bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resveratrol-induced cyclooxygenase-2 facilitates p53-dependent apoptosis in human breast cancer cells
Authors: Tang Heng-Yuan , Shih Ai , Cao H. James , Davis Faith B. , Davis Paul J. , Lin Hung-Yun
Published: August 2006

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is antiapoptotic and is implicated in tumorigenesis. Recent reports, however, have also ascribed a proapoptotic action to inducible COX-2. We show here for the first time that a stilbene, resveratrol, induces nuclear accumulation of COX-2 protein in human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell cultures. The induction of COX-2 accumulation by resveratrol is mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2)- and activator protein 1- dependent. Nuclear COX-2 in resveratrol-treated cells colocalizes with Ser15-phosphorylated p53 and with p300, a coactivator for p53-dependent gene expression. The interaction of COX-2, p53, and p300, as well as resveratrol-induced apoptosis, was inhibited by a MAPK activation inhibitor, PD98059. A specific inhibitor of COX-2, NS398, and small interfering RNA knockdown of COX-2 were associated with reduced p53 phosphorylation and consequent decrease in p53-dependent apoptosis in resveratrol-treated cells. We conclude that nuclear accumulation of COX-2 can be induced by resveratrol and that the COX has a novel intranuclear colocalization with Ser15-phosphorylated p53 and p300, which facilitates apoptosis in resveratrol-treated breast cancer cells. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(8):2034–42]
Shape Spaces in Formal Interactions
Authors: Prandi Davide , Priami Corrado , Quaglia Paola
Published: August 2006

In recent years formal methods from concurrency theory and process calculi have gained increasing importance in modelling complex biological systems. In this paper propensity to biological interaction, as seen by the shape spaces theory, is given a linguistic interpretation. Entities from the living matter are viewed as terms of a formal concurrent language of processes with typed interaction sites. The types are strings, and interaction depends on their distance. Further, the language is associated with syntax-driven rules that permit the inference of the possible computational behaviours of the specified biological system. This approach leads to the use of all the methods and techniques developed in the context of formal languages (e.g., language translation, model checking), opening new ways of studying complex biological systems.
Towards a Functional Formalism for Modelling Complex Industrial Systems
Authors: Krob D. , Bliudze S.
Published: August 2006

This paper is devoted to the presentation of the main lines of an unified functional formalism for modelling complex industrial systems, that is to say systems that typically mix a big number of different software and physical devices. Our approach is based on a discrete non-standard representation of time. It captures both the hierarchical architecture and the temporal and data multi-scale structures of a complex industrial system. We show in particular in this paper how our formalism allows to recover in an totally unified way various sorts of simple systems such as Turing machines, elementary conservative physical systems and low level software/physical interfaces (sampler, modulator).
Behaviour as a Complex Adaptive System: On the Role of Self-Organization in the Development of Individual and Collective Behaviour
Authors: Nolfi Stefano
Published: August 2006

In this paper we discuss the complex system and adaptive nature of behaviour. The complex system nature of behaviour derives from the fact that behaviour and behavioural properties are phenomena that occur at a given time scale and result from several non-linear interactions occurring at a smaller time scale. Interactions occur in time (i.e. consist of sequence events in which future interactions are constrained by preceding interactions) and might eventually consist of a vector of concurrent interactions. Moreover, we argued that behaviour might involve several emergent dynamical processes, hierarchically organized, that affect each other bottom-up and top-down. The adaptive system nature of behaviour derives from the fact that, due to the very indirect relationship between the properties of the interacting elements and the emergent results of the interactions, behavioural systems can hardly be designed while they can be effectively developed through self-organizing methods in which properties emerging from interactions can be discovered and retained through an adaptive process based on exploration and selection. These two claims will be demonstrated in two concrete examples involving mobile robots in which non-trivial individual and collective behaviours have been developed through an evolutionary technique.
Optimization and Control of the Urban Spatial Dynamics
Authors: Semboloni Ferdinando
Published: August 2006

Urban planning involves the assignment of land use to each land cell. This process coexists and may conflict with the complex self-organized dynamics of the urban system, which should be constrained by the plan. The purpose of this study is the identification of a method for attaining the planned goals through the utilization of the self-organized dynamics, and the minimization of the constraints. The paper is organized in three steps. First, the urban plan is defined as a process of optimization. Second, the set of optimal solutions is compared with the configurations resulting by the self-organized dynamics. Third, a method for the convergence of the self-organized dynamics with the optimal configuration is proposed. In conclusion, the study shows that planning a complex system may be a hard task, while the control and the utilization of the self-organized dynamics help in the attainment of a total utility.
Role of P-Selectin in Platelet Sequestration in Pulmonary Capillaries during Endotoxemia
Authors: Kiefmann Rainer , Heckel Kai , Schenkat Sonja , Dörger Martina , Goetz Alwin Eduard
Published: August 2006

Background: There is growing evidence that platelets accumulate in the lung and contribute to the pathogenesis of acute lung injury during endotoxemia. The aims of the present study were to localize platelet sequestration in the pulmonary microcirculation and to investigate the role of P-selectin as a molecular mechanism of platelet endothelial cell interaction. Methods: We used in vivo fluorescence microscopy to quantify the kinetics of fluorescently labeled erythrocytes and platelets in alveolar capillary networks in rabbit lungs. Results: Six hours after onset of endotoxin infusion we observed a massive rolling along and firm adherence of platelets to lung capillary endothelial cells whereas under control conditions no platelet sequestration was detected. P-selectin was expressed on the surface of separated platelets which were incubated with endotoxin and in lung tissue. Pretreatment of platelets with fucoidin, a P-selectin antagonist, significantly attenuated the endotoxin-induced platelet rolling and adherence. In contrast, intravenous infusion of fucoidin in endotoxin-treated rabbits did not inhibit platelet sequestration in pulmonary capillaries. Conclusion: We conclude that platelets accumulate in alveolar capillaries following endotoxemia. P-selectin expressed on the surface of platelets seems to play an important role in mediating this platelet-endothelial cell interaction.
Maternal Weight Gain Rate in the Second Trimester Are Associated with Birth Weight and Length of Gestation
Authors: Sekiya Nobuko , Anai Takanobu , Matsubara Michiru , Miyazaki Fumiko
Published: August 2006

Background: Low total weight gain during pregnancy has been widely accepted as a valid risk factor for small-for-gestational-age infants and pre-term births. However, it is not obvious in which trimester the weight gain rate most affects birth weight and length of gestation. Method: Using logistic regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test, data from 472 women who had vaginally delivered an infant at term without any complications were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Pre-pregnancy underweight and low total maternal weight gain were significant independent predictors of small-for-gestational-age infants and shortened gestations. Pre-pregnancy weight was significantly related to the birth weight and length of gestation (r = 0.18, p < 0.0001; r = 0.10, p = 0.04, respectively), and total weight gain was also significantly related to those (r = 0.17, p = 0.0003; r = 0.11, p = 0.03, respectively). Significant correlations between maternal weight gain rate in the second trimester and the birth weight and length of gestation were found (r = 0.32, p = 0.005; r = 0.40, p = 0.0003, respectively), while such correlations were not found in the first or third trimester. Conclusion: The most sensitive period of maternal weight gain for the birth weight and length of gestation was the second trimester.
Comparison of Physiological and in vitroPorcine Gastric Fluid Digestion
Authors: Kopper Randall A. , West Charles M. , Helm Ricki M.
Published: August 2006

Background: In previous studies, the major peanut allergen Ara h 1 was digested in vitro using pepsin and porcine gastric fluid. The results suggested that in vivo gastric digestion of allergen protein can be modeled accurately by peptic hydrolysis in vitro. In the current investigation, studies were designed to follow the gastrointestinal (GI) digestion of peanut allergens under true physiological conditions. In vitro digestion with porcine gastric fluid was compared with actual physiological digestion of peanut allergens in the porcine digestive tract in vivo. Methods: Analysis of physiologic digestion was performed in piglets administered a 20-gram bolus of peanut meal followed by periodic sampling and analysis of GI contents. The pH was monitored, and digesta were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis. Results: Peanut meal initially neutralized stomach contents to a pH of approximately 7, which was subsequently acidified by HCl secretion within 30 min. Acidification to pH 2–4 resulted in active pepsin digestion of soluble protein in the stomach. Soluble intact protein/allergens were rapidly degraded to pepsin-resistant peptides in the stomach followed by hydrolysis of these fragments in the small intestine. Particulate material was evident in both the stomach and small intestine that could contribute to continued release of peanut allergens Ara h 1, 2 and 3. Conclusions: Porcine gastric digestion of peanut proteins resembles true physiological digestion only under optimal physiologic conditions. Soluble proteins are rapidly digested and insoluble material continues to release IgE-reactive proteins throughout the GI tract. GI digestion of food allergens can play a prominent role when assessing allergens within the context of a food matrix or meal and during the sensitization phase of IgE-mediated allergy.
Distribution of CTLA-4 Polymorphisms in Allergic Asthma
Authors: Jasek Monika , Łuszczek Wioleta , Obojski Andrzej , Winiarska Beata , Hałubek Katarzyna , Nowak Izabela , Mańczak Maria , Wiśniewski Andrzej , Pawlik Andrzej , Jonkisz Anna , Lebioda Arleta , Majorczyk Edyta , Dobosz Tadeusz , Kuśnierczyk Piotr
Published: August 2006

Background: The CTLA-4 molecule is an important negative regulator of T cell activation. It is encoded on chromosome 2q33 and found to be associated with several allergic phenotypes including asthma. However, the association of CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms with allergic asthma is still controversial and therefore was the subject of this study. Methods: By PCR-RFLP, the distribution of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), –1147 C/T, –318 C/T, and +49 A/G, was examined in 219 Polish Caucasoid patients diagnosed with allergic asthma and in 102 ethnically matched healthy control individuals. (AT)n microsatellite polymorphism was also tested in the same individuals. Results:No statistically significant differences in SNPs or microsatellite allele, genotype or haplotype frequencies between patients and controls were found. Conclusion:CTLA-4 polymorphisms do not seem to be a risk factor for allergic asthma in Poles.
Work Hours and Self-Reported Hypertension Among Working People in California
Authors: Yang Haiou , Schnall Peter L. , Jauregui Maritza , Su Ta-Chen , Baker Dean
Published: August 2006

Among the risk factors for hypertension, stress, especially work stress, has drawn increasing attention. Another potential work-related risk factor for hypertension identified in the past few years is work hours. This article presents an analysis of work hours and self-reported hypertension among the working population in the state of California. The data set used for this study comes from the Public Use File of the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. The logistic regression analysis shows a positive association between hours worked per week and likelihood of having self-reported hypertension. Compared with those working between 11 and 39 hours per week, individuals working 40 hours per week were 14% (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.28) more likely to report hypertension, those who worked between 41 and 50 hours per week were 17% (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.33) more likely to report hypertension, and those who worked ≥51 hours per week were 29% (95% CI: 1.10 to 1.52) more likely to report hypertension after controlling for various potentially confounding variables, including demographic and biological risk factors and socioeconomic status. This analysis provides evidence of a positive association between work hours and hypertension in the California working population.
Sustained Normalization of High Blood Pressure in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats by Implanted Hemin Pump
Authors: Wang Rui , Shamloul Rany , Wang Xiaoxia , Meng Qinghe , Wu Lingyun
Published: August 2006

Treatment of established hypertension, especially for prolonged control of this pathogenic process, represents a great challenge. To upregulate the expression of heme oxygenase (HO) to lower blood pressure (BP) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), we administered hemin to 12-week-old adult SHRs through subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipumps for 3 consecutive weeks (the hemin protocol). Systolic BP of SHRs was normalized 123±2 mm Hg (n=20;
P
<0.001) and this normalization maintained for 9 months after the removal of hemin pumps. At the end of the hemin protocol, HO-1 expression, HO activity, soluble guanylyl cyclase expression, and cGMP content were all increased, but phosphodiesterase-5 expression was downregulated in the mesenteric arteries. The hemin protocol also reversed SHR-featured arterial eutrophic inward remodeling and decreased expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor. These changes lasted 9 months after the hemin protocol. Our study, thus, formulates a novel hemin protocol that will not only normalize BP in SHRs with established hypertension but, more importantly, will also provide long-lasting antihypertension protection. Sustained upregulation of HO-1–linked signaling pathways and reversal of vascular remodeling in peripheral blood vessels mediate likely the antihypertensive effect of the hemin protocol.
Effect of Regular Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibition in Hypertension
Authors: Oliver James J. , Melville Vanessa P. , Webb David J.
Published: August 2006

There are no published controlled clinical trials of regular phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor therapy as a long-term treatment of hypertension. In a randomized, double-blind, 2-way crossover study, 25 otherwise untreated hypertensive subjects were administered 50 mg of sildenafil or matched placebo 3 times daily for 16 days, and the effects on ambulatory blood pressure (BP), clinic BP, arterial wave reflection, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation were assessed. Three subjects were withdrawn because of adverse effects, and the data from the remaining 22 subjects were analyzed. Sildenafil reduced ambulatory BP (mean [SE] change from baseline for average daytime BP: systolic −8 [2] mm Hg versus 2 [2] mm Hg with placebo,
P
<0.01; diastolic −6 [1] mm Hg versus 0 [1] mm Hg,
P
<0.01) and clinic BP (change from baseline to 1 hour after drug administration on day 16: systolic −5 [2] mm Hg versus 4 [2] mm Hg,
P
<0.01; diastolic −5 [1] mm Hg versus 2 [2] mm Hg,
P
<0.01). Compared with baseline, sildenafil, but not placebo, reduced arterial wave reflection both acutely and after chronic treatment, but the chronic change in arterial wave reflection was not statistically different from the chronic change with placebo. Sildenafil did not affect pulse wave velocity or flow-mediated dilatation. The main adverse effects of sildenafil, which were generally transient and rated as mild or moderate in severity, were dyspepsia, headache, and myalgia. In conclusion, regular sildenafil constitutes effective antihypertensive therapy. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of longer-acting phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors as antihypertensive agents in clinical practice.
Hypertension Accelerated Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Through Upregulation of Nuclear Factor κB and Ets
Authors: Shiraya Suguru , Miwa Ken , Aoki Motokuni , Miyake Takashi , Oishi Masako , Kataoka Kazusaburo , Ohgi Shigetsugu , Ogihara Toshio , Kaneda Yasufumi , Morishita Ryuichi
Published: August 2006

In this study, we focused on the effect of hypertension on the transcription factors nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and ets in the mechanisms of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and we investigated how hypertension affects the progression of AAA. AAA was produced by elastase perfusion in hypertensive rats and normotensive rats. The size of AAA rapidly increased in hypertensive rats as compared with normotensive rats. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, -3 , -9, and -12, as well as intercellular adhesion molecule, was increased in hypertensive AAA rats, accompanied by upregulation of NFκB and ets. Moreover, in situ zymography showed that the activity of MMPs was increased in the aorta of a hypertensive AAA model as compared with that in a normotensive AAA model. Interestingly, transfection of chimeric decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) resulted in significant inhibition of aortic dilatation both in normotensive and hypertensive rats at 4 weeks after transfection. Destruction of elastic fibers was also significantly inhibited by transfection of chimeric decoy ODN in both hypertensive rats and normotensive rats. The expression of MMP-2, -3, -9, and -12, as well as intercellular adhesion molecule, was significantly attenuated by the chimeric decoy ODN, accompanied by inhibition of the migration of macrophages. Also, the effect of chimeric decoy ODN was confirmed in an organ culture. The present study demonstrated that hypertension accelerated the progression of experimental AAA through upregulation of NFκB and ets. Inhibition of NFκB and ets could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat AAA in hypertensive patients.
Reactive Oxygen Species Impair Sympathetic Vasoregulation in Skeletal Muscle in Angiotensin II–Dependent Hypertension
Authors: Zhao Weiying , Swanson Scott A. , Ye Jianfeng , Li Xilong , Shelton John M. , Zhang Weiguo , Thomas Gail D.
Published: August 2006

Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscle by locally generated vasodilators, including NO. Skeletal muscle also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide (O
2
−
), which inactivates NO. We, therefore, hypothesized that excessive ROS production would result in enhanced sympathetic vasoconstriction in exercising muscle. To increase O
2
−
by activating NADPH oxidase, rats underwent chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) or unilateral renal artery stenosis (2K1C) to increase endogenous Ang II. At rest, sympathetic nerve stimulation (range: 1 to 5 Hz) evoked similar graded decreases in femoral vascular conductance (range, −34% to −66%) in rats infused with vehicle, Ang II, or norepinephrine and in 2K1C or sham-operated rats. These sympathetically mediated decreases in femoral vascular conductance were markedly attenuated during hindlimb contraction in the vehicle, norepinephrine, and sham rats (range, −3% to −26%) and to a lesser degree in the Ang II (range, −16% to −47%) and 2K1C (range, −16% to −45%) rats. In muscles from Ang II and 2K1C rats, ROS were elevated and the NADPH oxidase subunit gp91
phox
was upregulated. The O
2
−
scavenger tempol restored the normal attenuation of sympathetic vasoconstriction in the contracting hindlimbs of the Ang II and 2K1C rats, but this effect was prevented by pretreatment with an NO synthase inhibitor. Taken together, these data indicate that chronically elevated Ang II increases muscle ROS, which disrupts the normal NO-dependent attenuation of sympathetic vasoconstriction. These findings may have implications for muscle oxidative stress and sympathetic vasoregulation when the renin–angiotensin system is chronically activated.
5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Rapidly Improves Endothelial Function and Decreases Superoxide Production in Human Vessels
Authors: Antoniades Charalambos , Shirodaria Cheerag , Warrick Nicholas , Cai Shijie , de Bono Joseph , Lee Justin , Leeson Paul , Neubauer Stefan , Ratnatunga Chandi , Pillai Ravi , Refsum Helga , Channon Keith M.
Published: August 2006

Background—

The circulating form of folic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), may have beneficial effects on endothelial function; however, its mechanisms of action remain uncertain. Decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and increased vascular superoxide production in vascular disease states are due in part to endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) uncoupling related to deficiency of the eNOS cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH
4
), but whether this mechanism is important in human atherosclerosis and represents a rational therapeutic target remains unclear. We hypothesized that 5-MTHF would improve endothelial function by decreasing superoxide and peroxynitrite production and by improving eNOS coupling, mediated by BH
4
availability.

Methods and Results—

Vascular superoxide/peroxynitrite production and vasomotor responses to acetylcholine and bradykinin were determined in saphenous veins and internal mammary arteries from 117 patients undergoing CABG. The effects of 5-MTHF were examined ex vivo (n=61) by incubating vessels with 5-MTHF (1 to 100 μmol/L) and in vivo by intravenous infusion of 5-MTHF or placebo before vessel harvest (n=56). 5-MTHF improved NO-mediated endothelium-dependent vasomotor responses and reduced vascular superoxide, both ex vivo and in vivo. These changes were not explained by direct superoxide scavenging by 5-MTHF in vitro or by changes in plasma total homocysteine in vivo. Rather, 5-MTHF was a strong peroxynitrite scavenger and increased vascular BH
4
and the BH
4
/total biopterin ratio. Furthermore, 5-MTHF reversed eNOS uncoupling, as assessed by
N
G
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester–inhibitable superoxide production, increased the eNOS dimer:monomer ratio, and enhanced eNOS activity.

Conclusions—

5-MTHF has beneficial effects on endothelial function and vascular superoxide production in human atherosclerosis, by preventing peroxynitrite-mediated BH
4
oxidation and improving eNOS coupling.
Variability of the Horizontal Velocity Structure in the Upper 1600 m of the Water Column on the Equator at 10°W
Authors: Bunge Lucia , Provost Christine , Lilly Jonathan M. , D’Orgeville Marc , Kartavtseff Annie , Melice Jean-Luc
Published: August 2006

This paper presents initial results from new velocity observations in the eastern part of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean from a moored current-meter array. During the “EQUALANT” program (1999–2000), a mooring array was deployed around the equator near 10°W that recorded one year of measurements at various depths. Horizontal velocities were obtained in the upper 60 m from an upward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and at 13 deeper levels from current meters between 745 and 1525 m. To analyze the quasiperiodic variability observed in these records, a wavelet-based technique was used. Quasiperiodic oscillations having periods between 5 and 100 days were separated into four bands: 5–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–100 days. The variability shows (i) a strong seasonality (the first half of the series is dominated by larger periods than the second one) and (ii) a strong dependence with depth (some oscillations are present in the entire water column while others are only present at certain depths). For the oscillations that are present in the entire water column the origin of the forcing can be traced to the surface, while for the others the question of their origin remains open. Phase shifts at different depths generate vertical shears in the horizontal velocity component with relatively short vertical scales. This is especially visible in long-duration events (>100 days) of the zonal velocity component. Comparison with a simultaneous lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) section suggests that some of these flows may be identified with equatorial deep jets. A striking feature is a strong vertical shear lasting about 7 months between 745 and 1000 m. These deep current-meter observations would then imply a few months of duration for the jets in this region.
The Influence of Wind Forcing on the Chesapeake Bay Buoyant Coastal Current*
Authors: Lentz Steven J. , Largier John
Published: August 2006

Observations of the buoyant coastal current that flows southward from Chesapeake Bay are used to describe how the thickness, width, and propagation speed vary in response to changes in the along-shelf wind stress. Three basic regimes were observed depending on the strength of the wind. For weak wind stresses (from −0.02 to 0.02 Pa), the buoyant coastal current was relatively thin, the front slope was not steep, and the width was variable (1–20 km). For moderate downwelling (southward) wind stresses (0.02–0.07 Pa), wind-driven cross-shelf advection steepened the front, causing the plume to narrow and thicken. For stronger downwelling wind stresses (greater than 0.07 Pa), vertical mixing dominated, bulk Richardson numbers were approximately 0.25, isopycnals were nearly vertical, and the plume front widened but the plume width did not change. Plume thickness and width were normalized by the theoretical plume scales in the absence of wind forcing. Normalized plume thickness increased linearly from 1 to 2 as downwelling wind stresses increased from 0 to 0.2 Pa. Normalized plume widths were approximately 1 for downwelling wind stresses from 0.02 to 0.2 Pa. The observed along-shelf propagation speed of the plume was roughly equal to the sum of the theoretical propagation speed and the wind-driven along-shelf flow.
Observed Variability of Ocean Wave Stokes Drift, and the Eulerian Response to Passing Groups
Authors: Smith Jerome A.
Published: August 2006

Waves and currents interact via exchanges of mass and momentum. The mass and momentum fluxes associated with surface waves are closely linked to their Stokes drift. Both the variability of the Stokes drift and the corresponding response of the underlying flow are important in a wide range of contexts. Three methods are developed and implemented to evaluate Stokes drift from a recently gathered oceanic dataset, involving surface velocities measured continually over an area 1.5 km in radius by 45°. The estimated Stokes drift varies significantly, in line with the occurrence of compact wave groups, resulting in highly intermittent maxima. One method also provides currents at a fixed level (Eulerian velocities). It is found that Eulerian counterflows occur that completely cancel the Stokes drift variations at the surface. Thus, the estimated Lagrangian surface flow has no discernable mean response to wave group passage. This response is larger than anticipated and is hard to reconcile with current theory.
Wave–Current Interactions in Finite Depth
Authors: Smith Jerome A.
Published: August 2006

The energy, momentum, and mass-flux exchanges between surface waves and underlying Eulerian mean flows are considered, and terms in addition to the classical wave “radiation stress” are identified. The formulation is made in terms of the vertically integrated flow. The various terms are identified with other analyses and interpreted in terms of physical mechanisms, permitting reasonable estimates of the associated depth dependencies. One term is identified with the integrated “CL vortex force” implemented, for example, in simulations of Langmuir circulation. However, as illustrated with a simple example of steady refraction across a shear zone, other terms of the same order can significantly alter the results. The classic example of long waves forced by short-wave groups is also revisited. In this case, an apparent singularity arising in shallow water is countered by finite-amplitude dispersion corrections, these being formally of the same order as the forced long-wave response, and becoming significant or dominant as shallow water is approached.
Gravitational Potential Energy Balance for the Thermal Circulation in a Model Ocean
Authors: Huang Rui Xin , Jin Xingze
Published: August 2006

The gravitational potential energy balance of the thermal circulation in a simple rectangular model basin is diagnosed from numerical experiments based on a mass-conserving oceanic general circulation model. The vertical mixing coefficient is assumed to be a given constant. The model ocean is heated/cooled from the upper surface or bottom, and the equation of state is linear or nonlinear. Although the circulation patterns obtained from these cases look rather similar, the energetics of the circulation may be very different. For cases of differential heating from the bottom with a nonlinear equation of state, the circulation is driven by mechanical energy generated by heating from the bottom. On the other hand, circulation for three other cases is driven by external mechanical energy, which is implicitly provided by tidal dissipation and wind stress. The major balance of gravitational energy in this model ocean is between the source of energy due to vertical mixing and the conversion from kinetic energy at low latitudes and the sink of energy due to convection adjustment and conversion to kinetic energy at high latitudes.
Two Different Aperiodic Phases of Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation in a Double-Gyre, Two-Layer Shallow-Water Model
Authors: Matsuura Tomonori , Fujita Mitsutaka
Published: August 2006

A two-layer shallow-water model is used to investigate the transition of wind-driven double-gyre circulation from laminar flow to turbulence as the Reynolds number (Re) is systematically increased. Two distinctly different phases of turbulent double-gyre patterns and energy trajectories are exhibited before and after at Re = 95: deterministic and fully developed turbulent circulations. In the former phase, the inertial subgyres vary between an asymmetric solution and an antisymmetric solution and the double-gyre circulations reach the aperiodic solution mainly due to their barotropic instability. An integrated kinetic energy in the lower layer is slight and the generated mesoscale eddies are confined in the upper layer. The power spectrum of energies integrated over the whole domain at Re = 70 has peaks at the interannual periods (4–7 yr) and the interdecadal period (10–20 yr). The loops of the attractors take on one cycle at those periods and display the blue-sky catastrophe. At Re = 95, the double-gyre circulation reaches a metastable state and the attracters obtained from the three energies form a topological manifold. In the latter, as Re increases, the double-gyre varies from a metastable state to a chaotic state because of the barotropic instability of the eastward jet and the baroclinic instability of recirculation retrograde flow, and the eastward jet meanders significantly with interdecadal variability. The generated eddies cascade to the red side of the power spectrum as expected in the geostrophic turbulence. The main results in the simulation may indicate essential mechanisms for the appearance of multiple states of the Kuroshio and for low-frequency variations in the midlatitude ocean.
Tornadoes in Environments with Small Helicity and/or High LCL Heights
Authors: Davies Jonathan M.
Published: August 2006

Recent studies have suggested that supercell tornado environments are usually associated with large 0–1-km storm-relative helicity (SRH) and relatively low lifting condensation levels (LCL heights). However, occasional tornadoes of significance occur in environments having characteristics that appear less supportive of supercell tornadoes, including small SRH values and/or relatively high LCL heights. Such tornadoes, whether associated with supercell or nonsupercell processes (more precisely termed mesocyclone and nonmesocyclone processes), present a challenge for forecasters. This empirical study uses a database of soundings derived from the Rapid Update Cycle model to examine thermodynamic characteristics of F1 and greater intensity tornado events associated with small SRH and/or high LCL heights. Results strongly suggest that many such tornado events are associated with steep lapse rates in the lowest few kilometers above ground. The low level of free convection heights, small convective inhibition, and sizable convective available potential energy below 3 km were also found to be of possible importance. These thermodynamic characteristics combined would likely reduce resistance to upward accelerations, potentially enhancing ascent for low-level parcels entering thunderstorm updrafts and, hence, low-level stretching. From prior research, if preexisting boundaries were available to provide surface vertical vorticity for stretching, such thermodynamic characteristics could be an important component of tornado events that involve nonmesocyclone processes. These same thermodynamic characteristics may also offer clues for the investigation of mesocyclone tornado events that do not fit well with accepted tornado forecasting parameters from prior studies.
The Sensitivity of Numerical Forecasts to Convective Parameterization: A Case Study of the 17 February 2004 East Coast Cyclone
Authors: Mahoney Kelly M. , Lackmann Gary M.
Published: August 2006

The sensitivity of numerical model forecasts of coastal cyclogenesis and frontogenesis to the choice of model cumulus parameterization (CP) scheme is examined for the 17 February 2004 southeastern U.S. winter weather event. This event featured a complex synoptic and mesoscale environment, as the presence of cold-air damming, a developing coastal surface cyclone, and an upper-level trough combined to present a daunting winter weather forecast scenario. The operational forecast challenge was further complicated by erratic numerical model predictions. The most poignant area of disagreement between model runs was the treatment of a coastal cyclone and an associated coastal front, features that would affect the location and timing of precipitation and influence the precipitation type. At the time of the event, it was hypothesized that the Betts–Miller–Janjić (BMJ) CP scheme was dictating the location and intensity of the initial coastal cyclone center in operational Eta Model forecasts. For this reason, forecasts for this case were rerun with the workstation Eta Model using the Kain–Fritsch (KF) CP scheme to further examine the sensitivity to this parameterization choice. Results confirm that the model CP scheme played a major role in the forecast for this case, affecting the quantitative precipitation forecast as well as the strength, location, and structure of coastal cyclogenesis and coastal frontogenesis. The Eta Model forecast using the KF CP scheme produced a relatively uniform distribution of convective precipitation oriented along the axis of an inverted trough and strong coastal front. In contrast, the BMJ forecasts resulted in a weaker coastal front and the development of multiple distinct closed cyclonic circulations in association with more localized convective precipitation centers. An additional BMJ forecast in which the shallow mixing component of the scheme was disabled bore a closer semblance to the KF forecasts relative to the original BMJ forecast. Suggestions are provided to facilitate the identification of CP-driven cyclones using standard operational model output parameters.
Impact of Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation of Atmospheric Motion Vectors on Tropical Cyclone Track Forecasts
Authors: Wang Dongliang , Liang Xudong , Duan Yihong , Chan Johnny C. L.
Published: August 2006

The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model is employed to evaluate the impact of the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-5 water vapor and infrared atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs), incorporated with the four-dimensional variational (4DVAR) data assimilation technique, on tropical cyclone (TC) track predictions. Twenty-two cases from eight different TCs over the western North Pacific in 2002 have been examined. The 4DVAR assimilation of these satellite-derived wind observations leads to appreciable improvements in the track forecasts, with average reductions in track error of ∼5% at 12 h, 12% at 24 h, 10% at 36 h, and 7% at 48 h. Preliminary results suggest that the improvement depends on the quantity of the AMV data available for assimilation.
Recollections of Being Loved
Authors: Black Katherine A. , Schutte Emily D.
Published: August 2006

This study examined the extent to which young adults’ recollections of their childhood experiences with parents were associated with their reported feelings and behavior in romantic relationships. Participants were 205 young adults. Based on a question from the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996), participants wrote adjectives that described their childhood relationships with each parent as well as childhood incidents that illustrated those adjectives. Participants’ feelings and behavior in romantic relationships were assessed with Brennan and Shaver’s (1995) Adult Attachment Scales. Those who were rated as having more positive and loving relationships with mothers were more trusting and were more likely to seek comfort from their romantic partners during times of distress and to “open up” to them. Similarly, those who were rated as having more positive and loving relationships with fathers were also more likely to seek comfort from their romantic partners and were more comfortable relying on their partners.
Becoming an American Parent
Authors: Perreira Krista M. , Chapman Mimi V. , Stein Gabriela L.
Published: August 2006

One in five children living in the United States is an immigrant or a child of an immigrant, and 62% of these children are Latino. Through qualitative methods, this study identifies ways that Latino immigrant parents with adolescent children cope with their new environment and how that environment shapes their parenting practices. Two primary themes emerge: overcoming new challenges and finding new strengths. Immigrant parents discuss the challenges of overcoming fears of the unknown; navigating unfamiliar work, school, and neighborhood environments; encountering and confronting racism; and losing family connections and other forms of social capital. In response to these challenges, immigrant parents discuss developing bicultural coping skills, increasing parent-child communication, empathizing with and respecting their adolescent children, and fostering social supports. The results fit well with a risk and protective factor framework and provide a basis for improving policies and programs to support effective parenting in Latino immigrant families.
Perspectives On: Criteria for Complex Evaluation of the Morphology and Alignment of Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers
Authors: Spasova M. , Mincheva R. , Paneva D. , Manolova N. , Rashkov I.
Published: August 2006

Electrospinning is a promising method for producing polymer materials composed of micro- and nanosized fibers. This method allows the preparation of random and aligned fibers of different morphologies, such as cylindrical or ribbon-shapes, defect-free or with defects, and with or without pores or porous. The increasing number of studies on electrospinning requires a set of criteria for more complex evaluation of the fiber morphology and the topology of these polymer materials to be established. The main characteristics necessary for a complex evaluation of the morphology of electrospun micro- and nanofibers have been systematized in this paper. Examples of characterization of the morphology and of the alignment of various micro- and nanofibers are given.
Influence of Molecular Weight on the Biological Effects of Benzocaine Modified Maleic Anhydride Copolymer
Authors: Uglea Constantin V. , Pârv Anton , Dumitriu Alina D. , Corjan Mana , Ottenbrite Raphael M.
Published: August 2006

A new series of polyanionic polymers with antitumor activity were synthesized by conjugating ethyl 4-aminobenzoate onto a series of maleic anhydride (MA) copolymers of vinyl acetate, methyl methacrylate, and styrene. The molecular weight of these copolymers ranged from 18 103 to 2 105. The in vivo and in vitro biological tests showed that the maleic anhydride synthesized copolymers exhibit prolonged half-life in serum, accumulate in K562 erythroleukemia solid tumors, and inhibit tumor growth. The antitumor activity appears to be increased by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect which is related to the macromolecular size of the antitumor agent.
Masculinity And Punishment
Authors: Rydstrøm Helle
Published: August 2006

This article examines men's use of physical punishment when interacting with their sons or grandsons in rural Vietnam. By drawing on two periods of anthropological fieldwork in a northern Vietnamese commune, the article analyses the ways in which violence is informed by, while also perpetually reinforcing, a masculine discourse. Vietnam has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in this spirit virtually all men in the local community disapprove of the use of physical punishment when bringing up boys. However, a father or grandfather occasionally beats his son or grandson when it is deemed necessary to instil discipline in a boy. The article elucidates the ways in which the contradictions between ideals of nonviolent behaviour and actual corporal punishment have fed the construction of certain codes regarding men's beating of boys.
Street Children And The Work Ethic
Authors: Droz Yvan
Published: August 2006

Kenyan policy-makers use the language of children's rights to legitimize, within the new global political order, an old colonial concern about controlling the urban marginal population. The local business community's worries about the safety of Nairobi's streets stand paramount, while the growing financial and political leverage of NGOs interfering in local affairs in the name of street children's rights is looked upon with suspicion. Accusing the abstract universalism of the language of children's rights of being incompatible with local values, the local political elite seeks to muster support by offering an alternative version based on the local Kikuyu ethos of the ‘accomplished man’. This version sits well with international development agencies’ abandonment of the term ‘street children’ in favour of ‘street families’. Deportation and forced labour of children and youth are sanctified as moral imperatives expected to restore the meaning of family to its rightful place in the local business morale.
‘Study of several involuntary functions of the apparatus of movement, gripping, and voice’ by Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard (1825)
Authors: Newman Sara
Published: August 2006

Itard's 1825 paper, written while he was Chief Physician at the National Institute for Deaf-Mutes in Paris, demonstrates his empiricist approach to medicine. That is, Itard founded his medical practice on sense and experience rather than on surgery and medication. If all knowledge came through the senses, Itard reasoned, those lacking knowledge or social abilities could be improved by appropriate sensory stimulation. This concern with senses and society, along with his different approaches to men and women, his references to contemporary cures and his comparisons between humans and animals, document early nineteenth-century medical and psychological attitudes and treatments. Itard's paper also contains what was later recognized as the first clinical observation of Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (TS).
Self-Published Web Résumés
Authors: Killoran John B.
Published: August 2006

A genre's continuing success after migrating to a new medium may be due in part to whether the genre secures a place within a viable genre system. To explore the role of genre systems, this study examined the well-established genre of the résumé in its new position on self-published Web sites. Results from surveying 100 authors of self-published Web résumés revealed that many respondents used their résumés for the previously overlooked purpose of attracting clients for their self-employment. These self-employed respondents rated their résumés as significantly more useful than did those who had not used their résumés for this purpose. The self-employed were more likely to publicize their sites through such business-related genres as business cards and advertising material, and in turn, their sites drew in communication from more socially distant populations. These alternative publicity measures and communication networks suggest that the self employed were able to situate their Web résumés within viable alternative genre systems.
Geropsychiatric Nursing Education: Challenge and Opportunity
Authors: Morris Diana Lynn , Mentes Janet
Published: August 2006

With the emergence of the mental health needs of older adults as a foremost public health concern of the 21st century, the melding of gerontological and psychiatric expertise among frontline health care providers assumes unprecedented urgency. Undergraduate and graduate educational preparation and continuing education learning strategies to develop and support a geropsychiatric nurse workforce will be critical to enhancing the quality of lives of millions of older persons. Opportunities abound for creativity in curriculum development accompanied by systematic evaluation of workforce outcomes and dissemination of successful educational models. Attention to these needs will facilitate long-stymied efforts to achieve advanced practice certification in geropsychiatric nursing.
The pattern of sensory processing abnormalities in autism
Authors: Kern Janet K. , Trivedi Madhukar H. , Garver Carolyn R. , Grannemann Bruce D. , Andrews Alonzo A. , Savla Jayshree S. , Johnson Danny G. , Mehta Jyutika A. , Schroeder Jennifer L.
Published: August 2006

The study was undertaken to evaluate the nature of sensory dysfunction in persons with autism. The cross-sectional study examined auditory, visual, oral, and touch sensory processing, as measured by the Sensory Profile, in 104 persons with a diagnosis of autism, 3–56 years of age, gender-and age-matched to community controls. Persons with autism had abnormal auditory, visual, touch, and oral sensory processing that was significantly different from controls. This finding was also apparent when the high and low thresholds of these modalities were examined separately. At later ages for the group with autism, lower levels of abnormal sensory processing were found, except for low threshold touch, which did not improve significantly. There was a significant interaction in low threshold auditory and low threshold visual, suggesting that the two groups change differently over time on these variables. These results suggest that sensory abnormalities in autism are global in nature (involving several modalities) but have the potential to improve with age.