bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth hormone receptor deficiency in mice results in reduced systolic blood pressure and plasma renin, increased aortic eNOS expression, and altered cardiovascular structure and function
Authors: Egecioglu E. , Andersson I. J. , Bollano E. , Palsdottir V. , Gabrielsson B. G. , Kopchick J. J. , Skott O. , Bie P. , Isgaard J. , Bohlooly-Y M. , Bergström G. , Wickman A.
Published: January 2007

To study the role of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) in the development of cardiovascular structure and function, female GHR gene-disrupted or knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice at age 18 wk were used. GHR KO mice had lower plasma renin levels (12 ± 2 vs. 20 ± 4 mGU/ml, P < 0.05) and increased aortic endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) expression (146%, P < 0.05) accompanied by a 25% reduction in systolic blood pressure (BP, 110 ± 4 vs. 147 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.001) compared with WT mice. Aldosterone levels were unchanged, whereas the plasma potassium concentration was elevated by 14% ( P < 0.05) in GHR KO. Relative left ventricular weight was 14% lower in GHR KO mice ( P < 0.05), and cardiac dimensions as analyzed by echocardiography were similarly reduced. Myograph studies revealed a reduced maximum contractile response in the aorta to norepinephrine (NE) and K+ ( P < 0.05), and aorta media thickness was decreased in GHR KO ( P < 0.05). However, contractile force was normal in mesenteric arteries, whereas sensitivity to NE was increased ( P < 0.05). Maximal acetylcholine-mediated dilatation was similar in WT and GHR KO mice, whereas the aorta of GHR KO mice showed an increased sensitivity to acetylcholine ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, loss of GHR leads to low BP and decreased levels of renin in plasma as well as increase in aortic eNOS expression. Furthermore, GHR deficiency causes functional and morphological changes in both heart and vasculature that are beyond the observed alterations in body size. These data suggest an important role for an intact GH/IGF-I axis in the maintenance of a normal cardiovascular system.
Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine Inhibits Shear Stress–Induced Nitric Oxide Release and Dilation and Elicits Superoxide-Mediated Increase in Arteriolar Tone
Authors: Toth Janos , Racz Anita , Kaminski Pawel M. , Wolin Michael S. , Bagi Zsolt , Koller Akos
Published: January 2007

l
-arginine is the substrate used by NO synthase to produce the vasodilator NO. However, in several human diseases, such as hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, there is an increase in serum levels of methylated
l
-arginines, such as asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), which cannot be used by NO synthase to produce NO. Yet, the functional consequence of increased levels of ADMA on the vasomotor function of resistance vessels has not been delineated. We hypothesized that elevated levels of exogenous ADMA inhibit NO mediation of flow/shear stress–dependent dilation of isolated arterioles. In the presence of indomethacin, isolated arterioles from rat gracilis muscle (≈165 μm at 80 mm Hg) were incubated with ADMA (10
−4
mol/L), which eliminated the dilations to increases in intraluminal flow (control: from 164±5.4 to 188±3.8 μm versus ADMA: from 171±6.1 to 173±6.3 μm at 20 μL/min). ADMA did not affect dilations to nifedipine (10
−6
mol/L; control: 63.4±2%, ADMA: 65.8±3%) or 8-bromo cGMP (10
−4
mol/L; control: 51.2±2.1%, ADMA: 49.3±3.4%). In addition, ADMA elicited significant constriction of arterioles (from 173±17 μm to 138±16 μm at 80 mm Hg), which was prevented by previous incubation of arterioles with polyethylene-glycol (PEG) superoxide dismutase (SOD; 120 U/mL, control: 155±11 μm versus ADMA: 150±14 μm). Correspondingly, ADMA increased PEG-SOD reversible manner the production of vascular superoxide assessed by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence and ethidium bromide fluorescence. Thus, increased levels of ADMA in various diseases could inhibit the regulation of arteriolar resistance by shear stress–induced release of NO and elicit superoxide-mediated increase in basal tone, both of which favor the development of hypertension.
Gelatinolytic Activity in Atherosclerotic Plaques Is Highly Localized and Is Associated With Both Macrophages and Smooth Muscle Cells In Vivo
Authors: Segers Dolf , Helderman Frank , Cheng Caroline , van Damme Luc C.A. , Tempel Dennie , Boersma Eric , Serruys Patrick W. , de Crom Rini , van der Steen Antonius F.W. , Holvoet Paul , Krams Rob
Published: January 2007

Background—

Atherosclerosis is considered an inflammatory disease. Recent studies provided evidence for a predominant upstream location of plaque inflammation. The present study introduces a novel technique that evaluates the underlying mechanism of this spatial organization.

Methods and Results—

In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, atherosclerosis of the infrarenal aorta was induced by a combination of endothelial denudation and a high-cholesterol diet (2% cholesterol for 2 months). At the time of death, aortic vessel segments were dissected and reconstructed with a new technique that preserved the original intravascular ultrasound–derived lumen geometry. This enabled us to study the spatial relation of histological markers like macrophages, smooth muscle cells, lipids, gelatinolytic activity, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Results showed a predominant upstream localization of macrophages and gelatinase activity. Colocalization studies indicated that gelatinase activity was associated with macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Further analysis revealed that this was caused by subsets of smooth muscle cells and macrophages, which were associated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein accumulation.

Conclusions—

Upstream localization of a vulnerable plaque phenotype is probably due to an accumulation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, which activates/induces subsets of smooth muscle cells and macrophages to gelatinase production.
Defining the Cellular Phenotype of “Ankyrin-B Syndrome” Variants
Authors: Mohler Peter J. , Le Scouarnec Solena , Denjoy Isabelle , Lowe John S. , Guicheney Pascale , Caron Lise , Driskell Iwona M. , Schott Jean-Jacques , Norris Kris , Leenhardt Antoine , Kim Richard B. , Escande Denis , Roden Dan M.
Published: January 2007

Background—

Mutations in the ankyrin-B gene (
ANK2
) cause type 4 long-QT syndrome and have been described in kindreds with other arrhythmias. The frequency of
ANK2
variants in large populations and molecular mechanisms underlying the variability in the clinical phenotypes are not established. More importantly, there is no cellular explanation for the range of severity of cardiac phenotypes associated with specific
ANK2
variants.

Methods and Results—

We performed a comprehensive screen of
ANK2
in populations (control, congenital arrhythmia, drug-induced long-QT syndrome) of different ethnicities to discover unidentified
ANK2
variants. We identified 7 novel nonsynonymous
ANK2
variants; 4 displayed abnormal activity in cardiomyocytes. Including the 4 new variants, 9 human
ANK2
loss-of-function variants have been identified. However, the clinical phenotypes associated with these variants vary strikingly, from no obvious phenotype to manifest long-QT syndrome and sudden death, suggesting that mutants confer a spectrum of cellular phenotypes. We then characterized the relative severity of loss-of-function properties of all 9 nonsynonymous
ANK2
variants identified to date in primary cardiomyocytes and identified a range of in vitro phenotypes, including wild-type, simple loss-of-function, and severe loss-of-function activity, seen with the variants causing severe human phenotypes.

Conclusions—

We present the first description of differences in cellular phenotypes conferred by specific
ANK2
variants. We propose that the various degrees of ankyrin-B loss of function contribute to the range of severity of cardiac dysfunction. These data identify
ANK2
variants as modulators of human arrhythmias, provide the first insight into the clinical spectrum of “ankyrin-B syndrome,” and reinforce the role of ankyrin-B–dependent protein interactions in regulating cardiac electrogenesis.
Overweight and Obese Humans Demonstrate Increased Vascular Endothelial NAD(P)H Oxidase-p47
phox
Expression and Evidence of Endothelial Oxidative Stress
Authors: Silver Annemarie E. , Beske Stacy D. , Christou Demetra D. , Donato Anthony J. , Moreau Kerrie L. , Eskurza Iratxe , Gates Phillip E. , Seals Douglas R.
Published: January 2007

Background—

Obesity may alter vascular endothelial cell protein expression (VECPE) of molecules that influence susceptibility to atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results—

Quantitative immunofluorescence was performed on vascular endothelial cells collected from 108 men and women free of clinical disease who varied widely in adiposity (body mass index 18.4 to 36.7 kg/m
2
; total body fat 5.8 to 55.0 kg; waist circumference: 63.0 to 122.9 cm). All 3 expressions of adiposity were positively associated with VECPE of the oxidant enzyme subunit NAD(P)H oxidase-p47
phox
(part correlation coefficient [
r
part
] 0.22 to 0.24, all
P
<0.05) and the antioxidant enzyme catalase (
r
part
=0.71 to 0.75, all
P
<0.001). Total body fat was positively associated with VECPE of nitrotyrosine (
r
part
=0.36,
P
=0.003), a marker of protein oxidation, and, in men, with Ser1177-phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (
r
part
=0.46,
P
=0.02), an activated form of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Overweight/obese subjects (body mass index ≥25 kg/m
2
) had 35% to 130% higher VECPE of NAD(P)H oxidase-p47
phox
, nitrotyrosine, catalase, and the cytosolic antioxidant CuZn superoxide dismutase (all
P
<0.05), as well as a 56% greater VECPE of the potent local vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (
P
=0.05) than normal-weight subjects (body mass index <25 kg/m
2
). Nuclear factor-κB protein expression was ≈60% to 100% greater in the most obese adults than in the leanest adults (
P
≤0.01). These relations were independent of sex but were selectively reduced after accounting for the influence of plasma C-reactive protein, fasting glucose-insulin metabolism, or serum triglycerides.

Conclusions—

Compared with their normal-weight peers, overweight and obese adults demonstrate increased vascular endothelial expression of NAD(P)H oxidase-p47
phox
and evidence of endothelial oxidative stress, with selective compensatory upregulation of antioxidant enzymes and Ser1177-phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Endothelin-1 and nuclear factor-κB protein expression also appear to be elevated in obese compared with lean adults. These findings may provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms linking obesity to increased risk of clinical atherosclerotic diseases in humans.
Prognostic Value of Heart Rate Increase at Onset of Exercise Testing
Authors: Leeper Nicholas J. , Dewey Frederick E. , Ashley Euan A. , Sandri Marcus , Tan Swee Yaw , Hadley David , Myers Jonathan , Froelicher Victor
Published: January 2007

Background—

The initial response of heart rate to dynamic exercise has been proposed as having prognostic value in limited studies that have used modalities other than the treadmill. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of early heart rate parameters in patients referred for routine clinical treadmill testing.

Methods and Results—

The heart rate rise at the onset of exercise was measured in 1959 patients referred for clinical treadmill testing at the Palo Alto (Calif) Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 1997 to 2004. Multivariable Cox survival analysis was performed for 197 all-cause and 74 cardiovascular deaths that accrued during a mean follow-up of 5.4±2.1 years. Decreased heart rate changes at all initial relative exercise workloads were associated with significantly increased all-cause mortality. The heart rate rise at one-third total exercise capacity, however, was the only early heart rate variable that significantly predicted both all-cause and cardiovascular risk after adjustment for confounders. Failing to reach 1 SD in the heart rate rise at one-third total exercise capacity was associated with a 28% increased all-cause mortality rate (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.85;
P
<0.001) and a 35% cardiovascular mortality rate (hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.86;
P
=0.003). Of all heart rate measurements considered (initial and recovery), the heart rate increase at peak exercise was the most powerful predictor of cardiovascular prognosis after adjustment for potential confounders. The Duke treadmill score, however, was superior to all heart rate measurements in the prediction of cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusions—

In the present study population, a rapid initial heart rate rise was associated with improved survival, but the heart rate increase at peak exercise and other conventional measurements such as exercise capacity and the Duke treadmill score were more powerful predictors of prognosis.
Frustrating Desire
Authors: Lauwaert Maaike , Wachelder Joseph , van de Walle Johan
Published: January 2007

In the emerging academic field of game studies, Roger Caillois’ Les Jeux et les hommes has already received the status of an obligatory reference. It is honoured as one of the few classic texts in game theory, but some also argue that it is not useful for analysing digital games. Caillois’ book is of particular interest for cultural theorists, though, because it presents a theory of games and play while also addressing the meaning of play. After analysing more closely why Caillois’ theory falls short when it is applied to digital games, we suggest a slight modification of its categories. Starting from the four game dimensions outlined by Caillois - competition, chance, simulation and vertigo - and his two modes of playing, paidia and ludus, we build on his theory by distinguishing two additional game characteristics, called repens and repositio. Both deal with the internal, temporal organization of a game. Repens is a specific characteristic of games that appeals to the player’s desire to discover, explore and get to know the surprises a game has in store and to make progress by learning from these surprises. Repositio denotes complementary experiences: having to retry, return, replay and repeat a certain action while getting better at it with every try. The balance, or unbalance, between repens and repositio, as characteristic elements of many digital games, determines to a large extent their attraction. Finally, repens and repositio are not only indicators of fun in the playing of digital games; they also hint at basic elements in learning theories and social theory. The study of the interplay between repens and repositio can help in clarifying the possibilities and limitations of digital games for learning purposes.
Participation, stance and affect in the organization of activities
Authors: Goodwin Charles
Published: January 2007

The organization of embodied participation frameworks, stance and affect is investigated using as data a sequence in which a father is helping his daughter do homework. Through the way in which they position their bodies toward both each other and the homework sheet that is the focus of their work the two contest the interactive and cognitive organization of the activity they are pursuing together. The father insisted that their work be organized in a way that would allow him to demonstrate the practices required to solve her problems. However the daughter refused to rearrange her body to organize the participation framework that would make this possible, and demanded instead that Father tell her the answers. When the daughter consistently refused to cooperate Father eventually walked out, but returned later, and they constructed a very different affective and cognitive alignment. Such phenomena shed light on range of different kinds of epistemic, moral and affective stances that are central to both the organization of cognition and action, and to how participants constitute themselves as particular kinds of social and moral actors in the midst of the mundane activities that constitute daily family life.
Dead Load Based Damage Identification Method for Long-term Structural Health Monitoring
Authors: Hu Xiaofeng , Shenton Harry W.
Published: January 2007

A novel damage identification procedure is presented that is ideally suited for long-term structural health monitoring of large civil structures. The procedure is based on the redistribution of dead load stress that occurs in a structure when damage takes place. The damaged structure is modeled using finite elements, in which the damage is represented by a section of reduced flexural rigidity. Forward analyses are first presented to show how the dead load is redistributed for different damage scenarios. The inverse damage identification problem is set up as a constrained optimization problem and solved using a real coded genetic algorithm. The proposed method correctly identified damage for a wide range of locations and damage severities. Results show that damage is difficult to identify when it is close to the inflection points of the structure, where the dead load strain is zero, and when the damage is not located between two sensors. The effect of measurement error is investigated.
A Meta-Analysis of Combined Treatments for Children Diagnosed With ADHD
Authors: Majewicz-Hefley Amy , Carlson John S.
Published: January 2007

Objective: Meta-analytic procedures are used to review the literature of combined treatments of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for children diagnosed with ADHD.

Method: Eight combined treatment studies meet specific inclusion and exclusion criteria regarding the core and peripheral features of the disorder.

Results: The results of this study highlight the individual and average effect sizes within the categories of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, social skills, and academics. These findings are compared with the effect sizes of meta-analytic findings previously reported in the pharmacological literature.

Conclusion: The results reveal large effect sizes for the core features of the disorder and the peripheral feature of social skills. A small effect size is found for the peripheral feature of academics. Findings are discussed in light of the paucity of included studies focused on combined treatments for ADHD.
Assessing the Concordance of Measures Used to Diagnose Adult ADHD
Authors: Belendiuk Katherine A. , Clarke Tana L. , Chronis Andrea M. , Raggi Veronica L.
Published: January 2007

Objective: Recent evidence suggests that ADHD persists into adulthood, but the best means of diagnosis and the concordance of measures used to diagnose adult ADHD are unknown.

Method: The current study explores the relationships of these measures in a sample of 69 mothers of children with ADHD.

Results: This study determines the concordance of (a) self- and collateral reports on diagnostic interviews and (b) diagnostic interviews and self-report paper-and-pencil ADHD symptom measures.

Conclusion: Results suggest that self- and collateral reports of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms are highly correlated, as are self-report measures and diagnostic interviews. Additionally, it was found that probands report more inattentive symptoms than collaterals in both childhood and currently. Potential implications for the assessment of adult ADHD are presented.
Explanatory Style and College Students With ADHD and LD
Authors: Shmulsky Solvegi , Gobbo Ken
Published: January 2007

Objective: This study uses the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to measure the causal thinking of 42 college students with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LD), ADHD, or co-occurring ADHD and LD. Attribution style, or explanatory style, is a term used to describe the tendencies of individuals to think that the causes of meaningful events are internal or external, global or specific, and stable or unstable.

Method: No significant differences in explanatory styles are found among the three subgroups. The study also investigates whether there is a relationship between explanatory style and grades.

Results: Significant positive correlations are found between ASQ scores and grade point averages for the subgroup with co-occurring ADHD and LD and for the three subgroups combined.

Conclusion: These findings are significant because they continue to clarify factors related to the postsecondary success of students with LD and attention deficit disorders.
Citizen Bodies, Intersex Citizenship
Authors: Grabham Emily
Published: January 2007

The aim of this article is to assess the use of sexual citizenship and intimate citizenship in articulating a concept of ‘intersex citizenship’. Intersex activism diverges in important ways from feminist, queer, lesbian and gay, and trans activism. Nevertheless, concepts of sexual and intimate citizenship help in thinking about the effects of family and kin structures on intersex corporeality, the impact of new technologies on intersex activism, and the advantages and disadvantages of consumer citizenship models for intersex claims, amongst other factors. As long as intersex issues are defined by medically disciplining techniques, there remains a need to think critically about how citizenship norms are constructed through responses to corporeality. Carol Lee Bacchi and Chris Beasley's concept of ‘citizen bodies’ provides a useful starting point both in attempting to theorize the norms underlying the hyper-embodiment of intersexual subjects, and in relating this hyper-embodiment to the construction of intersexual people as non-citizens.
‘I Had a Guilty Conscience Because I Wasn't Going to Marry Her’: Ethical Dilemmas for Mexican Men in their Sexual Relationships with Women
Authors: Amuchástegui Ana , Aggleton Peter
Published: January 2007

In Mexico's predominantly Catholic culture, the enjoyment of sexual rights faces many challenges, both at the political and the personal level. Although often connected, the meanings of sexuality and reproduction are fundamentally different and so, correspondingly, are possibilities for the exercise of reproductive rights versus sexual rights. Such views are ‘gendered’ by the idea that women's desire and sexual activity should be controlled and men's masculinity should be affirmed through sexual performance. Drawing on in-depth research conducted among young Mexican men in rural communities, this article examines the ‘ethics’ implicit in men's accounts when talking about sexual desires, pleasures and practices with women. Findings point to the need for a stronger ethics of sexual citizenship in Mexico as part of enabling conditions for the exercise of both men's and women's sexual rights.
The burdens of public justification: constructivism, contractualism, and publicity
Authors: Freeman Samuel
Published: January 2007

The publicity of a moral conception is a central idea in Kantian and contractarian moral theory. Publicity carries the idea of general acceptability of principles through to social relations. Without publicity of its moral principles, the intuitive attractiveness of the contractarian ideal seems diminished. For it means that moral principles cannot serve as principles of practical reasoning and justification among free and equal persons. This article discusses the role of the publicity assumption in Rawls’s and Scanlon’s contractualism. I contend that a regard for publicity and a moral conception’s potential to provide a public basis for justification and agreement account for much of the evolution of Rawls’s account of justice after A Theory of Justice. I also discuss whether contractualism can provide a basis for justification and general agreement under the social conditions that it endorses. I contend that it cannot, and conclude with a discussion showing why this should not be a problem for contractualism. Despite appearances, contractualism is a distinctive form of contractarianism, substantially different from Rawls’s position and the social contract tradition out of which it evolved.
Insider-outsider
Authors: Humphrey Caroline
Published: January 2007

This contribution arises from my doctoral thesis about the rise of self-organized groups for women, black people, disabled people and lesbians and gay men within trade unions in Britain. My reflexivity as a researcher hinged upon my capacity to recognize my new position as an insider-outsider in relation to the university, the union and each of the self-organized groups, whilst the fertility of the project hinged upon my capacity to activate the hyphen by journeying between different life-worlds. This article explores the personal, professional and political dilemmas in becoming an insider-outsider with a view to assisting future generations of action researchers.
Insider action research
Authors: Roth Jonas , Shani Abraham B. (Rami) , Leary Myleen M.
Published: January 2007

Insider action research is viewed as a means and an end in the development of new organizational capabilities. Building on the literature that is based in the fields of business strategy, insider action research, learning mechanisms and organization development, we develop a model of new organizational capabilities development. Three longitudinal action research projects within AstraZeneca are described and examined using the model. Many of the challenges faced by the insider action researcher, such as linking IAR project to business strategy, pre-understanding, acting in a political landscape, managing multiple roles, designing and managing a variety of learning mechanisms, and the ongoing need to maintain balance between opposing forces are identified and discussed. Directions for future research and recommendations for insider action researchers are presented.
Insider participatory action research in disadvantaged post-industrial areas
Authors: Braithwaite Rhonda , Cockwill Sarah , O’Neill Martin , Rebane Deanne
Published: January 2007

This article examines the authentic experience of those who live in a community categorized as disadvantaged as they enter into a radical action research process that entails them adopting a changed role while remaining community members and how they manage the tensions involved in this process. It explores, in their own words, the experience of these researchers as they encounter the struggle, conflict and often injustice inherent in the process of community regeneration and how these tensions are managed and sometimes resolved both within the community and within themselves. These Community Based Action Researchers (CBAR) have no formal research training but they bring a wealth of local knowledge, understanding and engagement that no amount of formal training could provide. These locally based researchers work in partnership with more formally trained researchers and professionals to utilise action research as an effective methodology for tackling the problems faced by the community.
The cycle of punishment
Authors: Murray Joseph
Published: January 2007

Recent research suggests that children of prisoners are at risk for a range of adverse outcomes throughout their lives. However, there is almost no information about how many children prisoners have, where their children are or who looks after them. This article describes children's circumstances following their father's imprisonment, using a survey at an English prison. It is roughly estimated that 1 per cent of children under 18 experience parental imprisonment each year in England and Wales. It is argued that prisoners and their children are vulnerable to multiple types of social exclusion, including: pre-existing deprivation; loss of material and social capital following imprisonment; stigma; ‘linguistic exclusion’; political exclusion; poor future prospects; and administrative invisibility. Despite the apparent prevalence and urgency of the problem, the population of children of prisoners is unmonitored, under-researched and unsupported by the statutory sector. In the UK, failure to support children of prisoners reflects an era of punitive penal policy, and a lack of commitment to reduce social exclusion by the Government.
Factors Affecting Cardiac Catheterization Rates in Elders with Acute Coronary Syndromes
Authors: Han Jin H. , Miller Karen F. , Storrow Alan B.
Published: January 2007

Background: Elder patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are less likely to receive cardiac catheterization. The reasons for this are unclear.

Objectives: To assess whether elder patients who had a documented history of dementia, lived in extended care facilities, or had do not intubate–do not resuscitate (DNR‐DNI) advance directives were less likely to receive cardiac catheterization, despite having ACS with high‐risk features.

Methods: This was a medical record review conducted at an urban teaching hospital. DNR‐DNI status before hospitalization, extended care facility (nursing home or assisted living) residence, and a previous diagnosis of dementia were obtained from the medical record. Patients 65 years and older who presented to the emergency department with acute myocardial infarction or with unstable angina with ST segment deviation were included. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed, and odds ratios (ORs) were reported with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Of the 201 eligible patients, 66 (32.8%) patients did not undergo cardiac catheterization. In the univariate analysis, patients who had dementia, resided in extended care facilities, or were DNR‐DNI were less likely to receive cardiac catheterization. Only extended care facility residence (OR, 0.18; 95% CI = 0.04 to 0.83) and DNR‐DNI status (OR, 0.19; 95% CI = 0.04 to 0.92) remained significantly associated with decreased cardiac catheterization in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: Elder patients with ACS residing in extended care facilities or who are DNR‐DNI are less likely to receive cardiac catheterization. Future studies concerning the quality of ACS care for elders should take these variables into account.
The role of the S1 domain in exoribonucleolytic activity: Substrate specificity and multimerization
Authors: Amblar Mónica , Barbas Ana , Gomez-Puertas Paulino , Arraiano Cecília M.
Published: January 2007

RNase II is a 3′-5′ exoribonuclease that processively hydrolyzes single-stranded RNA generating 5′ mononucleotides. This enzyme contains a catalytic core that is surrounded by three RNA-binding domains. At its C terminus, there is a typical S1 domain that has been shown to be critical for RNA binding. The S1 domain is also present in the other major 3′-5′ exoribonucleases from Escherichia coli: RNase R and polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). In this report, we examined the involvement of the S1 domain in the different abilities of these three enzymes to overcome RNA secondary structures during degradation. Hybrid proteins were constructed by replacing the S1 domain of RNase II for the S1 from RNase R and PNPase, and their exonucleolytic activity and RNA-binding ability were examined. The results revealed that both the S1 domains of RNase R and PNPase are able to partially reverse the drop of RNA-binding ability and exonucleolytic activity resulting from removal of the S1 domain of RNase II. Moreover, the S1 domains investigated are not equivalent. Furthermore, we demonstrate that S1 is neither responsible for the ability to overcome secondary structures during RNA degradation, nor is it related to the size of the final product generated by each enzyme. In addition, we show that the S1 domain from PNPase is able to induce the trimerization of the RNaseII–PNP hybrid protein, indicating that this domain can have a role in the biogenesis of multimers.
Factors affecting birth weight in sheep: maternal environment
Authors: Gardner D S , Buttery P J , Daniel Z , Symonds M E
Published: January 2007

Knowledge of factors affecting variation in birth weight is especially important given the relationship of birth weight to neonatal and adult health. The present study utilises two large contemporary datasets in sheep of differing breeds to explore factors that influence weight at term. For dataset one (Study 1; n=154 Blue-faced Leicester×Swaledale (Mule) and 87 Welsh Mountain ewes, 315 separate cases of birth weight), lamb birth weight as the outcome measure was related to maternal characteristics and individual energy intake of the ewe during specified periods of gestation, i.e. early (1–30 days; term ~147 days gestation), mid (31–80 days) or late (110–147 days) pregnancy. For dataset two (Study 2; n=856 Mule ewes and 5821 cases of birth weight), we investigated using multilevel modelling the influence of ewe weight, parity, barrenness, lamb sex, litter size, lamb mortality and year of birth on lamb birth weight. For a subset of these ewes (n=283), the effect of the ewes’ own birth weight was also examined. Interactions between combinations of variables were selectively investigated. Litter size, as expected, had the single greatest influence on birth weight with other significant effects being year of birth, maternal birth weight, maternal nutrition, sex of the lamb, ewe barrenness and maternal body composition at mating. The results of the present study have practical implications not only for sheep husbandry but also for the increased knowledge of factors that significantly influence variation in birth weight; as birth weight itself has become a significant predictor of later health outcomes.
Reniform Nematode Resistance in Upland Cotton Germplasm
Authors: Weaver David B. , Lawrence Kathy S. , van Santen Edzard
Published: January 2007

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is attacked by parasitic nematodes including the reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford and Oliveira). Options for management of reniform nematode are limited. No cultivars of upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.) have genetic resistance. Our objectives were to evaluate the USDA G. hirsutum collection for reaction to parasitism by R. reniformis, and determine the value of measurement of eggs (reproduction) or vermiform stages (nematode survival) as an indicator of nematode resistance. In groups of 50, accessions were evaluated in the greenhouse, using single plants in four replicates. Accessions were planted in sterile soil and inoclated with a mixture of R. reniformis isolates. After 60 d, soil populations of vermiform nematodes were determined, and eggs were extracted from the root system and counted. Paymaster ‘PM 1218’ was included as a check in every experiment. Out of 1973 accessions with at least one replication, none showed high levels of resistance. Seven accessions had lower population development than PM 1218 after repeated evaluations. Results indicated egg counts and vermiform counts were correlated, but not closely. Egg counts were higher and more variable than vermiform counts. While some accessions showed levels of resistance that might be useful in cotton improvement, evaluation remains difficult and introgression of genes for reniform nematode resistance remains a long‐term breeding objective.
Rapid Assessment of Glutenin and Gliadin in Wheat by UV Spectrophotometer
Authors: Suchy J. , Lukow O. M. , Brown D. , DePauw R. , Fox S. , Humphreys G.
Published: January 2007

Traditional breeding of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) concentrates largely on the improvement of protein quality because of the importance of protein in end‐product functionality, nutritional value, and economic impact. New, rapid, and inexpensive protein quality tests are required to identify premium quality families from large and diverse early‐generation breeding populations. In this study, a simple method was designed using organic solvents to divide wheat proteins into monomeric‐rich (single‐chain, mostly gliadin), polymeric‐rich (multichain, mostly low‐ and high‐molecular weight glutenin), and total soluble protein (monomeric and polymeric protein). Monomeric‐rich and total soluble protein fractions were quantified at 280 nm with an ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometer. Protein fractions were expressed in terms of absolute concentration and as a proportion of total soluble protein. A strong linear relationship between the protein concentration in the fractions and the absorbance reading indicated that the method could accommodate a large range of protein fraction concentrations. The specific relationships between quantity and proportion of monomeric/polymeric protein fractions and dough quality tests allowed for the design of an algorithm eliminating poor quality lines from further breeding assessment. Simplicity, reliability, low cost, and a potential for automation could make this UV‐spectrophotometric method suitable for routine use in wheat breeding programs.
On The Experimental Theatre
Authors: Brecht Bertolt
Published: January 2007

For at least two generations now the serious-minded European theatre has existed in an era of experimentation. The diverse experiments have not as yet produced any unequivocal, clearly discernible results, but the era is by no means at an end. It is my opinion that the experiments followed two separate courses, which, though they occasionally intersected, can, when separated, be individually pursued. These two courses of development are distinguished from one another by means of their individual functions: entertainment and instruction, that is to say, the theatre organized experiments which were to increase its powers of entertaining, and experiments which were to increase its powers of instruction.

In a world as fast-moving and dynamic as ours the enticements of entertainment are quick to wear out. We must always be prepared to meet the desire for progressive public stupefaction with new effects.
A Theatre of Magic and Sacrilege
Authors: Barba Eugenio , Flaszen Ludwik
Published: January 2007

The actors of the Theatre Laboratory in Opole, all of them under thirty, meet every morning at ten. The day begins with three hours of “basic” exercises: gymnastics, acrobatics, breathing exercises, rhythmic dance, plastic motion, concentration, mask composition, and pantomime. When this is finished, they start rehearsing the play which is currently in preparation and keep at it until show time in the evening. The acting technique they have perfected in five years is resolutely “theatrical,” meaning that it is anti-naturalist. We shall start with an analysis of this technique, which is supposed to increase substantially the actor's means of expression.
Film and Theatre
Authors: Sontag Susan
Published: January 2007

The big question is whether there is an unbridgeable division, even opposition, between the two arts. Is there something genuinely “theatrical,” different in kind from what is genuinely “cinematic”?

Almost all opinion holds that there is. A commonplace of discussion has it that film and theatre are distinct and even antithetical arts, each giving rise to its own standards of judgment and canons of form. Thus Erwin Panofsky argues, in his celebrated essay “Style and Medium in the Motion Pictures” (1934, rewritten in 1946), that one of the criteria for evaluating a movie is its freedom from the impurities of theatricality. To talk about film, one must first define “the basic nature of the medium.” Those who think prescriptively about the nature of live drama, less confident in the future of their art than the cinéphiles in theirs, rarely take a comparably exclusivist line.
Homogeneity Applied to Angles
Authors: Sommerville D. M. Y.
Published: January 2007

In all general equations in mechanics the fundamental units, length, time, mass, enter homogeneously; the result is that these equations are true whatever the units of length, time, and mass may be. Angles, however, occupy an anomalous position. An equation which involves angles, angular velocities or accelerations, is true only for a certain particular unit of angle, usually the radian. Thus the formula T = 2π/ω, for periodic time with angular velocity ω, is only true when the angular unit is the radian; so also for arc = rθ, or for . The reason is, that these equations are not homogeneous in angle; π, sin θ, and cos θ are pure numbers, arc and r are lengths. In explanation it is commonly said that angle is of zero dimensions in length, time, and mass. So it is, and yet it is not a pure number, but a quantity just as much as length or any other concrete magnitude. If π were the symbol for a certain angle, instead of being a pure number, equations like T — 27π/ω, α+β + γ=π, etc., would become homogeneous, and true for all angular units, π would then resemble the symbol g, which stands for a particular acceleration, 32.2 ft./sec.2 or 981 cm./sec.2, etc.; but π has too long been identified with the number 3.14159… , and is too useful in all sorts of questions not involving angles at all, to be appropriated in this way. If, however, we introduce another symbol, say P, for the angle π radians or the angle of half a revolution, we may make all our equations homogeneous in angles, and restore their generality; it will do equally well, and be generally simpler, if instead of P we use the symbol K, denoting an angle of one radian.
Some Principles of Mathematical Education
Authors: Carson G. St. L.
Published: January 2007

Of all the problems which have perplexed teachers of mathematics in this generation, probably none has been more irritating and insistent than the choice of assumptions which must be made in each branch of the science. In geometry, in analysis, in mechanics, one and the same difficulty arises. Are we to prove that any two sides of a triangle are greater than the third? That the limit of the sum of a finite number of functions is equal to the sum of their limits? That the total momentum of two bodies is uninfluenced by their mutual action? And in every such case, on what is the proof to depend? A clear understanding of the answers to such questions, or better still, a clear understanding of principles by which answers may be found, would go far to co-ordinate and simplify elementary teaching; the object of this paper is to state such principles, and indicate their application.
The Teaching of Mechanics
Authors: Muirhead R. F.
Published: January 2007

In its revised form the Report of the M.A. Committee on the Teaching of Elementary Mechanics strikes me as being on the whole an exceedingly good and helpful one, though of course open to criticism in some of its details. On two or three points relating to Kinetics, I offer these remarks:
The Approach to the Differentiation and Integration of Logarithmic and Exponential Functions
Authors: Child J. M.
Published: January 2007

In teaching beginners the elements of the calculus, the teacher’s first real difficulty arises when he has to present the differentiation of the logarithmic and exponential functions; these being a natural outcome of an attempt to complete the rule for xn for all values of n, including the case when n=−1. He either has to make the approach as in texts on “practical mathematics,” by differentiating the series for ex, with all the tacit assumptions that have to be made; or he is dependent on non-rigorous treatment of limits, necessary to show that (ax−1)/x tends to the limiting value logea; or to find solutions of dy/dx=y by some such process as is given in Lamb’s treatise on the Calculus, without the necessary proofs of convergence and differentiability of the series assumed; or he is bound to discuss convergence and continuity fairly fully, and give such proofs as Lamb gives, or the equally severe method of Hardy’s text.
Note on Degenerate Conics
Authors: Milne J. J.
Published: January 2007

Readers of the article in the October Magazine on “Systems of Conics satisfying four conditions” would notice the important part played by degenerate conics. A little more explanation of these degenerate conics may not be out of place.
Mathematical Worthies
Authors: Heppel G.
Published: January 2007

Edward Wright was probably born about 1560, and he died in 1615. He was a fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. The chief source of information about him, besides his own published works, is an obituary notice in a Latin paper preserved in the college library. He furnishes a notable instance of the conditions under which mathematical science was pursued in his time. The main object kept in view was to supply material needs of life, principally at this period in all matters connected with navigation, and the promoters and supporters of research in this direction were not the universities, but the trading and mercantile communities. Wright was appointed by the East India Company their Lecturer on Mathematics, at a salary of £50 a year. He was mechanical tutor to the eldest son of James I., Prince Henry, who died in 1612 at the age of nineteen. For his pupil’s instruction he designed and made a wonderful piece of mechanism, displaying all the movements of the heavenly bodies then known, and constructed to indicate these correctly for 17,100 years. It lasted, in fact, but a very few years. During the troubles of the civil war it was cast away as old rubbish, and in 1646 was found by Sir Jonas Moore, and deposited in its dilapidated state at his house in the Tower.
Statistics as Applied to Educational Questions
Authors: Meldrum H. J.
Published: January 2007

It is becoming more widely recognised each year, among leaders of educational thought, that in the field of educational science, where mere opinion holds sway, this opinion should be replaced by conclusions scientifically obtained from carefully collected data.

In the teaching of mathematics we have such questions as:

(i) What is the most economical length of drill periods in first-year algebra ?

(ii) What is the best method of procedure for acquiring skill in the mechanical work in algebra ?

(iii) To what extent does mechanical skill in algebra help the pupil intelligently to use algebraic processes, such as the equation, the graph and the formula ?

(iv) What proportion of pupils benefits by a certain type of course and up to a given standard ?

(v) The results of (iv) would be a factor in deciding whether all secondary school pupils should take mathematics throughout their course.
The Calculus as An Item in School Mathematics. (Continued from p. 246.)
Authors: Jackson C. S.
Published: January 2007

Passing very briefly here, but by no means very briefly in the classroom, over this treatment of velocity, a few words may be given to the problem of the tangent.
The Teaching of Mathematics
Authors: Muirhead R.F.
Published: January 2007

The British Association this year has inaugurated a new Section, that of Education; and at the recent Glasgow meeting this new Section made a good start, under the presidency of Sir John Gorst, by holding a series of joint discussions with several of the older Sections, in addition to the usual reading of sectional papers. Thus it came that on Saturday the 14th of September a three hours’ discussion took place on the “Teaching of Mathematics.”
Annuities Treated without Progressions
Authors: Bryan G. H.
Published: January 2007

The method usually given in text books on Algebra for finding the present value of an annuity to last for a given number of years, or the accumulated amount of an annuity left unpaid for a given time, consists in writing down the present values or amounts of the several payments, and summing them by the usual formula for a geometrical progression. The following method, by which the result is found from first principles without the use of formulae, is so simple and instructive that I am rather surprised that the idea does not appear to have suggested itself to teachers and writers of text books before now, or, if it has done so, that it has received so little notice.
A Progressive Income-Tax
Authors: Carslaw H. S.
Published: January 2007

In this paper I propose to describe a scheme of progressive taxation which has been introduced in Australia in the “Income-Tax Act, 1915” (Commonwealth of Australia). As a novel illustration of the use of the Integral Calculus it may be of interest to readers of the Mathematical Gazette. Incidentally I desire to point out the need for care in using the term “rate of tax” when such a progressive tax is described. In the schedules of this Act the words are used in at least two different senses. And if the curves of the second degree, or any degree, are to be referred to in Acts of Parliament—a step the wisdom of which certainly may be questioned so long as the mathematical knowledge of the average man remains what it is—the nature of the curves might with advantage be more clearly stated than is done in this Act.