bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alcohol Expectancies among Male Alcoholics, Problem Drinkers, and Nonproblem Drinkers
Authors: Connors Gerard J. , O'Farrell Timothy J. , Cutter Henry S. G. , Thompson Diane Logan
Published: June 2007

Drinkers' expectancies regarding alcohol effects are cognitive factors hypothesized to affect decisions to drink and responses to alcohol. Recent research in this area has yielded descriptive data mostly on nonalcoholic drinkers' motives for drinking and alcohol expectancies. Much less attention has been focused on assessing the extent to which these findings generalize to a broader array of drinkers. Alcohol expectancies were assessed in this report among 260 alcoholics, 79 problem drinkers, and 81 nonproblem drinkers (all subjects were male) using a comprehensive alcohol expectancy measure. Alcoholics almost uniformly scored higher than the problem and nonproblem drinkers in their endorsements of alcohol's effects in different domains (e.g., alcohol acts as a global positive transforming agent, enhances physical and social pleasure, engenders asser‐tiveness, reduces tension). Problem drinkers also tended to score higher than the nonproblem drinkers in these domains. A multiple discriminant analysis yielded two functions which together were moderately successful in classifying these subjects according to drinker group. Taken together, these data suggest that important individual differences exist in drinkers' expectations regarding alcohol's utility, and that alcohol expectancies vary considerably as a function of problem drinking severity. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Gambling
Authors: Lesieur Henry R. , Blume Sheila B. , Zoppa Richard M.
Published: June 2007

Patients in an alcoholism and drug dependency treatment facility were questioned about their gambling behavior in order to find out what percentage of them were abusing alcohol and/or drugs and gambling. In order to do this, a pathological gambling signs index was constructed according to a modification of DSM III criteria and validated using independent procedures. Out of 458 patients interviewed, 40 (9%) were diagnosed as pathological gamblers and an additional 47 (10%) showed signs of problematic gambling. These patients showed clear signs of emotional, financial, family and occupational disruption, and illegal behavior in connection with their gambling which compound the disruption induced by alcohol and/or drugs. Five per cent of the patients abusing only alcohol, 12% of those with alcohol and another drug in combination, and 18% of those with other drug abuse problems without an alcohol component showed dear signs of pathological gambling; 1116% of mates and 2% of females were classified as pathological gamblers. The index was also significantly associated with parental gambling (38% of the children of pathological gamblers were pathological gamblers themselves). Gambling by siblings, alcoholism in the father (but not in the mother), gambling prior to age 20, greater amounts of gambling for more money, and “chasing losses in order to get even" were also positively correlated with the index. The implications for study and treatment of these individuals are discussed in terms of the study of addictions.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Glucose and Liver Metabolism in Term Rat Fetus and Neonate
Authors: Singh Sant P. , Snyder Ann K. , Pullen Gordon L.
Published: June 2007

The combined effects of chronic ethanol ingestion and fasting (24‐hr fast, except water, prior to delivery) were examined in term pregnant rats and their offspring. Rats fed liquid diet containing 5% (w/v) ethanol (EF) consumed fewer calories than those fed control diet and exhibited reduced weight gain relative to either ad libitum‐fed (AF) or pair‐fed (PF) controls. White the number of live fetuses at term was unaffected, fetal body and liver weights were reduced in EF litters. Stood glucose levels were significantly lower in EF fetuses although maternal glucose levels did not differ between the groups. Liver glycogen levels also were reduced in EF fetuses, without any change in plasma immunoreactive insulin or immuno‐reactive glucagon levels. Both active and total glycogen synthase and phosphorylase were significantly lower in livers of EF fetuses than in livers of control fetuses. After delivery, blood glucose and plasma immunoreactive insulin levels fell more slowly in EF neonates than in either control group, but EF neonates remained hypoglycemic at 4 hr postnatal, whereas glycemia in both control groups had recovered to normal. Plasma immunoreactive glucagon levels in EF were elevated during the first 2 hr following delivery relative to either AF or PF controls, and hepatic glycogen levels were reduced in EF neonates during the entire interval studied. Conclusion: Fetal exposure to ethanol in utero and to a short maternal fasting prior to delivery results in fetal growth retardation, hypoglycemia, hypoin‐suHnemia, and liver glycogen depletion at term. Also, both glycogen synthase (active and total) and phosphorylase (active and total) were decreased as wed. These aberrations in fetal carbohydrate metabolism exhibited a slow or incomplete recovery during the immediate perinatal period.
Carbohydrate Composition of Serum Transferrin in Alcoholic Patients
Authors: Stibler Hetena , Borg Stefan
Published: June 2007

Previous studies have shown that sialic acid‐deficient isotransferrins appear in serum during chronic alcohol abuse. In this investigation whole serum transferrin from alcoholic patients and healthy controls was isolated by antitransferrin affinity chromatography and the total levels of sialic acid, galactose, N‐acetylglucosamine, and mannose were analyzed. The results showed that the concentrations of sialic acid and galactose as well as N‐acetylglucosamine were reduced in all of the alcoholics studied. These findings indicate that chronic ethanol misuse exerts a more complex effect on the glycans of transferrin than previously realized.
Vulnerability of Cerebellar Granule Cells to Alcohol‐Induced Cell Death Diminishes with Time in Culture
Authors: Pantazis Nicholas J. , Dohrman Douglas P. , Goodlett Charles R. , Cook Robert T. , West James R.
Published: June 2007

This study examined the effects of alcohol exposure on the viability of cerebellar granule cells in culture. Continuous alcohol exposure, starting 1 day after the cultures were established, significantly reduced granule cell numbers, even with a single day of exposure to an alcohol concentration as low as 100 mg/dl. The depletion of cerebellar granule cells by alcohol was concentration‐dependent (greater loss of cells at higher alcohol concentrations) and duration‐dependent (greater loss of cells at longer exposure durations). The loss of granule cells also depended on the number of days the granule cells were in culture before alcohol exposure. Alcohol was significantly more effective in reducing the cell numbers of newly established granule cell cultures (1 day in vitro) compared with older cultures (4 or 7 days in vitro). Cell cycle analysis established that the cerebellar granule cells did not proliferate in culture, indicating that alcohol exposure did not reduce cell numbers by interfering with cell proliferation in this system. Instead, alcohol‐induced killing of the granule cells was the most likely mechanism to account for the depletion of granule cells in vitro. Granule cell cultures are a useful in vitro model system to study the cellular and molecular aspects of neuronal cell depletion associated with fetal alcohol exposure. The potential role of the JV‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor in this alcohol‐induced neuronal cell death is discussed.
Alcohol Consumption and Alcoholic Liver Disease: Evidence of a Threshold Level of Effects of Ethanol
Authors: Savolainen V. T. , Liesto K. , Männikkö A. , Penttilä A. , Karhunen P. J.
Published: June 2007

The effects of long‐term moderate or “social” alcohol consumption (10‐80 g daily intake) on the incidence of features of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) were delineated in a consecutive autopsy series of 210 males. The subjects' daily intake, as well as duration of alcohol consumption, was determined by an interview with the spouse or a close acquaintance and compared with semiquantitative histological scores for stage of ALD.

No significant increase in the incidence of features of ALD could be related to all‐year daily intake of ethanol below 40 g (40 g equals 1.1 liter of beer, 0.44 liter of wine, and 0.11 liter of spirits). However, daily intake between 40–80 g increased relative liver weight on average 3.1 g/kg of body weight (p < 0.02), the frequency of fatty liver from 11.7 to 47.2% [relative risk (RR) = 4.4], and the frequency of mainly slight alcoholic hepatitis up to 16.7% (RR = 7.5). The incidence of both bridging fibrosis and liver cirrhosis increased significantly (RR = 8.8) only when daily intake exceeded 80 g. Amounts of ethanol exceeding 80 g did not relate to further increases in incidence of bridging fibrosis or liver cirrhosis.

These findings suggest that, in males, daily ingestion of ethanol below 40 g for a period of 25 years does not increase the risk of alcohol‐related liver disease. In contrast, similar duration of daily intake between 40 and 80 g (mean 61.6 g) increased the risk of all but fibrotic liver lesions of ALD significantly and may thus represent a potential threshold level that significantly increases the risk of alcohol‐related liver damage. Moreover, our results may suggest that, on an individual level, the risk function for liver fibrosis may not be directly dose‐related, but rather, when a permissive threshold level is attained, further consumption is of no or little importance to the progression of ALD.
Exact and Linearized Neural Predictive Control: A Turbocharged SI Engine Example
Authors: Colin G. , Chamaillard Y. , Bloch G. , Charlet A.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes a real-time control method for non-linear systems based on model predictive control. The model used for the prediction is a neural network because of its ability to represent non-linear systems, its ability to be differentiated, and its simplicity of use. The feasibility and the performance of the method, based on on-line linearization, are demonstrated on a turbocharged spark-ignited engine application, where the simulation models used are very accurate and complex. The results, first in simulation and then on a test bench, show the implementation of the proposed control scheme in real time.
Crystal Structure of Inhibitor-Bound Human 5-Lipoxygenase-Activating Protein
Authors: Ferguson Andrew D. , McKeever Brian M. , Xu Shihua , Wisniewski Douglas , Miller Douglas K. , Yamin Ting-Ting , Spencer Robert H. , Chu Lin , Ujjainwalla Feroze , Cunningham Barry R. , Evans Jilly F. , Becker Joseph W.
Published: June 2007

Leukotrienes are proinflammatory products of arachidonic acid oxidation by 5-lipoxygenase that have been shown to be involved in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The integral membrane protein FLAP is essential for leukotriene biosynthesis. We describe the x-ray crystal structures of human FLAP in complex with two leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors at 4.0 and 4.2 angstrom resolution, respectively. The structures show that inhibitors bind in membrane-embedded pockets of FLAP, which suggests how these inhibitors prevent arachidonic acid from binding to FLAP and subsequently being transferred to 5-lipoxygenase, thereby preventing leukotriene biosynthesis. This structural information provides a platform for the development of therapeutics for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Quantized Transport in Graphene
p-n
Junctions in a Magnetic Field
Authors: Abanin D. A. , Levitov L. S.
Published: June 2007

Recent experimental work on locally gated graphene layers resulting in
p-n
junctions has revealed the quantum Hall effect in their transport behavior. We explain the observed conductance quantization, which is fractional in the bipolar regime and an integer in the unipolar regime, in terms of quantum Hall edge modes propagating along and across the
p-n
interface. In the bipolar regime, the electron and hole modes can mix at the
p-n
boundary, leading to current partition and quantized shot-noise plateaus similar to those of conductance, whereas in the unipolar regime transport is noiseless. These quantum Hall phenomena reflect the massless Dirac character of charge carriers in graphene, with particle/hole interplay manifest in mode mixing and noise in the bipolar regime.
Upper arm circumference is associated with race performance in ultra-endurance runners
Authors: Knechtle B , Knechtle P , Schulze I , Kohler G
Published: June 2007

Objective:

To investigate the association of anthropometric parameters to race performance in ultra-endurance runners in a multistage ultra-endurance run.

Design:

Descriptive field study.

Setting:

The Deutschlandlauf 2006 race in Germany, where athletes had to run 1200 km within 17 consecutive days. There were no interventions.

Subjects:

In total, there were 19 male Caucasian ultra-endurancerunners (mean (SD) 46.2 (9.6) years, 71.8 (5.2) kg, 179 (6) cm, BMI 22.5 (1.9) kg/m2).

Main outcome measurements:

Determination of body mass, body height, length of lower limbs, skin-fold thicknesses, circumference of limbs, body mass index (BMI), percentage skeletal muscle mass (%SM), and percentage body fat (%BF) in 19 successful finishers in order to correlate anthropometric parameters with running performance.

Results:

A significant association of upper arm circumference with the total running time was found (p<0.05, r2 = 0.26). No significant association was found with the directly measured anthropometric properties body height, body mass, average skin-fold thickness and the circumference of thigh and calf (p>0.05). Furthermore, no significant association was observed between the running time and the calculated parameters BMI, %BF, and %SM (p>0.05).

Conclusions:

In an ultra-endurance run over 1200 km within 17 consecutive days, circumference of the upper arm was the only factor associated with performance in well-experienced ultra-endurance runners. Body mass, BMI, body height, length of limbs, skin-fold thicknesses, circumference of limbs and the calculated percentage body composition of skeletal muscle mass and body fat showed no association with running performance.
THE Ext-FUNCTOR OF COMPLETELY BOUNDED BI-COMODULES, INJECTIVITY AND COHOMOLOGY
Authors: NG CHI-KEUNG
Published: June 2007

Suppose that S is a Hopf C*-algebra. Further to our study of the category of completely bounded S-comodules in [14], we will compare the Ext-functors for [Formula: see text] (the category of counital S-comodules) as well as for [Formula: see text] (the category of counital S-bicomodules) with the cohomology theories defined in [10]. The particular case of compact quantum groups as well as the cases of S=C0(G) and S = C*(G) (where G is a locally compact group) will be considered in more details. Moreover, we give some relations between the vanishing of the first dual cohomologies of C0(G) (respectively, C*(G)) and the injectivity of the bi-comodule U(G) (respectively, U(C*(G))).
PERIOD DEFORMATIONS OF MULTIPLE HURWITZ ZETA FUNCTIONS
Authors: ONODERA KAZUHIRO
Published: June 2007

We study continuous period deformations of the multiple Hurwitz zeta functions and their derivatives. Moreover we investigate period deformations of the generalized multiple gamma and sine functions and give applications.
LOCALLY SELF-SIMILAR FRACTIONAL OSCILLATOR PROCESSES
Authors: LIM S. C. , LI MING , TEO L. P.
Published: June 2007

Fractional oscillator processes of Riemann-Liouville and Weyl type are shown to be locally self-similar. The fractal or Hausdorff dimensions of these processes are determined. Relationship between fractional oscillator processes and the corresponding fractional Brownian motion processes is established.
ON A CLASS OF HYBRID SYSTEMS VIA A NOVEL APPROACH FOR REAL-CODED GENETIC ALGORITHM WITH HYBRID SELECTION
Authors: ARUMUGAM M. SENTHIL , RAO M. V. C.
Published: June 2007

A real-coded genetic algorithm (RGA) approach with hybrid selection method to compute the optimal control and cost (fitness) of a single stage hybrid system is investigated. A typical numerical example is included to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm, which gives the better solution in comparison with forward algorithm. Several statistical tests are also carried out to prove the improved performance of the proposed algorithm. ANOVA test and t-test are also done to verify the betterment of the RGA with hybrid selection. From the experimental approach of the various proportion of the hybrid selection, the right proportions of the hybrid selection is identified and tested.
FUZZY ART-BASED IMAGE CLUSTERING METHOD FOR CONTENT-BASED IMAGE RETRIEVAL
Authors: PARK SANG-SUNG , SEO KWANG-KYU , JANG DONG-SIK
Published: June 2007

In this paper, an image clustering method that is essential for content-based image retrieval in large image databases efficiently is proposed by color, texture, and shape contents. The dominant triple HSV (Hue, Saturation, and Value), which are extracted from quantized HSV joint histogram in the image region, are used for representing color information in the image. Entropy and maximum entry from co-occurrence matrices are used for texture information and edge angle histogram is used for representing shape information. Due to its algorithmic simplicity and the several merits that facilitate the implementation of the neural network, Fuzzy ART has been exploited for image clustering. Original Fuzzy ART suffers unnecessary increase of the number of output neurons when the noise input is presented. Therefore, the improved Fuzzy ART algorithm is proposed to resolve the problem by differently updating the committed node and uncommitted node, and checking the vigilance test again. To show the validity of the proposed algorithm, experimental results on image clustering performance and comparison with original Fuzzy ART are presented in terms of recall rates.
Adhesion Molecules in the Nervous System: Structural Insights into Function and Diversity
Authors: Shapiro Lawrence , Love James , Colman David R.
Published: June 2007

The unparalleled complexity of intercellular connections in the nervous system presents requirements for high levels of both specificity and diversity for the proteins that mediate cell adhesion. Here we describe recent advances toward understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie adhesive binding, specificity, and diversity for several well-characterized families of adhesion molecules in the nervous system. Although many families of adhesion proteins, including cadherins and immunoglobulin superfamily members, are utilized in neural and nonneural contexts, nervous system-specific diversification mechanisms, such as precisely regulated alternative splicing, provide an important means to enable their function in the complex context of the nervous system.
Functional role of bone morphogenetic protein-4 in isolated canine parietal cells
Authors: Nitsche Hildegard , Ramamoorthy Saravanan , Sareban Mahdi , Pausawasdi Nonthalee , Todisco Andrea
Published: June 2007

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4 is an important regulator of cellular growth and differentiation. Expression of BMP-4 has been documented in the gastric mucosa. We reported that incubation of canine parietal cells with EGF for 72 h induced both parietal cell morphological transformation and inhibition of H+/K+-ATPase gene expression through MAPK-dependent mechanisms. We explored the role of BMP-4 in parietal cell maturation and differentiation. Moreover, we investigated if BMP-4 modulates the actions of EGF in parietal cells. H+/K+-ATPase gene expression was examined by Northern blots and quantitative RT-PCR. Acid production was assessed by measuring the uptake of [14C]aminopyrine. Parietal cell apoptosis was quantitated by Western blots with anti-cleaved caspase 3 antibodies and by counting the numbers of fragmented, propidium iodide-stained nuclei. MAPK activation and Smad1 phosphorylation were measured by Western blots with anti-phospho-MAPK and anti-phospho-Smad1 antibodies. Parietal cell morphology was examined by immunohistochemical staining of cells with anti-H+/K+-ATPase α-subunit antibodies. BMP-4 stimulated Smad1 phosphorylation and induced H+/K+-ATPase gene expression. BMP-4 attenuated EGF-mediated inhibition of H+/K+-ATPase gene expression and blocked EGF induction of both parietal cell morphological transformation and MAPK activation. Incubation of cells with BMP-4 enhanced histamine-stimulated [14C]aminopyrine uptake. BMP-4 had no effect on parietal cell apoptosis, whereas TGF-β stimulated caspase-3 activation and nuclear fragmentation. In conclusion, BMP-4 promotes the induction and maintenance of a differentiated parietal cell phenotype. These findings may provide new clues for a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate gastric epithelial cell growth and differentiation.
Polyamines are required for expression of Toll-like receptor 2 modulating intestinal epithelial barrier integrity
Authors: Chen Jie , Rao Jaladanki N. , Zou Tongtong , Liu Lan , Marasa Bernard S. , Xiao Lan , Zeng Xing , Turner Douglas J. , Wang Jian-Ying
Published: June 2007

The Toll-like receptors (TLRs) allow mammalian intestinal epithelium to detect various microbes and activate innate immunity after infection. TLR2 and TLR4 have been identified in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) as fundamental components of the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens, but the exact mechanism involved in control of TLR expression remains unclear. Polyamines are implicated in a wide variety of biological functions, and regulation of cellular polyamines is a central convergence point for the multiple signaling pathways driving different epithelial cell functions. The current study determined whether polyamines regulate TLR expression, thereby modulating intestinal epithelial barrier function. Depletion of cellular polyamines by inhibiting ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) with α-difluoromethylornithine decreased levels of TLR2 mRNA and protein, whereas increased polyamines by ectopic overexpression of the ODC gene enhanced TLR2 expression. Neither intervention changed basal levels of TLR4. Exposure of normal IECs to low-dose (5 μg/ml) LPS increased ODC enzyme activity and stimulated expression of TLR2 but not TLR4, while polyamine depletion prevented this LPS-induced TLR2 expression. Decreased TLR2 in polyamine-deficient cells was associated with epithelial barrier dysfunction. In contrast, increased TLR2 by the low dose of LPS enhanced epithelial barrier function, which was abolished by inhibition of TLR2 expression with specific, small interfering RNA. These results indicate that polyamines are necessary for TLR2 expression and that polyamine-induced TLR2 activation plays an important role in regulating epithelial barrier function.
The BC Genotype of the VNTR Polymorphism of Platelet Glycoprotein Ibα Is Overrepresented in Patients with Recurrent Stroke Regardless of Aspirin Therapy
Authors: Cervera A. , Tàssies D. , Obach V. , Amaro S. , Reverter J.C. , Chamorro A.
Published: June 2007

Background: The contribution of genetic factors to aspirin treatment failure (ATF) for secondary prevention is not settled in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: We assessed the polymorphisms VNTR (A, B, C, D) of glycoprotein (GP) Ibα, 807C/T of GP Ia/IIa, and PlA1/A2 of GP IIb/IIIa, and the 5-year incidence of major recurrent events in 82 stroke patients with no major sources of cardioembolism (mean age 70, SD 9.0 years; female gender 23%). Using a structured interview, all participants confirmed good compliance with aspirin (100–300 mg/day) for secondary prevention. Demographics and atherothrombotic risk factors assessed included diabetes, hypertension, dyslipemia, smoking, and coronary heart disease. Results: Thirty-one stroke patients had one recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction within 33 (7–48) months of aspirin onset, while 51 patients demonstrated an uneventful clinical course. Female gender (p < 0.05), diabetes (p < 0.05), dyslipemia (p < 0.05), and the BC genotype of VNTR (25.8 vs. 7.8%, p < 0.05) were more prevalent in patients in whom aspirin failed to prevent clinical events than in those in whom it did not. The BC genotype of VNTR was the only factor that remained associated with ATF in an age-, sex-, and risk factor-adjusted logistic regression analysis (OR 9.6, 95% CI 1.5–61.0). Conclusion: The BC genotype of the VNTR polymorphism of GP Ibα is an independent predictor of recurrent events in stroke patients treated with aspirin. This finding suggests that high shear-induced platelet activation mediated by GP Ibαand von Willebrand factor is an important contributor to ATF in the stroke population.
Incidence of Radiocontrast Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Acute Stroke Computed Tomography Angiography
Authors: Krol Andrea L. , Dzialowski Imanuel , Roy Jayanta , Puetz Volker , Subramaniam Suresh , Coutts Shelagh B. , Demchuk Andrew M.
Published: June 2007

Background and Purpose—

Minimal research has evaluated the renal safety of emergent computed tomography angiography (CTA) procedures, consecutive contrast medium application, and the long-term outcome in acute stroke patients. We investigated the incidence of contrast-induced renal impairment in these populations.

Methods—

We retrospectively reviewed patients with acute stroke syndrome who received a CTA of the brain with or without the neck within 24 hours from onset of symptoms. All creatinine results and additional conventional angiography findings were recorded. With a positive history of renal disease, contrast administration was delayed until creatinine results were available. Radiocontrast nephropathy (RCN) was defined as a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine from the baseline value up to 5 days after CTA.

Results—

Four hundred eighty-one patients were reviewed, and 224 met the inclusion criteria. There were 7 of 224 (3%) who fulfilled the criteria for RCN. A number of patients underwent emergent CTA without knowledge of their creatinine value; 2 of 93 (2%) developed RCN. There were 36 patients who received an additional digital subtraction angiogram, and none of these developed subsequent RCN. No patients required dialysis, and 9 of 68 (13%) had a >25% increase in their creatinine levels at a late (>30 days) follow-up.

Conclusions—

Overall, these results illustrate that there is a low incidence of RCN in acute stroke patients undergoing emergency CTA.
Religion, multiple identities, and acculturation: A study of Muslim immigrants in Belgium
Authors: Saroglou Vassilis , Mathijsen François
Published: July 2007

In the present study, we examined how the religiousness of European (Belgian) Muslim immigrants is related to multiple collective identities (origin, new country, European, and cosmopolitan), attachment to one (origin or new) or both cultures, and acculturation as a process realized through a variety of domains in personal and social life. Two groups were included: young Muslims born of immigration from Muslim (Mediterranean) countries and, for comparison, young non-Muslims born of immigration from other countries. In both groups, high religiousness predicted attachment to origin identity and culture; low religiousness and religious doubting predicted identification with the host country and acculturation. Interestingly, the religiousness of Muslim immigrants also predicted high identification as citizen of the world, whereas the religiousness of the other immigrants was related to low European identity. Finally, some discrepancy between claiming new identities and effectively experiencing acculturation was found. Interpretations are provided on both a general level (psychology of religion and immigration) and a contextual level (specific to Muslim Europeans).
Indo-Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Perturbations Associated with Intraseasonal Oscillations of Tropical Convection
Authors: Duvel Jean Philippe , Vialard Jérôme
Published: June 2007

Since the ISV of the convection is an intermittent phenomenon, the local mode analysis (LMA) technique is used to detect only the ensemble of intraseasonal events that are well organized at large scale. The LMA technique is further developed in this paper in order to perform multivariate analysis given patterns of SST and surface wind perturbations associated specifically with these intraseasonal events. During boreal winter, the basin-scale eastward propagation of the convective perturbation is present only over the Indian Ocean Basin. The intraseasonal SST response to convective perturbations is large and recurrent over thin mixed layer regions located north of Australia and in the Indian Ocean between 5° and 10°S. By contrast, there is little SST response in the western Pacific basin and no clear eastward propagation of the convective perturbation. During boreal summer, the SST response is large over regions with thin mixed layers located north of the Bay of Bengal, in the Arabian Sea, and in the China Sea. The northeastward propagation of the convective perturbation over the Bay of Bengal is associated with a standing oscillation of the SST and the surface wind between the equator and the northern part of the bay. In fact, many intraseasonal events mostly concern a single basin, suggesting that the interbasin organization is not a necessary condition for the existence of coupled intraseasonal perturbations of the convection.

The perturbation of the surface wind tends to be larger to the west of the large-scale convective perturbation (like for a Gill-type dynamical response). For eastward propagating perturbations, the cooling due to the reinforcement of the wind (i.e., surface turbulent heat flux) thus generally lags the radiative cooling due to the reduction of the surface solar flux by the convective cloudiness. This large-scale Gill-type response of the surface wind also cools the surface to the west of the basin (northwest Arabian Sea and northwest Pacific Ocean), even if the convection is locally weak. An intriguing result is a frequently occurring small delay between the maximum surface wind and the minimum SST. Different explanations are invoked, like a rapid surface cooling due to the vanishing of an ocean warm layer (diurnal surface warming due to solar radiation in low wind conditions) as soon as the wind increases.
Possible Impact of the Indian Ocean SST on the Northern Hemisphere Circulation during El Niño*
Authors: Annamalai H. , Okajima H. , Watanabe M.
Published: June 2007

Two atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs), differing in numerics and physical parameterizations, are employed to test the hypothesis that El Niño–induced sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean impact considerably the Northern Hemisphere extratropical circulation anomalies during boreal winter [January–March +1 (JFM +1)] of El Niño years. The hypothesis grew out of recent findings that ocean dynamics influence SST variations over the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO), and these in turn impact local precipitation. A set of ensemble simulations with the AGCMs was carried out to assess the combined and individual effects of tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean SST anomalies on the extratropical circulation. To elucidate the dynamics responsible for the teleconnection, solutions were sought from a linear version of one of the AGCMs.

Both AGCMs demonstrate that the observed precipitation anomalies over the SWIO are determined by local SST anomalies. Analysis of the circulation response shows that over the Pacific–North American (PNA) region, the 500-hPa height anomalies, forced by Indian Ocean SST anomalies, oppose and destructively interfere with those forced by tropical Pacific SST anomalies. The model results validated with reanalysis data show that compared to the runs where only the tropical Pacific SST anomalies are specified, the root-mean-square error of the height anomalies over the PNA region is significantly reduced in runs in which the SST anomalies in the Indian Ocean are prescribed in addition to those in the tropical Pacific. Among the ensemble members, both precipitation anomalies over the SWIO and the 500-hPa height over the PNA region show high potential predictability. The solutions from the linear model indicate that the Rossby wave packets involved in setting up the teleconnection between the SWIO and the PNA region have a propagation path that is quite different from the classical El Niño–PNA linkage.

The results of idealized experiments indicate that the Northern Hemisphere extratropical response to Indian Ocean SST anomalies is significant and the effect of this response needs to be considered in understanding the PNA pattern during El Niño years. The results presented herein suggest that the tropical Indian Ocean plays an active role in climate variability and that accurate observation of SST there is of urgent need.
Explorations of the Annual Mean Heat Budget of the Tropical Indian Ocean. Part I: Studies with an Idealized Model
Authors: Godfrey J. Stuart , Hu Rui-Jin , Schiller Andreas , Fiedler R.
Published: June 2007

Annual mean net heat fluxes from ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) are systematically too low in the tropical Indian Ocean, compared to observations. In the models, only some of the geostrophic inflow replacing southward Ekman outflow is colder than the minimum sea surface temperature (MINSST). Observed heat fluxes imply that much more inflow is colder than MINSST. Since inflow below MINSST can only join the surface Ekman transport after diathermal warming, the OGCMs must underestimate diathermal effects.

A crude analog of the annual mean Indian Ocean heat budget was generated, using a rectangular box model with a deep “Indo–Pacific” gap at 7°–10°S in its eastern side. Wind stress was zonal and proportional to the Coriolis parameter, so Ekman transport was spatially constant and equaled Sverdrup transport. For three experiments, zonally integrated Ekman transport was steady and southward at 10 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1). In steady state, a 10 Sv “Indonesian Throughflow” fed a northward western boundary current of 10 Sv, which turned eastward along the northern boundary at 10°N to feed the southward Ekman transport. Most diathermal mixing occurred within an intense eddy in the northwest corner. Some of the geostrophic inflow was at temperatures colder than MINSST (found at the northeast corner of the eddy); it must warm to MINSST via diathermal mixing. Northern boundary upwelling exceeded the 10-Sv Ekman transport. The excess warms as it recirculates around the eddy, apparently supplying the heat to warm inflow below MINSST. In an experiment using the “flux-corrected transport” (FCT) scheme, diathermal mixing occurred in the strongly sheared currents around the eddy. However the Richardson number never became low enough to drive strong diathermal mixing, perhaps because (like that of other published models) the present model’s vertical resolution was too coarse. In three experiments, the dominant mixing was caused by horizontal diffusion, spurious convective overturn, and numerical mixing invoked by the FCT scheme, respectively. All three mixing mechanisms are physically suspect; such model problems (if widespread) must be resolved before the mismatch between observed and modeled heat fluxes can be addressed. However, the fact that the density profile at the western boundary must be hydrostatically stable places a lower limit on the area-integrated heat fluxes. Results from the three main experiments—and from many published OGCMs—are quite close to this lower limit.
Mechanisms for the Interannual Variability in the Tropical Indian Ocean. Part II: Regional Processes
Authors: Huang Bohua , Shukla J.
Published: June 2007

To understand the mechanisms of the interannual variability in the tropical Indian Ocean, two long-term simulations are conducted using a coupled ocean–atmosphere GCM—one with active air–sea coupling over the global ocean and the other with regional coupling restricted within the Indian Ocean to the north of 30°S while the climatological monthly sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are prescribed in the uncoupled oceans to drive the atmospheric circulation. The major spatial patterns of the observed upper-ocean heat content and SST anomalies can be reproduced realistically by both simulations, suggesting that they are determined by intrinsic coupled processes within the Indian Ocean.

In both simulations, the interannual variability in the Indian Ocean is dominated by a tropical mode and a subtropical mode. The tropical mode is characterized by a coupled feedback among thermocline depth, zonal SST gradient, and wind anomalies over the equatorial and southern tropical Indian Ocean, which is strongest in boreal fall and winter. The tropical mode simulated by the global coupled model reproduces the main observational features, including a seasonal connection to the model El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The ENSO influence, however, is weaker than that in a set of ensemble simulations described in Part I of this study, where the observed SST anomalies for 1950–98 are prescribed outside the Indian Ocean. Combining with the results from Part I of this study, it is concluded that ENSO can modulate the temporal variability of the tropical mode through atmospheric teleconnection. Its influence depends on the ENSO strength and duration. The stronger and more persistent El Niño events in the observations extend the life span of the anomalous events in the tropical Indian Ocean significantly. In the regional coupled simulation, the tropical mode is still active, but its dominant period is shifted away from that of ENSO. In the absence of ENSO forcing, the tropical mode is mainly stimulated by an anomalous atmospheric direct thermal cell forced by the fluctuations of the northwestern Pacific monsoon.

The subtropical mode is characterized by an east–west dipole pattern of the SST anomalies in the southern subtropical Indian Ocean, which is strongest in austral fall. The SST anomalies are initially forced by surface heat flux anomalies caused by the anomalous southeast trade wind in the subtropical ocean during austral summer. The trade wind anomalies are in turn associated with extratropical variations from the southern annular mode. A thermodynamic air–sea feedback strengthens these subtropical anomalies quickly in austral fall and extends their remnants into the tropical ocean in austral winter. In the simulations, this subtropical variability is independent of ENSO.
Laboratory Lessons for Writing and Science
Authors: Lerner Neal
Published: June 2007

The history of writing to learn college science is tied to the development of laboratory methods. Such student-centered learning was widely hailed in the 1890s as student enrollments increased dramatically and a backlash grew against lecture and recitation methods. However, as the author shows using archival examples from Dartmouth College, Amherst College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, science educators have too often relied on reductive measures of students' grasp of content rather than the kind of argument about scientific findings that is the stuff of real scientific writing and of real science. Although some contemporary science educators continue to tout the value of writing to learn science, the laboratory report or research article itself is a genre that dominates student activities but still largely suffers from the ills of its predecessors. Ultimately, the author calls for a renewed focus on laboratory writing, for both science education and writing studies, to fulfill the promise of previous reform efforts.
Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Program to Enhance Collaboration Between Hospital and Community Palliative Care Services
Authors: Carroll Jean M. , Santucci Gina , Kang Tammy I. , Feudtner Chris
Published: June 2007

The provision of high-quality palliative care services to dying children and their families often requires extensive collaboration between hospital-based and community-based care teams. This article describes the origins and development of the Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program, which has provided pediatric-specific educational offerings and fostered joint endeavors between a palliative care service located in a tertiary care children's hospital and a wide range of hospice and home care agencies in 5 states. The Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program is evaluated in terms of the favorable ratings that attendees have given the educational components, the relatively modest direct costs of mounting the regional meetings, and the expanded capacity to provide home-based palliative services to children and families who desire them. The Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program provides another feasible means for hospitals and community agencies to work together to improve pediatric palliative care.
The Effect of Underlying Health Status on Patient or Surrogate Preferences for End-of-Life Care: A Pilot Study
Authors: Kara Zivin Bambauer  , Gillick Muriel R.
Published: June 2007

This study explored the role of health status, as measured by the Palliative Performance Score, in shaping patient preferences for end-of-life care. Scores were correlated with 3 potential goals of care: prolonging life, maintaining function, and maximizing comfort among patients seen in palliative care consultation. Eighty-six patients expressed treatment preferences: 16 (19%) preferred prolonging life, 23 (27%) preferred maintaining function, and 47 (54%) preferred maximizing comfort ( P < .0001); their average scores ± standard deviation were, respectively, 51.9 ± 19.4, 56.5 ± 16.7, and 45.3 ± 14.1 ( P = .0459). There was a significant relationship between patient preferences and Palliative Performance Score, with lower scores indicating preferences for comfort and higher scores indicating a preference for maintaining function and life expectancy. Further research is needed to test the sensitivity of health status, as measured by the Palliative Performance Score, in affecting patient preferences.
A Pilot Home Study of Temporal Variations of Symptoms in Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
Authors: McCarley Cynthia , Hanneman Sandra K. , Padhye Nikhil , Smolensky Michael H.
Published: June 2007

The purposes of this pilot study are to describe the 24-hr patterns of dyspnea, fatigue, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and examine their interrelationships. The repeated-measures design protocol involved 10 patients with moderate to severe COPD who self-assessed dyspnea, fatigue, and PEFR five times a day for 8 days. Circadian rhythms were documented by single cosinor analysis in 40% of the participants for dyspnea, 60% for fatigue, and 60% for PEFR. The 8-day, 24-hr means of dyspnea and fatigue were moderately correlated; 70% of the sample displayed significant correlations. The means of PEFR and both dyspnea and fatigue were weakly negatively correlated. The findings suggest that circadian rhythm in lung function may not be temporally coupled with the circadian rhythm in dyspnea and fatigue in all patients and that the mean self-perceived levels of dyspnea and fatigue are moderately related.
Aftermath of the Unexpected, Unexplained, and Abrupt Termination of Healing Touch and Extrapolation of Related Costs
Authors: Peck Sue
Published: June 2007

This qualitative study reports 12 patients' experiences following the unplanned and unexpected termination of their healing touch treatments. Physically disabled, chronically ill patients requiring nursing home levels of care, who were being assisted in staying at home with agency support, had been treated one to two times weekly to monthly over a period of 3 to 4 months by a healing touch practitioner, under a pilot study. Patients had been interviewed twice during their treatments and had described positive experiences with healing touch. Midway through the study, there was an abrupt stopping of treatments without warning or explanation to either patients or researchers. Naturalistic inquiry methodology was used to explore patients' subsequent reactions and experiences. Six patients had negative experiences, including increased pain and impaired functional ability, sleep, and emotional status. Six patients continued to have positive experiences after treatments were terminated. Estimates of potential cost savings with healing touch treatment, as well as ethical implications of discontinuing beneficial treatment without warning or replacement, are discussed.
A model-based optimization framework for the inference of regulatory interactions using time-course DNA microarray expression data
Authors: Thomas Reuben , Paredes Carlos J , Mehrotra Sanjay , Hatzimanikatis Vassily , Papoutsakis Eleftherios T
Published: June 2007

Background

Proteins are the primary regulatory agents of transcription even though mRNA expression data alone, from systems like DNA microarrays, are widely used. In addition, the regulation process in genetic systems is inherently non-linear in nature, and most studies employ a time-course analysis of mRNA expression. These considerations should be taken into account in the development of methods for the inference of regulatory interactions in genetic networks.

Results

We use an S-system based model for the transcription and translation process. We propose an optimization-based regulatory network inference approach that uses time-varying data from DNA microarray analysis. Currently, this seems to be the only model-based method that can be used for the analysis of time-course "relative" expressions (expression ratios). We perform an analysis of the dynamic behavior of the system when the number of experimental samples available is varied, when there are different levels of noise in the data and when there are genes that are not considered by the experimenter. Our studies show that the principal factor affecting the ability of a method to infer interactions correctly is the similarity in the time profiles of some or all the genes. The less similar the profiles are to each other the easier it is to infer the interactions. We propose a heuristic method for resolving networks and show that it displays reasonable performance on a synthetic network. Finally, we validate our approach using real experimental data for a chosen subset of genes involved in the sporulation cascade of Bacillus anthracis. We show that the method captures most of the important known interactions between the chosen genes.

Conclusion

The performance of any inference method for regulatory interactions between genes depends on the noise in the data, the existence of unknown genes affecting the network genes, and the similarity in the time profiles of some or all genes. Though subject to these issues, the inference method proposed in this paper would be useful because of its ability to infer important interactions, the fact that it can be used with time-course DNA microarray data and because it is based on a non-linear model of the process that explicitly accounts for the regulatory role of proteins.