variations of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

It is argued that the low-frequency response of the upper ocean, including the cold tongue bias, is modulated by the atmospheric stochastic forcing on the coupled ocean–atmosphere system. This effect of the atmospheric stochastic forcing is affected by the frequency of the air–sea coupling and is found to be stronger than the rectification effect of the diurnal variations of the air–sea interaction on the low frequency. This may be a result of a limitation in the coupled model used in this study in which the OGCM has an inadequate vertical resolution in the mixed layer to sustain diurnal variations in the upper ocean.
Deep Atmospheric Response to the North Pacific Oceanic Subtropical Front in Spring
Authors: Kobashi Fumiaki , Xie Shang-Ping , Iwasaka Naoto , Sakamoto Takashi T.
Published: May 2008

The North Pacific subtropical front (STF) is a zone of high sea surface temperature (SST) gradients located around 25°N in the western basin and is most pronounced in spring. The STF’s atmospheric effects are investigated using satellite observations and an atmospheric reanalysis. During April–May along the STF, surface wind stress curl turns weakly cyclonic in the general background of anticyclonic curls. Atmospheric column-integrated water vapor displays a pronounced meridional maximum along this surface trough, suggesting a deep vertical structure. Cyclonic wind curls occur intermittently at intervals of a few days along the STF in subsynoptic low pressure systems accompanying larger, synoptic highs in the main storm track to the north. In the subsynoptic surface lows, convective rain takes place with deep upward motion moistening the entire troposphere. The lows are enhanced by condensational heating, leading to the formation of weak cyclonic wind curls. The lows display vertical structure characteristic of baroclinic instability, suggesting that they are triggered by the passage of synoptic migratory highs and grow on the baroclinicity anchored by the SST front. The cyclonic wind curls appear to be related to a cloud/rainband associated with the so-called pre-baiu/meiyu front in May.
Retrospective Analysis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection in Pediatric Fatal Pneumonia in Guangzhou, South China
Authors: Ou Zhi-Ying , Zhou Rong , Wang Feng-Hua , Lu Jun-Peng , Xia Jian-Qing , Xia Hui-Min , Zhang Jian-Tao , Gong Si-Tang , Deng Li , Wu Zao-He , Zeng Qi-Yi
Published: May 2008

The objective of this study is to investigate the infection and distribution of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in autopsied pulmonary tissue of pediatric severe pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae nested polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were done on autopsy pulmonary tissue from 173 patients who died of severe pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was identified in 135/173 (78.03%) and 114/173 (65.89%) samples of autopsied pulmonary tissue of lethal severe pneumonia via nested polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The coincidence of both assays was 92.4%. Mycoplasma pneumoniae associated fatal pneumonia has showed an increasing trend from 1988 to 2005 in South China, and the fatality rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae associated fatal pneumonia in infants, 1 to 12 months, has risen to 66.9% (97/145). Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant cause of severe pneumonia, it is a universal event in infants, and children have died of severe pneumonia in South China. Myco plasma pneumoniae might be an important pathogen responsible for fatal pneumonia in Guangzhou area, South China.
The later Foucault in organization and management studies
Authors: Barratt Edward
Published: May 2008

This article reviews the use of the later Foucault in organization and management studies. Offering an evaluation of readings of the later writing, we comment on arguments for re-focusing on genealogical criticism, for an alternative Foucauldian politics of the workplace and a form of practical criticism sometimes derived from the later writing. A key aim is to attempt to open up new directions for critical inquiry drawing on other ways of reading Foucault. If genealogy is to be installed as a vital resource for critique, there appears to be a need for renewal. On the question of political alternatives, we comment on the ambiguities and silences — especially the historical silences — of the later Foucault's interpreters. A style of practical criticism inferred from readings of the later writing should not, we suggest, be accepted without qualification.
Re-readings of the Algerian War during the US `war on terror'
Authors: Kemp Matthew A.
Published: May 2008

In the light of the Iraq insurgency and the revelations of torture by American soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison, an increasing volume of academic and media commentary has drawn parallels between France's experience during the Algerian War (1954—62), and the current situation facing the United States in Iraq and in its broader `war on terror'. It has been argued that the Algerian War — now viewed by most as a catastrophe which has left an indelible scar on the French national psyche — provides a useful template for understanding the tactical and ideological flaws of the Bush administration today. The aim of this article is twofold: firstly to analyse the main contours of the Algerian War/`war on terror' parallel as it has been debated in academic and media circles, and secondly to examine an aspect of this debate which has attracted less direct scholarly attention, namely the respective attitudes of the French and US governments towards these parallels.
Persisting Inequalities
Authors: Bühler-Niederberger Doris , van Krieken Robert
Published: May 2008

This article analyses the central themes running through the collection of papers in this special issue of Childhood, which were all given as papers at the XVI Durban World Congress of Sociology, 23—29 July 2006. These themes encompass the ways in which global processes of social change combining modernity with tradition have become important for both the perception of childhood and for childrens real lives. They also include the ways in which those processes intertwined with social inequalities — of gender, generation and socioeconomic status — among children and between children and other age groups. The article goes on to provide an outline of the ways in which more general theoretical concerns in the sociology of childhood globally are related to local situations, to a variety of practical settings, to the conceptual concerns in different sociological fields and other social science disciplines in South Africa, Ethiopia, Taiwan, Germany, Sweden, and Italy.
Glaciar León, Chilean Patagonia: late-Holocene chronology and geomorphology
Authors: Harrison Stephan , Glasser Neil , Winchester Vanessa , Haresign Eleanor , Warren Charles , Duller Geoff A.T. , Bailey Richard , Ivy-Ochs Susan , Jansson Krister , Kubik Peter
Published: May 2008

Glaciar León is a temperate, grounded outlet of the eastern North Patagonian Icefield (NPI). It terminates at an active calving margin in Lago Leones, a 10 km long proglacial lake. We take a multidisciplinary approach to its description and use ASTER imagery and clast sedimentology to describe the geomorphology of the glacier and its associated moraines. We date periods of glacier retreat over the last 2500 years using a combination of lichenometric, dendrochronological, cosmogenic and optically stimulated luminescence techniques and show that the glacier receded from a large terminal moraine complex some 2500 years ago and underwent further significant recession from nineteenth-century moraine limits. The moraine dates indicate varying retreat rates, in conjunction with significant downwasting. The bathymetry of Lago Leones is characterized by distinct ridges interpreted as moraine ridges that dissect the lake into several basins, with water depths reaching 360 m. The fluctuations of Glaciar León appear to have been controlled by the interplay between climatic forcing and calving dynamics.
Sex hormones and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Petri M
Published: May 2008

Abstract

The role of estrogen, prolactin, pregnancy and androgen (including DHEA) in SLE is reviewed. A comlex interaction of multiple sex hormones is involved in SLE.
Cultural Aspects of the Puerto Rican Cancer Experience: The Mother as the Main Protagonist
Authors: Rivero-Vergne Alicia , Berrios Reinaldo , Romero Ivonne
Published: May 2008

Pediatric cancer survivors are a growing group whose needs extend to multiple contexts and systems. Most studies dealing with the emotional sequelae of childhood cancer have neglected patients' and parents' perspectives. Few have dealt with issues faced by the treatment team. Our research constitutes the first attempt to gather a collective view of such experience in Puerto Rico. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients, their mothers, and their oncology treatment team (18) at a children's hospital in Puerto Rico. Analysis followed the model proposed by Strauss and Corbin. In this article, findings directly associated with the cultural aspects of the Puerto Rican cancer experience are presented, including the mother's role—devotion and abandonment; the father's role—masculine vulnerability; and the family paradox. Mothers' protagonism was the central theme that emerged from these three categories.
The Quality of Community Reintegration Planning for Child Molesters
Authors: Willis Gwenda M. , Grace Randolph C.
Published: May 2008

Research on the causal factors underlying sex offender recidivism has not considered the success or failure of the reintegration process by which the offender rejoins the community after prison. The authors developed a coding protocol to measure the quality and comprehensiveness of reintegration planning for sex offenders. The protocol was retrospectively applied to groups of recidivists and nonrecidivists who were matched on static risk level and follow-up time. The protocol demonstrated adequate reliability. Compared to nonrecidivists, recidivists had significantly lower scores relating to accommodation, employment, and the Good Lives Model secondary goods, as well as lower total reintegration plan scores. ANCOVAs showed that when IQ and level of sexual deviance were controlled for, accommodation (a place to live) was significantly related to sexual recidivism and the Good Lives Model—secondary goods was significantly related to any recidivism. These results suggest that poor reintegration planning may be a risk factor for recidivism.
Scaffolding Strategies During Repeated Storybook Reading
Authors: Bellon-Harn Monica L. , Harn William E.
Published: May 2008

Adult scaffolding during repeated storybook reading was developed for children who use speech as their primary expressive modality, but through the use of augmentative and alternative communication, it has been extended to children who do not have functional, intelligible speech. Scaffolding strategies during repeated storybook reading and during repeated storybook reading plus augmentative and alternative communication were compared for a child with severe speech and language impairments. Although the overall number of utterances was greater during the augmentative and alternative communication condition, increases in phonological complexity occurred in both contexts because of adult scaffolding. Mean length of utterance, child initiations, correct responses to wh-questions, off-topic utterances, and repetition of adult models did not differ between the two conditions. Clinical implications are discussed.
Opening the Black Box — Mobilizing Practical Knowledge in Social Research
Authors: Kjørstad Monica
Published: May 2008

Based on an empirical study of social workers' implementation of a workfare policy in Norway and on contemporary literature, the article focuses on the development of knowledge in social work and on the interplay between practice-based and research-based knowledge. The interaction between practitioners and researchers seldom seems to be a partnership with a shared agenda for the production of knowledge, and it is demonstrated how a more constructive cooperation and dialogue might be developed. A main proposition of the article is that it is necessary to understand the generative processes that determine whether a specific practice is successful or not. Through dialogue between the social worker in the field and the researcher, combining theory and everyday knowledge, the latent and hidden mechanisms that are decisive for the outcome of social work practice may be revealed.
The repertoire of G protein-coupled receptors in the sea squirt Ciona intestinalis
Authors: Kamesh N , Aradhyam Gopala K , Manoj Narayanan
Published: May 2008

Background

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a large family of integral transmembrane receptor proteins that play a central role in signal transduction in eukaryotes. The genome of the protochordate Ciona intestinalis has a compact size with an ancestral complement of many diversified gene families of vertebrates and is a good model system for studying protochordate to vertebrate diversification. An analysis of the Ciona repertoire of GPCRs from a comparative genomic perspective provides insight into the evolutionary origins of the GPCR signalling system in vertebrates.

Results

We have identified 169 gene products in the Ciona genome that code for putative GPCRs. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that Ciona GPCRs have homologous representatives from the five major GRAFS (Glutamate, Rhodopsin, Adhesion, Frizzled and Secretin) families concomitant with other vertebrate GPCR repertoires. Nearly 39% of Ciona GPCRs have unambiguous orthologs of vertebrate GPCR families, as defined for the human, mouse, puffer fish and chicken genomes. The Rhodopsin family accounts for ~68% of the Ciona GPCR repertoire wherein the LGR-like subfamily exhibits a lineage specific gene expansion of a group of receptors that possess a novel domain organisation hitherto unobserved in metazoan genomes.

Conclusion

Comparison of GPCRs in Ciona to that in human reveals a high level of orthology of a protochordate repertoire with that of vertebrate GPCRs. Our studies suggest that the ascidians contain the basic ancestral complement of vertebrate GPCR genes. This is evident at the subfamily level comparisons since Ciona GPCR sequences are significantly analogous to vertebrate GPCR subfamilies even while exhibiting Ciona specific genes. Our analysis provides a framework to perform future experimental and comparative studies to understand the roles of the ancestral chordate versions of GPCRs that predated the divergence of the urochordates and the vertebrates.
The perception of stress alters adaptive behaviours inLymnaea stagnalis
Authors: Lukowiak Ken , Martens Kara , Rosenegger David , Browning Kim , de Caigny Pascaline , Orr Mike
Published: May 2008

Stress can alter adaptive behaviours, and as well either enhance or diminish learning, memory formation and/or memory recall. We show here that two different stressors have the ability to alter such behaviours in our model system, Lymnaea stagnalis. One, a naturally occurring stressor– the scent of a predator (crayfish) – and the other an artificially controlled one – 25 mmoll–1 KCl –significantly alter adaptive behaviours. Both the KCl stressor and predator detection enhance long-term memory (LTM) formation; additionally predator detection alters vigilance behaviours. The predator-induced changes in behaviour are also accompanied by specific and significant alterations in the electrophysiological properties of RPeD1 – a key neuron in mediating both vigilance behaviours and memory formation. Naive lab-bred snails exposed to crayfish effluent (CE; i.e. the scent of the predator) prior to recording from RPeD1 demonstrated both a significantly reduced spontaneous firing rate and fewer bouts of bursting activity compared with non-exposed snails. Importantly, in the CE experiments we used laboratory-reared snails that have not been exposed to a naturally occurring predator for over 250 generations. These data open a new avenue of research, which may allow a direct investigation from the behavioral to the neuronal level as to how relevant stressful stimuli alter adaptive behaviours, including memory formation and recall.
Seeing in the dark: vision and visual behaviour in nocturnal bees and wasps
Authors: Warrant Eric J.
Published: May 2008

In response to the pressures of predation, parasitism and competition for limited resources, several groups of (mainly) tropical bees and wasps have independently evolved a nocturnal lifestyle. Like their day-active (diurnal)relatives, these insects possess apposition compound eyes, a relatively light-insensitive eye design that is best suited to vision in bright light. Despite this, nocturnal bees and wasps are able to forage at night, with many species capable of flying through a dark and complex forest between the nest and a foraging site, a behaviour that relies heavily on vision and is limited by light intensity. In the two best-studied species – the Central American sweat bee Megalopta genalis (Halictidae) and the Indian carpenter bee Xylocopa tranquebarica (Apidae) – learned visual landmarks are used to guide foraging and homing. Their apposition eyes,however, have only around 30 times greater optical sensitivity than the eyes of their closest diurnal relatives, a fact that is apparently inconsistent with their remarkable nocturnal visual abilities. Moreover, signals generated in the photoreceptors, even though amplified by a high transduction gain, are too noisy and slow to transmit significant amounts of information in dim light. How have nocturnal bees and wasps resolved these paradoxes? Even though this question remains to be answered conclusively, a mounting body of theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that the slow and noisy visual signals generated by the photoreceptors are spatially summed by second-order monopolar cells in the lamina, a process that could dramatically improve visual reliability for the coarser and slower features of the visual world at night.
Sensory ecology on the high seas: the odor world of the procellariiform seabirds
Authors: Nevitt Gabrielle A.
Published: May 2008

Procellariiform seabirds wander the world's oceans aided by olfactory abilities rivaling those of any animal on earth. Over the past 15 years, I have been privileged to study the sensory ecology of procellariiforms,focusing on how olfaction contributes to behaviors, ranging from foraging and navigation to individual odor recognition, in a broader sensory context. We have developed a number of field techniques for measuring both olfactory- and visually based behaviors in chicks and adults of various species. Our choice of test odors has been informed by long-term dietary studies and geochemical data on the production and distribution of identifiable, scented compounds found in productive waters. This multidisciplinary approach has shown us that odors provide different information over the ocean depending on the spatial scale. At large spatial scales (thousands of square kilometers), an olfactory landscape superimposed upon the ocean surface reflects oceanographic or bathymetric features where phytoplankton accumulate and an area-restricted search for prey is likely to be successful. At small spatial scales (tens to hundreds of square kilometers), birds use odors and visual cues to pinpoint and capture prey directly. We have further identified species-specific,sensory-based foraging strategies, which we have begun to explore in evolutionary and developmental contexts. With respect to chemical communication among individuals, we have shown that some species can distinguish familiar individuals by scent cues alone. We are now set to explore the mechanistic basis for these discriminatory abilities in the context of kin recognition, and whether or not the major histocompatibility complex is involved.