bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparative isolation and purification of chemical components from Aconitum coreanum by high‐speed counter‐current chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection
Authors: Tang Qingfa , Yang Chunhua , Ye Wencai , Liu Jinghan , Zhao Shouxun
Published: September 2007

Aconitum coreanum (Lèvl.) Rapaics (Guanbaifu in Chinese) is a widely used, centuries‐old Chinese herb. A preparative high‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC) coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) method was employed for isolation and purification of alkaloids from the crude extract of Aconitum coreanum (Lèvl.) Rapaics using ethyl acetate–n‐butanol–methanol–0.2 m HCl (7:2:2:7, v/v) as a two‐phase solvent system. Six alkaloids, including GFO, GFQ, GFZ, hetisinone, hetisine and GFAA, were obtained in one‐step separation. The purity of these compounds was 97.6, 93.8, 91.8, 91.9, 96.2 and 91.1%, respectively. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cancer patients' reluctance to disclose their emotional distress to their physicians: a study of Japanese patients with lung cancer
Authors: Okuyama Toru , Endo Chiharu , Seto Takashi , Kato Masashi , Seki Nobuhiko , Akechi Tatsuo , Furukawa Toshiaki A. , Eguchi Kenji , Hosaka Takashi
Published: September 2007

Purpose: To explore cancer patients' concerns about emotional disclosure (ED) to their physicians, and to investigate the factors associated with them.

Subjects and Methods: Randomly selected ambulatory patients with lung cancer participated in this study. An 18‐item questionnaire to assess patients' beliefs regarding ED to their physicians was developed for this study. Factor analysis was used to extract the underlying factors of this scale. Patients were asked to answer this questionnaire along with other self‐administered questionnaires.

Results: Complete data were available from 104 patients. Four factors were extracted by factor analysis: ‘Hesitation to disturb the physicians by ED’, ‘No perceived need for ED’, ‘Negative attitude towards ED’, and ‘Fear of a negative impact of ED’. All factors reached standards of internal consistency. The prevalence of the above concerns, in that order, among the patients was 68, 67, 46, and 20%. Patients with high distress levels were significantly more likely to endorse ‘Negative impact’ (p=0.02). Older patients were more likely to report ‘Negative attitude’ (p=0.06), whereas male patients were more likely than females to report ‘Hesitation’ (p=0.05).

Conclusion: Knowledge of such patient‐related barriers should better prepare physicians to build good communication channels with their cancer patients. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimism and psychological well‐being among parents of children with cancer: an exploratory study
Authors: Fotiadou Maria , Barlow J. H. , Powell L. A. , Langton H.
Published: September 2007

Aims: To identify the characteristics of optimistic parents of children with cancer. To examine the relationship between optimism, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, coping and subjective health perception in parents of children with cancer and parents of healthy children.

Methods: One hundred parents of children with cancer were recruited during attendance at Oncology Out‐patient Clinics at a UK Regional Cancer Centre. A comparison group of 117 parents of healthy children was also recruited. All parents completed a questionnaire, providing demographic and medical information relating to the child, dispositional optimism, psychological distress, life satisfaction, coping and subjective health perception.

Results: Parents of children with cancer had higher levels of anxiety, depression, optimism, satisfaction with life and subjective health perception than the comparison group. Optimism was significantly correlated with satisfaction with life, subjective health perception, anxiety and depression in both groups.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of optimism in relationship to psychological distress in parents of children with cancer. Interventions targeting parents' optimism are recommended as a potential source of coping with adversity within this population. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Emotional functioning of parents of children with cancer: the first five years of continuous remission after the end of treatment
Authors: Maurice‐Stam Heleen , Oort Frans J. , Last Bob F. , Grootenhuis Martha A.
Published: September 2007

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate parental emotional functioning during the first five years of continuous remission after the end of their child's treatment and to identify predictors of parental emotional functioning.

Methods: Psychological distress and situation‐specific emotional reactions were assessed in 122 mothers and 109 fathers from 130 families. Longitudinal mixed model analyses were performed to investigate to what extent generic and disease‐related coping, family functioning and social support were predictive of parental emotional functioning over time.

Results: Initial elevated levels of distress, disease‐related feelings of uncertainty and helplessness returned to normal levels during the first two years after the end of treatment. Being more optimistic about the further course of the child's disease (predictive control) was correlated with lower psychological distress and less negative disease‐related feelings, while more passive reaction patterns were correlated with higher psychological distress and more negative disease‐related feelings.

Conclusions: Although in general the parents of children with successfully treated cancer showed adequate emotional resilience, support for these parents should not stop when treatment ends. Parents in need of help can be identified on the basis of their coping abilities. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recognition and treatment of depression in dementia
Authors: Dening Tom , Dudas Robert
Published: September 2007

Our series Prescribing in older people gives practical advice for successful management of the special problems experienced by this patient group. Here, the authors describe the assessment and treatment of depression in patients with dementia. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd
Switching statins: potential drug interactions with simvastatin
Authors: Thompson Angus
Published: September 2007

Switching to generic statins can result in significant cost saving but can also lead to serious drug interactions, compromising patient safety. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd
Current approaches to the management of allergic rhinitis
Authors: Farooque Sophie , Fitzharris Penny
Published: September 2007

Allergic rhinitis is a common condition, but its effects on patient well‐being are often underestimated. Our Drug Review discusses the current drug treatments available, followed by an analysis of prescription data, sources of further information and the Datafile. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd
Management of growth hormone deficiency in children and adults
Authors: Traggiai Cristina , Stanhope Richard
Published: September 2007

Growth hormone deficiency can occur in adults as well as children and can be difficult to recognise due to the variety of signs and symptoms. The authors discuss the diagnosis and appropriate management of this condition. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd
Growth of InN films on spinel substrates by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Mitamura K. , Ohta J. , Fujioka H. , Oshima M.
Published: September 2007

We have grown InN films on MgAl2O4(111) substrates with atomically flat surfaces using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and compared their structural properties with those grown on (Mn,Zn)Fe2O4(111) substrates. It has been revealed that InN(0001) films grow on MgAl2O4(111) with an in‐plane epitaxial relationship of InN[1$ \bar 1 $00] // MgAl2O4[1$ \bar 1 $0], achieving a lattice mismatch minimum. The InN films exhibited a clear sixfold rotational symmetry, without 30° rotational domains and with a full width at half maximum value of the InN 0002 rocking curve being 17.5 arcmin. Comparison between InN films grown on MgAl2O4 and those on (Mn,Zn)Fe2O4 led us to conclude that suppression of the interfacial reactions between the InN films and the substrate is inherently important to obtain high quality InN on substrates with a spinel structure. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of [(K0.4725Na0.4725)Li0.055]NbO3–(Ag0.5Li0.5)TaO3 lead‐free ceramics
Authors: Wu Jiagang , Wang Yuanyu , Xiao Dingquan , Zhu Jianguo
Published: September 2007

New lead‐free piezoelectric (1 – x)[(K0.4725Na0.4725)Li0.055]NbO3– x (Ag0.5Li0.5)TaO3 [(1 – x)KNNL–x ALT] ceramics were prepared by conventional sintering. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties and Curie temperature of the ceramics were studied. The (1 – x)KNNL–x ALT (x = 0.04) ceramics exhibit good properties (d33 ∼ 252 pC/N, kp ∼ 41%, TC ∼ 471 °C, To–t = 47 °C, Pr = 33.1 μC/cm2, Ec = 10.6 kV/cm). These results show that (1 – x)KNNL–x ALT (x = 0.04) ceramic is a promising lead‐free piezoelectric material for high temperature application. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Identification of sulfoglycolipids from the alga Porphyridium purpureum by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionisation quadrupole ion trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Naumann Ivonne , Darsow Kai H. , Walter Christian , Lange Harald A. , Buchholz Rainer
Published: September 2007

Sulfoglycolipids, isolated from different phototrophic organisms, particularly plants and algae, have already been identified as bioactive compounds. In addition to their antiviral activity their influence on the immune response in mammalian cells is the focus of many studies. For the first time it has been possible to investigate purified sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols (SQDGs) from the microalga Porphyridium purpureum by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) in the negative ion reflectron mode. Thereby, different solid and ionic liquid matrices have been tested to improve signal intensity during the laser ionisation. By using the MALDI Trap time‐of‐flight (ToF) multiple‐stage (MSn) hybrid mass spectrometer the fatty acid compositions of the SQDGs were analysed by MS, and confirmed by MS2 and MS3 experiments. Thereby, hexadecanoic acid (C16:0), octadecadienoic acid (C18:2), eicosatetraenoic acid (C20:4), and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) were detected in the purified fraction of SQDGs. The localisation of hexadecanoic acid (C16:0) at the sn‐2 position, and unsaturated fatty acids at the sn‐1 position of the SQDGs, determined by specific enzymatic hydrolysis, marks a procaryotic biosynthesis of SQDGs in the eucaryotic alga cells. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrospray ionization ion trap multiple‐stage mass spectrometric fragmentation pathways of leucine and isoleucine: an ab initio computational study
Authors: Armirotti Andrea , Scapolla Carlo , Benatti Umberto , Damonte Gianluca
Published: September 2007

We recently demonstrated the possibility to distinguish between leucine and isoleucine in several tryptic peptides by means of consecutive tandem mass steps (Armirotti et al. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2007; 18: 57), exploiting a gas‐phase rearrangement of the immonium ion of Ile. In the present paper we explore the tandem mass spectrometric behaviour of the two amino acids. We propose a plausible structure for the diagnostic m/z 69 ion of Ile, that was reported for the first time in 1996 (Hulst and Kientz J. Mass. Spectrom. 1996; 31: 1188), and we explain why its formation is favoured with respect to Leu. Our conclusions are supported by ab initio quantum chemistry calcultations and isotope‐labelled standards experiments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structural analysis of monoterpene glycosides extracted from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Dong Hongjuan , Liu Zhiqiang , Song Fengrui , Yu Zhan , Li Huilin , Liu Shuying
Published: September 2007

Paeoniflorin standard was first investigated by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐FTICR‐MS/MS) using a sustained off‐resonance irradiation (SORI) collision‐induced dissociation (CID) method at high mass resolution. The experimental results demonstrated that the unambiguous elemental composition of product ions can be obtained at high mass resolution. Comparing MS/MS spectra and the experimental methods of hydrogen and deuterium exchange, the logical fragmentation pathways of paeoniflorin have been proposed. Then, the extracts of the traditional Chinese medicine Paeonia lactiflora Pall. were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI‐MS/MS). By comparison with the ESI‐FTICR‐MS/MS data of paeoniflorin, the isomers paeoniflorin and albiflorin in Paeonia lactiflora Pall. have been identified using HPLC/MS with CID in an ion trap and in‐source CID. Furthermore, using the characteristic fragmentation pathways, the retention times (tR) in HPLC and MS/MS spectra, the structures of three other kinds of monoterpene glycoside compounds have been identified on‐line without time‐consuming isolation. Thus an HPLC/ESI‐MS method for the analysis of constituents in Paeonia lactiflora Pall. has been established. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone from biological fluids as the oxime derivatives using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Kalhorn Thomas F. , Page Stephanie T. , Howald William N. , Mostaghel Elahe A. , Nelson Peter S.
Published: September 2007

A sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone (T) from biological fluids has been developed. Commercially available deuterated analogues were used as internal standards. Steroids were extracted from serum or testicular fluid with hexane/ethyl acetate, evaporated to dryness, and treated with hydroxylamine to form their oxime derivatives. Upon chromatographic separation, the compounds were quantified using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). For T, the [M+H]+ ion at m/z 304 and the fragment ion at m/z 124 were used as the precursor and product ions. For DHT the ion cluster [M+H+ACN]+ at m/z 347 and the dissociated ion [M+H]+ at m/z 306 were used as the precursor and product ions, respectively. The limits of detectability on‐column were in the sub‐femtomole range for both compounds and the intra‐day coefficient of variation (CV) for analysis from serum was less than 7% for both compounds. Given its high reproducibility, sensitivity, and relative simplicity, this assay should be of use in determining androgen levels in biospecimens, particularly in settings where sample quantity or steroid concentration are low. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analyses of macrolide antibiotic residues in eggs, raw milk, and honey using both ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Wang Jian , Leung Daniel
Published: September 2007

Two liquid chromatography mass spectrometric techniques, i.e. ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q‐Tof MS) and high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), were used for quantification, confirmation or identification of six macrolide antibiotic residues and/or their degradation products in eggs, raw milk, and/or honey. Macrolides were extracted from food samples by acetonitrile or phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 8.0), and sample extracts were further cleaned up using solid‐phase extraction cartridges. UPLC/Q‐Tof data were acquired in Tof MS full scan mode that allowed both quantification and confirmation of macrolides, and identification of their degradation products. LC/MS/MS data acquisition was achieved using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), i.e. two transitions, to provide a high degree of sensitivity and repeatability. Matrix‐matched standard calibration curves with the use of roxithromycin as an internal standard were utilized to achieve the best accuracy of the method. Both techniques demonstrated good quantitative performance in terms of accuracy and repeatability. LC/MS/MS had advantages over UPLC/Q‐Tof MS in that its limits of detection were lower and repeatability was somewhat better. UPLC/Q‐Tof provided ultimate and unequivocal confirmation of positive findings, and allowed degradation product identification based on accurate mass. The combination of the two techniques can be very beneficial or complementary in routine analysis of macrolide antibiotic residues and their degradation products in food matrices to ensure the safety of food supply. Copyright © 2007 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
6D SLAM—3D mapping outdoor environments
Authors: Nüchter Andreas , Lingemann Kai , Hertzberg Joachim , Surmann Hartmut
Published: September 2007

6D SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) or 6D concurrent localization and mapping of mobile robots considers six dimensions for the robot pose, namely, the x, y, and z coordinates and the roll, yaw, and pitch angles. Robot motion and localization on natural surfaces, e.g., driving outdoor with a mobile robot, must regard these degrees of freedom. This paper presents a robotic mapping method based on locally consistent 3D laser range scans. Iterative Closest Point scan matching, combined with a heuristic for closed loop detection and a global relaxation method, results in a highly precise mapping system. A new strategy for fast data association, cached kd‐tree search, leads to feasible computing times. With no ground‐truth data available for outdoor environments, point relations in maps are compared to numerical relations in uncalibrated aerial images in order to assess the metric validity of the resulting 3D maps. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantifying synergism/antagonism using nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling: A simulation study
Authors: Boik John C. , Newman Robert A. , Boik Robert J.
Published: September 2007

Cancer drugs are commonly administered in the clinic in the form of mixtures, also called cocktails or combinations. Assessment of synergistic and antagonistic interactions between drugs is therefore an important aspect of cancer research. Numerous methods have been proposed to assess drug interactions, each one based on a null (or additive) model. In this paper, the Loewe additivity index is used as a basis. Parameters of concentration–response curves, used as input to the Loewe equation, are estimated with a nonlinear mixed‐effects model. The use of a nonlinear mixed‐effects model, in combination with the Loewe index and a procedure to calculate confidence intervals of the index, is referred to as the ‘MixLow’ method. Simulations of a sham mixture of a drug with itself show that the MixLow method provides parameter estimators that are more precise than those produced by the Median‐Effect method, a popular approach that uses log linearization of the concentration–response curves. Coverage of confidence intervals for the interaction index is acceptable for the MixLow method but poor for the Median‐Effect method. This is the first comparison report of coverage of confidence intervals for the Loewe interaction index. A mixture of vincristine and topotecan is also analyzed by the MixLow method and the results are compared with those previously published. The MixLow method can be used to quantify drug interactions in any fixed‐ratio drug combination study that includes within‐group and between‐group replicates, and where responses follow a sigmoidal pattern. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catalytic domain of MMP20 (Enamelysin) – The NMR structure of a new matrix metalloproteinase
Authors: Arendt Yvonne , Banci Lucia , Bertini Ivano , Cantini Francesca , Cozzi Roberta , Del Conte Rebecca , Gonnelli Leonardo
Published: September 2007

The solution structure of the catalytic domain of MMP‐20, a member of the matrix metalloproteinases family not yet structurally characterized, complexed with N‐Isobutyl‐N‐(4‐methoxyphenylsulfonyl)glycyl hydroxamic acid (NNGH), is here reported and compared with other MMPs–NNGH adducts. The backbone dynamic has been characterized as well. We have found that, despite the same fold and very high overall similarity, the present structure experiences specific structural and dynamical similarities with some MMPs and differences with others, around the catalytic cavity. The present solution structure, not only contributes to fill the gap of structural knowledge on human MMPs, but also provides further information to design more selective and efficient inhibitors for a specific member of this class of proteins.
Viable, lyophilized lactobacilli do not increase iron absorption from a lactic acid-fermented meal in healthy young women, and no iron absorption occurs in the distal intestine
Authors: Bering Stine , Sjøltov Laila , Wrisberg Seema S. , Berggren Anna , Alenfall Jan , Jensen Mikael , Højgaard Liselotte , Tetens Inge , Bukhave Klaus
Published: September 2007

Lactic acid-fermented foods have been shown to increase Fe absorption in human subjects, possibly by lowering pH, activation of phytases, production of organic acids, or by the viable lactic acid bacteria. In this study the effect of a heat-inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruel with and without added viable, lyophilizedLactobacillus plantarum299v on non-haem Fe absorption was investigated. Furthermore, Fe absorption in the distal intestine was determined. In a randomized, double-blinded crossover trial eighteen healthy young women aged 22 (sd3) years with low Fe status (serum ferritin < 30 μg/l) were served the two test gruels, extrinsically labelled with59Fe and served with two enterocoated capsules (containing55Fe(II) and55Fe(III), respectively) designed to disintegrate in the ileum. The meals were consumed on two consecutive days, e.g. in the order AA followed by BB in a second period. Non-haem Fe absorption was determined from59Fe whole-body retention and isotope activities in blood samples. The concentrations of Fe, lactate, phytate, and polyphenols, and the pH were similar in the heat-inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruels with and without addedL. plantarum299v, and no difference in Fe absorption was observed between the test gruels (1·4 and 1·3 %, respectively). Furthermore, no absorption of Fe in the distal intestine was observed. In conclusion, addition of viable, lyophilized lactobacillus to a heat-inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruel does not affect Fe absorption, and no absorption seems to occur in the distal part of the intestine from low Fe bioavailability meals in these women.
Dietary patterns in pregnancy and associations with nutrient intakes
Authors: Northstone Kate , Emmett Pauline M. , Rogers Imogen
Published: September 2007

Despite the recent popularity in the use of dietary patterns to investigate diet–disease associations, the associations between dietary patterns and nutrient intakes have not been fully explored. This paper determines the linear and non-linear associations between estimated nutrient intake (considered as both absolute and relative intake) and distinct dietary patterns, obtained during the third trimester of pregnancy using principal components analysis (PCA). It also examines the proportion of variability explained by the patterns in food and nutrient intakes. Pregnant women were asked to record the frequency of consumption of a variety of food items as part of regular self-completion questionnaires, the primary source of data collection in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, 12 035 cases were available. Individual dietary components were identified using PCA and scores on these components were related to estimated nutrient intakes. Five individual dietary patterns were established to best describe the types of diet being consumed in pregnancy. Scores on the ‘processed’ and ‘confectionery’ patterns were negatively related to the estimated intake of most nutrients with the exception of energy, fats and sugars, which increased with higher scores. Scores on the ‘health-conscious’ and ‘traditional’ components showed positive linear relationships with all nutrients. The results presented here suggest that dietary patterns adequately characterize dietary intake. There is, therefore, potential for dietary patterns to be used as a valid tool in assessing the relationship between diet and health outcomes, and dietary pattern scores could be used as covariates in specific nutrient–disease studies.
THE HERO AND HIS ARMS
Authors: DAVIES MALCOLM
Published: September 2007

Arma virumque cano Virgil sang, or professed to sing, at the start of his epic, and one may reformulate the import of his programmatic words to fit a new context. Obtaining weapons he can call his own is very often a key moment near the start of the career of a folk-tale hero. And very often it is the hero's mother who equips him with them. Paradoxically, this truth may be confirmed, e contrario, by reference to the Welsh story of Lleu Llaw Gyffes from the Mabinogion, for, in that narrative, the hero's mother Aranhry seeks to thwart at its inception the career of her son – whom she had exposed, since his very existence causes her so much embarrassment – by placing a Destiny or interdiction upon him: he will never bear arms unless and until she herself bestows them. The ban is circumvented by a cunning ruse: the magician Gwydion disguises her son and himself as peripatetic bards, in which capacity they are entertained in Aranhry's castle. When Gwydion conjures up a phantom army and fleet to besiege the citadel, the alarmed Aranhry is all too ready to bestow weapon and armour on the younger of her two guests – only to find the army vanished and her own son in possession of the arms she had sworn he would not bear.
ARISTOTLE AND SLAVERY IN ATHENS
Authors: MILLETT PAUL
Published: September 2007

The New York Daily Tribune for 20 December 1859 reported a pro-slavery meeting held the day before under the banner of ‘Justice for the South’ (the Civil War was less than eighteen months away). A lawyer named O'Connor spoke as follows:

Now, Gentlemen, to that condition of bondage the Negro is assigned by Nature…. He has strength, and he has the power to labour; but the Nature which created that power has denied him either the intellect to govern or the willingness to work. (Applause)…. And that Nature which denied him the will to labour gave him a master to coerce that will, and to make him a useful servant in the clime in which he was capable of living useful for himself and for the master who governs him…. I maintain that it is not injustice to leave the Negro in the condition in which Nature placed him, to give him a master to govern him…nor is it depriving him of any of his rights to compel him to labour in return, and afford to that master just compensation for the labour and talent employed in governing him and rendering him useful to himself and to the society.

That thoroughly Aristotelian defence of black slavery was identified as such by Karl Marx, reprinted in Kapital as a modern commentary on Aristotle's thinking on the role of the slave-owner.
VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE WITH CRATERS
Authors: SPIVEY NIGEL
Published: September 2007

Most ancient Greek vases in modern collections were found in Etruscan tombs. To state this is not a revelation: however, it is a fact of provenance often overlooked or marginalized in discussion about Greek vases. Some years ago, by way of contributing to a Festschrift assembled in honour of my postgraduate mentor, Robert Cook, I attempted an explanation as to why so many Greek-made pots had been hoarded by the Etruscans: an explanation steered predominantly by the final funerary context of those vessels. Since then, a number of further studies relating to this phenomenon have been made, most notably by Christoph Reusser; and our archaeological understanding of how Greek vases were used by the Etruscans has become markedly more refined. Traditionally, the separation of Etruria into ‘cities’ and ‘cemeteries’ has favoured the generous material evidence of the cemeteries. Investigations of the elusive cities – including the major centres of Tarquinia and Cerveteri – now offer some opportunity to review the ways in which certain artefacts frequently found buried among the ‘community of the dead’ were also in active circulation amid the society of the living. The assemblage of a corpus of Etruscan inscriptions on Greek vases attests to one highly significant local and particular value accrued by these objects. And further to all this (or because of it), there has also been a palpable softening of the tendency, on the part of Classical art historians, to depict Etruria as a place where affluent barbarians took ‘whatever they were offered’ by trans-Mediterranean traders.
Knowledge, Belief, and Faith
Authors: Kenny Anthony
Published: September 2007

Is belief in God reasonable? Richard Dawkins is right to say that traditional arguments for the existence of God are flawed; but so is his own disproof of the existence of God, and there are gaps in neo-Darwinian explanations of the origin of language, of life, and of the universe. The rational response is neither theism nor atheism but agnosticism. Faith in a creed is no virtue, but mere belief in God may be reasonable even if false.
Determinism as a Thesis about the State of the World from Moment to Moment
Authors: Levi Don S.
Published: September 2007

Determinism, as the thesis that given the state of the world at a moment there is only one way it can be at the next moment, is problematic. After explaining why the thesis is defined as it is, the paper goes on to raise questions about the terms in which it is defined. Is the ‘world’ to be understood as constituted by whatever figures in our talk or thought, or to what is reconstituted by an ontology seemingly derived from the sciences? Either way of understanding it is shown to be inadequate.
Realism and Empiricism in Hume's Account of Causality
Authors: McBreen Bernard
Published: September 2007

Hume's empirical approach seems to drain the concept of causality of all content, so that causality in objects is reduced to constant conjunction. His use of language of causality, which is necessarily realist, is undermined by his account of causality, which is not realist. The realist intepretation of Hume, by philosophers such as Galen Strawson, is rejected because it is incompatible with empiricism. However, if Hume's view that we do not have any sensory experience of causing is challenged, then the way is open to give an account of causality which is both empiricist and realist.
Burleigh's Paradox
Authors: Jacquette Dale
Published: September 2007

Walter Burleigh in his c. 1323 De Puritate Artis Logicae Tractatus Longior considers a counterexample to hypothetical syllogism. The paradox implied by Burleigh's inference has come to be known as the problem of the ass (asinum), or, more prosaically, ‘You are an ass’. The argument states: ‘If I call you an ass, then I call you an animal; if I call you an animal, then I speak truthfully; therefore, if I call you an ass, then I speak truthfully’. Burleigh's paradox is reconstructed and formalized for purposes of critical analysis, in which the putative counterexample is ultimately shown to involve a fallacy of equivocation.
Second language socialization as sociocultural theory: Insights and issues
Authors: Duff Patricia A.
Published: September 2007

In this paper, I describe the relationship between language socialization and sociocultural theory (SCT) and the implications of this connection for second language socialization (SLS) studies. I first describe the theoretical compatibility of language socialization and SCT by examining the basic tenets of each and then also explore how language socialization scholars have explicitly or implicitly drawn on SCT and how SCT scholars, in turn, have positioned research on socialization with respect to their theory. Second, I illustrate two common current theoretical and analytic approaches to research in SLS that exemplify: (1) a focus on indexicality in language learning, and (2) a community of practice orientation to SLS, which also embraces sociocultural theory (Lave & Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998). Third, I illustrate how the community-of-practice approach, combined with SLS, helps account for findings in a sociocultural study of Korean exchange students' experiences of language and literacy socialization at a Canadian university. I conclude by suggesting future directions for SLS studies.
Adequacy of food spending is related to housing expenditures among lower-income Canadian households
Authors: Kirkpatrick Sharon I , Tarasuk Valerie
Published: September 2007

Objectives

A number of studies have pointed to the pressure that housing costs can exert on the resources available for food. The objectives of the present study were to characterise the relationship between the proportion of income absorbed by housing and the adequacy of household food expenditures across the Canadian population and within income quintiles; and to elucidate the impact of receipt of a housing subsidy on adequacy of food expenditures among low-income tenant households.

Design

The 2001 Survey of Household Spending, conducted by Statistics Canada, was a national cross-sectional survey that collected detailed information on expenditures on goods and services. The adequacy of food spending was assessed in relation to the cost of a basic nutritious diet.

Setting

Canada.

Subjects

The person with primary responsibility for financial maintenance from 15 535 households from all provinces and territories.

Results

As the proportion of income allocated to housing increased, food spending adequacy declined significantly among households in the three lowest income quintiles. After accounting for household income and composition, receipt of a housing subsidy was associated with an improvement in adequacy of food spending among low-income tenant households, but still mean food spending fell below the cost of a basic nutritious diet even among subsidised households.

Conclusions

This study indicates that housing costs compromise the food access of some low-income households and speaks to the need to re-examine policies related to housing affordability and income adequacy.
Dietary and non-dietary determinants of central adiposity among Tehrani women
Authors: Azadbakht Leila , Esmaillzadeh Ahmad
Published: September 2007

Objective

To determine the correlates of central adiposity.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study.

Subjects

A total of 926 women (aged 40–60 years) from all districts of Tehran.

Methods

Demographic data were collected and anthropometric indices were measured according to standard protocols. Dietary intakes were assessed by means of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The suggested cut-off point for waist-to-hip ratio (WHR≥0.84) for Tehrani people, adjusted for their age group, was used to determine central adiposity. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlates of WHR, which were adjusted for age, taking medications and body mass index (BMI). The components of dietary intake were determined by factor analysis. Pearson correlation was used to determine the association between the dietary components and WHR. Analysis of covariance was employed to compare the mean values of WHR in different lifestyle groups, with adjustment for BMI and age.

Results

Mean WHR was 0.82 ± 0.06. The possibility of being centrally obese was higher in women with light physical activity (odds ratio: 2.11; 95% confidence interval: 1.40–2.53), depressed women (1.36; 1.02–1.93), smokers (1.21; 1.02–1.56) and unemployed women (1.41; 1.13–1.72). Marriage (1.31; 1.10–1.82), menopause (1.22; 1.02–1.61), low vitamin C intake (2.31; 1.25–4.25) and low calcium intake (1.30; 1.07–3.78) were associated with central fat accumulation. Dairy consumption was inversely correlated with central fat accumulation (r= −0.2,P< 0.05).

Conclusion

Central adiposity is associated with poor lifestyle factors including low physical activity, depression, smoking, low intake of vitamin C, low intake of calcium and dairy products and high fat consumption. Thus lifestyle modifications should be encouraged to achieve a healthier body shape.
Autism: the quest for the genes
Authors: Sykes Nuala H. , Lamb Janine A.
Published: September 2007

Autism, at its most extreme, is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, and recent studies have indicated that autism spectrum disorders are considerably more common than previously supposed. However, although one of the most heritable neuropsychiatric syndromes, autism has so far eluded attempts to discover its genetic origins in the majority of cases. Several whole-genome scans for autism-susceptibility loci have identified specific chromosomal regions, but the results have been inconclusive and fine mapping and association studies have failed to identify the underlying genes. Recent advances in knowledge from the Human Genome and HapMap Projects, and progress in technology and bioinformatic resources, have aided study design and made data generation more efficient and cost-effective. Broadening horizons about the landscape of structural genetic variation and the field of epigenetics are indicating new possible mechanisms underlying autism aetiology, while endophenotypes are being used in an attempt to break down the complexity of the syndrome and refine genetic data. Although the genetic variants underlying idiopathic autism have proven elusive so far, the future for this field looks promising.
Laufen tut gut – Oder wie man ohne Psychiater aus der Depression zum Marathon kommt!
Authors: Knechtle  , Quarella
Published: September 2007

Wir beschreiben den Fall einer 27-jährigen Frau mit einer Anpassungsstörung mit vorwiegender Beeinträchtigung von Gefühlen wie Angst, Depression, Sorgen, Anspannung und Ärger, bei verschiedenen Belastungen wie Konflikten mit dem Freund und unklare berufliche Situation (ICD-10 F4323) sowie einem Status nach Intoxikation mit Schlaftabletten (ICD-10 X61) bei schwieriger familiärer Situation. Die junge Frau konnte sich mit regelmässigem Ausdauertraining selber aus einer gravierenden Lebenskrise befreien und ohne Psychiater und Psychopharmaka in ein neues Leben starten. Durch das aufbauende Lauftraining konnte die Patientin im ersten Trainingsjahr einen Halbmarathon erfolgreich beenden, im weiteren Verlauf werden Marathon und Powerman-Duathlon avisiert.
Radio tracking of the interplanetary coronal mass ejection driven shock crossed by Ulysses on 10 May 2001
Authors: Hoang S. , Lacombe C. , MacDowall R. J. , Thejappa G.
Published: September 2007

We report on the detection of type II radio emission which was observed for more than a day prior to the arrival of an interplanetary shock at Ulysses. We use local spectral emission peaks, computerized from time‐averaged intensity spectra of the type II burst, to track the associated emitting shock. In the spectrogram plotted as a function of time and inverse frequency, these peaks appear as elongated clusters of data points, organized in fundamental‐harmonic bands and delineating drifting emission features. Least squares linear fittings to identified clusters give straight traces with different slopes. Most of these, when extrapolated to the Sun, are found to converge nearly at the same starting time, allowing determination of the average shock speed. Shortly before the shock crossing, intense Langmuir waves were detected at the electron plasma frequency upstream of the shock. This plasma wave enhancement together with the radio emission observed predominantly at the harmonic of the plasma frequency, all point to the occurrence of the type II radio source region in the upstream electron foreshock. We have accurately substracted the thermal noise background from the observed emission intensity to deduce the type II brightness temperatures at the fundamental and harmonic near the shock crossing. The measured brightness temperature of the type II harmonic emission is found to peak at a value of ≃3 × 1013 K just after the shock crossing; just before, the harmonic brightness temperature is ≃1012 K and the fundamental brightness temperature ≃8 × 1011 K.
Propagation and evolution of a magnetic cloud from ACE to Ulysses
Authors: Du D. , Wang C. , Hu Q.
Published: September 2007

The chance of a magnetic cloud (MC) being observed by widely separated spacecraft is rare. However, such an event provides us a good opportunity to study the propagation and evolution of magnetic cloud in the interplanetary space. A magnetic cloud event observed by ACE at Earth on 4–6 March 1998 is tracked from the location of ACE to Ulysses. Using a one‐dimensional (1‐D) MHD solar wind model, we propagate the ACE data to the location of Ulysses and confirm that the two magnetic clouds observed by both spacecraft have the same solar origin. The Grad‐Shafranov (GS) reconstruction technique is then employed to recover the 2‐D cross sections of the magnetic clouds at locations of ACE and Ulysses, respectively. The magnetic clouds observed at ACE and Ulysses both show magnetic flux rope configurations of the same chirality and unidirectional axial magnetic field along approximately the same direction. It is found that the magnetic cloud is expanding while propagating outward. Their relevant toroidal (axial) and poloidal magnetic flux contained within each flux rope are different but approximately of the same order of magnitude. However, the relative magnetic helicity contained in each flux rope differs significantly. We discuss the causes of such differences, taking into account the underestimate of the area of the flux rope at Ulysses and the effect of magnetic cloud evolution that may not be fully addressed by 2‐D models.
Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract: what are the key questions?
Authors: Sanger G J
Published: September 2007

Cannabinoid (CB1) receptor activation acts neuronally, reducing GI motility, diarrhoea, pain, transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs) and emesis, and promoting eating. CB2 receptor activation acts mostly via immune cells to reduce inflammation. What are the key questions which now need answering to further understand endocannabinoid pathophysiology? GPR55. Does this receptor have a GI role? Satiety, Nausea, Vomiting, Gastro‐Oesophageal Reflux, Gastric Emptying. Endocannabinoids acting at CB1 receptors can increase food intake and body weight, exert anti‐emetic activity, reduce gastric acid secretion and TLESRs; CB2 receptors may have a small role in emesis. Question 1: CB1 receptor activation reduces emesis and gastric emptying but the latter is associated with nausea. How is the paradox explained? Q2: Do non‐CB receptor actions of endocannabinoids (for example TRPV1) also modulate emesis? Q3: Is pathology necessary (gastritis, gastro‐oesophageal reflux) to observe CB2 receptor function? Intestinal Transit and Secretion. Reduced by endocannabinoids at CB1 receptors, but not by CB2 receptor agonists. Q1: Do the effects of endocannabinoids rapidly diminish with repeat‐dosing? Q2: Do CB2 receptors need to be pathologically upregulated before they are active? Inflammation. CB1, CB2 and TRPV1 receptors may mediate an ability of endocannabinoids to reduce GI inflammation or its consequences. Q1: Are CB2 receptors upregulated by inflammatory or other pathology? Pain. Colonic bacterial flora may upregulate CB2 receptor expression and thereby increase intestinal sensitivity to noxious stimuli. Q1: Are CB2 receptors the interface between colonic bacteria and enteric‐ or extrinsic nerve sensitivity? Relevance of endocannabinoids to humans. Perhaps apart from appetite, this is largely unknown.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152, 663–670. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707422; published online 3 September 2007
Up‐regulation of proteinase‐activated receptor 1 and increased contractile responses to thrombin after subarachnoid haemorrhage
Authors: Maeda Y , Hirano K , Kai Y , Hirano M , Suzuki S O , Sasaki T , Kanaide H
Published: September 2007

Background and purpose:

The mechanism for the development of post‐haemorrhagic cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) still remains unknown.

Experimental approach:

We investigated the role of thrombin and its receptor PAR1in the development of hyper‐contractility of the basilar artery in a rabbit double haemorrhage model, which received two injections of autologous blood into the cisterna magna.

Key results:

In the basilar artery isolated from the control rabbits, thrombin, only at 10 units ml−1, induced a transient endothelium‐dependent relaxation and a slight smooth muscle contraction. In SAH, the contractile response to thrombin was markedly enhanced, while the endothelium‐dependent relaxant effect of thrombin remained unchanged. The enhancement of the contractile responses was also observed in the absence of endothelium and thrombin induced an enhanced contraction at concentrations higher than 0.3 units ml−1. The contractile response to PAR1‐activating peptide was also enhanced after SAH. However, the contractile responses to high K+and endothelin‐1, and the myofilament Ca2+‐sensitivity remained unchanged after SAH. An immunoblot analysis suggested the up‐regulation of PAR1in the smooth muscle of the basilar artery. The heparinization of blood before injection prevented the enhancement of the contractile responses to thrombin and PAR1‐activating peptide.

Conclusions and implications:

The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that the contractile response of the basilar artery to thrombin was markedly enhanced after SAH. Mechanistically, our findings suggested that the activation of thrombin following hemorrhage up‐regulated the expression of PAR1, thereby inducing the hyper‐responsiveness to thrombin.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2007)152, 1131–1139; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707435; published online 3 September 2007
Parmenides in Platos Parmenides
Authors: Graeser Andreas
Published: September 2007

This essay examines the role of Parmenides in Plato’s dialogue of the same name. Over against the widely held view that this literary figure exemplifies the philosopher par excellence of an all-encompassing systematic of Eleatic provenience, it is maintained that Parmenides represents a particular frame of mind about certain philosophical matters, namely one which regards forms in a reified manner. It is suggested that by means of the literary figure of Parmenides, Plato is addressing in his dialogue inner-Academic debates about the theory of forms, especially Speusippus’ conception of Unity, which betrays a kind of naive metaphysics of things, as can be seen especially in the first three deductions of the second half of the dialogue.
Husserlian Transcendental and Eidetic Reductions and the Interpretation of Plato’s Dialogues
Authors: Hopkins Burt
Published: September 2007

This essay articulates obstacles to an interpretation of the whole proper to Plato’s philosophy that are rooted in the general methodical principle of traditional hermeneutics, and then addresses them by a novel hermeneutic application of Husserl’s transcendental and eidetic reductions. This application involves disclosing the transcendental phenomena of the texts of Plato’s dialogues on the basis of the former and articulating their phenomenological essence in accord with the latter. A meta-hermeneutical argument for what Plato himself might have thought is then ventured, which takes as its point of departure both the transcendental phenomena of his texts and Aristotle’s report that eide for him were in some sense arithmoi.