bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intersectoral Linkages and Key Sectors in China, 1987–1997
Authors: Andreosso‐O'Callaghan B. , Yue G.
Published: June 2004

Since the pioneering work by Rasmussen and others in the 1950s, alternative measures of linkages have been developed, with the aim of examining the interdependence in production structures and in identifying key sectors in an economy. Our study proposes a comparative analysis of traditional and modern methods, by applying them to the case of China between 1987 and 1997. It finds that backward and forward linkages have generally increased in China, denoting an increase in intersectoral interdependence, with some sectors (e.g. agriculture, food, textiles and chemicals) being dominant in this process. With regard to the identification of key sectors, hypothetical extraction methods provide superior results compared with traditional methods. Agriculture, textiles, chemicals, building materials, primary metals, machinery, commerce and other services are all recognized as being the key sectors by both the total linkage and pure linkage methods.
Analysis of Factors Influencing Taiwan's Unregistered Overseas Investment Behavior
Authors: Yang Ya‐Hwei , Tu Ying‐Yi
Published: June 2004

There has been a significant increase in Taiwanese investment overseas since the mid‐1980s. However, when Taiwanese investors choose to pursue overseas investment, they do not necessarily register this with the government (specifically, with the Investment Commission at the Ministry of Economic Affairs). Although this is a common phenomenon, there has thus far been a scarcity of in‐depth analysis of this trend within the published literature. The official statistics on Taiwanese overseas investment, as provided by the Taiwanese government, differ significantly from those provided by the countries in which the investments take place. We can deduce from this that some businessmen engage in foreign investment without registering it with the government, and as a consequence, suggest that the reasons for such non‐registering behavior are worthy of study.

This paper adopts theoretical and empirical models to observe unregistered overseas investment behavior patterns and to investigate the reasons influencing the decision to engage in unregistered investment. A questionnaire survey is under‐taken to estimate the proportion of unregistered investment, with theoretical and empirical analyses being used to explore the factors behind the decision to adopt non‐registering behavior. The results show that the proportion of unregistered investment tends to be higher in South‐East Asia and China than in the USA and that complicated administrative procedures have a positive influence on this type of behavior. Furthermore, such behavior can be predetermined by the prospects of higher returns on investment.
Factors influencing child witnesses
Authors: CEDERBORG ANN‐CHRISTIN
Published: June 2004

This study elucidates how professional intervention can influence children's abilities to report accurately about abuse experiences. Based on knowledge acquired through previous research and the present case study, the study shows how methods of information acquisition used during preliminary investigations can negatively affect child reports. The case study emanates from a larger study of 193 allegedly sexually abused children. Examination of these police interviews shows that 55 children were interviewed more than once and their reports were exposed to possible professional influences before and during the preliminary investigation. The case study reveals the inadequate management of a child witness. The findings indicate that police officers and psychologists should avoid suggestive interventions and co‐ordinate their efforts during the preliminary investigation in order to safeguard the children's as well as the suspects’ legal interests. This paper points out the need for implementing interview interventions that can enhance children's abilities to report accurately about abuse experiences.
Work values among the unemployed: Changes over time and some gender differences
Authors: ISAKSSON KERSTIN , JOHANSSON GUNN , BELLAAGH KATALIN , SJÖBERG ANDERS
Published: June 2004

Work involvement (psychological identification with work in general) has generally been considered as a stable, dispositional characteristic, although some studies of unemployment have contradicted this view. Using longitudinal data from a Swedish representative sample (n= 888), this study examines employment status change (e.g. from work to unemployment) and work values development in a 15‐month time period. Furthermore, the relationship between employment status change and well‐being is explored, with a special focus on the roles played by work values and gender differences. Results indicated that work values are fairly stable over 15 months. As expected, the long‐term unemployed (mostly active job seekers) hadhighermeasures of work involvement after 15 months. Further, no gender difference was found with regard to work involvement but females were more likely to agree that there is an entitlement to work. Becoming unemployed was associated with negative health effects, but only among unemployed men.
Testing Antonovsky's sense of coherence (SOC) scale among Swedish physically active older people
Authors: SÖDERHAMN OLLE , HOLMGREN LINDA
Published: June 2004

In Antonovsky's salutogenic theory, the major concept sense of coherence (SOC) is constituted of three core components called comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. Several scales that are intended to measure SOC are available and used by researchers in health and caring sciences all over the world. When using a scale, evidence of its quality in different study groups is needed in order to get reliable and valid data. The aim of this study was to test reliability and construct validity of the Swedish version of Antonovsky's original 29‐item sense of coherence (SOC) scale in a group of physically active older people. The scale was tested with a convenience sample of 140 physically active older individuals, who took part in different fitness‐training groups in eastern Sweden. Reliability was assessed as item to total correlations and with the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct validity was assessed with the known groups technique, confirmatory factor analysis, and with logistic regression analysis. The results showed that in the studied group of older individuals, the instrument was a very reliable tool with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.92. Construct validity of the scale was supported by the fact that the global concept sense of coherence was found to be hierarchically organized in a model that consisted of the three core components of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. Furthermore, perceived health could be explained to some degree by sense of coherence, but even more by comprehensibility, in both cases independently of chronological age. The results clearly corroborated Antonovsky's theory.
Internet addiction: Characteristics of a questionnaire and prevalence in Norwegian youth (12–18 years)
Authors: JOHANSSON AGNETA , GÖTESTAM K. GUNNAR
Published: June 2004

The use of the Internet has increased considerably during the last few years, and there are also some clinical observations that some people ‘get hooked’, and develop an Internet addiction. An epidemiological study was performed in a representative sample of the Norwegian youth population (N= 3,237; response rate 45.2%). The proportion not using Internet was only 4.9%, while 35.8% were non‐frequent users, and 49.6% (1,591) were frequent (weekly) users. They used the Internet on the mean 4.3 hours a week. A mean of 1.98% (boys 2.42%, girls 1.51%) could be described as having an ‘Internet addiction’ according to the criteria in the Diagnostic Questionnaire of Young (1998), and an additional 8.68% (in sum 10.66) were considered to have an at‐risk Internet use (boys 9.21%, girls 8.13%). If these proportions were calculated on individuals who used the Internet frequently, 4.02% fulfilled 5 criteria, and an additional 17.66% 3–4 criteria, giving quite high figures of problematic Internet use (in sum 21.68). The different diagnostic criteria gave a broad range of affirmative answers (from 0.4% to 27.9%). The results have important implications for further studies of prevalence, implementation of preventive measures, and the development of treatment approaches for Internet addiction.
Review of studies evaluating psychotherapy in bulimia nervosa: The influence of research methods
Authors: CLAUSEN LOA
Published: June 2004

The purpose of the study was to test if design and research methods of studies predict outcome results of bulimia nervosa. Fifty‐seven articles on outcome of bulimia nervosa were found through MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO databases and 25 were included in the statistical analysis. Percentages of patients with a good outcome ranged from 24% to 74% with a mean of 51.1%. The variables best predicting outcome were time to follow‐up and number of symptoms evaluated in definition of good outcome whereas dropout, design of studies, treatments, and sample characteristics did not predict significantly. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The influence of rumination and defensiveness on negative affect in response to experimental stress
Authors: THOMSEN DORTHE KIRKEGAARD , JØRGENSEN MICHAEL MARTINI , MEHLSEN MIMI YUNG , ZACHARIAE ROBERT
Published: June 2004

Previous experiments investigating the influence of rumination on negative affect have often manipulated the timing and content of rumination, which may be problematic as rumination is phenomenologically experienced as uncontrollable. In the present experiment, rumination was not manipulated, but measured as an individual tendency before the experiment. Furthermore, it was tested whether defensiveness would reduce the higher degree of negative affect often associated with rumination. Fifty‐six participants completed questionnaires measuring rumination and defensiveness and participated in a phrase completion task, rating negative affect before and after the task. Correlational analyses showed that rumination was positively associated (p < 0.05) with affect responses (r range = 0.35–0.61), whereas defensiveness was negatively associated with affect responses (r range =–0.27–0.32). Four groups of high and low rumination and defensiveness scorers were created using median splits. An ANOVA showed that scoring high on defensiveness did not reduce the negative affect experienced by high ruminating participants.
Failing to Meet the Standards: The English Language Arts Test for Fourth Graders in New York State
Authors: Hill Clifford
Published: June 2004

This article examines two kinds of problems associated with the English Language Arts test at the fourth-grade level in New York State: (1) problems that inhere in the test itself and (2) problems associated with its use. As for the test itself three kinds of problems are analyzed: (1) the use of multiple-choice tasks to assess reading comprehension, (2) the number of writing tasks that children must respond to within a limited time frame, and (3) the use of a rubric that contains unrealistic criteria. As for the use of the test, two kinds of problems are analyzed: (1) the use of coaching material that has not been properly vetted and (2) the discontinued use of broadly based assessment programs that complement testing with portfolio sampling of children's work. The conclusions offer recommendations for dealing with these problems.
Testing High-Stakes Tests: Can We Believe the Results of Accountability Tests?
Authors: Greene Jay P. , Winters Marcus A. , Forster Greg
Published: June 2004

This study examines whether the results of standardized tests are distorted when rewards and sanctions are attached to them, making them high-stakes tests. It measures the correlation in school-level test results—including both score levels and year-to-year score changes—on high-stakes and low-stakes tests administered in the same schools in nine school systems. It finds that test score levels generally correlate very well, while year-to-year score changes correlate very well in Florida but much more weakly in other school systems. It concludes that the stakes of high-stakes tests do not distort information about the general level at which students are performing, and in Florida they also do not prevent the tests from providing accurate information about school influence over student progress.
A Year in the Life of an Elementary School: One School's Experiences in Meeting New Mathematics Standards
Authors: Dorgan Karen
Published: June 2004

This qualitative research project studied the efforts of a small public elementary school over the course of 1 academic year to meet higher standards imposed by the state. The state's department of education defined school success in terms of the percentage of students passing a set of multiple-choice, standardized tests in four core areas of the curriculum. The study looked particularly at strategies the school applied in an attempt to raise students’ mathematics test scores. Interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis were used to analyze the effects of new standards and the accompanying testing program on teachers. The project showed the effects of the state testing program on classroom practices, both positive and negative, and it raised questions for further study.
The Dragon in School Backyards: The Influence of Mandated Testing on School Contexts and Educators’ Narrative Knowing
Authors: Craig Cheryl J.
Published: June 2004

Researched in the narrative inquiry tradition, this article examines the influence of state-mandated accountability testing on Eagle High School's dramatically shifting context and the embodied knowledge held and expressed by principal, Henry Richards, and the Eagle teachers. Through carefully unpacking Richards's “dragon in school backyards” metaphor, the way the prevailing state accountability system shaped and continues to shape the school's development becomes revealed. The inquiry raises serious questions about the relationships between and among curriculum, instruction, and standardized testing for accountability purposes and what educators are asked and required to do in the pursuit of educational excellence as defined by policy makers.
How Teachers’ Professional Identities Position High-Stakes Test Preparation in Their Classrooms
Authors: Rex Lesley A. , Nelson Matthew C.
Published: June 2004

In this article, we present profiles of two high school English teachers and their classrooms as the teachers responded to mandated high-stakes test accountability. Both teachers accepted targeted professional development, strong accountability measures, vigilant specialist support, and school site leadership; both believed tests were permanent and measured important skills; and both were committed to being team players and to teaching to the test to support their low-achieving students in performing well. We describe how both teachers unwittingly stymied their own test preparation objectives, and we represent the complicated reasons for these acts as expressions of their own personal accountability. Their purposefulness in their teaching competed with and mostly took precedence over the accountability goals of their departments, schools, and districts. We represent their powerful personal commitment as an expression of their professional identities. These we represent through pastiches of the teachers’ own descriptions of their teaching. Through our descriptive narratives of their classroom practices, we illustrate relationships between their beliefs and practices, illustrating how they render test preparation to a subordinate position. The cases illustrate three interrelated dimensions for understanding why this occurs: professional accommodation, personal integration, and delegation of testing to secondary status. At the conclusion of the paper, we discuss the implications for policy and professional development.
Instructional Uses of Computers for Writing: The Effect of State Testing Programs
Authors: Russell Michael , Abrams Lisa
Published: June 2004

Over the past two decades, the presence and use of technology in the workplace and in schools has increased dramatically. At the same time, the importance of test-based educational accountability has also increased. Currently, formal testing programs are used in 49 states. Some observers have raised concerns that the testing programs that make high-stakes decisions about students and/or schools have adverse impact on instructional practices. This study examines the extent to which teachers believe they are modifying instructional uses of computers for writing in response to state testing programs. Through a national survey of teachers, the study finds that a substantial percentage of teachers believe they are decreasing instructional uses of computers for writing as a result of paper-based state tests. This study also reports that computing skills of students in urban and poor performing schools are reported by teachers to be less developed than students in suburban schools. The combined effect is that those students who most need opportunities to develop skills in using computers for writing in school may not be acquiring those opportunities as a result of teachers’ responses to paper-based state tests.
Framework for an Effective Assessment and Accountability Program: The Philadelphia Example1
Authors: Porter Andrew C. , Chester Mitchell D. , Schlesinger Michael D.
Published: June 2004

The purpose of this article is to put in the hands of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers a powerful framework for building and studying the effects of high-quality assessment and accountability programs. The framework is illustrated through a description and analysis of the assessment and accountability program in the School District of Philadelphia.
Procession and water splashing: expressions of locality and nationality during Dai New Year in Xishuangbanna
Authors: Komlosy Anouska
Published: June 2004

The focus of this article is the celebration of the Dai New Year in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, an area of great diversity in Yunnan Province, China. The Dai are a people of southwest China and Southeast Asia and are classified by the Chinese state as one of the country's fifty‐five ‘minority nationalities’ or ‘ethnic groups’. Through an exploration of the spectacular processions and boisterous practices of water splashing which are important features of Dai New Year, complex power plays among the diverse peoples of Xishuangbanna are illuminated. These festivities reveal the intricate processes by which aspects of Dai experience (including Theravada Buddhism, increasing ‘ethnic tourism’, and interaction with the state) interplay in such a way as to contribute to the changing and multiple images of what it is to be Dai. Attention is also given to the carnivalesque cacophony of the water splashing engaged in by celebrants, which subtly signals the possibility of other ways of being whilst also generating a sense of solidarity amongst the peoples of Banna as distinguished from outsiders.
Promoting social security worldwide: The role of the ISSA
Authors: McKinnon Roddy
Published: June 2004

At a time when more emphasis is being placed on the value of organizational collaboration, the article argues that the International Social Security Association should assume a more active and vocal position in promoting a central role for large‐scale, compulsory social security within emerging international‐organization‐defined “social protection” strategies and policy sets. Outlining proposals for achieving this goal, the article draws attention to likely internal and external obstacles in its path.
China's health insurance system in transformation: Preliminary assessment, and policy suggestions
Authors: Rösner Hans Jürgen
Published: June 2004

As long ago as the 1980s, in tandem with its gradual implementation of market economy reforms, the Chinese central government also began to introduce changes in the field of social security as part of a move away from the dominant principle of state provision towards a greater espousal of the insurance principle. For demographic reasons, but also in an effort to get the private sector to pay a greater share of the cost, the intention was that future social security should be shaped in a way which combined universal, pay‐as‐you‐go basic provision with individually funded supplementary provision. While the first half of the 1990s saw the establishment of a broadly uniform system of basic pensions, the 1998 attempt to introduce a general system of basic health insurance has not yet proved comprehensively successful, even for the population of the towns and cities, despite the success of pilot projects. This article, based on wide‐ranging field studies, seeks to assess progress to date and future prospects for success, from a Chinese and an international perspective. Consideration is given to the situation of both the urban and rural populations.
NAD – new roles in signalling and gene regulation in plants
Authors: Hunt Lee , Lerner Felicitas , Ziegler Mathias
Published: June 2004

The pyridine nucleotides, NAD+, NADH, NADP+, and NADPH have long‐established and well‐characterised roles as redox factors in processes such as oxidative phosphorylation, the TCA cycle, and as electron acceptors in photosynthesis. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of signalling and gene regulatory processes where NAD+ or NADP+ are metabolised. Cyclic ADP‐ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) are metabolites of NAD+ and NADP+, respectively, and now have widely accepted roles as potent intracellular calcium releasing agents in animals, but are less well characterised in plants. NAD kinases catalyse the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to NAD to form NADP and are well characterised in plants in their requirement for the calcium binding protein calmodulin, thereby putatively linking their regulation to stress‐induced intracellular calcium release. A second group of proteins unrelated to those above, the sirtuins (Sir2) and poly ADP‐ribose polymerases (PARPs), cleave NAD and transfer the ADP‐ribose group to acetyl groups and proteins, respectively. These have roles in transcriptional control and DNA repair in eukaryotes.

Contents

Summary

I.
Introduction
32

II.
NAD synthesis and breakdown
32

III.
cADPR in plants
34

IV.
NAADP in plants
35

V.
NAD kinases
35

VI.
NAD and gene regulation
37

VII.
Sir2 is an NAD dependant histone deacetylase
37

VIII.
Nicotinamidases
38

IX.
Poly ADP‐ribosylation
39

X.
Poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG)
40

XI.
Subcellular compartmentation of NAD and NADP in plants
41

XII.
Conclusions
41

Acknowledgements
41

References
41
Gene expression profile analysis of regenerating liver after portal vein ligation in rats by a cDNA microarray system
Authors: Nagano Y , Nagahori K , Yoshiro F , Hamaguchi Y , Ishikawa T , Ichikawa Y , Togo S , Okazaki Y , Hayashizaki Y , Shimada H
Published: June 2004

Abstract: Aims: We assessed changes in gene expression of hypertrophied liver after portal vein ligation (PL) in a test group of rats compared to a control group, which had the same size liver but no PL.

Methods: The portal veins of the left and median lobes in the test group were ligated in an initial operation. Four days after the PL, the liver volume of the posterior caudate lobe (5%) increased two‐fold and comprised 10% of the liver. A 90% hepatectomy was then performed, leaving only the hypertrophied posterior caudate lobe, and leaving the normal anterior and posterior caudate lobes (10%) in the control (sham) group. A comparison of the expression profiles between two groups was performed using cDNA microarrays and the hepatic ATP level was measured.

Results: The survival rate for the PL group was significantly higher than for the sham group at 4 days after the hepatectomy (56.3% and 26.7%, P<0.05). Gene expression of cyclin D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, cyclin A and B was upregulated, and the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor was downregulated. Increases were observed in: (i) pyruvate dehydrogenase, the tricarboxylic acid cycle cycle regulator, (ii) acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase, the oxidation regulator, and (iii) cytochrome oxidases, the oxidative phosphorylation regulator. Hepatic ATP concentration after hepatectomy was better maintained in the PL group than in the sham group (0.48±0.01 μmol/ml vs. 0.33±0.01 μmol/ml, P<0.05).

Conclusion: The regenerating liver increased tolerance for extended hepatectomy compared to normal liver. It is believed that this is because the induced rapid regeneration of the remaining liver after hepatectomy increases ATP metabolism.
Biochemical markers of liver fibrosis and lymphocytic piecemeal necrosis in UDCA‐treated patients with primary biliary cirrhosis
Authors: Corpechot Christophe , Poujol‐Robert Armelle , Wendum Dominique , Galotte Marie , Chrétien Yves , Poupon Renée Eugénie , Poupon Raoul
Published: June 2004

Abstract: Background/Aim: We have previously shown that the histological stage and severity of lymphocytic piecemeal necrosis (LPN) are independent predictive factors of cirrhosis development in ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)‐treated patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Our aim during this study was to determine whether biochemical parameters classically used in PBC management and measured under UDCA could be considered as reliable surrogate markers for these histological prognostic indices in clinical practice.

Method: The study included 153 patients with PBC who had undergone a control liver biopsy after 2 years of UDCA therapy. The relationships between histological and biological features were assessed by variance analysis and logistic regression. The diagnostic value of independent markers was assessed in terms of their sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative value (NPV) and receiver‐operating characteristic curves.

Results: Two variables were independently associated with extensive fibrosis (i.e. advanced histological stages): serum levels of bilirubin and hyaluronic acid (HA). A fibrosis index ([bilirubin (μmol/l)/14]+[HA (μg/l)/143]) higher than 1.5 exhibited good PPV and specificity (>74%) but rather poor NPV and sensitivity (<64%) regarding a diagnosis of extensive fibrosis. The only independent marker of LPN was aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity. AST activity of more than twice the upper limit of normal showed acceptable PPV (>70%) but very low sensitivity (<25%) for a diagnosis of LPN.

Conclusions: Serum bilirubin and HA levels measured under UDCA therapy are of acceptable diagnostic value for extensive fibrosis, but none of the biochemical tests commonly employed in the management of PBC can be considered as surrogate markers of LPN. Taken together with our previous results, these findings suggest that liver biopsy may be necessary to screen UDCA‐treated patients who might require additional therapies.
Montelukast for Migraine Prophylaxis: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Study
Authors: Brandes Jan L. , Visser W. Hester , Farmer Mildred V. , Schuhl Amy L. , Malbecq William , Vrijens France , Lines Christopher R. , Reines Scott A. ,   Protocol 125 study group
Published: June 2004

Objective.—To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of montelukast 20 mg in the prophylactic treatment of migraine.

Background.—A previous small open‐label study in migraine patients suggested prophylactic efficacy for montelukast, an antagonist of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor that is used in the treatment of asthma. We sought to confirm these findings in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods.—This multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐groups study enrolled adult migraine outpatients who experienced ≥3 and ≤8 migraine attacks per month for the last 6 months. Patients were entered into a 2‐month, single‐blind, placebo run‐in phase. Only patients who experienced ≥3 migraine attacks in the second month were eligible to enter the subsequent 3‐month, double‐blind treatment phase of the study. The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of patients reporting at least a 50% decrease in migraine attack frequency per month during the double‐blind treatment period (months 3‐5) compared to baseline (run‐in month 2).

Results.—A total of 93 patients were randomized to montelukast 20 mg and 84 patients to placebo at the end of the placebo run‐in month 2; 76 patients on montelukast and 72 patients on placebo completed the double‐blind treatment period. Over 3 months of treatment, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the percentage of patients who reported at least a 50% decrease in migraine attack frequency per month: 15.4% for montelukast versus 10.3% for placebo (P= .304). In addition, montelukast 20 mg was not significantly superior to placebo on any of the secondary endpoints. There were no differences between treatment groups for adverse events.

Conclusion.—Montelukast 20 mg was well tolerated in migraine patients but was not an effective prophylactic for prevention of migraine.
Evidence‐Based Diagnosis of Nontraumatic Headache in the Emergency Department: A Consensus Statement on Four Clinical Scenarios
Authors: Cortelli Pietro , Cevoli Sabina , Nonino Francesco , Baronciani Dante , Magrini Nicola , Re Giuseppe , De Berti Gianni , Manzoni Gian Camillo , Querzani Pietro , Vandelli Alberto ,   Multidisciplinary Group for Nontraumatic Headache in the Emergency Department
Published: June 2004

Objective.—To provide to emergency department (ED) physicians with guidelines for diagnosis of patients with nontraumatic headaches.

Background.—Many patients present to an ED with the chief complaint of headache. Causes of nontraumatic headache include life‐threatening illnesses, and distinguishing patients with such ominous headaches from those with a primary headache disorder can be challenging for the ED physician.

Conclusion.—We present a consensus statement aimed to be a useful tool for ED doctors in making evidence‐based diagnostic decisions in the management of adult patients with nontraumatic headache.

Methods.—A multidisciplinary work performed an extensive review of the medical literature and applied the information obtained to commonly encountered scenarios in the ED.
The Effect of Weather on Headache
Authors: Prince Patricia B. , Rapoport Alan M. , Sheftell Fred D. , Tepper Stewart J. , Bigal Marcelo E.
Published: June 2004

Objectives.—To assess headache patients' beliefs about how strongly weather affects their headaches; To objectively investigate the influence of multiple weather variables on headache.

Design and Methods.—Our sample consisted of 77 migraineurs seen in a headache clinic, who provided headache calendars for a period ranging from 2 to 24 months. Our study was divided into two phases. First, each patient was given a questionnaire assessing their beliefs about how strongly (if so) weather affected their headaches. Second, weather data were collected from the National Weather Service, from three reporting stations central to the residences of the study participants. Analysis was performed on 43 variables to generate three meteorological factors. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between headache and these three factors. Factor 1 represents a function of absolute temperature and humidity. Factor 2 represents a changing weather pattern. Factor 3 represents barometric pressure.

Results.—Of the 77 subjects in the study, 39 (50.6%), were found to be sensitive to weather, but 48 (62.3%) thought they were sensitive to weather conditions (P < 0.05). Thirty (38.9%) were sensitive to one weather factor and 9 (11.7%) to two factors. Twenty‐six (33.7%) were sensitive to factor 1; 11 (14.3%) to factor 2; 10 (12.9%) to factor 3.

Conclusions.—Our study supports the influence of weather variables on headache. We showed that patients are susceptible to multiple weather variables and that more patients thought weather was a trigger than was the case.
Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Syndrome: Report of Twelve Cases
Authors: Ferrante Enrico , Savino Anna , Sances Grazia , Nappi Giuseppe
Published: June 2004

Purpose.—To investigate clinical, MRI, and radioisotope findings and therapeutic outcome of the syndrome of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH).

Background.—Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is characterized by orthostatic headache, low CSF pressure, and MRI findings of diffuse pachymeningeal gadolinium enhancement without previous history of head trauma or lumbar puncture. Spontaneous CSF leakage from a spinal dural tear has been suggested as the underlying pathogenic mechanism of SIH. Most patients recover without sequelae, but subdural collections have been described in a few.

Methods.—Twelve consecutive patients (10 females, 2 males, mean age 39 years) with headache related to the syndrome of spontaneous intracranial hypotension were investigated.

Results.—Eleven patients presented orthostatic headache, one patient had continuous nonpostural headache. Additional clinical symptoms included nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, diplopia, and back pain. All the patients had low CSF opening pressure, seven had increased CSF albumin, and four had pleocytosis. Brain MRI showed diffuse pachymeningeal gadolinium enhancement. Other features included subdural fluid collections (hematoma/hygroma) in four patients, downward displacement of the brain in four patients, and enlargement of the pituitary gland in one patient. Radioisotope cisternography results indicated, in two patients, a CSF leakage site in the cervico‐thoracic region, and in one patient showed limited ascent of the tracer to the cerebral convexity and early appearance of radioisotope in the bladder. All the patients had complete resolution of headache with conservative treatment.

Conclusions.—Patients with SIH have distinct MRI and sometimes radioisotope cisternographic abnormalities and generally respond favorably to conservative management.
Abbreviated Dosing of N‐Acetylcysteine Prevents Contrast‐Induced Nephropathy After Elective and Urgent Coronary Angiography and Intervention
Authors: OCHOA ANTHONY , PELLIZZON GREGORY , ADDALA SRINIVAS , GRINES CINDY , ISAYENKO YELENA , BOURA JUDITH , REMPINSKI DEBRA , O'NEILL WILLIAM , KAHN JOEL
Published: June 2004

Background and hypothesis: Several studies have utilized low‐dose regimens of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) for 48 hours to prevent contrast‐induced nephropathy (CIN) after cardiac catheterization (cath) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A lengthy pretreatment period with NAC may not be feasible in urgent situations. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of an abbreviated, higher dose regimen of NAC for the prevention of CIN after elective and urgent coronary angiography (cath) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 80 patients referred for elective or urgent cath and/or PCI with stable chronic renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance <50 cc/min). Patients were randomized to: NAC 1000 mg PO 1 hour before cath/PCI and 4 hours later, or placebo. All patients received hydration (0.9% saline) before and after cath/PCI (minimum total volume ≥1500 mL). CIN was defined as an increase of Cr ≥0.5 mg/dL or ≥25% 48 hours after cath/PCI.

Results: CIN occurred in 3 of 36 (8%) patients of the NAC group vs. 11of 44 (25%) in the placebo group (P = 0.051; OR 3.7, 95% CI 0.94–14.4). Serum creatinine (mean ± SD) remained stable in the NAC group after cath/PCI (2.02 ± 0.56 vs. 2.10 ± 0.81 mg/dL; P = 0.34), but increased after cath/PCI in the placebo group (1.93 ± 0.53 vs. 2.10 ± 0.74 mg/dL; P < 0.01).

Conclusions: An abbreviated, higher dose regimen of NAC prevents the rise of serum creatinine 48 hours after cath/PCI, and may prevent CIN after cath/PCI. (J Interven Cardiol 2004;17:159–165)
Review Essay Rural America in the 21st Century
Authors: Gulliford Andrew
Published: June 2004

Saving America's Countryside: A Guide to Rural Conservation. Samuel N. Stokes, A. Elizabeth Watson, Genevieve P. Keller, J. Timothy Keller.
Vietnam and American Culture
Authors: Rollins Peter C.
Published: June 2004

Fourteen Landing Zones: Approaches to Vietnam War Literature. Philip K. Jason, editor

From Hanoi to Hollywood: The Vietnam War in American Film. Linda Ditmar and Gene Michaud, editors

America Rediscovered: Critical Essays on Literature and Film of the Vietnam War. Ed. Owen W. Gilrnan, Jr. and Lorrie Smith
Recent Television Scholarship and “Democratic” Evaluation
Authors: Streible Dan
Published: June 2004

Television Culture. John Fiske

Television and the Crisis of Democracy. Douglas Kellner

Demographic Vistas: Television in American Culture. David Marc

One Nation Under Television: The Rise & Fall of Network TV. J. Fred MacDonald
Review Essay
Authors: Whitcomb Ian
Published: June 2004

The Adventures of Amos ‘N’ Andy A Social History of an American Phenomenon
From A (Allende, Che, and Evita) to Z (Zedillo, Chamorro, Menem, and Fujimori): The Transformation of Latin American Culture at the End of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Macune Charles W.
Published: June 2004

Algunas veces profundos, frecuentemente estimulantes y otras veces amenzadores son los cambios que a finales del siglo XX están ocurriendo en el mundo. Gracias a los medios de comunicación es fácil estar informado de acontecimientos como la caída de la Unión Soviética, los cambios de Europa del Este y Asia; pero, aparentemente, estamos menos concientes de los cambios que se están dando en América Latina.

El fin de la Guerra Fría, el triunfo de la democracia, el colapso del comunismo, la revolucín tecnológica en las comunicaciones, la economía global, los sistemas de libre mercado y el impacto mundial de la cultura popular de los Estados Unidos, son factores externos que han influido de manera muy profunda en los cambios de América Latina. En esta investigación pretendemos analizar brevemente algunos de los cambios ocurridos en Latinoamérica y discutiremos cuáles fueron las causas de dichos cambios.
Researching Grandfather's Secrets: Rummaging in the Odd Fellow and Masonic Attics
Authors: Rich Paul
Published: June 2004

La historia de las organizaciones ritualistas no ha recibido la importancia que merece dentro del área de estudios internatcionales. Estados Unidos ha sido un gran ispirador y promotor de organizaciones tales como la Masonería. La Masonería es una organización que ha existido desde hace varios siglos y se encuentra esparcida por todo el mundo. Tanto ésta como otras organizaciones secretas ritualistas tiene un gran acervo histórico, el cual, sus miembros han acumulado a través del tiempo en archivos y bibliotecas que vale la pena visitar. En esta investigación discutiremos por qué es importante dedicar mayor atención a dichas organizaciones y también se discutirán las diferencias de estas organizaciones en algunos países.
Humor in Crisis: Guadalupe Loaeza's Caricature of the Mexican Bourgeoisie
Authors: Aguilar Julia VanLoan
Published: June 2004

Desde 1982 las sátiras de Guadalupe Loaeza han servido como radiografía de la sociedad mexicana durante los años de crisis económica de 1982‐al presente. Mientras otras escritoras como Christina Pacheco y Elena Poniatowska se afanan por pintar la cruda realidad de las masas, Loaeza se concentra en los excesos de la burguesía—en su pretensión, materialismo y corrupción—como materia prima para poner de relieve el gran abismo que existe entre las clases sociales en México. Debido a la inmensa popularidad de sus artículos, Loaeza se ha convertido en cronista de la burguesía capitalina moderna, cuyo poder social y político se ve cada vez más amenazado por la crisis económica y la inestablilidad del gobierno.
Violence and Patriotism: La Novela Negra from Chester Himes to Paco Ignacio Taibo II
Authors: Braham Persephone
Published: June 2004

La novela negra trata el conflicto entre las metas idealistas del detective—la búsqueda de la verdad y la justicia—y la corrupción de la sociedad y sus instituciones. Con Héctor Belascoarán Shayne, el escritor mexicano Paco Ignacio Taibo II ha inventado a un protagonista que lleva esta fórmula a un extremo: el detective‐terrorista. La violencia es un tema constante en su obra, tanto como norma jurídica como un modo de resistencia; típicamente el crimen se vincula con la policía o el gobierno.

Taibo emplea la intertextualidad como signo del patrimonio literario e ideológico; en un texto, el detective compra dos novelas policiales del autor negro norteamericano, Chester Himes. Estas obras sobre Harlem prefiguran la construcción del detective‐terrorista: los detectives de Himes son dos policías negros, cuyo trabajo de imponer la ley de los blancos sobre el pueblo radicalmente marginado de Harlem produce una violencia grotesca y macabra.

La novela policial en Latinoamérica ha sido tradicionalmente una forma que parodia el modelo anglosajón, debido a una falta de confianza en la ley y la policía por parte de los latinoamericanos. Sin embargo, Taibo sigue a Himes al negar que sus novelas tengan un propósito paródico: se acata a un género precisamente antlliterario para crear una obra que quede fuera de la legitimidad crítica en su país y, a la misma vez, sea leído por el pueblo. Como Himes, Taibo utiliza la violencia para criticar la violencia de las instituciones y para apropiarse de un territorio discursivo—una patria alternativa—en nombre de los ciudadanos mexicanos.
“My Guitar is Not for the Rich”: The New Chilean Song Movement and the Politics of Culture
Authors: Taffet Jeffrey F.
Published: June 2004

El análisis del movimiento de la Nueva Canción Chilena, de gran popularidad a fines de la década de los 60 y principios de los 70, puede guiarnos hacia la conexión entre temas políticos y culturales, al tiempo que ayuda a aclarar parte de la compleja narrativa de esta época. Por lo menos el enfoque de la política en la cultura, y viceversa, demuestra que esitía un nexo claro entre las ideas políticas y económicas de los líderes de izquierda y de los artistas. En este artículo se hace precisamente el estudio de la narrativa de la Nueva Canción Chilena y su relación estrecha con el movimiento político de izquierda anterior a la elección de Salvador Allende.
Changes in transforming growth factor‐β1 in gingival crevicular fluid following periodontal surgery
Authors: Kuru L. , Griffiths G. S. , Petrie A. , Olsen I.
Published: June 2004

Objectives: Growth factors play a major part in wound healing, including in the periodontium. However, the presence of growth factors in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in humans during periodontal wound healing has not yet been determined. Our hypothesis is that such factors are present in GCF and that changes in their levels might be of value as a prognostic marker of wound‐healing activity and therapeutic progress following periodontal surgery. The aim of this study was therefore to measure transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) in GCF collected from sites that have undergone guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and conventional flap (CF) surgery and to compare these with GCF collected from unaffected healthy sites.

Materials and Methods: GCF samples were collected, using filter paper strips, at baseline (pre‐surgical) and then at intervals up to 26 weeks from 16 patients undergoing GTR and from 11 patients undergoing CF surgery. After elution and acid treatment, TGF‐β1 levels were measured by ELISA.

Results: Treatment of periodontal defect sites significantly reduced the mean probing pocket depth (PPD) and improved the mean lifetime cumulative attachment loss (LCAL). Average GCF volumes also significantly increased at all sites at 2 weeks post‐surgery and thereafter declined to baseline levels, except at the GTR test sites that were still elevated at 7 weeks. TGF‐β1 could be detected in almost all GCF samples, and 2 weeks after surgery, the average levels increased two‐fold at the surgically treated but not at the control sites, which remained unchanged.

Conclusion: TGF‐β1 is readily detectable in GCF and increases transiently following periodontal surgery. This suggests that changes in the levels of this growth factor in GCF might be useful for monitoring the progress of periodontal repair and regeneration.
Novel Secretory Vesicle Proteins Essential for Membrane Fusion Display Extracellular‐Matrix Domains
Authors: Froissard Marine , Keller Anne‐Marie , Dedieu Jean‐Claude , Cohen Jean
Published: June 2004

Exocytotic mutants can be obtained in Paramecium that affect the organization of the fusion machinery, visible by electron microscopy. The site of action of the genes in the plasma membrane, cytosol or secretory compartment can easily be determined in such mutants. Functional complementation cloning of exocytotic mutants specifically affected in the secretory compartment, nd2‐1 and nd169‐1, reported here, and the previously studied nd7‐1, led to the discovery of a set of novel proteins that display PSI and EGF domains, normally found in extracellular matrix proteins and involved in transmembrane signaling. The structure of one of these proteins, Nd2p, and of the product of a paralog found in the genome Nd22p, corresponds to that of type I membrane receptors, generally involved in protein and vesicle sorting. Our characterization suggests that the proteins we have identified are required to indicate the presence of a mature secretory vesicle to the plasma membrane, to prepare the machinery for fusion. We propose to name this novel subclass of receptors VEMIF, for Vesicular Extracellular‐Matrix‐like proteins Involved in preparing membrane Fusion.
Dense Core Vesicle Dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons and the Role of Kinesin UNC‐104
Authors: Zahn Tobias R. , Angleson Joseph K. , MacMorris Margaret A. , Domke Erin , Hutton John F. , Schwartz Cindi , Hutton John C.
Published: June 2004

We have developed a model system in Caenorhabditis elegans to perform genetic and molecular analysis of peptidergic neurotransmission using green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐tagged IDA‐1. IDA‐1 represents the nematode ortholog of the transmembrane proteins ICA512 and phogrin that are localized to dense core secretory vesicles (DCVs) of mammalian neuroendocrine tissues. IDA‐1::GFP was expressed in a small subset of neurons and present in both axonal and dendritic extensions, where it was localized to small mobile vesicular elements that at the ultrastructural level corresponded to 50 nm electron‐dense objects in the neuronal processes. The post‐translational processing of IDA‐1::GFP in transgenic worms was dependent on the neuropeptide proprotein convertase EGL‐3, indicating that the protein was efficiently targeted to the peptidergic secretory pathway. Time‐lapse epifluorescence microscopy of IDA‐1::GFP revealed that DCVs moved in a saltatory and bidirectional manner. DCV velocity profiles exhibited multiple distinct peaks, suggesting the participation of multiple molecular motors with distinct properties. Differences between velocity profiles for axonal and dendritic processes furthermore suggested a polarized distribution of the molecular transport machinery. Study of a number of candidate mutants identified the kinesin UNC‐104 (KIF1A) as the microtubule motor that is specifically responsible for anterograde axonal transport of DCVs at velocities of 1.6 μm/s−2.7 μm/s.