bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrical remodeling of cardiac myocytes from mice with heart failure due to the overexpression of tumor necrosis factor-α
Authors: Petkova-Kirova Polina S. , Gursoy Erdal , Mehdi Haider , McTiernan Charles F. , London Barry , Salama Guy
Published: December 2005

Mice that overexpress the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α in the heart (TNF mice) develop heart failure characterized by atrial and ventricular dilatation, decreased ejection fraction, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and increased mortality (males > females). Abnormalities in Ca2+ handling, prolonged action potential duration (APD), calcium alternans, and reentrant atrial and ventricular arrhythmias were previously observed with the use of optical mapping of perfused hearts from TNF mice. We therefore tested whether altered voltage-gated outward K+ and/or inward Ca2+ currents contribute to the altered action potential characteristics and the increased vulnerability to arrhythmias. Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings of K+ currents from left ventricular myocytes of TNF mice revealed an ∼50% decrease in the rapidly activating, rapidly inactivating transient outward K+ current Ito and in the rapidly activating, slowly inactivating delayed rectifier current IK,slow1, an ∼25% decrease in the rapidly activating, slowly inactivating delayed rectifier current IK,slow2, and no significant change in the steady-state current Iss compared with controls. Peak amplitudes and inactivation kinetics of the L-type Ca2+ current ICa,L were not altered. Western blot analyses revealed a reduction in the proteins underlying Kv4.2, Kv4.3, and Kv1.5. Thus decreased K+ channel expression is largely responsible for the prolonged APD in the TNF mice and may, along with abnormalities in Ca2+ handling, contribute to arrhythmias.
Bioenergetic protection of failing atrial and ventricular myocardium by vasopeptidase inhibitor omapatrilat
Authors: Cha Yong-Mei , Dzeja Petras P. , Redfield Margaret M. , Shen Win K. , Terzic Andre
Published: December 2005

Deficient bioenergetic signaling contributes to myocardial dysfunction and electrical instability in both atrial and ventricular cardiac chambers. Yet, approaches capable to prevent metabolic distress are only partially established. Here, in a canine model of tachycardia-induced congestive heart failure, we compared atrial and ventricular bioenergetics and tested the efficacy of metabolic rescue with the vasopeptidase inhibitor omapatrilat. Despite intrinsic differences in energy metabolism, failing atria and ventricles demonstrated profound bioenergetic deficiency with reduced ATP and creatine phosphate levels and compromised adenylate kinase and creatine kinase catalysis. Depressed phosphotransfer enzyme activities correlated with reduced tissue ATP levels, whereas creatine phosphate inversely related with atrial and ventricular load. Chronic treatment with omapatrilat maintained myocardial ATP, the high-energy currency, and protected adenylate and creatine kinase phosphotransfer capacity. Omapatrilat-induced bioenergetic protection was associated with maintained atrial and ventricular structural integrity, albeit without full recovery of the creatine phosphate pool. Thus therapy with omapatrilat demonstrates the benefit in protecting phosphotransfer enzyme activities and in preventing impairment of atrial and ventricular bioenergetics in heart failure.
Acidic extracellular pH-activated outwardly rectifying chloride current in mammalian cardiac myocytes
Authors: Yamamoto Shintaro , Ehara Tsuguhisa
Published: December 2005

Extracellular acidic pH was found to induce an outwardly rectifying Cl−current ( ICl,acid) in mouse ventricular cells, with a half-maximal activation at pH 5.9. The current showed the permeability sequence for anions to be SCN−> Br−> I−> Cl−> F−> aspartate, while it exhibited a time-dependent activation at large positive potentials. Similar currents were also observed in mouse atrial cells and in atrial and ventricular cells from guinea pig. Some Cl−channel blockers (DIDS, niflumic acid, and glibenclamide) inhibited ICl,acid, whereas tamoxifen had little effect on it. Unlike volume-regulated Cl−current ( ICl,vol) and CFTR Cl−current ( ICl,CFTR), ICl,acidwas independent of the presence of intracellular ATP. Activation of ICl,acidappeared to be also independent of intracellular Ca2+and G protein. ICl,acidand ICl,volcould develop in an additive fashion in acidic hypotonic solutions. Isoprenaline-induced ICl,CFTRwas inhibited by acidification in a pH-dependent manner in guinea pig ventricular cells. Our results support the view that ICl,acidand ICl,volstem from two distinct populations of anion channels and that the ICl,acidchannels are present in cardiac cells. ICl,acidmay play a role in the control of action potential duration or cell volume under pathological conditions, such as ischemia-related cardiac acidosis.
Characterization of the role of γ2 R531G mutation in AMP-activated protein kinase in cardiac hypertrophy and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Authors: Davies Joanna K. , Wells Dominic J. , Liu Ke , Whitrow Helen R. , Daniel Tyrone D. , Grignani Robert , Lygate Craig A. , Schneider Jürgen E. , Noël Gaëtane , Watkins Hugh , Carling David
Published: December 2005

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the downstream component of a protein kinase cascade that plays a key role in the regulation of energy metabolism. In humans, mutations in the γ2-subunit of AMPK cause cardiac hypertrophy associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, characterized by ventricular preexcitation. The effect of these mutations on AMPK activity and in development of the disease is enigmatic. Here we report that transgenic mice with cardiac-specific expression of γ2 harboring a mutation of arginine residue 531 to glycine (RG-TG) develop a striking cardiac phenotype by 4 wk of age, including hypertrophy, impaired contractile function, electrical conduction abnormalities, and marked glycogen accumulation. At this stage, AMPK activity isolated from hearts of RG-TG mice was almost completely abolished but could be restored after phosphorylation by an upstream AMPK kinase. At 1 wk of age, there was no detectable evidence of a cardiac phenotype, and AMPK activity in RG-TG hearts was similar to that in nontransgenic, control mice. We propose that mutations in γ2 lead to suppression of total cardiac AMPK activity secondary to increased glycogen accumulation. The subsequent decrease in AMPK activity provides a mechanism that may explain the development of cardiac hypertrophy in this model.
Vasopressin V1receptors contribute to hemodynamic and sympathoinhibitory responses evoked by stimulation of adenosine A2areceptors in NTS
Authors: Scislo Tadeusz J. , O'Leary Donal S.
Published: December 2005

Activation of adenosine A2areceptors in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) decreases mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), whereas increases in preganglionic adrenal sympathetic nerve activity (pre-ASNA) occur, a pattern similar to that observed during hypotensive hemorrhage. Central vasopressin V1receptors may contribute to posthemorrhagic hypotension and bradycardia. Both V1and A2areceptors are densely expressed in the NTS, and both of these receptors are involved in cardiovascular control; thus they may interact. The responses elicited by NTS A2areceptors are mediated mostly via nonglutamatergic mechanisms, possibly via release of vasopressin. Therefore, we investigated whether blockade of NTS V1receptors alters the autonomic response patterns evoked by stimulation of NTS A2areceptors (CGS-21680, 20 pmol/50 nl) in α-chloralose-urethane anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. In addition, we compared the regional sympathetic responses to microinjections of vasopressin (0.1–100 ng/50 nl) into the NTS. Blockade of V1receptors reversed the normal decreases in MAP into increases (−95.6 ± 28.3 vs. 51.4 ± 15.7 ∫Δ%), virtually abolished the decreases in HR (−258.3 ± 54.0 vs. 18.9 ± 57.8 ∫Δbeats/min) and RSNA (−239.3 ± 47.4 vs. 15.9 ± 36.1 ∫Δ%), and did not affect the increases in pre-ASNA (279.7 ± 48.3 vs. 233.1 ± 54.1 ∫Δ%) evoked by A2areceptor stimulation. The responses partially returned toward normal values ∼90 min after the blockade. Microinjections of vasopressin into the NTS evoked dose-dependent decreases in HR and RSNA and variable MAP and pre-ASNA responses with a tendency toward increases. We conclude that the decreases in MAP, HR, and RSNA in response to NTS A2areceptor stimulation may be mediated via release of vasopressin from neural terminals in the NTS. The differential effects of NTS V1and A2areceptors on RSNA versus pre-ASNA support the hypothesis that these receptor subtypes are differentially located/expressed on NTS neurons/neural terminals controlling different sympathetic outputs.
DNA sequence variation in the promoter region of theVEGFgene impactsVEGFgene expression and maximal oxygen consumption
Authors: Prior Steven J. , Hagberg James M. , Paton Chad M. , Douglass Larry W. , Brown Michael D. , McLenithan John C. , Roth Stephen M.
Published: December 2005

In its role as an endothelial cell proliferation and migration factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can affect peripheral circulation and therefore impact maximal oxygen consumption (V̇o2 max). Because of the role of VEGF, and because variation in the VEGF gene has the ability to alter VEGF gene expression and VEGF protein level, we hypothesized that VEGF gene polymorphisms are related to VEGF gene expression in human myoblasts and V̇o2 maxbefore and after aerobic exercise training. We analyzed the effects of the VEGF −2578/−1154/−634 promoter region haplotype on VEGF gene expression by using a luciferase reporter assay in cultured human myoblasts and found that the AAG and CGC haplotypes resulted in significantly higher hypoxia-stimulated VEGF gene expression than the AGG and CGG haplotypes. Consistent with these results, we found that individuals with at least one copy of the AAG or CGC haplotype had higher V̇o2 maxbefore and after aerobic exercise training than did subjects with only the AGG and/or CGG haplotype. In conclusion, we found that VEGF −2578/−1154/−634 haplotype impacts VEGF gene expression in human myoblasts and is associated with V̇o2 max. These results have potential implications for aerobic exercise training and may prove relevant in the study of pathological conditions that can be affected by angiogenesis, such as coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease.
BMP signaling controls PASMC KV channel expression in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Young Katharine A. , Ivester Charles , West James , Carr Michelle , Rodman David M.
Published: December 2005

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of familial pulmonary arterial hypertension. The type 2 receptor (BMPR2) is required for recognition of all BMPs. Transgenic mice with a smooth muscle cell-targeted mutation in this receptor (SM22-tet-BMPR2delx4+) developed increased pulmonary artery pressure, associated with a modest increase in arterial muscularization, after 8 wk of transgene activation (West J, Fagan K, Steudel W, Fouty B, Lane K, Harral J, Hoedt-Miller M, Tada Y, Ozimek J, Tuder R, and Rodman DM. Circ Res 94: 1109–1114, 2004). In the present study, we show that these transgenic mice developed increased right ventricular pressures after only 1 wk of transgene activation, without significant remodeling of the vasculature. We then tested the hypothesis that the increased pulmonary artery pressure due to loss of BMPR2 signaling was mediated by reduced KV channel expression. There was decreased expression of KV1.1, KV1.5, and KV4.3 mRNA isolated from whole lung. Western blot confirmed decreased KV1.5 protein in these lungs. Human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) treated with recombinant BMP2 had increased KV1.5 protein and macroscopic KV current density, which was blocked by anti-KV1.5 antibody. In vivo, nifedipine, a selective L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, reduced RV systolic pressure in these dominant-negative BMPR2 mice to levels seen in control animals. This suggests that activation of L-type Ca2+ channels caused by reduced KV1.5 mediates increased pulmonary artery pressure in these animals. These studies suggest that BMP regulates KV channel expression and that loss of this signaling pathway in PASMC through a mutation in BMPR2 is sufficient to cause pulmonary artery vasoconstriction.
Role of protein kinase G in barrier-protective effects of cGMP in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells
Authors: Moldobaeva Aigul , Welsh-Servinsky Laura E. , Shimoda Larissa A. , Stephens R. Scott , Verin Alexander D. , Tuder Rubin M. , Pearse David B.
Published: December 2005

Increases in endothelial cGMP prevent oxidant-mediated endothelial barrier dysfunction, but the downstream mechanisms remain unclear. To determine the role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG)I, human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC) lacking PKGIexpression were infected with a recombinant adenovirus encoding PKGIβ(Ad.PKG) and compared with uninfected and control-infected (Ad.βgal) HPAEC. Transendothelial electrical resistance (TER), an index of permeability, was measured after H2O2(250 μM) exposure with or without pretreatment with 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (CPT-cGMP). HPAEC infected with Ad.PKG, but not Ad.βgal, expressed PKGIprotein and demonstrated Ser239and Ser157phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein after treatment with CPT-cGMP. Adenoviral infection decreased basal permeability equally in Ad.PKG- and Ad.βgal-infected HPAEC compared with uninfected cells. Treatment with CPT-cGMP (100 μM) caused a PKGI-independent decrease in permeability (8.2 ± 0.6%). In all three groups, H2O2(250 μM) caused a similar ∼35% increase in permeability associated with increased actin stress fiber formation, intercellular gaps, loss of membrane VE-cadherin, and increased intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i). In uninfected and Ad.βgal-infected HPAEC, pretreatment with CPT-cGMP (100 μM) partially blocked the increased permeability induced by H2O2. In Ad.PKG-infected HPAEC, CPT-cGMP (50 μM) prevented the H2O2-induced TER decrease, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and loss of junctional VE-cadherin. CPT-cGMP attenuated the peak [Ca2+]icaused by H2O2similarly (23%) in Ad.βgal- and Ad.PKG-infected HPAEC, indicating a PKGI-independent effect. These data suggest that cGMP decreased HPAEC basal permeability by a PKGI-independent process, whereas the ability of cGMP to prevent H2O2-induced barrier dysfunction was predominantly mediated by PKGIthrough a Ca2+-independent mechanism.
A Simple Hebbian/Anti-Hebbian Network Learns the Sparse, Independent Components of Natural Images
Authors: Falconbridge Michael S. , Stamps Robert L. , Badcock David R.
Published: December 2005

Slightly modified versions of an early Hebbian/anti-Hebbian neural network are shown to be capable of extracting the sparse, independent linear components of a prefiltered natural image set. An explanation for this capability in terms of a coupling between two hypothetical networks is presented. The simple networks presented here provide alternative, biologically plausible mechanisms for sparse, factorial coding in early primate vision.
Making Working Memory Work: A Computational Model of Learning in the Prefrontal Cortex and Basal Ganglia
Authors: O'Reilly Randall C. , Frank Michael J.
Published: December 2005

The prefrontal cortex has long been thought to subserve both working memory (the holding of information online for processing) and executive functions (deciding how to manipulate working memory and perform processing). Although many computational models of working memory have been developed, the mechanistic basis of executive function remains elusive, often amounting to a homunculus. This article presents an attempt to deconstruct this homunculus through powerful learning mechanisms that allow a computational model of the prefrontal cortex to control both itself and other brain areas in a strategic, task-appropriate manner. These learning mechanisms are based on subcortical structures in the midbrain, basal ganglia, and amygdala, which together form an actor-critic architecture. The critic system learns which prefrontal representations are task relevant and trains the actor, which in turn provides a dynamic gating mechanism for controlling working memory updating. Computationally, the learning mechanism is designed to simultaneously solve the temporal and structural credit assignment problems. The model's performance compares favorably with standard backpropagation-based temporal learning mechanisms on the challenging 1-2-AX working memory task and other benchmark working memory tasks.
Morality, Ethics, and Globalization: Lessons from Kant, Hegel, Rawls, and Habermas
Authors: Lachapelle Erick
Published: December 2005

This chapter critically examines the separation of political theory from international theory and argues that a return to the former is essential if IR scholars are to help provide answers to the urgent moral and ethical questions facing world politics in an era of globalization. An examination of the political philosophies of Kant and Hegel demonstrates the importance of political theory for the analysis and practice of global politics today, while the tension between the universal and particular, emerging from Kantian morality and Hegelian ethics, is traced in the recent work of John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas.
Sea-Borne Tourism in Antarctica: Avenues for Further Intergovernmental Regulation
Authors: Molenaar Erik Jaap
Published: December 2005

During the past 3,5 decades, sea-borne (cruise) tourism in Antarctica has steadily intensified and diversified. So far, the States involved in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), who have collectively assumed a mandate as well as a responsibility for governing Antarctica, have been relatively passive as a collective and have largely relied on direct and indirect regulation from outside the ATS, most importantly on self-regulation by the tourism industry through the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). In view of the gradual intensification and diversification of Antarctic tourism, the abovementioned responsibility of the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty (ATCPs) and the need to safeguard the international legitimacy of the ATS, this article examines avenues for further international regulation by the ATCPs. This is in part done by exploring the meaning of the acronym IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) in the sphere of Antarctic sea-borne tourism, to what extent it occurs and how some forms can be addressed.
Skewness of Spatial Gradients of Turbulent Dissipation Rates in the Mixed Layer
Authors: Thorpe S. A. , Osborn T. R.
Published: December 2005

Temperature ramps or microfronts are coherent tilted structures in the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at which there are small, but detectable, changes in mean temperature. Their presence contributes to a nonzero skewness, ST(θ), of the spatial derivatives of temperature, dT/dx, at constant depth within the ocean mixed layer. The skewness ST(θ) has a roughly sinusoidal variation with θ, the direction in which the derivatives are measured relative to the wind. The magnitude of the skewness, |ST(0)|, measured in a direction into the wind (θ = 0) is of order unity, and the sign of ST(0) depends on the heat flux from the air to the water through the sea surface, being positive if the heat flux is positive. Recent observations using an AUV, Autosub, have shown that the mean values of ɛ, the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy per unit mass, change as temperature ramps are crossed. This observation raises the questions: Is the skewness of the gradient of logɛ, Slogɛ(θ), nonzero in the mixed layer even though ɛ is observed to be lognormal? If so, is Slogɛ(θ) related to ST(θ)? The answer to both of the questions appears to be “yes,” although the magnitude of Slogɛ(θ) is small, of order 5 × 10−2, and no clearly detectable variation with θ is found in the available data.
Adjustment of the Southern Ocean to Wind Forcing on Synoptic Time Scales
Authors: Weijer Wilbert , Gille Sarah T.
Published: December 2005

This study addresses the response of the Southern Ocean to high-frequency wind forcing, focusing on the impact of several barotropic modes on the circumpolar transport. A suite of experiments is performed with an unstratified model of the Southern Ocean, forced with a stochastic wind stress that contains a large range of frequencies with synoptic time scales. The Southern Ocean adjustment displays a different character for frequencies below and above 0.2 cpd. The low-frequency range is dominated by an “almost-free-mode” response in the region where contours of f /H are obstructed by only a few bathymetric features; the truly free mode only plays a minor role. Topographic form stress, rather than friction, is the dominant decay mechanism of the Southern Mode. It leads to a spindown time scale on the order of 3 days. For the high-frequency range, the circumpolar transport is dominated by the resonant excitation of oscillatory modes. The “active” response of the ocean leads to strong changes and even discontinuities in the phase relation between transport and wind stress.
Quantization of the Low-Frequency Variability of the Double-Gyre Circulation
Authors: Simonnet Eric
Published: December 2005

The low-frequency dynamics of the double-gyre wind-driven circulation in large midlatitude oceanic basins is investigated. It is shown that for quasigeostrophic models linear (Rayleigh) friction is necessary to obtain realistic recirculation gyres and elongated jet streams with small meridional-to-zonal aspect ratio. It is also found that the use of either no-slip or free-slip boundary conditions does not change the drastic effects of bottom drag on the large scales. These long oceanic jets are alternatively destabilized and restabilized through successive (subcritical) supercritical symmetry-breaking bifurcations that are linked to the (non) existence of stationary Rossby waves. These waves are strongly localized along the oceanic front and are thus hardly affected by the basin geometry. Numerical and analytical results show that these waves are “quantized” with respect to the length of the jet, and an explicit dispersion relation is given. Numerical computations of branches of steady states, together with linear and nonlinear analysis, indicate that two classes of regimes characterize the low-frequency dynamics of the flow. The first class corresponds to supercritical regimes, which are associated with oceanic jets that have been destabilized by undamped stationary Rossby waves. In particular, these regimes allow the formation of gyre modes responsible for low-frequency relaxation oscillations of the jet. The second class corresponds to subcritical regimes, which are either quiescent or dominated by high-frequency instabilities and are characterized by jets that do not allow the formation of both stationary Rossby waves and gyre modes. Each of these regimes is characterized by typical spatial and time scales that are both quantized. The number n of “bumps” of the jet, which is related to the zonal wavenumber of the stationary Rossby waves, is used to distinguish between these regimes either in their supercritical or subcritical phase. For instance, the supercritical n = 2 regime is associated with a class of interdecadal gyre modes that extend up to 3000 km in the zonal direction. The quantization of the low-frequency dynamics and the existence of these regimes are also found to survive severe modifications of the basin geometry. These quantized regimes suggest that the low-frequency dynamics in turbulent regimes is likely to be autosimilar to the low-frequency dynamics found in a weakly nonlinear “ground” regime corresponding to n = 0.
Spatial and Temporal Variability of Internal Wave Forcing on a Coral Reef
Authors: Leichter J. J. , Deane G. B. , Stokes M. D.
Published: December 2005

The deployment of a dense spatial array of temperature sensors on a coral reef in the Florida Keys provided a unique view of the interaction of cool water incursions generated by internal waves with the three-dimensional reef bathymetry. Water temperature on the reef surface was sampled every 5 s at 100 points on a 100 m by 150 m grid with concomitant measurements of water column velocity and temperature from mid-May through mid-August 2003. Episodic incursions of cool, subsurface water were driven by periods of strong semidiurnal internal tide and higher-frequency internal wave activity. For every time step in the data record the mean profile of temperature as a function of depth is calculated with a 3-m vertical averaging length scale. Subtracting this mean profile from the raw record yields a within depth, horizontal temperature anomaly. Visualization through time of the anomaly mapped onto the measured reef bathymetry reveals episodic variability of thermal patchiness across the reef as well as persistent features associated with reef bathymetry. Variation in the nature of the cooling and resulting thermal heterogeneity among events and seasons suggests multiple modes of cool water incursion ranging from unbroken, tidal period internal waves to packets of higher-frequency, energetic, broken internal bores.
Nursing Program Partners With Community to Implement Neighborhood Influenza Immunization Clinics
Authors: Evenson Connie J. , Gierach Michelle R. , Dreke Carol J. , Dangel Julia A.
Published: December 2005

Service-learning projects provide a valuable service to the community and a valuable clinical experience for nursing students. There are several national studies and initiatives that highlight the importance of partnerships in care and service delivery. This article describes how these were considered and incorporated into the development of a community partnership by multiple service providers to offer influenza immunizations in neighborhood stores. This article is a discussion of a multidisciplinary, community-wide influenza immunization clinic.
How a Nursing Program Strengthens Community Ties by Providing Health Teaching to Head Start Participants
Authors: Dangel Julia A. , Evenson Connie J. , Gierach Michelle R. , Johnson Kathy E.
Published: December 2005

The University of South Dakota (USD) Department of Nursing and the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Head Start program have a working relationship that provides educational opportunities for students from USD and Head Start. Head Start provides learning opportunities for a diverse population in South Dakota. This article provides an overview of Head Start. The majority of the article describes the teaching project process and evaluates the benefits of this opportunity as reported by the community and nursing students. The need for graduate nurses well versed in patient education and in providing patient education at the patient’s level of understanding is well documented. This community health clinical opportunity enhances this important skill of nurses.
Wase Wakpa: A Community-University Connection
Authors: Larson June Peterson
Published: December 2005

Cultural competency is a necessary component of health care delivery. A nurse educator was faced with this brutal fact while supervising a student assigned to care for an elder Lakota woman. The educator sought guidance from Lakota leaders within the community to assist in integrating Lakota culture and cultural competency into the nursing curriculum. The education program and the Lakota advisors partnered in seeking grant funding to create educational materials. This article describes the journey of seeking wisdom and collaborating to move toward meaningful change.
A Journey of Excellence: An Administrator’s Perspective on the Elements of Achieving Successful Outcomes
Authors: Williams John L.
Published: December 2005

Recently, the Department of Nursing at the University of South Dakota was recognized by the National League for Nursing as one of three Centers of Excellence nationally, and the program was selected for study by the Carnegie Foundation. This associate’s degree educational program has achieved an elevated degree of excellence because it adopted a number of elements that are associated with success in the leadership and organizational literature: (a) strong and sustained positive leadership, (b) passionate and involved people and partners, (c) a far-reaching but realistic vision, (d) open and exhaustive communication, (e) focus and relevance, and (f) effective execution. This article examines those characteristics of success and presents examples from the nursing education program at the University of South Dakota.
Preparing for Community Health Nursing Roles Utilizing Diverse Community Clinical Experiences
Authors: Eddy Catherine , Reinhart Susan , Warren Dawn R.
Published: December 2005

During the course of the past few years, faculty members at the University of South Dakota, Department of Nursing, have developed and implemented a variety of creative and valuable community clinical experiences for nursing students. This article addresses different community clinical sites utilized for each of the four semesters in the program. By using a diverse approach to the clinical experience for students, it is the anticipation that graduate nurses will be better prepared to work within the community setting and require shortened preceptoring. Having available more graduate nurses with a broader understanding of the role of the community health nurse is one important aspect for addressing the need for nurses within the home health and other community care settings.
Gold like lustre: Nanometric surface treatment for decoration of glazed ceramics in ancient Islam, Moresque Spain and Renaissance Italy
Authors: Darque-Ceretti E. , Hélary D. , Bouquillon A. , Aucouturier M.
Published: December 2005

Lustre is one of the most fascinating surface decorative effects produced on glazed ceramics. This technique seems to have been born in the ninth century in factories created by the Arabs during their conquests in the Orient (Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia). Arab potters spread their knowhow all over the Mediterranean basin, especially Spain. Italian Renaissance potters succeeded in applying it to their production. The technique is based on a specific firing of the glazed pottery in a reducing atmosphere in the presence of metallic salts. The result is a surface layer with a metallic appearance, exhibiting various colours, from gold to brown or red. This paper provides the chemical nature and the physical structure of ancient gold like lustre layers and compares them with contemporary lustres produced by a Spanish craftsman reproducing the traditional Islamic techniques. Various analytical investigations (atomic force microscopy, high resolution SEM, particle induced X-ray emission, Rutherford backscattering, TEM, X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy, time of flight SIMS and grazing X-ray diffraction) were carried out as well as investigations into the coloured appearance by spectrophotometry. The results show that the lustre layer consists of silver and copper particles of nanometric dimensions dispersed in a glassy matrix. A model of the lustre formation is proposed wherein the development of a new superficial glaze is described. Comparison between ancient and modern production shows how the techniques have varied through the ages.
Surface study of water influence on chemical corrosion of Roman glass
Authors: Dal Bianco B. , Bertoncello R. , Milanese L. , Barison S.
Published: December 2005

Roman glass surfaces have been studied to understand water effects on glass degradation and ionic mobility. Studied specimens mainly come from the Roman ship Iulia Felix, found on the seabed of Grado lagoon (Italy) and dated to the 2nd century AD. Many different corrosion features have been investigated including white glass, glossy glass and growth rings. A typical multilayered structure found in glass is characterised by the presence of different ions in depth profiles. Layered structure is also underlined by variations in hydration oxygen value and adventitious carbon content. Evidence of ion mobility can be found in the study of growth rings, which have metal rich centres rounded with concentric rings. The centres are characterised by the presence of antimony and titanium in their maximum oxidation state: Sb(V) and Ti(IV). The evolution can be understood according to ‘Liesegang ring’ kinetics. Data of glass surfaces have been collected using many techniques, i.e. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Several bulk techniques to characterise the specimens have been used.
The Mycenaean pictorial daggers: Patina and inlay
Authors: Thomas N. R.
Published: December 2005

Recent laboratory analysis of several of the celebrated Mycenaean daggers from Bronze Age Greece has raised the possibility that the black material in the pictorial designs is a black patinated bronze, not the black inlaid sulphide paste known as ‘niello’ that has traditionally been thought to be a hallmark of these weapons. The identity of the black material is important because it is a key factor in the scholarly search for the origins and migration of exotic metallurgy around the eastern Mediterranean in the second millennium BC. This paper critiques the laboratory analyses that have been performed over the last 15 years on Bronze Age Aegean daggers, calling into question the recent implications that the black material in all these daggers is black patinated bronze essentially identical with Japanese shakudo. My critique, supported by newly reported analyses of other ancient black inlaid objects, reopens the possibility that Mycenaean craftsmen were skilled in producing and working with both forms of black surfaces: patinated bronze and inlaid niello.
Surface wear study of composite spray coated steel
Authors: Jalham I. S. , Alian A.
Published: December 2005

In this investigation, a comparative study among different types of coating materials to improve the wear resistance of steel was conducted. There were three types of coating material, magnesium zirconate, aluminium bronze, and molybdenum, and mixtures of different percentages of them were used. The influences of load, velocity and counter surface roughness on each type were also determined. It was found that the addition of molybdenum to magnesium zirconate in a sufficient amount helped to increase its wear resistance in comparison to the wear behaviour of pure magnesium zirconate. Scanning electron microscopy and microhardness testing of longitudinal cross-sections of each of the materials were used to explore the reasons behind the interesting behaviour of these composites after abrasive wear testing. It was found that the reason behind the high wear resistance and high microhardness of the magnesium zirconate matrix after the addition of 10% molybdenum was the prevention of the pull out of magnesium zirconate particles. The abrasive wear mechanisms for the spray coated steel appear to be microcracking and microploughing.
Oxide via hole formation using magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching
Authors: Kim B. , Park J.
Published: December 2005

Oxide thin films were etched in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etch system. The effects of CF4 flowrate on etch rate, profile anisotropy and microtrench depth (MD) were examined. Apart from the direct current bias, important radicals such as F or CF collected with optical emission spectroscopy correlated with the etch rate and profile anisotropy. The etch rate was dominated by [F] driven etching rather than polymer deposition. In particular, the MD was strongly dependent on the profile angles. Typical MD occurred at positive profile angles. Larger positive profile angles resulted in a deeper MD, possibly due to enhanced ion collision with the sidewall. Profile angle variations played a crucial role in the interpretation of predicted MD variations with the radio frequency power.
Oligomeric protein structure networks: insights into protein-protein interactions
Authors: Brinda KV , Vishveshwara Saraswathi
Published: December 2005

Background

Protein-protein association is essential for a variety of cellular processes and hence a large number of investigations are being carried out to understand the principles of protein-protein interactions. In this study, oligomeric protein structures are viewed from a network perspective to obtain new insights into protein association. Structure graphs of proteins have been constructed from a non-redundant set of protein oligomer crystal structures by considering amino acid residues as nodes and the edges are based on the strength of the non-covalent interactions between the residues. The analysis of such networks has been carried out in terms of amino acid clusters and hubs (highly connected residues) with special emphasis to protein interfaces.

Results

A variety of interactions such as hydrogen bond, salt bridges, aromatic and hydrophobic interactions, which occur at the interfaces are identified in a consolidated manner as amino acid clusters at the interface, from this study. Moreover, the characterization of the highly connected hub-forming residues at the interfaces and their comparison with the hubs from the non-interface regions and the non-hubs in the interface regions show that there is a predominance of charged interactions at the interfaces. Further, strong and weak interfaces are identified on the basis of the interaction strength between amino acid residues and the sizes of the interface clusters, which also show that many protein interfaces are stronger than their monomeric protein cores. The interface strengths evaluated based on the interface clusters and hubs also correlate well with experimentally determined dissociation constants for known complexes. Finally, the interface hubs identified using the present method correlate very well with experimentally determined hotspots in the interfaces of protein complexes obtained from the Alanine Scanning Energetics database (ASEdb). A few predictions of interface hot spots have also been made based on the results obtained from this analysis, which await experimental verification.

Conclusion

The construction and analysis of oligomeric protein structure networks and their comparison with monomeric protein structure networks provide insights into protein association. Further, the interface hubs identified using the present method can be effective targets for interface de-stabilizing mutations. We believe this analysis will significantly enhance our knowledge of the principles behind protein association and also aid in protein design.
TRIPS, the Doha Declaration and increasing access to medicines: policy options for Ghana
Authors: Cohen JC , Gyansa-Lutterodt M , Torpey K , Esmail LC , Kurokawa G
Published: December 2005

There are acute disparities in pharmaceutical access between developing and industrialized countries. Developing countries make up approximately 80% of the world's population but only represent approximately 20% of global pharmaceutical consumption. Among the many barriers to drug access are the potential consequences of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. Many developing countries have recently modified their patent laws to conform to the TRIPS standards, given the 2005 deadline for developing countries. Safeguards to protect public health have been incorporated into the TRIPS Agreement; however, in practice governments may be reluctant to exercise such rights given concern about the international trade and political ramifications. The Doha Declaration and the recent Decision on the Implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health may provide more freedom for developing countries in using these safeguards. This paper focuses on Ghana, a developing country that recently changed its patent laws to conform to TRIPS standards. We examine Ghana's patent law changes in the context of the Doha Declaration and assess their meaning for access to drugs of its population. We discuss new and existing barriers, as well as possible solutions, to provide policy-makers with lessons learned from the Ghanaian experience.
Differences between terminally ill cancer patients who died after euthanasia had been performed and terminally ill cancer patients who did not request euthanasia
Authors: Georges Jean-Jacques , Onwuteaka-Philipsen Bregje D , van der Wal Gerrit , van der Heide Agnes , van der Maas Paul J
Published: December 2005

Palliative care, directed at improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients, is generally not aimed at any form of postponing or hastening death. It is possible that high quality palliative care could prevent requests for euthanasia. However, empirical evidence on this issue is scarce. In a national survey of end-of-life medical decisions in The Netherlands the subject of care at the end of life has been addressed. Data on terminally ill cancer patients who died after their request was granted and euthanasia had been performed were compared with those of terminally ill cancer patients who did not request euthanasia. The results show that the prevalence and severity of symptoms e.g., pain, feeling unwell, nausea, was higher in patients who died after their request was granted and euthanasia had been performed. No differences concerning the treatment of symptoms or the care provided were found between the two groups. The results suggest that the practice of euthanasia is mainly related to the patient’s suffering.
Receiving bad news: patients with haematological cancer reflect upon their experience
Authors: Randall Tina C , Wearn Andy M
Published: December 2005

The literature on breaking bad news (BBN) tends to focus on professional consensus rather than empirical patient evidence -the ‘giver’ rather than the ‘receiver’. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explores the experiences of patients with haematological cancer as they reflect on the process and content of receiving bad news.

Fifteen patients with a diagnosis of leukaemia or lymphoma were recruited through a haematology service during a routine clinical visit, with the decision to participate being made later. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis.

Patients place importance on not being rushed during the bad news consultation and the doctor’s manner. Receiving bad news was the first step on a journey, not an isolated incident. Doctors were regarded as the best judge of their information needs, with leaflets and written summaries as supplements. Patients had strong preferences about continuity and language use. Displays of empathy were important, but must be genuine. Patients wanted to know about likely emotional reactions and future support. Where patients brought a companion, they found this valuable.

Patients concur with much of the content of the guidelines, but place more emphasis on their illness journey, the doctor’s ability to adapt to their emotional needs, language used, information leaflets, having a companion and genuinely personalizing the approach. Reflection on these patient-derived factors may help health professionals better serve patients with serious illness.
The demand for euthanasia in palliative care units: a prospective study in seven units of the ‘Rhône-Alpes’ region
Authors: Comby MC , Filbet M
Published: December 2005

A prospective survey of five palliative care units in the Rhône-Alpes region of France over a six-month period identified 13 requests for euthanasia (from the patient, family or both). The frequency of the request was low at 2.1% (of 611 patients). We have sought to establish the reasons for this request from the patient or family and the follow up of this request over time.
Being a hospice volunteer
Authors: Andersson Birgit , Öhlén Joakim
Published: December 2005

The aim of this study was to obtain an understanding of what it means to be a hospice volunteer in a country without a tradition of hospice or palliative volunteer care services.

Ten volunteers from three different hospices in Sweden were interviewed. Their narratives were interpreted with a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Three themes were disclosed: motives for becoming involved in hospices, encountering the hospice and encountering the patient. The interpretations disclose a need for the volunteer to be affirmed as a caring person and received in fellowship at the hospice. Positive encounters with a hospice are closely related to personal growth. Volunteers feel rejected if their need for meaning and for belonging to the hospice is not satisfied. This shows that hospices need to set goals in terms of volunteer support, particularly regarding existential issues following the encounter with the hospice and the patient.
An exploration of family carers’ experience of respite services in one specialist palliative care unit
Authors: Skilbeck JK , Payne SA , Ingleton MC , Nolan M , Carey I , Hanson A
Published: December 2005

Background: Changing patterns of care for terminally ill people mean that 90% of patients in the UK now spend the majority of their last year of life at home. It is now widely accepted that supporting individuals to die at home relies heavily on the availability of family carers to provide the majority of the care needed. However, one of the most common reasons for unplanned admissions near the end of life is carers’ inability to provide continuing care. One strategy to overcome these challenges has been to offer planned respite care. Despite recent studies, in reality little is known about respite services for patients with life limiting illness, in particular how respite is experienced by the caregivers or to what extent respite services address their needs. Methods: This prospective study, comprising mixed methods of data collection, explored the experiences of 25 family carers whose relative had been admitted to the local hospice for inpatient respite care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two time points: pre- and post-respite. The Relative Stress Scale Inventory was administered at both interviews. Results: Just over half of the sample were caring for a relative with a diagnosis of cancer ( n = 13); the majority of the others had a number of neurological conditions ( n = 12). The data demonstrate that managing care for relatives with a life limiting illness was perceived to be hard work, both physically and mentally. Inpatient respite care was considered important as it enabled family carers to have a break from the ongoing care-giving responsibilities, as well as being an opportunity to experience ‘normal life’ independently. The majority of family carers felt that their expectations of respite for themselves had been achieved. The respite service was well evaluated in relation to: standard of nursing care; alternative facilities on offer, atmosphere; and other care homes. Discussion: Currently, inpatient respite services are provided to two patient groups - those in the last year of life and those with a chronic life limiting illness. However, on closer analysis, the current model of service delivery, a two-week inpatient stay, may not be best suited to those caring for a relative in the last year of life. Similarly, it might be questioned whether an inpatient hospice is the most suitable setting for those patients needing supportive care, rather than specialist palliative care. The study has raised many issues that need to be considered in the support of carers caring for relatives with a life limiting illness with uncertain trajectories.