bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is anaemia relevant in the referral and diagnosis of colorectal cancer?
Authors: Masson S. , Chinn D. J. , Tabaqchali M. A. , Waddup G. , Dwarakanath A. D.
Published: January 2007

Objective  Current efforts to improve the outcome from colorectal cancer aim to shorten the delay between referral and diagnosis. Investigation of iron‐deficiency anaemia has a high yield for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancy and its presence is included in current referral guidelines. We explored the relationship between anaemia and colorectal cancer.

Method  We reviewed hospital and laboratory database records of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between January 2003 and June 2004. The site of colorectal cancer was correlated with the presence of anaemia at the time of referral. Anaemia was defined according to local practice (Hb < 12.0 g/dl in females and <13.0 g/dl in males), compared with the threshold recommended in current national referral guidelines (Hb < 10 g/dl in females and <11 g/dl in males).

Results  Over 18 months, 143 patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Anaemia was present in 48% of males and 50% of females using local practice and 24% of males and 16% of females using national referral guidelines. Those with right‐sided and non‐rectal cancers were significantly more likely to be anaemic than those with left‐sided and rectal cancers, respectively.

Conclusion  In approximately half of cases the diagnosis of colorectal cancer is not associated with anaemia. Anaemia is more common with proximal lesions but this is not a consistent finding. The current threshold for anaemia at which national guidelines suggest referral also appears to be insensitive.
Botulinum toxin A in the overactive bladder: current status and future directions
Authors: Dmochowski Roger , Sand Peter K.
Published: January 2007

Authors from America present a comprehensive review of botulinum toxin A in the overactive bladder. The use of this agent in resistant cases is becoming more prevalent, and these authors have carried out an extensive literature search to establish its current status and other future directions that it might take. The other reviews concern urological cancer, two relating to prostate cancer and one to molecular targeting agents used in the treatment of metastatic RCC.
Diabetes mellitus is associated with severe Peyronie’s disease
Authors: Kendirci Muammer , Trost Landon , Sikka Suresh C. , Hellstrom Wayne J.G.
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the severity of penile deformity and penile blood flow variables in men with Peyronie’s disease (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM), and those with no risk factors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Men with PD and DM (59 men, group 1) and those with no risk factors (109, group 2) were compared for penile blood flow variables, severity of penile deformity, patient’s age, duration of PD, the presence of pain on erection, and the degree of erectile dysfunction (ED). The men were evaluated with penile duplex Doppler ultrasonography and were categorized into specific vascular groups, using established criteria. Penile curvature was objectively measured and stratified according to the Kelâmi classification. Results were compared using Student’s t‐test.

RESULTS

Men with PD and DM (group 1) were significantly older than those in group 2. The duration of disease was significantly longer in group 1 than in group 2 (median 24 vs 12 months). The mean degree of penile deformity in group 1 was significantly higher than in group 2 (45.2° vs 30.2°). The rate of severe penile curvature (>60°) was more frequent in group 1 (27.1% vs 5.5%). Pain on erection was significantly higher in group 2 (39.7% vs 25.5%), whereas the rate of ED was more common in group 1 (81% vs 47%). Group 1 had poorer peak‐systolic velocity values and significantly higher rates of arterial insufficiency and mixed vascular disease. Nonvascular causes were twice as common in group 2 than in group 1.

CONCLUSIONS

This comparative clinical study suggests that the presence of DM as the only risk factor significantly increases the severity of PD. Furthermore, DM as a risk factor is associated with significantly worse vascular status, as shown by penile duplex Doppler ultrasonography, in men with PD.
Community as Communication: Jean-Luc Nancy and ‘Being-in-Common’
Authors: Schwarzmantel John
Published: January 2007

This article seeks to propose and defend the necessity of political community as a prerequisite for an effective democratic polity. It defends a republican model of political community, involving ideas of active citizenship and interaction across the particular identity groups which proliferate in contemporary liberal-democratic societies. It is argued that ideas of community as communication, derived from the work of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, and his distinction between ‘being-in-common’ and ‘common being’, can be applied in a more political sense than in his original usage to justify a revised notion of republican solidarity. This more open form of community is used as the basis for expounding a strong concept of civic identity, which is defended against three rival conceptions. The article takes issue with some liberal theorists who assert that political community is neither desirable nor possible under contemporary conditions. It offers reasons to be sceptical of both a ‘civic nationalist’ perspective as well as of ‘post-nationalist’ arguments. The significance of the issue of community is illustrated by examples drawn from the recent riots in France and some analyses of the significance of those events.
A detrimental effect of emotion on picture recollection
Authors: AUPÉE ANNE‐MARIE
Published: January 2007

Several studies indicate that the recollection process, as assessed by the Remember–Know paradigm (Tulving, 1985) is enhanced for emotional stimuli as compared with neutral ones. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of emotion on recollection process, applying the Processes Dissociation Procedure (PDP; Jacoby, 1991) on emotional and neutral pictures. A total of 63 participants (aged 40–78 years) were included in this study, and the PDP was implemented by a list discrimination task. The results indicate that recollection estimate is lower for positive and negative pictures compared with neutral ones. This finding contrasts with others using the Remember–Know procedure (e.g., Ochsner, 2000) but is in agreement with the previously described trade‐off effect (e.g., Jurica and Shimamura, 1999).
Deployment of attention in clinical depression during symptom remission
Authors: KARPAROVA STANISLAVA PETKOVA , KERSTING ANETTE , SUSLOW THOMAS
Published: January 2007

The purpose of the current study was to investigate deployment of attention in clinically depressed patients during the process of symptom remission. Previous research indicates a non‐depressed protective bias in attention whereas depressed individuals evidence no bias. A deployment‐of‐attention task based on negative, positive, and neutral adjectives was administered twice to 15 inpatients with major depression and 15 normal controls, at about 6 weeks apart. From test 1 to test 2, severity of patients’ depressive symptoms improved significantly. Acutely depressed patients tended to show an attentional bias towards negative information whereas partially remitted patients manifested no attentional bias. Non‐depressed individuals attended less to negative information than (acutely and partially remitted) depressed patients. Non‐depressed participants but not depressed patients avoid negative information demonstrating a protective processing bias. Depressed patients are not characterized by a shift towards a pronounced protective pattern during symptom remission.
Which type of leader do I support in step‐level public good dilemmas? The roles of level of threshold and trust
Authors: DE CREMER DAVID
Published: January 2007

The present research examined the moderating effect of the level of threshold on people's preferences for different leader types in step‐level public good dilemmas. It was assumed that the primary focus of people in step‐level public good dilemmas is to make sure that the group surpasses the threshold. Consequently, when the level of threshold is difficult to reach people are expected to provide more support for and cooperate with a leader that monitors and controls the contributions made toward the public good. However, if the threshold is easy to surpass people will focus more on whether the obtained public good or bonus will be distributed according to agreements, suggesting that people will provide more support to and cooperate with a leader that monitors and controls the distribution of the bonus. These predictions were confirmed across two experiments using a step‐level public good paradigm with a dichotomous (Study 1) and a continuous (Study 2) contribution choice. Moreover, the results also revealed that perceptions of trust accounted, in part, for the effect of level of threshold on people's leadership preferences.
The Foreign Service and Foreign Trade: Embassies as Export Promotion
Authors: Rose Andrew K.
Published: January 2007

As communication costs fall, foreign embassies and consulates have lost much of their role in decision‐making and information‐gathering. Accordingly, foreign services are increasingly marketing themselves as agents of export promotion. I investigate whether exports are in fact systematically associated with diplomatic representation abroad. I use a recent cross‐section of data covering 22 large exporters and 200 import destinations. Bilateral exports rise by approximately six to ten per cent for each additional consulate abroad, controlling for a host of other features including reverse causality. The effect varies by exporter, and is non‐linear; consulates have smaller effects than the creation of an embassy.
Internationalisation, Innovation and Productivity: How Do Firms Differ in Italy?
Authors: Castellani Davide , Zanfei Antonello
Published: January 2007

This paper addresses the issue of intra‐industry heterogeneity and internationalisation. We show that, after controlling for sector, location, firm age and size, Italian manufacturing companies exhibit different economic and innovative performance according to their involvement in foreign activities. In particular, exporters show intermediate innovative performance between non‐internationalised firms and those carrying out foreign production. Multinationals with a lower commitment to foreign markets, i.e. with non‐manufacturing activities abroad only, exhibit a higher productivity than exporters but they do not appear to innovate more than the latter. Heterogeneity in productivity is robust to controlling for innovation inputs and outputs, suggesting that the difference in economic performance cannot be entirely attributed to different innovative activities, and that the involvement in international operations can be a distinct channel of knowledge accumulation.
Model-Based Estimates of the Finite Population Mean for Two-Stage Cluster Samples With Unit Non-Response
Authors: Yuan Ying , Little Roderick J. A.
Published: January 2007

We propose new model-based methods for unit non-response in two-stage survey samples. A commonly used design-based adjustment weights respondents by the inverse of the estimated response rate in each cluster (method WT). This approach is consistent if the response probabilities are constant within clusters but is potentially inefficient when the estimated cluster response rates are very variable. Clusters can be collapsed to increase precision, but this may introduce bias. We consider here the model-based approach to survey inference that treats the clusters as random effects. We note that, from a model-based perspective, a missing data mechanism that assumes that the response rate varies across clusters is non-ignorable, and we propose the term cluster-specific non-ignorable (CSNI) non-response to describe this mechanism. We show that the standard random-effects model estimator RE of the population mean is biased under CSNI non-response, and we propose two modifications of RE to correct this bias. One approach includes the observed response rate as a cluster level covariate (method RERR), and the other is based on a probit model for response (method NI1). The RERR approach is simpler than NI1 but approximate, in that uncertainty in estimating the response rates is not taken into account. In addition, a simple method that corrects the bias of RE by reweighting (method RWRE) is also discussed. We show by simulations that estimators from RERR and NI1 can correct the bias of RE under CSNI non-response and have comparable or lower root-mean-squared error than WT in a variety of simulation settings, and RWRE has similar performance to WT. We also consider another non-ignorable response model estimate of the population mean (NI2) that removes the bias of WT, RWRE, RERR and NI1 under an outcome-specific non-ignorable response mechanism where non-response depends directly on the individual level survey outcomes. However, that estimate is not robust to model misspecification. The various methods are compared on a data set from the Detroit Dental Health Project.
BAKHTIN ON HEARING GOD'S VOICE
Authors: SLATER PETER
Published: January 2007

Bakhtin's dialogical (not dialectical) philosophy of the everyday, double‐voiced prosaic and poetic discourse of asymmetrically interrelated, embodied selves, each answerable to others and the world, found liberating wisdom in modern novelizing texts, notably those of Rabelais and Dostoevsky, with the Chalcedonian Christ prototype as background. He suggests how language is used in Christian contexts by attending to different voices in confessional utterances that may include God's voice/an interlocutory infinite “third”—heard in and through others’ voices—without collapsing perspectival pluralism into relativism. Current work on comparative theology, contrasted with old‐style comparative religion, echoes his insights.
THE PARTICULARITY OF JESUS AND THE TIME OF THE KINGDOM: PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY IN YODER
Authors: BARBER DANIEL
Published: January 2007

John Howard Yoder's work, while appreciated in many respects, is not generally read in a philosophical register. This essay attempts to alter this situation by proposing a relation between his theology and a philosophy of particularity. The project articulates a logic of Jesus that is independent from and antagonistic towards the Powers. This logic is resolutely secular, revolutionary, and creative. I contend that Jesus' “equality with God” amounts to a radical affirmation of history and temporality. Yoder's work is presented as a zone of interference, a particular vantage from which a simultaneous practice of philosophy and theology becomes possible.
ROGER HAIGHT'S MEDIATING CHRISTOLOGY
Authors: BUCKLEY JAMES J.
Published: January 2007

Roger Haight's Christology is an instance of distinctively modern Vermittlungstheologie, to be distinguished from biblical or traditional versions of mediation because it employs an apologetic method to restore putatively lost Christological immediacies. In so far as such a theology seek to communicate (mediate) Christian doctrine “in a language of commonly shared principles”, it cannot do justice to Jesus Christ's singularity—although the best way to further criticize any mediating Christology would be by developing an alternative neither traditionalist, modernist, or mediating.
The High‐Risk Sex Offender Strategy in England and Wales: Is Chemical Castration an Option?
Authors: HARRISON KAREN
Published: January 2007

Abstract: This article considers the sufficiency of current sentencing options for high‐risk, highly deviant sexual predators in England and Wales. In terms of public protection considerations it questions whether chemical castration should be an option and evaluates what we know about the effectiveness of such treatment.
The Reintegration of Sex Offenders: Barriers and Opportunities for Employment
Authors: BROWN KEVIN , SPENCER JON , DEAKIN JO
Published: January 2007

Abstract: The process of reintegration of offenders after release from prison, or during a community sentence, is a key aim of criminal justice policy. This article provides details from recent research that investigated the barriers and opportunities to employment for sex offenders. The authors describe the barriers that are faced by sex offenders and the anxieties that employers experience when employing sex offenders. The authors conclude that the approach taken by the State is less than reintegrative and serves to increase the barriers and reduce the opportunities for employment for sex offenders.
Emotion facilitates action: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study of motor cortex excitability during picture viewing
Authors: Hajcak Greg , Molnar Christine , George Mark S. , Bolger Kelly , Koola Jejo , Nahas Ziad
Published: January 2007

Emotional stimuli capture attention, receive increased perceptual processing resources, and alter peripheral reflexes. In the present study, we examined whether emotional stimuli would modulate the magnitude of the motor evoked potential (MEP) elicited in the abductor pollicus brevis muscle by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) delivered to the motor cortex. The electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from 16 participants while they viewed six blocks of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant images; 36 TMS pulses at increasing intensities were delivered during each block. The TMS‐induced MEP was reliably larger while participants viewed pleasant and unpleasant compared to neutral images. There were no differences in the pre‐TMS EMG activity as a function of emotional stimuli. Thus, viewing arousing stimuli, regardless of valence, increased motor cortex excitability. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
A peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst: FeTPPS confers cardioprotection during reperfusion after cardioplegic arrest in a working isolated rat heart model
Authors: Lauzier Benjamin , Sicard Pierre , Bouchot Olivier , Delemasure Stéphanie , Moreau Daniel , Vergely Catherine , Rochette Luc
Published: January 2007

Heart transplant is considered to be an extremely severe ischemia–reperfusion sequence. Post‐ischemic dysfunction triggers multiple processes especially oxidative stress, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Free radical interactions lead to peroxynitrite generation, which seems to be involved in early post‐transplant heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of a peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst: FeTPPS (5,10,15,20‐tetrakis‐[4‐sulfonatophenyl]‐porphyrinato‐fer[III]) and pyruvate on myocardial functional recovery after cardioplegic arrest using an experimental protocol in rat hearts. Isolated working rat hearts were subjected to ischemia (4 h at 4 °C in cardioplegic solutions), followed by 45 min of reperfusion. Four groups were constituted: control, pyruvate: (2 mm) added to cardioplegic and Ringer–lactate solutions, FeTPPS: (10 μm) perfused during the reperfusion, and a combination of both treatments. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was assessed during the reperfusion to evaluate the level of cardiac injury. Oxidative stress was evaluated on heart slices using a fluorescent probe: dihydroethidium, and the collagen content was assessed using picro‐Sirius coloration. Global post‐ischemic recovery in the control group was about 35% of pre‐ischemic values. Results showed that addition of pyruvate led to an increase in myocardial function and to a decrease in LDH activity released during the reperfusion. FeTPPS protected against injury after cardioplegic arrest during reperfusion. No additive effect of the two treatments (pyruvate + FeTPPS) was observed. The collagen content was better preserved in the FeTPPS group than in the control and pyruvate groups. In conclusion, this study shows that peroxynitrite plays an important role in the functional and cellular alterations associated with cardiac ischemia–reperfusion sequences and confirms that pyruvate helped to preserve myocardial function. The use of the peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst (FeTPPS) may help to improve myocardial preservation during a prolonged ischemia sequence.
Lifespan extension by conditions that inhibit translation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Hansen Malene , Taubert Stefan , Crawford Douglas , Libina Nataliya , Lee Seung‐Jae , Kenyon Cynthia
Published: January 2007

Many conditions that shift cells from states of nutrient utilization and growth to states of cell maintenance extend lifespan. We have carried out a systematic lifespan analysis of conditions that inhibit protein synthesis. We find that reducing the levels of ribosomal proteins, ribosomal‐protein S6 kinase or translation‐initiation factors increases the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. These perturbations, as well as inhibition of the nutrient sensor target of rapamycin (TOR), which is known to increase lifespan, all increase thermal‐stress resistance. Thus inhibiting translation may extend lifespan by shifting cells to physiological states that favor maintenance and repair. Interestingly, different types of translation inhibition lead to one of two mutually exclusive outputs, one that increases lifespan and stress resistance through the transcription factor DAF‐16/FOXO, and one that increases lifespan and stress resistance independently of DAF‐16. Our findings link TOR, but not sir‐2.1, to the longevity response induced by dietary restriction (DR) in C. elegans, and they suggest that neither TOR inhibition nor DR extends lifespan simply by reducing protein synthesis.
A steroid hormone that extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Broué Florence , Liere Philippe , Kenyon Cynthia , Baulieu Etienne‐Emile
Published: January 2007

Removing the germline of Caenorhabditis elegans extends lifespan. This lifespan extension requires the nuclear receptor DAF‐12 and the cytochrome P450 DAF‐9, suggesting that a lipophilic hormone is involved. Here we show that C. elegans contains several hormonal steroids that are also present in humans, including pregnenolone (3β‐hydroxy‐pregn‐5‐en‐20‐one; PREG) and other pregnane and androstane derivatives. We find that PREG can extend the lifespan of C. elegans. Moreover, PREG levels rise when the germline is removed in a daf‐9‐dependent fashion. PREG extends the lifespan of germline‐defective daf‐9 mutants dramatically, but has no effect on daf‐12 mutants. Thus, germline removal may extend lifespan, at least in part, by stimulating the synthesis of PREG.
Failure of Composite Materials
Authors: Daniel I. M.
Published: January 2007

Abstract:  An overview is given of the state of the art of theories and procedures for predicting and analysing failure in composite materials. Of the scores of failure theories available, only those representative of each of the following categories are discussed: limit or noninteractive, interactive, and failure mode‐based theories. The validity and applicability of the various theories are evaluated from the point of view of convenience of application and agreement with experimental results. Both lamina and laminate failures are discussed. In the case of ultimate laminate failure, a progressive damage scheme coupled with a failure mode‐discriminating criterion is discussed. Special attention is given to textile composites where new three‐dimensional experimental results are reported and a new interlaminar failure theory is proposed.
Implementing National Guidelines in Real Life: The Peterborough Neurodevelopmental Service (NDS)
Authors: De Vries Petrus J. , Glavina Helen , Major Clare , Mayern Alison , Shellshear Ian
Published: January 2007

National documents over the last few years have highlighted the mental health needs of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Results showed the poor levels of provision for this vulnerable high‐risk group. The National Service Framework (NSF) for children, (DoH, 2004), set out 9 standards for care and service development. Here we describe how standards, principles and concepts from the NSF and the National Autism Plan for Children were applied in the development of an integrated multi‐agency, multi‐disciplinary neurodevelopmental service (NDS) for school‐aged children in Peterborough, UK.
Alternative Worldviews and the Utilization of Conventional and Complementary Medicine*
Authors: Hildreth Kristen D. , Elman Cheryl
Published: January 2007

We use the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) database and an expanded Anderson model that incorporates health beliefs, including sacred worldviews as predisposing factors, to explore conventional and complementary and alternative medical (CAM) service use. Findings are that health care need, especially the number of chronic conditions is positively associated with both conventional and CAM services use. However, net of need, health beliefs and sacred worldviews differentiate CAM users versus nonusers or the number of different CAM practices that are used. Higher self‐rated spirituality is associated with being a CAM user and, if a user, with adopting a wider range of practices. Individuals with higher self‐rated religiosity are not more or less likely to be CAM users but adopt significantly fewer techniques, if users. We discuss the attraction to very different faces of health care, on the basis of religiosity, spirituality, and other health beliefs, with implications for policymakers and care providers.
Think Local
Authors: GARDELS NATHAN
Published: January 2007

Terrorism is the wrong term. War is the wrong metaphor. Iraq is the wrong war. That pretty much sums up how the fight against the Islamist jihadists who targeted America has gone awry in the five years since September 11, 2001 — a similar period of time in which the United States had mobilized from virtual scratch and defeated Germany and Japan in World War II.
Rich Countries, Poor People?
Authors: STIGLITZ JOSEPH
Published: January 2007

Globalization may yet repeal the Biblical adage that the poor will always be with us. But for now there are enough losers to go along with the winners that a slide back toward fragmentation and protectionism is a distinct possibility, as was also the case at the turn of the 20th century. Our contributors in this section offer their advice on how to make globalization work for everyone.
The J Curve
Authors: BREMMER IAN
Published: January 2007

Globalization may yet repeal the Biblical adage that the poor will always be with us. But for now there are enough losers to go along with the winners that a slide back toward fragmentation and protectionism is a distinct possibility, as was also the case at the turn of the 20th century. Our contributors in this section offer their advice on how to make globalization work for everyone.
President Bush: Talk to Kim Jong II
Authors: JUNG KIM DAE
Published: January 2007

Never before in history have China and Japan been great powers at the same time. Today they must figure out how to live together as equals. The promise of mutual prosperity ties them together; the remembrance of bad things past pushes them apart.

If that wary dance were not complicated enough, a nuclear provocateur from neighboring North Korea intrudes. A legendary figure of Japan's post‐war miracle, Tsuneo Watanabe, weighs in on these big questions. Hans Blix, a former UN arms inspector and the former South Korean prime minister and Nobel laureate, Kim Dae Jung, address the North Korean conundrum.
US Holds Key to Non‐Proliferation
Authors: BLIX HANS
Published: January 2007

Never before in history have China and Japan been great powers at the same time. Today they must figure out how to live together as equals. The promise of mutual prosperity ties them together; the remembrance of bad things past pushes them apart.

If that wary dance were not complicated enough, a nuclear provocateur from neighboring North Korea intrudes. A legendary figure of Japan's post‐war miracle, Tsuneo Watanabe, weighs in on these big questions. Hans Blix, a former UN arms inspector and the former South Korean prime minister and Nobel laureate, Kim Dae Jung, address the North Korean conundrum.
The Locusts of Corruption
Authors: JINGSHENG WEI
Published: January 2007

Never before in history have China and Japan been great powers at the same time. Today they must figure out how to live together as equals. The promise of mutual prosperity ties them together; the remembrance of bad things past pushes them apart.

If that wary dance were not complicated enough, a nuclear provocateur from neighboring North Korea intrudes. A legendary figure of Japan's post‐war miracle, Tsuneo Watanabe, weighs in on these big questions. Hans Blix, a former UN arms inspector and the former South Korean prime minister and Nobel laureate, Kim Dae Jung, address the North Korean conundrum.
Back to Realism
Authors: KISSINGER HENRY
Published: January 2007

There is no big anti‐war movement in the United States against Iraq like there was against Vietnam. But the people have finally spoken against President Bush's Iraq policy by resoundingly returning a Democratic majority to Congress. Henry Kissinger, eminence gris of American diplomacy, ponders whether this means a “return to realism.” The military historian Martin van Creveld looks at what American withdrawal would mean.
Validation of the Korean version of the oral health impact profile among the Korean elderly
Authors: Bae Kwang‐Hak , Kim Hyun‐Duck , Jung Se‐Hwan , Park Deok‐Young , Kim Jin‐Bom , Paik Dai‐Il , Chung Sung‐Chang
Published: January 2007

Abstract –  Objectives:  This study aimed to validate a Korean version of the oral health impact profile (OHIP) and to develop a short‐form of OHIP for the Korean elderly.

Methods:  The original English version of OHIP was translated into Korean using a forward‐backward method. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha among 1098 subjects aged 56 or more. Test‐retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with a 3‐month interval among 155 subjects aged 57 or more. The validity of the Korean version of OHIP (OHIP‐K) was assessed by comparing OHIP scores with the perceived dental treatment needs and by identifying associations between OHIP scores and the number of natural teeth among 128 subjects aged 54 or more. The short‐form of OHIP for the Korean elderly (OHIP‐14K) was developed using linear regression models and was also validated and compared with the short‐form of OHIP by Slade (OHIP‐14S).

Results:  The Cronbach's alpha value for OHIP‐K was 0.97. The ICC for OHIP‐K was 0.64. Adults with perceived dental treatment needs had a higher OHIP score than adults without any such needs (P < 0.001). The number of natural teeth was negatively associated with the OHIP score (r = −0.44, P < 0.001). OHIP‐14K and OHIP‐14S shared seven identical items out of a total of 14 items. OHIP‐14K results correlated with OHIP‐K almost exactly (r2 = 0.96), as did OHIP‐14S (r2 = 0.95).

Conclusions:  OHIP‐K showed excellent reliability and validity. OHIP‐14S may be a better choice for the evaluation of oral health‐related quality of life among the Korean elderly for an international comparison.
Effects of endurance training status and sex differences on Na+,K+‐pump mRNA expression, content and maximal activity in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Murphy K. T. , Aughey R. J. , Petersen A. C. , Clark S. A. , Goodman C. , Hawley J. A. , Cameron‐Smith D. , Snow R. J. , McKenna M. J.
Published: January 2007

Aim:  This study investigated the effects of endurance training status and sex differences on skeletal muscle Na+,K+‐pump mRNA expression, content and activity.

Methods:  Forty‐five endurance‐trained males (ETM), 11 recreationally active males (RAM), and nine recreationally active females (RAF) underwent a vastus lateralis muscle biopsy. Muscle was analysed for Na+,K+‐pump α1, α2, α3, β1, β2 and β3 isoform mRNA expression (real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction), content ([3H]‐ouabain‐binding site) and maximal activity (3‐O‐methylfluorescein phosphatase, 3‐O‐MFPase).

Results:  ETM demonstrated lower α1, α3, β2 and β3 mRNA expression by 74%, 62%, 70% and 82%, respectively, than RAM (P < 0.04). In contrast, [3H]‐ouabain binding and 3‐O‐MFPase activity were each higher in ETM than in RAM, by 16% (P < 0.03). RAM demonstrated a 230% and 364% higher α3 and β3 mRNA expression than RAF, respectively (P < 0.05), but no significant sex differences were found for α1, α2, β1 or β2 mRNA, [3H]‐ouabain binding or 3‐O‐MFPase activity. No significant correlation was found between years of endurance training and either [3H]‐ouabain binding or 3‐O‐MFPase activity. Significant but weak correlations were found between the number of training hours per week and 3‐O‐MFPase activity (r = 0.31, P < 0.02) and between incremental exercise O2(peak) and both [3H]‐ouabain binding (r = 0.33, P < 0.01) and 3‐O‐MFPase activity (r = 0.28, P < 0.03).

Conclusions:  Isoform‐specific differences in Na+,K+‐pump mRNA expression were found with both training status and sex differences, but only training status influenced Na+,K+‐pump content and maximal activity in human skeletal muscle.
Effects of 20‐day bed rest with and without strength training on postural sway during quiet standing
Authors: Kouzaki M. , Masani K. , Akima H. , Shirasawa H. , Fukuoka H. , Kanehisa H. , Fukunaga T.
Published: January 2007

Aim:  To examine the effect of unweighting as a possible contributory factor to a reduced calf muscle volume on postural sway during quiet standing, changes in postural sway following bed rest with or without strength training were investigated.

Methods:  Twelve young men participated in a 20‐day bed‐rest study. Subjects were divided into a non‐training group (BR‐Con) and a strength training group (BR‐Tr). For the BR‐Tr group, training was comprised of dynamic calf‐raise and leg‐press exercises to maintain the muscle volume of the plantar flexors. Before and after bed rest, subjects maintained quiet standing in a barefoot position on a force platform with their eyes open or closed. During the quiet stance, foot centre‐of‐pressure (CoP) and the mean velocity of CoP was calculated. Muscle volume of the plantar flexors was computed using axial magnetic resonance images of the leg.

Results:  After the bed‐rest period, the muscle volume decreased in the BR‐Con group but not in the BR‐Tr group. The mean velocity of CoP as an assessment of postural sway, however, increased in both groups. These results indicate that the strength training during bed rest cannot counteract the increase in postural sway.

Conclusion:  We concluded that postural sway increases following 20 days of bed rest despite maintenance of the muscle volume of plantar flexors as the main working muscles for the human postural standing.
Genetic diversity decreases as population density declines: Implications of temporal variation in mitochondrial haplotype frequencies in a natural population of Tscherskia triton
Authors: XIE Jiayan , ZHANG Zhibin
Published: January 2007

Although the spatial genetic differentiation that occurs in animal populations has been extensively studied, information on temporal variations in genetic structure and diversity is still lacking, especially for animals with oscillating populations. In the present study, we used the mtDNA D‐loop sequence to assess the temporal genetic variation in samples from six successive years for the greater long‐tailed hamster, Tscherskia triton. Sampling was carried out between 1998 and 2003 in cropland on the North China Plain, China. A total of 108 individuals were analyzed. The temporal samples showed a high level of genetic diversity. Substantial genetic changes in haplotype frequencies over time were detected for the hamster population. Random genetic drift and migration are likely to be the major factors responsible for the observed temporal pattern. The genetic diversity of the hamster population was higher in years with higher population density, and lower in years with lower population density. The result supports our hypothesis that genetic diversity decreases when population density declines in animals whose population oscillates greatly between years. The combined effects of inbreeding and genetic drift caused by reproduction, dispersal and population size might play important roles in the observed changes in genetic structure and diversity between years.
Orthodromic spike generation from electrical stimuli in the rat carotid body: implications for the afferent spike generation process
Authors: Donnelly David F.
Published: January 2007

Carotid body chemoreceptors respond to a decrease in arterial partial pressure of O2 with an increase in sinus nerve action potential (AP) activity which initiates a number of protective reflexes. The spike generation process is unresolved but is generally considered to be caused by a synaptic depolarizing potential (SDP) in the nerve endings caused by release of an excitatory transmitter from the glomus cell, which is a secretory cell that is presynaptic to the nerve terminals. To detect the purported SDPs, stimulating electrodes were placed at sites within the carotid body from which orthodromic APs could be evoked at low threshold currents. The probability of AP generation as a function of stimulus current was fitted well to a Boltzmann distribution. Subthreshold electrical stimuli which were expected to summate with subthreshold SDPs, failed, in all instances, to evoke APs at the expected probability. When the stimulus was gated to the occurrence of a spontaneous AP, no change in electrical threshold was observed as the delay between the spontaneous AP and electrical stimulus was increased, despite the presumed disappearance of an SDP in the post‐AP period. Decreases in spontaneous AP generation rate, caused by hyperoxia, were associated with only slight changes in the mean orthodromic stimulus threshold, but with a significant increase in slope of the Boltzmann function, suggesting a decrease in the variance of nerve terminal excitability during hyperoxia. These results suggest that AP generation is not due to SDP events; rather, AP generation is likely to be due to a process endogenous to the nerve terminals that modulates the variability of nerve terminal excitability.
Brain–computer interfaces: communication and restoration of movement in paralysis
Authors: Birbaumer Niels , Cohen Leonardo G.
Published: January 2007

The review describes the status of brain–computer or brain–machine interface research. We focus on non‐invasive brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) and their clinical utility for direct brain communication in paralysis and motor restoration in stroke. A large gap between the promises of invasive animal and human BCI preparations and the clinical reality characterizes the literature: while intact monkeys learn to execute more or less complex upper limb movements with spike patterns from motor brain regions alone without concomitant peripheral motor activity usually after extensive training, clinical applications in human diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and paralysis from stroke or spinal cord lesions show only limited success, with the exception of verbal communication in paralysed and locked‐in patients. BCIs based on electroencephalographic potentials or oscillations are ready to undergo large clinical studies and commercial production as an adjunct or a major assisted communication device for paralysed and locked‐in patients. However, attempts to train completely locked‐in patients with BCI communication after entering the complete locked‐in state with no remaining eye movement failed. We propose that a lack of contingencies between goal directed thoughts and intentions may be at the heart of this problem. Experiments with chronically curarized rats support our hypothesis; operant conditioning and voluntary control of autonomic physiological functions turned out to be impossible in this preparation. In addition to assisted communication, BCIs consisting of operant learning of EEG slow cortical potentials and sensorimotor rhythm were demonstrated to be successful in drug resistant focal epilepsy and attention deficit disorder. First studies of non‐invasive BCIs using sensorimotor rhythm of the EEG and MEG in restoration of paralysed hand movements in chronic stroke and single cases of high spinal cord lesions show some promise, but need extensive evaluation in well‐controlled experiments. Invasive BMIs based on neuronal spike patterns, local field potentials or electrocorticogram may constitute the strategy of choice in severe cases of stroke and spinal cord paralysis. Future directions of BCI research should include the regulation of brain metabolism and blood flow and electrical and magnetic stimulation of the human brain (invasive and non‐invasive). A series of studies using BOLD response regulation with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and near infrared spectroscopy demonstrated a tight correlation between voluntary changes in brain metabolism and behaviour.
D1‐like dopamine receptors selectively block P/Q‐type calcium channels to reduce glutamate release onto cholinergic basal forebrain neurones of immature rats
Authors: Momiyama Toshihiko , Fukazawa Yugo
Published: January 2007

Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings of non‐NMDA glutamatergic EPSCs were made from identified cholinergic neurones in slices of basal forebrain (BF) of young rats (P13–P18), to investigate the subtypes of calcium channels involved in dopamine D1‐like receptor‐mediated presynaptic inhibition of the EPSCs. The BF cholinergic neurones were pre‐labelled by intracerebroventricular injection of a fluorescent marker, Cy3‐192IgG. A D1‐like receptor agonist, SKF 81297 (30 μm) suppressed the EPSCs reversibly by about 30%, and this inhibition was reproducible. Calcium channel subtypes involved in the glutamatergic transmission were elucidated using selective Ca2+ channel blockers. The N‐type Ca2+ channel blocker ω‐conotoxin (ω‐CgTX, 3 μm) suppressed the EPSCs by 57.5%, whereas the P/Q‐type channel selective blocker ω‐agatoxin‐TK (ω‐Aga‐TK, 200 nm) suppressed the EPSCs by 68.9%. Simultaneous application of both blockers suppressed the EPSCs by 96.1%. The R‐type Ca2+ channel blocker SNX‐482 (300 nm) suppressed the EPSCs by 18.4%, whereas nifedipine, the L‐type Ca2+ channel blocker (10 μm), had little effect. In the presence of ω‐Aga‐TK, SKF 81297, a dopamine D1‐like receptor agonist, had no effect on the EPSCs. On the other hand, SKF 81297 could still inhibit the EPSCs in the presence of either ω‐CgTX, SNX‐482 or nifedipine. SKF 81297 had no further effect on the EPSCs when external Ca2+ concentration was raised to 7.2 mm in the presence of ω‐Aga‐TK, but could still inhibit the EPSCs in high Ca2+ solution after ω‐CgTX application. Forskolin (FK, 10 μm), an activator of adenylyl cyclase pathway, suppressed the EPSCs, and the FK‐induced effect was mostly blocked in the presence of ω‐Aga‐TK but not that of ω‐CgTX. These results suggest that D1‐like receptor activation selectively blocks P/Q‐type calcium channels to reduce glutamate release onto BF cholinergic neurones.
Interactions between cardiac, respiratory and EEG‐δ oscillations in rats during anaesthesia
Authors: Musizza Bojan , Stefanovska Aneta , McClintock Peter V. E. , Paluš Milan , Petrovčič Janko , Ribarič Samo , Bajrović Fajko F.
Published: January 2007

We hypothesized that, associated with the state of anaesthesia, characteristic changes exist in both cardio‐respiratory and cerebral oscillator parameters and couplings, perhaps varying with depth of anaesthesia. Electrocardiograms (ECGs), respiration and electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded from two groups of 10 rats during the entire course of anaesthesia following the administration of a single bolus of ketamine–xylazine (KX group) or pentobarbital (PB group). The phase dynamics approach was then used to extract the instantaneous frequencies of heart beat, respiration and slow δ‐waves (within 0.5–3.5 Hz). The amplitudes of δ‐ and θ‐waves were analysed by use of a time–frequency representation of the EEG signal within 0.5–7.5 Hz obtained by wavelet transformation, using the Morlet mother wavelet. For the KX group, where slow δ‐waves constituted the dominant spectral component, the Hilbert transform was applied to obtain the instantaneous δ‐frequency. The θ‐activity was spread over too wide a spectral range for its phase to be meaningfully defined. For both agents, we observed two distinct phases of anaesthesia, with a marked increase in θ‐wave activity occurring on passage from a deeper phase of anaesthesia to a shallower one. In other respects, the effects of the two anaesthetics were very different. For KX anaesthesia, the two phases were separated by a marked change in all three instantaneous frequencies: stable, deep, anaesthesia with small frequency variability was followed by a sharp transition to shallow anaesthesia with large frequency variability, lasting until the animal awoke. The transition occurred 16–76 min after injection of the anaesthetic, with simultaneous reduction in the δ‐wave amplitude. For PB anaesthesia, the two epochs were separated by the return of a positive response to the pinch test at 53–94 min, following which it took a further period of 45–70 min for the animal to awaken. δ‐Waves were not apparent at any stage of PB anaesthesia. We applied non‐linear dynamics and information theory to seek evidence of causal relationships between the cardiac, respiratory and slow δ‐oscillations. We demonstrate that, for both groups, respiration drives the cardiac oscillator during deep anaesthesia. During shallow KX anaesthesia the direction either reverses, or the cardio‐respiratory interaction becomes insignificant; in the deep phase, there is a unidirectional deterministic interaction of respiration with slow δ‐oscillations. For PB anaesthesia, the cardio‐respiratory interaction weakens during the second phase but, otherwise, there is no observable change in the interactions. We conclude that non‐linear dynamics and information theory can be used to identify different stages of anaesthesia and the effects of different anaesthetics.
Experimental demonstration of Doppler spectral broadening using the PC sound card
Authors: Azooz A.
Published: January 2007

The Doppler broadening of audio spectral lines is demonstrated using a simple experimental setup. The sound from a vibrating loudspeaker is received by a microphone that is connected to a computer sound card. A data-acquisition program is used to acquire the sound data. Fourier analysis is done to obtain the spectral power density of the sound received by the microphone. The results demonstrate spectral broadening similar to that which takes place in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. The experiment demonstrates both the Doppler effect and spectral broadening in the undergraduate physics lab.
Applying dimensional analysis to wave dispersion
Authors: Gratton Julio , Perazzo Carlos Alberto
Published: January 2007

We show that dimensional analysis supplemented by physical insight determines if a wave has dispersion, without recourse to sophisticated mathematical tools.
The thermodynamics of endoreversible engines
Authors: Lavenda B. H.
Published: January 2007

It is shown that the Curzon-Ahlborn engine, a prototype of an endoreversible engine, has the same efficiency as that of an unequally heated body that produces maximum work when perfect thermodynamic engines equalize its temperature. Maximum power output and finite-time operations are completely illusory.