bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression/amplification of HER-2/neu is uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xian Z-H , Zhang S-H , Cong W-M , Wu W-Q , Wu M-C
Published: April 2005

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent fatal cancers in the world. Despite advances in early diagnosis and improvements in surgical techniques, the survival of patients with HCC even after resection is poor because of the high incidence of recurrences. Therefore, the identification of prognostic factors may be helpful in the development of new treatment protocols.

Aims:To investigate HER-2/neu status in HCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), and to explore the possibility of using trastuzumab in the treatment of HCC.

Methods:Eight hundred and sixty eight surgical samples from patients with primary HCC were examined for their HER-2/neu status. IHC for HER-2/neu was performed with the HercepTest kit; FISH analysis was performed with the PathVysion HER-2 DNA probe kit. The correlations between HER-2/neu overexpression and clinicopathological characteristics were analysed statistically.

Results:HER-2/neu overexpression was detected in 21 (2.42%) of the 868 primary HCCs. Only one specimen showed HER-2/neu gene amplification by FISH. No significant associations were found between HER-2/neu overexpression and the clinicopathological parameters.

Conclusions:There is a low frequency of HER-2/neu overexpression/amplification in HCC. There appears to be no role for HER-2/neu as a prognostic marker and no benefit of anti-HER-2/neu trastuzumab treatment in patients with HCC.
Functionalization and cleavage of coordinated dinitrogen via hydroboration using primary and secondary boranes
Authors: MacKay Bruce A , Johnson Samuel A , Patrick Brian O , Fryzuk Michael D
Published: April 2005

The reaction of the side-on, end-on ditantalum dinitrogen complex ([NPN]Ta)2(µ-η1:η2-N2)(µ-H)2 (where NPN = PhP(CH2SiMe2NPh)2) with a variety of secondary and primary boranes is reported. With 9-BBN, hydroboration of the Ta2N2 unit occurs via B-H addition, which in turn triggers a cascade of reactions that result in NN bond cleavage, ancillary ligand rearrangement involving silicon group migration, and finally elimination of benzene from the N-Ph group and a B-H moiety to generate the imidenitride derivative. In the presence of excess 9-BBN, the Lewis acid  base adduct of the imidenitride ([NPµN]Ta(=NBC8H14)(µ-NB(H)C8H14)Ta[NPN]) is formed. A similar set of reactions is observed for dicyclohexylborane (Cy2BH), which hydroborates the dinitrogen complex to generate [NPN]Ta(H)(µ-η1:η2-NNBCy2)(µ-H)2Ta[NPN], followed by loss of H2 and silicon group migration to yield the imidenitride [NPµN]Ta(=NBCy2)(µ-N)(Ta[NPN]. With thexyl borane (H2BCMe2CHMe2), a similar sequence of reactions is suggested starting with hydroboration to generate [NPN]Ta(H)(µ-η1:η2-NNB(H)C6H13)(µ-H)2Ta[NPN], followed by loss of H2 and ancillary ligand rearrangement. When bis(pentafluorophenyl)borane (HB(C6F5)2) is used, no hydroboration of coordinated N2 is observed, rather simple adduct formation to give ([NPN]Ta)2(µ-η1:η2-NN-B(H)(C6F5)2)(µ-H)2 occurs. Key words: dinitrogen, tantalum, hydroboration, NN bond cleavage.
Synthesis and structure of a terminal dinitrogen complex of nickel
Authors: Waterman Rory , Hillhouse Gregory L
Published: April 2005

Reaction of petroleum ether solutions of [(dtbpe)Ni]2(η2,µ-C6H6) (1, dtbpe = 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethane) with triphenylphosphine under a dinitrogen atmosphere gives the Ni(0) dinitrogen adduct (dtbpe)Ni(N2)(PPh3) (2), which can be isolated as dark red crystals in 87% yield. The X-ray crystal structure of 2 reveals pseudotetrahedral geometry about Ni and a terminal dinitrogen ligand with NiN(1) = 1.830(2) Å, N(1)N(2) = 1.112(2) Å, and Ni-N(1)-N(2) = 177.5(2)°. Key words: dinitrogen, nickel, X-ray.
Research inspired by the chemistry of nitrogenase  Novel metal complexes and their reactivity toward dinitrogen, nitriles, and alkynes
Authors: Hidai Masanobu , Mizobe Yasushi
Published: April 2005

Summarized here are our continuous studies of the last three decades concerning syntheses of new types of complexes learned from nitrogenase and their reactivites toward dinitrogen, nitriles, and alkynes. For Mo and W dinitrogen complexes with tertiary phosphine coligands, a variety of their intriguing reactivities have been demonstrated, and novel transformations of the N2 ligands into numerous nitrogen-containing ligands and compounds have been developed. The C≡N bond cleavage of certain nitriles also proceeds on the Mo site surrounded by tertiary phosphines. Stimulated by the sophisticated structure of the active site of nitrogenase, multinuclear metalsulfur complexes have been synthesized in rational ways. New types of stoichiometric and catalytic reactions of alkynes have been found by using the thiolato-bridged diruthenium complexes and some cubane-type sulfido clusters containing a noble metal.Key words: nitrogen fixation, molybdenum and tungsten dinitrogen complexes, ruthenium thiolato complexes, metal sulfido clusters, nitriles, alkynes.
LINKAGE DISEQUILIBRIUM STUDY WITH A PARALLEL ADAPTIVE GA
Authors: VERMEULEN-JOURDAN L. , DHAENENS C. , TALBI E-G.
Published: April 2005

In this article, we model a linkage disequilibrium study (genomic study) as an optimization problem where a given objective function has to be optimized. The objective of the study is to discover haplotypes (associations of genetic markers) candidate to explain multi-factorial diseases such as diabetes or obesity. To determine what kind of algorithm will be able to solve this problem, we first study the specificities and the structure of the problem. Results of this study show that exact algorithms are not adapted to this specific problem and lead us to the development of a parallel dedicated adaptive multipopulation genetic algorithm that is able to find several haplotypes of different sizes. After describing the genomic problem, we present the dedicated genetic algorithm, its specificities, such as the use of several populations and its advanced mechanisms such as the adaptive choice of operators, random immigrants, and its parallel implementation. Results on a real dataset are given.
APPROXIMATION ALGORITHMS FOR FLEXIBLE JOB SHOP PROBLEMS
Authors: JANSEN KLAUS , MASTROLILLI MONALDO , SOLIS-OBA ROBERTO
Published: April 2005

The Flexible Job Shop problem is a generalization of the classical job shop scheduling problem in which for every operation there is a group of machines that can process it. The problem is to assign operations to machines and to order the operations on the machines so that the operations can be processed in the smallest amount of time. This models a wide variety of problems encountered in real manufacturing systems. We present a linear time approximation scheme for the non-preemptive version of the problem when the number m of machines and the maximum number μ of operations per job are fixed. We also study the preemptive version of the problem when m and μ are fixed, and present a linear time approximation scheme for the problem without migration and a (2+ε)-approximation algorithm for the problem with migration.
REPRESENTING MODEL UNCERTAINTY IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE PREDICTION
Authors: Palmer T.N. , Shutts G.J. , Hagedorn R. , Doblas-Reyes F.J. , Jung T. , Leutbecher M.
Published: April 2005

▪ Abstract  Weather and climate predictions are uncertain, because both forecast initial conditions and the computational representation of the known equations of motion are uncertain. Ensemble prediction systems provide the means to estimate the flow-dependent growth of uncertainty during a forecast. Sources of uncertainty must therefore be represented in such systems. In this paper, methods used to represent model uncertainty are discussed. It is argued that multimodel and related ensembles are vastly superior to corresponding single-model ensembles, but do not provide a comprehensive representation of model uncertainty. A relatively new paradigm is discussed, whereby unresolved processes are represented by computationally efficient stochastic-dynamic schemes.
Ethylene glycol induces hyperoxaluria without metabolic acidosis in rats
Authors: Green Mike L. , Hatch Marguerite , Freel Robert W.
Published: April 2005

Ethylene glycol (EG) consumption is commonly employed as an experimental regimen to induce hyperoxaluria in animal models of calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. This approach has, however, been criticized because EG overdose induces metabolic acidosis in humans. We tested the hypothesis that EG consumption (0.75% in drinking water for 4 wk) induces metabolic acidosis by comparing arterial blood gases, serum electrolytes, and urinary chemistries in five groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: normal controls (CON), those made hyperoxaluric (HYP) with EG administration, unilaterally nephrectomized controls (UNI), unilaterally nephrectomized rats fed EG (HRF), and a metabolic acidosis (MA) reference group imbibing sweetened drinking water (5% sucrose) containing 0.28 M NH4Cl. Arterial pH, plasma bicarbonate concentrations, anion gap, urinary pH, and the excretion of titratable acid, ammonium, phosphate, citrate, and calcium in HYP rats were not significantly different from CON rats, indicating that metabolic acidosis did not develop in HYP rats with two kidneys. Unilateral nephrectomy alone (UNI group) did not significantly affect arterial pH, plasma bicarbonate, anion gap, or urinary pH compared with CON rats; however, HRF rats exhibited some signs of a nascent acidosis in having an elevated anion gap, higher phosphate excretion, lower urinary pH, and an increase in titratable acid. Frank metabolic acidosis was observed in the MA rats: decreased arterial pH and plasma HCO3−concentration with lower urinary pH and citrate excretion with elevated excretion of ammonium, phosphate and, hence, titratable acid. We conclude that metabolic acidosis does not develop in conventional EG treatments but may ensue with renal insufficiency resulting from an oxalate load.
Spatial Sensitivity in the Dorsal Zone (Area DZ) of Cat Auditory Cortex
Authors: Stecker G. Christopher , Harrington Ian A. , Macpherson Ewan A. , Middlebrooks John C.
Published: April 2005

We compared the spatial sensitivity of neural responses in three areas of cat auditory cortex: primary auditory cortex (A1), the posterior auditory field (PAF), and the dorsal zone (DZ). Stimuli were 80-ms pure tones or broadband noise bursts varying in free-field azimuth (in the horizontal plane) or elevation (in the vertical median plane), presented at levels 20–40 dB above units' thresholds. We recorded extracellular spike activity simultaneously from 16 to 32 sites in one or two areas of α-chloralose-anesthetized cats. We examined the dependence of spike counts and response latencies on stimulus location as well as the information transmission by neural spike patterns. Compared with units in A1, DZ units exhibited more complex frequency tuning, longer-latency responses, increased prevalence and degree of nonmonotonic rate-level functions, and weaker responses to noise than to tonal stimulation. DZ responses also showed sharper tuning for stimulus azimuth, stronger azimuthal modulation of first-spike latency, and enhanced spatial information transmission by spike patterns, compared with A1. Each of these findings was similar to differences observed between PAF and A1. Compared with PAF, DZ responses were of shorter overall latency, and more DZ units preferred stimulation from ipsilateral azimuths, but the majority of analyses suggest strong similarity between PAF and DZ responses. These results suggest that DZ and A1 are physiologically distinct cortical fields and that fields like PAF and DZ might constitute a “belt” region of auditory cortex exhibiting enhanced spatial sensitivity and temporal coding of stimulus features.
Definition of the unique human extraocular muscle allotype by expression profiling
Authors: Fischer M. Dominik , Budak Murat T. , Bakay Marina , Gorospe J. Rafael , Kjellgren D. , Pedrosa-Domellöf F. , Hoffman Eric P. , Khurana Tejvir S.
Published: April 2005

The extraocular muscles (EOMs) are a unique group of specialized muscles that are anatomically and physiologically distinct from other skeletal muscles. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the EOMs is their differential sensitivity to disease. EOMs are spared in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) despite widespread involvement of other skeletal muscles. Conversely, they are early and prominent targets in myasthenia gravis and mitochondrial myopathies. It is unclear how EOMs achieve such specialization or a differential response to diseases; however, this has been attributed to a unique, group-specific pattern of gene expression or “allotype.” To begin to address these issues as well as define the human EOM allotype, we analyzed the human EOM transcriptome using oligonucleotide-based expression profiling. Three hundred thirty-eight genes were found to be differentially expressed in EOM compared with quadriceps femoris limb muscle, using a twofold cutoff. Functional characterization revealed expression patterns corresponding to known metabolic and structural properties of EOMs such as expression of EOM-specific myosin heavy chain (MYH13) and high neural, vascular, and mitochondrial content, suggesting that the profiling was sensitive and specific. Genes related to myogenesis, stem cells, and apoptosis were detected at high levels in normal human EOMs, suggesting that efficient and continuous regeneration and/or myogenesis may be a mechanism by which the EOMs remain clinically and pathologically spared in diseases such as DMD. Taken together, this study provides insight into how human EOMs achieve their unique structural, metabolic, and pathophysiological properties.
Assessment of Cognitive Decline in Old Age with Brief Tests Amenable to Telephone Administration
Authors: Wilson Robert S. , Bennett David A.
Published: April 2005

The adequacy with which brief cognitive tests suitable for telephone administration can assess cognitive decline due to aging and Alzheimer’s disease is uncertain. The authors examined these issues with data from the Religious Orders Study, which involves annual clinical evaluations and brain donation at death. Participants are 996 older Catholic clergy members. Analyses focused on seven cognitive tests which can be administered in person or by telephone in less than 15 min. Composite measures of global cognition and of episodic, semantic and working memory were formed. During a mean of 5.8 years of follow-up, performance on each composite measure declined in persons with and without dementia at baseline. Among those without dementia, possession of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele was associated with more rapid cognitive decline, especially in episodic and working memory. Level of performance on each cognitive measure proximate to death was inversely related to the level of cortical plaques and tangles in the brain. In a subset of persons who were given the tests by telephone, there was no evidence that performance differed from in-person administration. The results suggest that briefly assessing cognition with tests amenable to telephone administration may prove useful in longitudinal epidemiologic studies of older persons.
A Survey of the SWISS Researchers on the Impact of Sibling Privacy Protections on Pedigree Recruitment
Authors: Worrall Bradford B. , Chen Donna T. , Brown Jr. Robert D. , Brott Thomas G. , Meschia James F.
Published: April 2005

To understand the perceptions and attitudes about privacy safeguardsin researchand investigate the impact of letter-based proband-initiated contact on recruitment, we surveyed researchers in the Siblings With Ischemic Stroke Study (SWISS). All 49 actively recruiting sites provided at least 1 response, and 61% reported that potential probands were enthusiastic. Although 66% of researchers valued proband-initiated contact, only 23% said that probands viewed this strategy as important to protecting the privacy of siblings. A substantial minority of researchers (37%) said the strategy impeded enrollment, and 44% said it was overly burdensome to probands.
Voltage-Dependent and Frequency-Independent Inhibition of Recombinant Cav3.2 T-Type Ca2+ Channel by Bepridil
Authors: Uchino Tomoko , Lee Tae-Seong , Kaku Toshihiko , Yamashita Noboru , Noguchi Takayuki , Ono Katsushige
Published: April 2005

Effects of bepridil on the low voltage-activated T-type Ca2+ channel (CaV3.2) current stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells were examined using patch-clamp techniques. Bepridil potently inhibited ICa,T with a markedly voltage-dependent manner; the IC50 of bepridil was 0.4 µmol/l at the holding potential of –70 mV, which was 26 times as potent as that at –100 mV (10.6 µmol/l). Steady-state inactivation curve (8.4 ± 1.7 mV) and conductance curve (5.9 ± 1.9 mV) were shifted to the hyperpolarized potential by 10 µmol/l bepridil. Bepridil exerted the tonic blocking action but not the use-dependent block. Bepridil had no effect on the recovery from inactivation of T-type Ca2+ channels. Thus, high efficacy of bepridil for terminating atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter may be considered to be attributed, at least in a part, to the T-type Ca2+ channel-blocking actions.
An M-Like Potassium Current in the Guinea Pig Cochlea
Authors: Liang Guihua , Moore Ernest J. , Ulfendahl Mats , Rydqvist Bo , Järlebark Leif
Published: April 2005

Potassium M currents play a role in stabilizing the resting membrane potential. These currents have previously been identified in several cell types, including sensory receptors. Given that maintaining membrane excitability is important for mechano-electrical transduction in the inner ear, the presence of M currents was investigated in outer hair cells isolated from the guinea pig hearing organ. Using a pulse protocol designed to emphasize M currents with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, voltage- and time-dependent, non-inactivating, low-threshold currents (the hallmarks of M currents) were recorded. These currents were significantly reduced by cadmium chloride. Results from RT-PCR analysis indicated that genes encoding M channel subunits KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 are expressed in the guinea pig cochlea. Our data suggest that guinea pig outer hair cells express an M-like potassium current that, following sound stimulation, may play an important role in returning the membrane potential to resting level and thus regulating outer hair cell synaptic mechanisms.
Influence of Epoietinum Therapy on the Oxidative Stress in Haemodialysis Patients
Authors: Mircescu Gabriel , Căpuşă Cristina , Stoian Irina , Mărăcine Magda , Muscurel Corina , Gârneată Liliana , Bărbulescu Carmen
Published: April 2005

Background: The causes of oxidative stress in haemodialysis (HD) patients are still controversial. Beside the uraemic state and dialysis-related factors, adjuvant drug therapies such as epoietinum (rHuEpo) and intravenous iron were involved. Methods: Several parameters related to oxidative stress were assessed by spectrophotometry in stable HD patients, treated for at least 2 months with epoietinum (n = 14; mean dose = 97.7 ± 19.1 U/kg/week) or not (n = 15), none of them on iron therapy, and in 13 controls. Plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were used as markers of reactive species generation. Erythrocyte and plasma antioxidant systems, reflected by non-protein erythrocyte thiols, and erythrocyte enzyme activities – superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, catalase and plasma total thiols, respectively – were also investigated. Results: There were no differences between HD subgroups regarding haemoglobin levels. Plasma TBARS was increased in all HD patients as opposed to controls, irrespective of rHuEpo therapy. In addition, no change in antioxidant status parameters between rHuEpo-treated and -untreated patients was observed. Except for SOD, the other antioxidant indices were higher in all HD patients versus controls. Conclusions: These results suggest that (1) chronic HD patients appear to have simultaneously enhanced reactive species generation and antioxidative systems efficiency, and (2) epoietinum therapy did not change their oxidative status, at least in the absence of concomitant iron supplementation and at similar haemoglobin levels.
A Comparative Study of the FcεRI Molecule on Human Mast Cell and Basophil Cell Lines
Authors: Jensen B.M. , Dissing S. , Skov P.S. , Poulsen L.K.
Published: April 2005

Background: Mast cells and basophils express the high-affinity IgE receptor FcΕRI. We have analysed the human mast cell line LAD2 and four subclones of the basophil cell line KU812 in order to reveal possible differences concerning the FcΕRI surface regulation, anti-IgE-triggered activation, FcΕRIα protein stability and the mRNA level of FcΕRIα-, β- and the truncated β-chain (βT), and thereby determine the utility of these cell lines in investigations of the FcΕRI biology. Methods: The surface expression of FcΕRI was assessed by flow cytometry, using the monoclonal antibody CRA1. The FcΕRI-induced cellular activation (i.e. cross-linking of FcΕRI) was determined by changes in the intracellular level of Ca2+, which was measured by fluorescence of Fura-2. The level of the FcΕRIα protein was determined by a Western blot technique and by a radioimmunoassay. The mRNA level of FcΕRIα, β- and βT-chain was analysed using real-time PCR. Results: Two KU812 subclones and especially LAD2 had FcΕRI surface expression which was capable of inducing cellular activation. Both the FcΕRI expression and stability of the FcΕRIα protein were increased when IgE was present. All the cell lines expressed mRNA of FcΕRIα-, β- and βT, with LAD2 tending to have the highest expression. However, a determination of the β/βT ratio demonstrated no difference between any of the cell clones. Conclusion: These cell lines are important tools in the investigation of both the FcΕRI molecule and the effects induced by its activation.
Peroxynitrite Modulates Release of Inflammatory Mediators from Guinea Pig Lung Mast Cells Activated by Antigen-Antibody Reaction
Authors: Kim Ji Young , Lee Kwang Hoon , Lee Bong Ki , Ro Jai Youl
Published: April 2005

Background: Peroxynitrite (ONOO–), the product of the reaction between the superoxide anion (·O2–) and nitric oxide (NO), is produced during inflammatory disease and may be a major cytotoxic agent. No reports are available as to whether ONOO– generates or modulates inflammatory mediator release from activated guinea pig lung mast cells. In this study, we explored the modulatory role of intracellular ONOO– on inflammatory mediator release (histamine and leukotrienes) from activated mast cells. Methods: Guinea pig lung mast cells were purified by the enzyme digestion, and by using the rough and discontinuous Percoll density gradients. Mast cells were sensitized with IgG1 (anti-ovalbumin) antibody and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA). The intracellular ROS formation was determined by following the oxidative production of 2′, 7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA), dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR), and anti-nitrotyrosine antibody immunofluorescence. Histamine was assayed using a fluorometric analyzer, leukotrienes by radioimmunoassay, intracellular Ca2+ levels by confocal scanning microscopy, and PLA2 activity using prelabeling of [3H]arachidonic acid. Results: ROS detected by DCFH-DA weakly increased in mast cells activated with OVA (1.0 g/ml), and the ROS so generated was inhibited by ebselen (50 µM). However, the ROS detected by DHR increased 3-fold under the same conditions. Peroxynitrite scavengers sL-MT, DMTU, and inhibitor FeTPPS inhibited ROS formation but the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) only partially inhibited this formation. Dimethyl thiourea (DMTU) and seleno-L-methionine (sL-MT) inhibited the tyrosine nitration of cytosolic proteins, the release of histamine and leukotrienes, Ca2+ influx, and the PLA2 activity evoked by mast cell activation. Conclusion: The data obtained suggests that the ROS generated by the antigen/antibody reaction activated mast cells is ONOO–, and that this modulates the release of inflammatory mediators via Ca2+-dependent PLA2 activity.
Delayed-Type Asthmatic Response Induced by Repeated Intratracheal Exposure to Toluene-2,4-Diisocyanate in Guinea Pigs
Authors: Nabe Takeshi , Yamauchi Kanami , Shinjo Yasuhiro , Niwa Tomohiro , Imoto Kenji , Koda Akihide , Kohno Shigekatsu
Published: April 2005

Background: A toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI)-induced asthma model, in which delayed-type hypersensitivity-like asthmatic airway obstruction is elicited restrictively in the lung, has never been developed. Methods: Guinea pigs were percutaneously sensitized with TDI. For the challenges, once every 2 weeks for a total of 5 times, TDI mists were delivered directly to the lung through an oral cannula, with its tip being positioned in the opening of the trachea. Time-course changes in specific airway resistance (sRaw) were measured by double-flow plethysmography. Basic mechanisms underlying TDI-induced asthma were analyzed. Results: After the 2nd–5th challenges, induction of both an early increase in sRaw that peaked at 10 min and a delayed-type sRaw elevation that peaked at 22 h were observed. Interestingly, in the sensitized/challenged animals, baseline sRaw was elevated by repeated challenge as compared to that seen for non-sensitized animals. Intratracheal administration of a bronchodilator, salbutamol, strongly suppressed the early asthmatic response (EAR) but not the delayed-type asthmatic response (DAR). During DAR, both albumin leakage and fucose secretion into the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were increased. The cysteinyl leukotriene antagonist pranlukast failed to inhibit either EAR or DAR while the corticosteroid dexamethasone significantly suppressed DAR, without significantly affecting EAR. Conclusions: Effective delivery of TDI to the lung may induce reproducible DAR in sensitized guinea pigs with chronicity that is reflected by an increase in the sRaw baseline. DAR is not mediated by constriction of airway smooth muscles and is probably due to the concurrent presence of mucosal edema and mucus hypersecretion in the airways.
Davids Flucht zu den Philistern (1 Sam. XXI 11ff .; XXVII-XXIX)
Authors: Klein Johannes
Published: April 2005

Deutet man das doppelte Vorkommnis der Flucht Davids zu den Philistern nicht als einen Hinweis darauf, dass es sich um ein und dasselbe Ereignis handelt, sondern in dem Sinne, dass sich verschiedene Aktionen im Leben Davids wiederholen, gewinnen beim Betrachten der Gemeinsamkeiten einige Unterschiede an Bedeutung, die auf Entwicklungen hinweisen. Derselbe Effekt wird durch den chiastischen Aufbau des Komplexes 1 Sam. xxii-xxix erzielt und durch Leitworte und -sätze unterstützt. Im Wesentlichen geht es darum, dass David eine positive Entwicklung durchmacht, er wird klüger, gelassener, vorsichtiger und ehrfürchtiger, Saul hingegen eine negative, er trachtet David immer mehr nach dem Leben. Diese Deutung steht im Einklang mit der Aussage des Herzstücks, 1 Sam. xxv, in dem das Königtum von Saul auf David in prophetischer Weise übertragen wird. Angesichts der negativen Entwicklung Sauls erscheint die Flucht Davids notwendig. Die positive Entwicklung Davids zeichnet diesen als gebührenden Nachfolger aus.
Truth and Meaning: Preaching the Gospel from a Church in Conflict
Authors: Cavanagh Lorraine
Published: April 2005

The insecurity felt by many Anglicans in the wake of the recent Anglican conflict requires that preachers respond prophetically to the innate spiritual hunger of their listeners. The preached word becomes an instrument of transformation as it promotes a dynamic understanding of the truth of scripture. The prophetic task is one of connecting with the life experience and understanding of those who listen so as to make ‘meaning’ from the truth and convey hope for the future.
Market or Party Controls?
Authors: Winfield Betty Houchin , Peng Zengjun
Published: April 2005

This study examines, distinguishes and discusses as grounded theory the changes of the past 20 years in the Chinese media system as a result of the economic reforms. While the new media market challenges the current Chinese Party orthodoxy by initiating a redistribution of power and interests, this study argues that the western model of a libertarian press system is hardly a possibility. With a convolution of the Party line and the bottom line, a Chinese media system is moving from totalitarianism to market authoritarianism. Building on the premise that previous western press systems based on the Four Theories and their updates have failed to fit the unique case of China, the authors propose new theoretical perspectives in studying media systems in transition.
Situational Analysis
Authors: Annan Jean
Published: April 2005

Situational analysis is a framework for professional practice and research in educational psychology. The process is guided by a set of practice principles requiring that psychologists’ work is evidence-based, ecological, collaborative and constructive. The framework is designed to provide direction for psychologists who wish to tailor their fieldwork to the diverse situations in which they work. Situational analysis supports psychologists to recognize and work with diversity in the educational community at individual and systems levels and to undertake research projects. The open and collaborative, rather than prescriptive, consultation process supports the development of unique solutions for particular situations. It checks that interventions are built on the supportive features of referral situations. The framework has two aspects, style, the particular theoretical orientation and structure, the problem-solving method used to track information through from referral to intervention. The framework guides psychologists to focus their projects and determine the salient dimensions of referral situations. It invites them to propose evidence-supported relationships between the dimensions for the purpose of determining the most constructive interventions. Psychologists are encouraged to prepare to use this flexible framework through the acquisition of a broad range of educational, psychological and professional knowledge.
A Comparison of Teachers’ and Parents’ Knowledge and Beliefs About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD)
Authors: West John , Taylor Myra , Houghton Stephen , Hudyma Shirlene
Published: April 2005

The Knowledge about Attention Deficit Disorder Questionnaire (KADD-Q) was administered to 256 teachers and 92 parents. Statistical analysis revealed the KADD-Q to be an internally consistent measure of teachers’ and parents’ knowledge of ADHD. Findings demonstrated that the levels of teachers’ and parents’ knowledge about the causes of ADHD was significantly higher than their knowledge of the characteristics of ADHD, which in turn was significantly higher than their knowledge about treatment. When the total scores of teachers and parents were compared, the latter scored significantly higher. Although there were no significant differences in teachers’ and parents’ levels of knowledge about the Characteristics of ADHD, parents scored significantly higher than teachers on the Causes and Treatment subscales of the KADD-Q. The findings also revealed that misconceptions about ADHD are evident among parents and teachers, but that professional development is significant in increasing knowledge.
Peripheral Vision
Authors: Dreyfus Hubert L. , Dreyfus Stuart E.
Published: April 2005

In this paper we describe a five-stage phenomenological model of skill acquisition, of which expertise is the highest stage. Contrary to the claims of knowledge engineers, we argue that expertise in general, and medical expertise in particular, cannot be captured in rule-based expert systems, since expertise is based on the making of immediate, unreflective situational responses; intuitive judgment is the hallmark of expertise. Deliberation is certainly used by experts, if time permits, but it is done for the purpose of improving intuition, not replacing it. The best way to avoid mistakes is to take responsibility for them when they occur, rather than try to prevent them by foolproof rules. In bureaucratic societies, however, there is the danger that expertise may be diminished through over-reliance on calculative rationality.
Beyond the pale
Authors: MacMullan Terrance
Published: April 2005

The recent growth of whiteness studies has brought whiteness under increasing scrutiny as a racial category that is both constructed and morally problematic. Two approaches dominate this relatively new discourse on the proper approach to whiteness. The first approach is eliminativism, which starts from the insight that the discursive categories of race, including whiteness, lack the biological ground that Enlightenment era theorists thought they had, and therefore calls for the elimination of the idea of race. The other, more heterogeneous, approach is that of the critical conservationists who agree with the general spirit of the eliminativists (namely that the idea of whiteness lacks a biological referent) but for various reasons do not think that racial categories should be eliminated.

This article suggests an alternative to these two models of whiteness studies. The alternative is grounded in the pragmatism of W. E. B. Du Bois and John Dewey. It reconciles the two dominant approaches by showing how white folk can develop a determinate, historical critique of whiteness. The pragmatist method advocated here fragments whiteness into more authentic and liberatory cultural categories that recognize the unwarranted privileges associated with whiteness and takes action to relinquish them.
Auguste Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais
Authors: Swedberg Richard
Published: April 2005

The Burghers of Calais (1895) by Auguste Rodin was originally commissioned by the city of Calais to celebrate a local hero. It then became part of the national culture of the Third Republic, and it can today be found all over the world. This article tells the story of how this statue came into being and also attempts to address the issue of why it has become so popular and why it seems to speak so directly to universalism. Apart from the fact that The Burghers of Calais is an extremely well executed and very inspired piece of art, this monument, I argue, also has to have another quality in order to become so popular. This quality, I suggest, is related to a new way of understanding and depicting heroism. Rodin centered The Burghers of Calais around a modern version of heroism that can be termed ‘civic heroism’, which draws on the collective and civic courage of the average person ( Zivil-courage), rather than on the physical courage of the single and outstanding individual. Or, to put it differently, Rodin turned the statue into a democratic exemplum.
Let them Eat Social Capital: Socializing the Market versus Marketizing the Social
Authors: Somers Margaret R.
Published: April 2005

Theories of social capital are popular because they claim to insulate society against both the coercion of states and the individualism of markets, as well as to better explain social prosperity and economic performance. But in fact laws, citizenship rights, compulsory associations and political institutions do a much better job of the former, while large-scale civic movements, like Poland’s Solidarity, with demonstrable impacts on the configuration of political power, are the historic keys to democratic prosperity and social confidence.
PEG-epirubicin Conjugates with High Drug Loading
Authors: Pasut Gianfranco , Scaramuzza Silvia , Schiavon Oddone , Mendichi Roberto , Veronese Francesco M.
Published: April 2005

PEG is used as a polymeric carrier for low molecular weight drugs, but limitations arise from the fact that only one or two hydroxyl residues are on each polymer. Therefore, the synthesis of dendrimeric structures, based on amino adipic acid or beta-glutamic acid, as a branching molecule, built on a PEG diol of Mw 10,000Da was investigated. The large polycyclic drug epirubicin molecule was chosen as a model to investigate the influence of structure branching and drug steric hindrance during coupling reactions. Several derivatives with increased numbers of drug molecules linked to each PEG chain were synthesized and their physical, chemical and biological properties were studied. The use of specific amino bicarboxylic acids (amino adipic acid or -glutamic acid), as the branching moiety for the dendrimer synthesis, allowed linking the hindered molecule epirubicin to multibranched PEG. Most drug loaded conjugates only dissolve in water following dissolution in DMSO. This solubility problem was solved by adding a hydrophilic peptide linker between the drug and the polymer. The conjugates, synthesized in good yield and purity, showed better stability than free epirubicin in different pH buffers and in plasma as well as prolonged residence time in blood. Dynamic light scattering investigation showed that these products have a high tendency to aggregate forming stable micelles.
Release Behavior and Biological Activity of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 from Porous PLGA Scaffold
Authors: Zhu Huiyong , Wu Qiuliang , Shentu Jianzhong , Wang Huiming , Hu Yingqian , Zhu Kangjie , Liu Jianhua
Published: April 2005

The feasibility of using the poly-(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffold as a carrier for controlled recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) delivery was assessed. PLGA rhBMP-2-loaded scaffolds were fabricated by emulsion polymerization and freeze-dried; a porous morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro release of rhBMP-2 from the polymer was assessed using high performance liquid chromatography. An initial burst release of the incorporated rhBMP-2 was observed over the first 24h followed by an 80.6% sustained release for one month. The rhBMP-2-loaded scaffolds were implanted bilaterally into rat ectopic muscle pouches. The rhBMP-2 implanted animals showed bone formation submuscle space and osteoblasts located in the new bone region while none was seen in the control groups.
Direct Construction of a Three-dimensional Structure with Cells and Hydrogel
Authors: Yan Yongnian , Wang Xiaohong , Xiong Zhuo , Liu Haixia , Liu Feng , Lin Feng , Wu Rendong , Zhang Renji , Lu Qingping
Published: April 2005

An organ manufacturing technique was developed that enables the formation of cell/extracellular matrix (ECM) complexes for in vitro or in vivo growth. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) structure composed of hepatocytes and gelatin/alginate hydrogel was made using a cell assembler-I apparatus to thoroughly control cell assembling. Hepatocytes and ECM were constructed into 10 X 10 X 3mm3 structures according to a designed pattern. The embedded hepatocytes remained viable and performed biological functions in the construct for more than 12 days. This 3D structure has the potential to be used as a precursor for tissue or organ regeneration. This technology offers the potential for high-throughput production of artificial human tissues and organs.
Changes in Medicare Home Health Care Use and Practices in Rural Communities
Authors: Lin Chyongchiou Jeng , Meit Michael
Published: April 2005

Objectives: This research was designed to examine the impact of the interim and prospective payment systems on home health agencies and Medicare beneficiaries in rural communities. Methods: Data were collected from two complementary studies: (a) fiscal and use data collected from 10 rural agencies in northwest Pennsylvania and (b) a statewide survey of rural home health agencies in Pennsylvania. Results: The findings show that the implementation of interim and prospective payment systems had a profound affect on the home health agencies’ financial vulnerability, staffing management, and service delivery. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries were also affected. The total number of home health visits per episode in rural Pennsylvania was 16 visits, whereas the national estimate was 22 visits. Physical therapy services increased 8% and occupational therapy services increased 1%, whereas visits for other disciplines decreased or remain unchanged. Discussion: Future studies are needed to examine the health outcomes of beneficiaries in rural communities.
Preference for Long-Term Care Arrangement and its Correlates for Older Korean Americans
Authors: Min Jong Won
Published: April 2005

Objective: Care preference is important for both client’s satisfaction and quality of life in long-term care. This study examines preference for long-term care arrangement and its correlates for older Korean Americans. Methods: Data on two disability scenarios of hip fracture and stroke from a cross-section survey of 144 older Korean Americans were used to examine preferred care arrangement in terms of caregiver and care location, using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Respondents expressed stronger preferences for “all informal” or “mixed” care arrangement for hip fracture scenario, but they preferred “all formal” care arrangement in the stroke scenario. Traditional value significantly decreased the odds of choosing “all formal” or “mixed” over “all informal” care arrangement. But Medicaid coverage andan independent decision-making style increased the odds of choosing “all formal” instead of “all informal” care arrangement. Discussion: This study discusses the need for assessment of care preference and culturally appropriate long-term care services for minority elders.
Functional Disability, Disability Transitions, and Depressive Symptoms in Late Life
Authors: Yang Yang , George Linda K.
Published: April 2005

Objective: This article addresses how stable functional disability statuses and disability transitions are related to change in depressive symptoms in the elderly. Method: The authors estimate longitudinal residual change models using two waves of data, 1986 and 1992, from the National Institute of Aging Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, Duke University. Results: Both stable disability statuses and transitions in disability statuses are significantly related to change in depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale [CES D]). Stable disability statuses in strength and mobility, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items and activities of daily living (ADL) items have increasing effects on increment in CES-D scores by the follow-up. The onset of disability has stronger effects on change in CES-D scores than recovery. These effects also differ by types of transitions in disability statuses. Discussion: The authors discuss alternative interpretations of the findings and methodological concerns and also suggest avenues for future research.
Health and Living Arrangements Among Older Americans
Authors: Liang Jersey , Brown Joseph Winchester , Krause Neal M. , Ofstedal Mary Beth , Bennett Joan
Published: April 2005

Objective: This research examines how physical and mental health influence living arrangements among older Americans and whether these effects differ for married and unmarried persons. Methods: Data came from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old study. These two intervals were pooled, and hierarchical multinomial logistic regressions were used to analyze pooled time lags. Results: Functional status and cognitive functioning are significantly associated with living arrangements among those not married. Health conditions exert no significant effects among those married. Given the same functional status, unmarried elders are significantly more likely than their married counterparts to reside with their children or with others. Discussion: These results underscore the critical role of the spouse in influencing living arrangements, providing new evidence supporting the assertion that a spouse is the greatest guarantee of support in old age and the importance of the marriage institution.
Book Review: Feeling Faint
Authors: de Jong Huib Looren
Published: April 2005

The two books reviewed here address cognitive science’s (in)adequacy in accounting for meaning and feeling, rationality and empathy. Modell offers a broadly psychoanalytic perspective on the creation and transformation of feeling, loosely mixed with some semi-popular philosophy, cognitive science and neuroscience. From a Wittgensteinian-hermeneutic perspective, Heal sketches a new idea of empathy (mind reading) intended to mark the divide between hard science and the normative, subjective and rational aspects of mind, and thus to keep eliminativism at bay. Whereas Modell’s book is somewhat casual and ecumenical and draws on empirical science, Heal’s work consists of dense conceptual analysis in the style of analytic philosophy. Unsurprisingly, neither has the final word on explaining human feeling and reasoning.
Cloning sensations: mass mediated articulation of social responses to controversial biotechnology
Authors: Horst Maja
Published: April 2005

The 1998 announcement by American researcher Richard Seed that he intended to clone a human person for reproductive reasons created a large amount of journalistic attention and controversy in the Danish mass media. Developing a theoretical framework inspired by Bruno Latour, this paper analyzes the mass mediated articulation of this announcement as an exploration of the socially viable interpretations of human cloning within the controversial field of biotechnology. An inductive analysis of scripts employed by four national newspapers identifies four main scripts: scientific education, pragmatic regulation, absolute resistance and fatalistic irony. All scripts generally reject the idea of human cloning, but they are found to represent distinctively different forms of social response corresponding to the classification of different cultural dialogues on risk.
Blending and narrative viewpoint: Jonathan Raban’s travels through mental spaces
Authors: Dancygier Barbara
Published: April 2005

This article1 applies the framework of conceptual integration (or blending) theory (as developed by Fauconnier and Turner) to the analysis of several travel narratives by Jonathan Raban. The primary goal of the article is to show how the analysis of blending strategies used in the text may help in the recognition of the specific features of a writer’s narrative style. An extensive discussion of a variety of blends appearing in Raban’s texts also serves as a background to the discussion of the relation between choices of blending strategies and the allocation of narrative viewpoint. It is argued that the concept of narrative viewpoint crucially relies on the structure of blending networks. Finally, it is shown how interpretation of viewpoint phenomena in the narrative builds on the mechanism termed viewpoint compression.
The Disappointment Games
Authors: Knight Graham , MacNeill Margaret , Donnelly Peter
Published: April 2005

This article provides a comparative analysis of news narratives of ‘disappointment’ in Canada and New Zealand in response to the 2000 Olympics. The theoretical framework draws on Luhmann’s distinction between cognitive and normative orientations to expectations, contingency, and disappointment. The analysis examines how disappointment was thematized similarly as a decline in relation to past performance, but explained somewhat differently in the two countries. In New Zealand, disappointment was explained in more normatively inflected terms. Although various causal factors were mentioned, the explanatory frame was dominated by claims that athletes lacked a competitive attitude and the ‘will to win’, and this was generalized to New Zealand society and the educational system in particular as indicative of a broader loss of moral values. The Canadian response, on the other hand, was framed in more cognitively oriented terms. Athlete blaming was quickly dismissed as misplaced, and attention was directed to the lack of government funding and organizational problems in the ‘sport system’ as the principal reasons for disappointing results. In both cases, however, these explanations of disappointment were not fully exclusive of one another; each continued to contain subsidiary elements of the other, which indicates how the normative and cognitive remain mutually implicated.