bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paying the Bills Is Not Just Theory: Service Learning about a Living Wage
Authors: Banks Nina , Schneider Geoffrey , Susman Paul
Published: August 2005

This article discusses how to combine service learning, and specifically a living wage research project, with radical political economy-based undergraduate economics courses to promote critical thinking, civic engagement, and active learning in students. The authors explore how instructors can integrate service learning into the teaching of political economy. In addition, the article describes the authors’ experiences with living wage projects that they have implemented. The article makes the argument that the combination of experiential learning and political economics enriches the course experience for students significantly, leaving a much more lasting impression on students than a standard economics class.
Understanding the PhD as a Phase in Time
Authors: Araújo Emília Rodrigues
Published: August 2005

The purpose of this article is to offer a contribution to the analysis of the time spent on researching and preparing a PhD thesis and its conceptualization as a ‘phase’. Prior research on PhD experiences used time to explain the doctorate in terms of the different lengths of time involved when comparing different disciplines and scientific areas of study (Bourdieu, 1983; Atkinson, 2000). To date, the PhD has not been considered as a genuine time experience. I intend to do so by bearing in mind the insights provided by time sociology frameworks. Thus, in this article it is assumed that respondents’ understanding of their PhD time as ‘a phase’ translates a deep experience of liminality, in which they understand themselves on the one hand as belonging simultaneously to a ‘now’ and a ‘then’ and, on the other, as being located in a linear temporal structure. In the light of the findings, it is suggested that the phase may be viewed as a key concept for theorizing the temporality of PhD experience.
Self-help Books on Avoiding Time Shortage
Authors: Larsson Jörgen , Sanne Christer
Published: August 2005

Self-help books are tokens of our reflexive individualized society. The widespread experience of too high a pace in daily life and too little time for recovery and for social relations have resulted in books focusing on avoiding time shortage. In our analysis of the advice in such books we found time-management categories such as streamlining activities and buying services. Other identified categories focus on life-management strategies such as setting limits to time-consuming aspirations. Questioning personal aspirations in areas such as work and consumption appears to be an adequate way of avoiding time shortage and increasing one’s quality of life but this is also a challenging task due to the importance most people attach to these areas for identity creation and social acceptance.
Artefacts of Management Academe
Authors: Forray Jeanie M. , Woodilla Jill
Published: August 2005

Drawing on discursive approaches of stylistic linguistics and linguistic analysis, we explore ways in which temporality is an invoked and represented aspect in management journal titles. We analyze the titles of scholarly articles from three interdisciplinary organizational journals published in 2000: Administrative Science Quarterly, Group and Organization Management, and the Journal of Management Studies. We note manifestations of temporality in punctuation and word choice, in research interest, the use of academic terminology or keywords, and in underlying assumptions of temporality or timelessness. We conclude that journal titles may tell us about the speech community of management scholarship manifest through discipline-based constructions of temporality, but little about the individual experience of temporality in contributing to such a construction.
Invisible Social Infrastructures to Facilitate Time-pressed Distributed Organizing
Authors: van Fenema Paul C. , Räisänen Christine
Published: August 2005

How do complex societal demands and time constraints posed by distributed temporary organizing affect organizational communication? Extending Bowker and Star’s (2002) work on infrastructures, we introduce two context-specific ‘invisible’, social infrastructures: organizational and relational. We empirically assess their role in an international, multi-site ERP-software implementation. We investigated how these infrastructures shaped organizational activities, aligned discourses, created order, and prevented divergent behaviours. We found that mutually interdependent organizational and relational infrastructures strengthened social relationships and saved time by facilitating non-routine collaboration and organizational communication under geographic and temporal constraints. We argue that the conceptualization of (infra)structural and process dynamics will help researchers and practitioners understand and handle organizational communication in distributed temporary organizations.
Global Violence: Some Thoughts on Hope and Change
Authors: McPhillips Kathleen
Published: August 2005

In these early years of the new millennium the world finds itself in a new age of violence and terror. Acts of terrorism, the war in Iraq, and the ongoing post-colonial struggles have created a climate of unprecedented state legitimated and terrorist-based violence, where the emergence of new forms of national insecurity and vulnerability have impacted on every nation and distant corner of the plane. One looks at the world situation and despairs: it is almost impossible to feel safe in the face of such unpredictability. Patriarchy in its various guises (state power, terrorism, war, hate), intent on domination and destruction, seems all encompassing and powerful. The questions we ask are enormous: how do we respond and what can we do? Where will genuine moral leadership come from? Where are the signs of hope—true hope—hope born from realism not romanticism? And in particular, as feminists and religionists and theologians, what should our particular contribution be? It is more important than ever to understand hope, and how it generates change. I believe that there are two aspects to global violence that we as feminist religionists and theologians need to tackle in particular. The first is to continue to offer analysis around understanding what hope is, where it derives from, and how it can be transformed into action and motivation. Second, we are experts in two of the principal characteristics of the current global power arrangements—gender and religion—so we have a special responsibility to provide analysis and visionary thinking to our communities. I would like to suggest that the particular contributions that we can make could be firmly placed in the realm of an emerging feminist religious imaginary, because this is the site where our political action and ideas are sustained, nurtured, challenged and where hope is born via imaginative and visionary thinking, where biophillic rationalities and responses are possible. This paper reads global violence and locates hope within a feminist religious imaginary.
Symbolizing Our Desires
Authors: Rafferty Agnes
Published: August 2005

This paper attempts to examine the symbols being used by the protagonists in the war in Iraq relative to traditional Christian theology, the myths on which it was built and ensuing praxis. In particular I wish to consider the value allotted to ‘the feminine’ in the cultural and religious symbolic realm that underpins societal understanding of the relational climate necessary for liberty and justice to be effective.
The Christa: Symbolizing My Humanity and My Pain
Authors: Clague Julie
Published: August 2005

Since the mid-1970s, some artists have portrayed Jesus Christ in female form (sometimes referred to as the ‘Christa’). The depiction of a female Christ crucified is a particularly controversial representation that challenges theological orthodoxies and upsets the gender symbolism ingrained upon the Christian cross. The controversy and ecclesiastical censure that such works often provoke indicates the emotive power of gender subversion. This study provides a detailed account of five images of the female-Christ form in art, considers their function as theological symbols, and assesses their contribution to feminist theology. It will be suggested that the Christa offers a subversive feminist strategy of representation. And—while such representations do not remove the unanswered theological difficulties associated with divine suffering, the problem of evil and the mystery of salvation—the graphic portrayal of female suffering powerfully exposes the reality of the cross as a site of patriarchal violence.
Communities of the Cross: Christa and the Communal Nature of Redemption
Authors: Brock Rita Nakashima
Published: August 2005

This is a study of the development of Christian symbolic use of the Cross. Early depictions were anastasic, the empty cross symbolizing the resurrection and hiding the manner of Jesus’ death. As the Christian community itself became more violent, and first practiced and then justified the practice of war, the Crucifix showed Christ on the Cross increasingly graphically. The writer compares this with a set of images in and around the chapel at Central American University in San Salvador. The images record a memory of suffering and terror. The article ends by locating the experience of writing about these images in the context of global grass-roots protest against the war in Iraq.
Evolution of a microbial nitrilase gene family: a comparative and environmental genomics study
Authors: Podar Mircea , Eads Jonathan R , Richardson Toby H
Published: August 2005

Background

Completed genomes and environmental genomic sequences are bringing a significant contribution to understanding the evolution of gene families, microbial metabolism and community eco-physiology. Here, we used comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses in conjunction with enzymatic data to probe the evolution and functions of a microbial nitrilase gene family. Nitrilases are relatively rare in bacterial genomes, their biological function being unclear.

Results

We examined the genetic neighborhood of the different subfamily genes and discovered conserved gene clusters or operons associated with specific nitrilase clades. The inferred evolutionary transitions that separate nitrilases which belong to different gene clusters correlated with changes in their enzymatic properties. We present evidence that Darwinian adaptation acted during one of those transitions and identified sites in the enzyme that may have been under positive selection.

Conclusion

Changes in the observed biochemical properties of the nitrilases associated with the different gene clusters are consistent with a hypothesis that those enzymes have been recruited to a novel metabolic pathway following gene duplication and neofunctionalization. These results demonstrate the benefits of combining environmental genomic sampling and completed genomes data with evolutionary and biochemical analyses in the study of gene families. They also open new directions for studying the functions of nitrilases and the genes they are associated with.
Epidemiologic study of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in male volunteer blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Akhtar Saeed , Younus Muhammad , Adil Salman , Hassan Farrukh , Jafri Sarffraz Hussain
Published: August 2005

Background

The magnitude of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) varies substantially between the countries. A better understanding of incidence and/ or prevalence of HBV infection and associated risk factors provides insight into the transmission of this infection in the community. The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the prevalence of and to identify the risk factors associated with chronic infection with HBV, as assessed by HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, in asymptomatic volunteer male blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods

Consecutive blood donations made at the two large blood banks between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2002 were assessed to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg positivity. To evaluate the potential risk factors, a case-control study design was implemented; cases (HBsAg positives) and controls (HBsAg negatives), were recruited between October 15, 2001 and March 15, 2002. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered through trained interviewers to collect the data on hypothesized risk factors for HBV infection. Sera were tested for HBsAg using commercially available kits for enzyme linked Immunosorbant assay-III.

Results

HBsAg prevalence in the male volunteer blood donors was 2.0 % (7048/351309). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age and ethnicity, cases were significantly more likely than controls to have received dental treatment from un-qualified dental care provider (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 9.8; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1, 46.1), have received 1–5 injections (adjusted OR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 9.6), more than 5 injections (adjusted OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.4, 12.7) during the last five years or have received injection through a glass syringe (adjusted OR = 9.4; 95% CI: 2.6, 34.3). Injury resulted in bleeding during shaving from barbers (adjusted OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.8) was also significant predictor of HBsAg positivity.

Conclusion

Prevalence of HBsAg positivity in the male volunteer blood donors in Karachi was 2%. Infection control measures in health-care settings including safe injection practices and proper sterilization techniques of medical instruments and education of barbers about the significance of sterilization of their instruments may reduce the burden of HBV infection in this and similar settings. There is also an urgent need of developing locally relevant guidelines for counseling and management of HBsAg positive blood donors.
Case-control study on analgesics and nephropathy (SAN): protocol
Authors: Heinemann Lothar AJ , Garbe Edeltraut , Lewis Michael , van der Woude Fokko , Graf Helmut
Published: August 2005

Background

The association between intake of non-phenacetin-containing analgesics and the occurrence of chronic renal failure is still controversially discussed. A new epidemiologic study was planned and conducted in Germany and Austria.

Methods/design

The objective of the international, multicenter case-control study was to evaluate the association between end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and use of non-phenacetin-containing analgesics with particular emphasis on combined formulations. A targeted sample of 1000 new (incident) dialysis patients, aged less than 50 years, was planned to recruit between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2004. The age limit was chosen to avoid contamination of the study population with phenacetin-containing analgesics to the extent possible. Four control subjects per ESRD case, matched by age, sex, and region were selected from the population living in the region the case came from.

Lifetime exposure to analgesics and potential renal risk factors were recorded in a single face-to-face interview. A set of aids was introduced to reinforce the memory of study participants.

A standardized, pre-tested interview questionnaire (participants), a medical documentation sheet (physicians in dialysis centres), a logbook for all activities (dialysis centres) were used to collect the necessary data.

Quality management consisted of the standardized procedures, (re-) training and supervision of interviewers, regular checks of all incoming data for completeness and plausibility.

The study is scientifically independent and governed by a international Scientific Advisory Committee that bridged the gap between the sponsoring companies and the investigators. Also other advisory groups assisted the managing committee of the study. All relevant German and Austrian nephrological associations supported the study, and the study design was carefully reviewed and approved by the Kidney Foundation of Germany.

Discussion

The study is expected to answer the main research question by end 2005. There is however a high potential for various biases that we tried to address with adequate measure. One limitation however cannot be overcome: The methodologically needed age-limitation of the study will make it not easy to generalize the results to age groups over 50 years. It might be suggested to repeat the study for persons over 50 years in 10 years when contamination with phenacetin use early in life is likely to be outgrown.
Chromosomal changes in uroepithelial carcinomas
Authors: Fadl-Elmula Imad
Published: August 2005

This article reviews and summarizes chromosomal changes responsible for the initiation and progression of uroepithelial carcinomas. Characterization of these alterations may lead to a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms and open the door for molecular markers that can be used for better diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. Such information might even help in designing new therapeutic strategies geared towards prevention of tumor recurrences and more aggressive approach in progression-prone cases.

The revision of 205 cases of uroepithelial carcinomas reported with abnormal karyotypes showed karyotypic profile characterized by nonrandom chromosomal aberrations varying from one or few changes in low-grade and early stage tumors to massively rearranged karyotypes in muscle invasive ones. In general, the karyotypic profile was dominated by losses of chromosomal material seen as loss of entire chromosome and/or deletions of genetic materials. Rearrangements of chromosome 9 resulting in loss of material from 9p, 9q, or of the entire chromosome were the most frequent cytogenetic alterations, seen in 45% of the cases. Whereas loss of material from chromosome arms 1p, 8p, and 11p, and gains of chromosome 7, and chromosome arm 1q, and 8q seem to be an early, but secondary, changes appearing in superficial and well differentiated tumors, the formation of an isochromosome for 5p and loss of material from 17p are associated with more aggressive tumor phenotypes. Upper urinary tract TCCs have identical karyotypic profile to that of bladder TCCs, indicating the same pathogenetic mechanisms are at work in both locales. Intratumor cytogenetic heterogeneity was not seen except in a few post-radiation uroepithelial carcinomas in which distinct karyotypic and clonal pattern were characterized by massive intratumor heterogeneity (cytogenetic polyclonality) with near-diploid clones and simple balanced and/or unbalanced translocations. In the vast majority of cases strong correlation between the tumors grade/stage and karyotypic complexity was seen, indicating that progressive accumulation of acquired genetic alterations is the driving force behind multistep bladder TCC carcinogenesis. Although most of these cytogenetic alterations have been identified for many years, the molecular consequences and relevant cancer genes of these alterations have not yet been identified. However, loss of TSG(s) from chromosome 9 seems to be the primary and important event(s) in uroepithelial carcinogenesis
Predictors of primary breast cancers responsiveness to preoperative Epirubicin/Cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy: translation of microarray data into clinically useful predictive signatures
Authors: Modlich Olga , Prisack Hans-Bernd , Munnes Marc , Audretsch Werner , Bojar Hans
Published: August 2005

Background

Our goal was to identify gene signatures predictive of response to preoperative systemic chemotherapy (PST) with epirubicin/cyclophosphamide (EC) in patients with primary breast cancer.

Methods

Needle biopsies were obtained pre-treatment from 83 patients with breast cancer and mRNA was profiled on Affymetrix HG-U133A arrays. Response ranged from pathologically confirmed complete remission (pCR), to partial remission (PR), to stable or progressive disease, "NoChange" (NC). A primary analysis was performed in breast tissue samples from 56 patients and 5 normal healthy individuals as a training cohort for predictive marker identification. Gene signatures identifying individuals most likely to respond completely to PST-EC were extracted by combining several statistical methods and filtering criteria. In order to optimize prediction of non responding tumors Student'st-test and Wilcoxon test were also applied. An independent cohort of 27 patients was used to challenge the predictive signatures. Ak-Nearest neighbor algorithm as well as two independent linear partial least squares determinant analysis (PLS-DA) models based on the training cohort were selected for classification of the test samples. The average specificity of these predictions was greater than 74% for pCR, 100% for PR and greater than 62% for NC. All three classification models could identify all pCR cases.

Results

The differential expression of 59 genes in the training and the test cohort demonstrated capability to predict response to PST-EC treatment. Based on the training cohort a classifier was constructed following a decision tree.

First, a transcriptional profile capable to distinguish cancerous from normal tissue was identified. Then, a "favorable outcome signature" (31 genes) and a "poor outcome signature" (26 genes) were extracted from the cancer specific signatures. This stepwise implementation could predict pCR and distinguish between NC and PR in a subsequent set of patients. Both PLS-DA models were implemented to discriminate all three response classes in one step.

Conclusion

In this study signatures were identified capable to predict clinical outcome in an independent set of primary breast cancer patients undergoing PST-EC.
Attention demanding tasks during treadmill walking reduce step width variability in young adults
Authors: Grabiner Mark D , Troy Karen L
Published: August 2005

Background

The variability of step time and step width is associated with falls by older adults. Further, step time is significantly influenced when performing attention demanding tasks while walking. Without exception, step time variability has been reported to increase in normal and pathologically aging older adults. Because of the role of step width in managing frontal plane dynamic stability, documenting the influence of attention-demanding tasks on step width variability may provide insight to events that can disturb dynamic stability during locomotion and increase fall risk. Preliminary evidence suggests performance of an attention demanding task significantly decreases step width variability of young adults walking on a treadmill. The purpose of the present study was to confirm or refute this finding by characterizing the extent and direction of the effects of a widely used attention demanding task (Stroop test) on the step width variability of young adults walking on a motorized treadmill.

Methods

Fifteen healthy young adults walked on a motorized treadmill at a self-selected velocity for 10 minutes under two conditions; without performing an attention demanding task and while performing the Stroop test. Step width of continuous and consecutive steps during the collection was derived from the data recorded using a motion capture system. Step width variability was computed as the standard deviation of all recorded steps.

Results

Step width decreased four percent during performance of the Stroop test but the effect was not significant (p = 0.10). In contrast, the 16 percent decrease in step width variability during the Stroop test condition was significant (p = 0.029).

Conclusion

The results support those of our previous work in which a different attention demanding task also decreased step width variability of young subjects while walking on a treadmill. The decreased step width variability observed while performing an attention demanding task during treadmill walking may reflect a voluntary gait adaptation toward a more conservative gait pattern emphasizing frontal plane control of the trunk. Extension of the experimental paradigm to older adults and mechanistic approaches to link step width variability to dynamic stability, and falls, in a cause-effect manner are necessary.
Expression of ADAM15 in rheumatoid synovium: up-regulation by vascular endothelial growth factor and possible implications for angiogenesis
Authors: Komiya Koichiro , Enomoto Hiroyuki , Inoki Isao , Okazaki Satoko , Fujita Yoshinari , Ikeda Eiji , Ohuchi Eiko , Matsumoto Hideo , Toyama Yoshiaki , Okada Yasunori
Published: August 2005

ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinases) comprise a new gene family of metalloproteinases, and may play roles in cell-cell interaction, cell migration, signal transduction, shedding of membrane-anchored proteins and degradation of extracellular matrix. We screened the mRNA expression of 10 different ADAMs with a putative metalloproteinase motif in synovial tissues from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA). Reverse transcription PCR and real-time quantitative PCR analyses indicated that among the ADAMs, ADAM15 mRNA was more frequently expressed in the RA samples and its expression level was significantly 3.8-fold higher in RA than in OA (p < 0.01). In situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting demonstrated that ADAM15 is expressed in active and precursor forms in the synovial lining cells, endothelial cells of blood vessels and macrophage-like cells in the sublining layer of RA synovium. There was a direct correlation between ADAM15 mRNA expression levels and vascular density in the synovial tissues (r = 0.907, p < 0.001; n = 20). ADAM15 was constitutively expressed in RA synovial fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and the expression level was increased in HUVECs by treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165. On the other hand, ADAM15 expression in RA synovial fibroblasts was enhanced with VEGF165 only if vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2 expression was induced by treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α, and the expression was blocked with SU1498, a specific inhibitor of VEGFR-2. These data demonstrate that ADAM15 is overexpressed in RA synovium and its expression is up-regulated by the action of VEGF165 through VEGFR-2, and suggest the possibility that ADAM15 is involved in angiogenesis in RA synovium.
Metastasis of hormone-independent breast cancer to lung and bone is decreased by α-difluoromethylornithine treatment
Authors: Richert Monica M , Phadke Pushkar A , Matters Gail , DiGirolamo Douglas J , Washington Sharlene , Demers Laurence M , Bond Judith S , Manni Andrea , Welch Danny R
Published: August 2005

Introduction

Polyamines affect proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis of cells, indicating their potential as a target for cancer chemotherapy. Ornithine decarboxylase converts ornithine to putrescine and is the rate-limiting step in polyamine synthesis.

α-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) irreversibly inhibits ornithine decarboxylase and MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer metastasis to the lung without blocking orthotopic tumor growth. This study tested the effects of DFMO on orthotopic tumor growth and lung colonization of another breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) and the effects on bone metastasis of MDA-MB-435 cells.

Methods

MDA-MB-231 cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of athymic mice. DFMO treatment (2% per orally) began at the day of tumor cell injection or 21 days post injection. Tumor growth was measured weekly. MDA-MB-231 cells were injected into the tail vein of athymic mice. DFMO treatment began 7 days prior to injection, or 7 or 14 days post injection. The number and incidence of lung metastases were determined. Green fluorescent protein-tagged MDA-MB-435 cells were injected into the left cardiac ventricle in order to assess the incidence and extent of metastasis to the femur. DFMO treatment began 7 days prior to injection.

Results

DFMO treatment delayed MDA-MB-231 orthotopic tumor growth to a greater extent than growth of MDA-MB-435 tumors. The most substantial effect on lung colonization by MDA-MB-231 cells occurred when DFMO treatment began 7 days before intravenous injection of tumor cells (incidence decreased 28% and number of metastases per lung decreased 35–40%). When DFMO treatment began 7 days post injection, the incidence and number of metastases decreased less than 10%. Surprisingly, treatment initiated 14 days after tumor cell inoculation resulted in a nearly 50% reduction in the number of lung metastases without diminishing the incidence. After intracardiac injection, DFMO treatment decreased the incidence of bone metastases (55% vs 87%) and the area occupied by the tumor (1.66 mm2 vs 4.51 mm2, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Taken together, these data demonstrate that DFMO exerts an anti-metastatic effect in more than one hormone-independent breast cancer, for which no standard form of biologically-based treatment exists. Importantly, the data show that DFMO is effective against metastasis to multiple sites and that treatment is generally more effective when administered early.
Efficiency of 7.2% hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5 versus mannitol 15% in the treatment of increased intracranial pressure in neurosurgical patients – a randomized clinical trial [ISRCTN62699180]
Authors: Harutjunyan Lilit , Holz Carsten , Rieger Andreas , Menzel Matthias , Grond Stefan , Soukup Jens
Published: August 2005

Introduction

This prospective randomized clinical study investigated the efficacy and safety of 7.2% hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5 (7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5) in comparison with 15% mannitol in the treatment of increased intracranial pressure (ICP).

Methods

Forty neurosurgical patients at risk of increased ICP were randomized to receive either 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 or 15% mannitol at a defined infusion rate, which was stopped when ICP was < 15 mmHg.

Results

Of the 40 patients, 17 patients received 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 and 15 received mannitol 15%. In eight patients, ICP did not exceed 20 mmHg so treatment was not necessary. Both drugs decreased ICP below 15 mmHg (p < 0.0001); 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 within 6.0 (1.2–15.0) min (all results are presented as median (minimum-maximum range)) and mannitol within 8.7 (4.2–19.9) min (p < 0.0002). 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 caused a greater decrease in ICP than mannitol (57% vs 48%; p < 0.01). The cerebral perfusion pressure was increased from 60 (39–78) mmHg to 72 (54–85) mmHg by infusion with 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 (p < 0.0001) and from 61 (47–71) mmHg to 70 (50–79) mmHg with mannitol (p < 0.0001). The mean arterial pressure was increased by 3.7% during the infusion of 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 but was not altered by mannitol. There were no clinically relevant effects on electrolyte concentrations and osmolarity in the blood. The mean effective dose to achieve an ICP below 15 mmHg was 1.4 (0.3–3.1) ml/kg for 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 and 1.8 (0.45–6.5) ml/kg for mannitol (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 is more effective than mannitol 15% in the treatment of increased ICP. A dose of 1.4 ml/kg of 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 can be recommended as effective and safe. The advantage of 7.2% NaCl/HES 200/0.5 might be explained by local osmotic effects, because there were no clinically relevant differences in hemodynamic clinical chemistry parameters.
Toward Seismic Microzonation—2-D Modeling and Ambient Seismic Noise Measurements: The Case of an Embanked, Deep Alpine Valley
Authors: Frischknecht Corine , Rosset Philippe , Wagner Jean-Jacques
Published: August 2005

In the Sion area of Switzerland, part of a deep, embanked sediment-filled valley, investigations on soil site effects have been conducted using two independent methods. Two-dimensional (2-D) modeling was performed with a program based on the Indirect Boundary Element Method (Pedersen et. al. 1994). Numerical simulations allow taking into account the subsurface geometry of the valley and its peculiar characteristics, such as a variable shape ratio and a high shear-wave velocity contrast. The H/V method has been applied on ambient seismic noise measurements recorded on sites as close as possible to the 2-D modeling. This technique allows capturing the fundamental resonant frequency of the deepest sediments as well as identifying the existence of a surficial deposit. Both approaches agree on the fact that the fundamental resonant frequency of the valley is below 1 Hz. The amplification level of the predominant frequency obtained with numerical simulation is up to two times higher than the one given by the H/V ratio. These results provide the basis for further investigations in order to resolve differences.
Implications of the Observed Seismic Performance of a Pile-Supported Wharf for Numerical Modeling
Authors: Donahue Matthew J. , Dickenson Stephen E. , Miller Thomas H. , Yim Solomon C.
Published: August 2005

The seismic response and performance of pile-supported wharves on sloping ground is not well documented due to an historical lack of instrumentation on port structures. Although general surface observations have been made at numerous ports following recent earthquakes, much more specific soil foundation-structure-interaction data could have been obtained with the more widespread employment of instrumentation. This paper presents the results of empirical and numerical analyses of recorded strong-motion data (SMD) from an array of instruments located on a pile-supported wharf and in the adjacent free field. Data were recorded with an instrumentation array at Berth 24/25 at the Port of Oakland, California, during the M7.0 Loma Prieta earthquake. The primary objectives of this project were to evaluate the SMD and identify the limitations inherent in capturing the complete dynamic character, including soil structure interaction, of a pier or wharf with a structural model. The project is expected to serve the professional engineering community by providing guidance in selecting appropriate techniques for seismic analysis and subsequent upgrade of existing port facilities.
The Role of Fragility Assessment in Consequence-Based Engineering
Authors: Wen Y. K. , Ellingwood B. R.
Published: August 2005

Concepts of uncertainty modeling and fragility assessment in earthquake engineering and their applications in consequence-based engineering (CBE) of buildings in a region of low-to-moderate seismicity are presented. Efficient treatment of uncertainties in components and systems that are major contributors to building vulnerability is an essential ingredient of risk assessment and decision making. Current methodologies are reviewed first. A framework for fragility analysis then is demonstrated using an unreinforced masonry building as an example. The importance of fragility analysis in various stages of risk assessment, loss estimation, and decision making in CBE to achieve the desirable long-term objective in reduction of loss and consequence with the most efficient intervention measures is clearly indicated. Current research issues related to vulnerability assessment are identified.
The Case for Using Mean Seismic Hazard
Authors: McGuire Robin K. , Cornell C. Allin , Toro Gabriel R.
Published: August 2005

Complete probabilistic seismic hazard analyses incorporate epistemic uncertainties in assumptions, models, and parameters, and lead to a distribution of annual frequency of exceedance versus ground motion amplitude (the “seismic hazard”). For decision making, if a single representation of the seismic hazard is required, it is always preferable to use the mean of this distribution, rather than some other representation, such as a particular fractile. Use of the mean is consistent with modern interpretations of probability and with precedents of safety goals and cost-benefit analysis.
Fundamental Periods of Vibration of Braced Steel Frames for Seismic Design
Authors: Tremblay Robert
Published: August 2005

An analytical study is performed to propose a simple expression for the fundamental period of vibration of concentrically braced steel frames. This work was carried out in the context of the development of the 2005 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) and is mainly applicable to structures located in moderate and low seismic regions. Available field and test measurements of building periods are compared to analytical predictions. An empirical period formula is developed based on a survey of analytically computed building periods published in the literature. The influence of the 2005 NBCC design provisions on braced steel-frame periods is examined through a closed-form period solution and an extensive parametric study. Building periods are found to vary significantly with seismic hazard levels and soil conditions. An expression is tentatively proposed that provides reasonable lower-bound period estimates for most situations in Canada.
Randomized Phase III Trial of Sequential Chemoradiotherapy Compared With Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Groupe Lyon-Saint-Etienne d'Oncologie Thoracique–Groupe Français de Pneumo-Cancérologie NPC 95-01 Study
Authors: Fournel Pierre , Robinet Gilles , Thomas Pascal , Souquet Pierre-Jean , Léna Hervé , Vergnenégre Alain , Delhoume Jean-Yves , Le Treut Jacques , Silvani Jules-Antoine , Dansin Eric , Bozonnat Marie-Cécile , Daurés Jean-Pierre , Mornex Françoise , Pérol Maurice
Published: August 2005

Purpose

We conducted a phase III study to compare the survival impact of concurrent versus sequential treatment with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) in unresectable stage III non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment arms. In the sequential arm, patients received induction CT with cisplatin (120 mg/m2) on days 1, 29, and 57, and vinorelbine (30 mg/m2/wk) from day 1 to day 78, followed by thoracic RT at a dose of 66 Gy in 33 fractions (2 Gy per fraction and 5 fractions per week). In the concurrent arm, the same RT was started on day 1 with two concurrent cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m2/d and etoposide 50 mg/m2/d (days 1 to 5 and days 29 to 33); patients then received consolidation therapy with cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on days 78 and 106 and vinorelbine 30 mg/m2/wk from days 78 to 127.

Results

Two hundred five patients were randomly assigned. Pretreatment characteristics were well balanced between the two arms. There were six toxic deaths in the sequential arm and 10 in the concurrent arm. Median survival was 14.5 months in the sequential arm and 16.3 months in the concurrent arm (log-rank test P = .24). Two-, 3-, and 4-year survival rates were better in the concurrent arm (39%, 25%, and 21%, respectively) than in the sequential arm (26%, 19%, and 14%, respectively). Esophageal toxicity was significantly more frequent in the concurrent arm than in the sequential arm (32% v 3%).

Conclusion

Although not statistically significant, clinically important differences in the median, 2-, 3-, and 4-year survival rates were observed, with a trend in favor of concurrent chemoradiation therapy, suggesting that is the optimal strategy for patients with locally advanced NSCLC.
Combined Chemoradiotherapy Regimens of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin for Locally Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Randomized Phase II Locally Advanced Multi-Modality Protocol
Authors: Belani Chandra P. , Choy Hak , Bonomi Phil , Scott Charles , Travis Patrick , Haluschak John , Curran Walter J.
Published: August 2005

Purpose

This phase II noncomparative randomized trial was conducted to determine the optimal sequencing and integration of paclitaxel/carboplatin with standard daily thoracic radiation therapy (TRT), in patients with locally advanced unresected stage III non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Survival data were compared with historical standard sequential chemoradiotherapy data from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

Patients and Methods

Patients with unresected stages IIIA and IIIB NSCLC, with Karnofsky performance status ≥ 70% and weight loss ≤ 10%, received two cycles of induction paclitaxel (200 mg/m2)/carboplatin (area under the plasma concentration time curve [AUC] = 6) followed by TRT 63.0 Gy (arm 1, sequential) or two cycles of induction paclitaxel (200 mg/m2)/carboplatin (AUC = 6) followed by weekly paclitaxel (45 mg/m2)/carboplatin (AUC = 2) with concurrent TRT 63.0 Gy (arm 2, induction/concurrent), or weekly paclitaxel (45 mg/m2)/carboplatin (AUC = 2)/TRT (63.0 Gy) followed by two cycles of paclitaxel (200 mg/m2)/carboplatin (AUC = 6; arm 3, concurrent/consolidation).

Results

With a median follow-up time of 39.6 months, median overall survival was 13.0, 12.7, and 16.3 months for arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively. During induction chemotherapy, grade 3/4 granulocytopenia occurred in 32% and 38% of patients on study arms 1 and 2, respectively. The most common locoregional grade 3/4 toxicity during and after TRT was esophagitis, which was more pronounced with the administration of concurrent chemoradiotherapy on study arms 2 and 3 (19% and 28%, respectively).

Conclusion

Concurrent weekly paclitaxel, carboplatin, and TRT followed by consolidation seems to be associated with the best outcome, although this schedule was associated with greater toxicity.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Huntingtin-associated Protein 1 in Endocrine System of the Rat
Authors: Liao Min , Shen Jianying , Zhang Yinong , Li Shi-Hua , Li Xiao-Jiang , Li He
Published: August 2005

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) was originally found to be localized in neurons and is thought to play an important role in neuronal vesicular trafficking and/or organelle transport. Based on functional similarity between neuron and endocrine cell in vesicular trafficking, we examined the expression and localization of HAP1 in the rat endocrine system using immunohistochemistry. HAP1-immunoreactive cells are widely distributed in the anterior lobe of the pituitary, scattered in the wall of the thyroid follicles, or clustered in the interfollicular space of the thyroid gland, exclusively but diffusely distributed in the medullae of adrenal glands, and selectively located in the pancreas islets. HAP1-containing cells were also found in the mucosa of stomach and small intestine with a distributive pattern similar to that of gastrointestinal endocrine cells. However, no HAP1-immunoreactive cell was found in the cortex of the adrenal gland, the testis, and the ovary. In the posterior lobe of the pituitary, HAP1-immunoreactive products were not detected in the cell bodies but in many stigmoid bodies, one kind of non-membrane-bound cytoplasmic organelle with a central or eccentric electron-lucent core. HAP1-immunoreactive stigmoid bodies were also found in the cytoplasm of endocrine cells in the thyroid gland, the medullae of adrenal gland, the pancreas islets, the stomach, and small intestine. The present study demonstrates that HAP1 is selectively expressed in part of the small peptide-, protein-, and amino-acid analog and derivative-secreting endocrine cells but not in steroid hormone-secreting cells, suggesting that HAP1 is also involved in intracellular trafficking in certain types of endocrine cells.
Size Effect of Microdamage Growth and Its Relation to Macro Fatigue Life
Authors: Altus E
Published: August 2005

In its initial evolution stage, fatigue damage consists of many microdamage sites, having random sizes and locations. The way in which these sites grow and coalesce has a crucial effect on the macro fatigue life. A statistical micromechanic fatigue model has been developed, in which the material is composed of microelements of random strength with a certain probabilistic dispersion parameter (β). In addition, the model takes into account local interactions between damaged microelements and their first neighbors by considering a failure sensitivity factor (c), which is the probability that the neighbor will survive the local (micro) stress concentration. It was shown analytically in previous studies that β is proportional to the S-N power intensity, and ln(1-c) is proportional to the macro endurance limit. In this study, the analysis is generalized to the case where the growth of each micro-damage is size dependent, i.e., each damage site grows at a rate which depends on its current size. The strength of this rate-size relation controls the order of the governing differential equation. It was found that certain “microdamage growth laws” still preserve the macro power law, so that the power on the S-N diagram can be directly related to the local microdamage evolution. While the analytical micro-macro relation is still under current study, a numerical simulation of fatigue damage evolution has been obtained and revealed that the macro S-N power law prevails in spite of the noticable complexity.
Fretting Fatigue and Stress Relaxation Behaviors of Shot-Peened Ti-6Al-4V
Authors: Lee H , Mall S
Published: August 2005

Relaxation behavior of residual stress and its effect on fretting fatigue response of shot-peened titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V were investigated at room and elevated temperatures under constant amplitude cycling condition using two contact configurations, cylinder on flat and flat on flat. Measurements by X-ray diffraction method before and after tests showed that residual compressive stress relaxed during fretting fatigue. Fretting fatigue life depended on the amount of stress relaxation as well as on the applied stress range. Elevated temperature induced more residual stress relaxation relative to that at room temperature, which, in turn, resulted in a reduction of fretting fatigue life. There was no effect of contact geometry on fretting fatigue life on the basis of the applied cyclic stress on the specimen, which did not account for any effects from contact stresses, even though less residual stress relaxation occurred with flat pad. A critical plane based fatigue crack initiation model, modified shear stress range parameter (MSSR), was computed from finite element analysis for tests incorporating various levels of stress relaxation. It showed that not only crack initiation but also crack propagation should be considered to characterize fretting fatigue behavior of shot-peened specimens.
New Value-Added Polymeric Dispersants and Uses Thereof in Agricultural Formulations
Authors: Narayanan KS , Jon DI , Patel J
Published: August 2005

Polymeric dispersants are dispersants of choice for formulating suspension concentrates, suspoemulsions, and solid delivery systems (WP, WDG, and Tablets). We have developed a new line of polymeric dispersants, as 25 % aqueous solution, based on partially neutralized methyl vinyl ether maleic acid half esters (ethyl/butyl) copolymers (MVE-MAHE), (with trade name EASY-SPERSE®). They were used in formulating suspension concentrates and aqueous dispersions for a host of active ingredients like herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other growth regulators, organic dyes, inorganic pigments, including certain water-insoluble polymers. Some of these dispersions also showed suspensibility above 80 % and rainfastness at use level concentrations.

Other commonly used polymeric dispersants are: Lignosulfonates, Naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensate (NSFC), Poly acrylates, and olefin maleic acid co-polymers. Their film forming properties and binding efficacy can be improved when used with pyrrolidone co-polymers.

Our recent findings show synergy between vinylpyrrolidone homo/co-polymers and commonly used polymeric dispersants as above. Further, a combination of Polyvinylpyrrolidone and polymeric dispersants showed built-in rainfastness in suspension concentrates. Examples of prototype formulations and a working model explaining the synergistic role of polyvinylpyrrolidone are provided. Solid composites from Polyvinylpyrrolidone and MVE-MAHE were prepared via spray drying the liquid slurries. The solid dispersants with Polyvinylpyrrolidone incorporated will be useful in formulating solid delivery systems.