bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
METAPHOR: THE IMPOSSIBLE TRANSLATION?
Authors: Eynon Terri
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
The linguistic concept‘metaphor’ has an established place in clinical as well as theoretical psychotherapy. It has been seen as analogous to or even fundamental to the analytic concept of transference. Metaphors have been thought to have a special role in enhancing therapist‐patient communications. By contrast, in linguistics itself, metaphor has been relatively neglected, viewed as irrelevant and unscientific. That conventional approach to metaphor has recently been challenged by Contemporary Metaphor Theory.

This new theory suggests that language depends upon a largely unconscious system of conventional metaphor. Our bodily experiences are the basis of our understanding of abstract concepts such as emotions and relationships. Novel and imaginative metaphors build upon this fundamental biological structure.

The traditional approach placed metaphor, along with rhetoric and, by inference, psychodynamic thinking, at the periphery of science. Cognitive linguistic research is now showing that language is fundamentally structured by metaphorical processes, which enhances the scientific status of psychoanalysis and supports and extends the view of metaphor as at the heart of language and meaning.
WHAT REMAINS OF OEDIPUS? PART OBJECTS BEYOND THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Authors: Undrill Guy
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Lacan's understanding of the death drive as an effect of the symbolic chain raises the possibility of a symbolic death (connoting narrative ending) before the subject's biological death. The dying Oedipus in Sophocles’Oedipus at Colonus might be thought of as occupying such a position. Lacan asks us to consider what, when his life has completely passed over into destiny, remains of Oedipus?

Nietzsche's‘untimely meditations’ invite, anticipate and sanction future textual interpretations that Nietzsche himself could not have predicted; similar textual strategies exist in the work of Beckett. Such strategies offer an approach to overcoming the impossibility of adequately narrating a life. The psychoanalytic concept‘part object’ can be extended to model the way parallel processes are at work in psychoanalysis. Beckett's own retelling of the Oedipus story is considered to show how it attempts to answer the question ‘what remains of Oedipus?’
OVERT AND COVERT NARCISSISM: TURNING POINTS AND MUTATIVE ELEMENTS IN TWO PSYCHOTHERAPIES
Authors: Revik Jan Ole
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Two patients, one with an overt and the other with a covert narcis‐sistic disorder, are followed through five years of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A number of important turning points in the therapies are closely evaluated in order to discover possible mutative elements. Special attention is paid to the patients’ self‐sufficiency. The attachment process to the therapist and the patients’ gradual acceptance of healthy dependency are described. The theoretical framework is selfpsychological.
SHAME, DISGUST, ANGER AND REVENGE: HOMOSEXUALITY AND COUNTERTRANSFERENCE
Authors: Jones David
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTHomosexuality has a central place in the history and development of psychoanalysis. Freud correctly identified‘difference’ as a starting place for an investigation into the dynamics of sexuality. Unwittingly he also instigated thinking that raised, among some analysts, a desire for curative action. The absence of insights from the countertransference debate influenced psychoanalytic thinking for a period, obscured the benefits that might accrue from the analyst's recognition of his intrinsic bisexuality and, more recently, fuelled a popular reaction which argues that homosexuality is not a matter for psychoanalytic investigation but a healthy extension of the personality. The profession similarly has been divided. This paper contends that homosexuality should remain an area for psychoanalytic consideration. There are transference and countertransference issues to examine that include shame, disgust, anger and revenge.

While such emotions and reactions are not unique to the area of homosexuality they may lead to particularly destructive effects if left unobserved in our work and in ourselves.
MADNESS IN ANCIENT IRELAND
Authors: McMahon Brendan
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
My purpose in this paper is to examine a number of traditional Irish narratives, whose primary concern is with psychosis, and to compare and contrast them with psychoanalytic narratives of the same phenomenon. While suggestive parallels are discovered, the Irish texts privilege phenomenology over aetiology, and emphasize the communal and interpersonal aspects of psychosis rather than the intrapersonal. These perspectives might usefully be incorporated into the psychoanalytic model.
‘IN MY END IS MY BEGINNING’: T.S. ELIOT'S THE WASTE LAND AND AFTER
Authors: Schimmel Paul
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
The publication of The Waste Land established Eliot's reputation as a major poet. The poem was written out of an experience of emotional ‘breakdown’, and its innovative free associative form conveys a sense of psychological fragmentation. While Eliot emphasized the necessary distance that must be achieved between personal experience and successful creative expression, all his major poems were written out of periods of personal crisis and growth, and remain intensely personal. This paper explores links between Eliot's personal emotional experience and the poetry. It suggests that for Eliot poetry was part of a journey of self‐exploration and, at the time of The Waste Land and subsequently, became a vital part of his struggle towards a new integration within his self.
FROM FREE ASSOCIATION TO THE DYNAMIC FOCUS: TOWARDS A MODEL OF RECURRENT PSYCHOTHERAPY
Authors: Mander Gertrud
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
This paper sets out to describe some of the recent changes in psychotherapy in terms of the needs of new clinical populations. Written from the perspective of the brief therapist it is about new treatment approaches in various clinical contexts which are setting time‐limits and advocate focusing on selected material, in order to shorten working contracts. The history of brief focal psychotherapy is charted from the first attempt set up at the Tavistock Clinic by the analysts Balint and Malan, to the theories of Mann, Sifneos, Luborsky and, most recently, Daniel Stern who advocates ‘reapplications of treatment’ as did Freud and Erikson, i.e. ‘a form of serial life‐span therapy which is the continuation of a single treatment across discontinuities in a life‐span’. It emphasizes the importance of careful assessment at the outset of treatment, in order to find the ‘nuclear conflict’ (French), the ‘point of maximum pain’ (Hinshelwood) or the ‘therapeutic metaphor’ (Stern) which will constitute their chosen dynamic focus, as well as to formulate a justification for the therapist's amending of the time‐frame, for the adoption of an active stance and for modifications of technique to achieve the therapeutic goal. Thus the aim of ‘making a significant difference’ in the client's self‐perception and functioning substitutes for the structural changes aimed for in long‐term therapy. Some clinical vignettes attempt to show how this can be done. Finally, there is the plea for an acceptance of ‘recurrent psychotherapy’ which in reality is already practised widely: more and more patients are receiving successive therapy contracts in the course of their lives, returning for more therapy whenever they encounter a fresh disabling crisis.
PERVERSE FEMALES: THEIR UNIQUE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Authors: Lloyd‐Owen Dorothy
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
This paper explores the psychopathology of perversion in women, an area often resisted in society and, as a consequence, leaving women without the help they need. The role of aggression and ‘core complex’ issues are discussed with case illustrations of the perverse use of the body in women.
MAD DESIRE AND FEVERISH MELANCHOLY:* REFLECTIONS ON THE PSYCHODYNAMICS OF WRITING AND PRESENTING
Authors: Barwick Nick
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
This paper builds on investigations, outlined in previous papers, into essay anxiety amongst late adolescent ‘A’ level students (Barwick 1995, 2000), where the author suggested that a student's experience of uncontained aggression –‐ in particular, sexualized aggression –‐ appears to be a strong contributory factor in essay writing anxiety. In this paper, examples of essay anxiety are broadened to include students at primary, secondary, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Further, drawing upon contemporary post‐Kleinian thinking regarding the oedipal situation, the author suggests that many of the problems students encounter in their efforts to write may be prompted by unresolved oedipal issues. Conflicts arising from such issues may produce writing blocks or other neurotic essay symptoms. The author includes for consideration his own anxiety in preparing to present a paper at a conference. Some attention is also given to ways of alleviating essay anxiety, with particular reference to the use of transitional space.
SOME DEVELOPMENTAL FACETS OF SILENCE: A CASE STUDY OF A STRUGGLE TO HAVE A PROXIMITY FIGURE
Authors: Ferber Sari Goldstein
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of silence in therapy has not elicited a great deal of research in the past 50 years, but cases that were published acknowledged the many facets of silence in therapy and its having a communicative function and being part of the transference. The aim of this article is to demonstrate a case in which a patient exhibited different kinds of silences which stemmed from different sources over the course of nine years of psychotherapy. In analysing the case, it was proposed that the patient used silences in order to attain proximity to the therapist as an attachment figure and to base the proximity and distance in relation to her. It was also proposed that his silences matured and developed from expressing avoidance to the expression of intimacy thus facilitating the maturation of his capacity to maintain a dialogue. The possibility of interpreting silences is discussed in terms of attachment theory.
CLOSENESS AND INTIMACY
Authors: Burch Nigel
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
In this paper I am trying to open up a line of thinking that has been developing in my mind for some years. I start by defining what I mean by closeness and intimacy. Then I describe what led me into thinking about the topic of closeness and intimacy, a topic not often touched on in analytic training or writing. I then describe something that happened in a session that struck me as unusual. I go on to look at three papers that came to my mind in this context, and then discuss the development of my thoughts. I conclude that closeness and intimacy – which I see as having a more powerful effect on a patient than closeness – are mutative phenomena in their own right, as well as being an essential part of therapy.
‘TO ENLIVEN HER WAS MY LIVING’: THOUGHTS ON COMPLIANCE AND SACRIFICE AS CONSEQUENCES OF MALIGNANT IDENTIFICATION WITH A NARCISSISTIC PARENT
Authors: Gardner Fiona
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
This paper explores the dynamics involved for children growing up with a narcissistic parent. It suggests that as a consequence of a malignant identification children resort to compliance and sacrifice in varying degrees. Compliance, as part of the sacrificial dynamic, also serves as a means for identification, which in the absence of other emotional nurturance the infant and later the child is reluctant to relinquish. Drawing on the personal and professional experiences of both D.W. Winnicott and H.J.S. Guntrip the paper discusses the underlying conflict between absorption into and abandonment from the narcissistic parent. The psychotherapeutic relationship offers a space to acknowledge the systematic interconnectedness that is at the heart of the malignant identification and the terrible dependency involved. Through a good personal relationship a benign identification with the therapist can begin to replace what was previously so strongly held onto. Brief extracts from two incomplete psychotherapies with young men are used to illustrate certain aspects of the therapeutic work involved.
‘A FACT WITHOUT PARALLEL’: CONSCIOUSNESS AS AN EMERGENT PROPERTY
Authors: Black David M.
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Consciousness was described by Freud as‘a fact without parallel’. This paper suggests that the attempts by modern psychology and neuroscience to understand consciousness have failed to appreciate that it lies for clear and necessary reasons beyond the reach of 'science’as we have understood it since the seventeenth century. The author goes on to argue that the fact of consciousness implies a world of subjectivity and uniqueness which will only be integrated with the world of empirical science if there can be profound changes in our understanding of science itself; or, alternatively, if clear bounds are recognized to science's domain.
CONSCIOUS CHANGE AND CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS: SOME THOUGHTS ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDITATION
Authors: MacKenna Christopher
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
This paper investigates some aspects of consciousness by drawing on the psychology of meditation. Three states of mind are described: semiconsciousness, consciousness and, following the mystics, the possibility of a consciousness which transcends ordinary ego awareness. Some experiences of three authorities on Christian spirituality ‐ Augustine of Hippo, Evagrius of Pontus and Teresa of Avila ‐ are explored in the light of psychoanalytic reflections provided by Erikson, Jung, and Winnicott.
Short‐ and long‐term depression of rat cerebellar parallel fibre synaptic transmission mediated by synaptic crosstalk
Authors: Marcaggi Païkan , Attwell David
Published: November 2006

Cerebellar granule cell to Purkinje cell synapses have been reported to show plasticity when stimulating the parallel fibres, but not when granule cell axons are stimulated in the granular layer. The latter absence of plasticity has been attributed either to the synapses made by ascending granule cell axons lacking some feature needed to evoke plasticity, such as metabotropic glutamate receptors, or to spillover of glutamate between adjacent active synapses being essential for plasticity to occur and having a greater effect for parallel fibre stimulation than for granular layer stimulation. Here we show that both long‐term depression (LTD) and endocannabinoid plasticity can depend on interaction between adjacent synapses. These results focus attention on the need to characterize the spatial pattern of parallel fibre activity evoked by physiological stimuli, in order to assess the conditions under which synaptic plasticity will occur in vivo.
Dispersion of repolarization and refractoriness are determinants of arrhythmia phenotype in transgenic mice with long QT
Authors: London Barry , Baker Linda C. , Petkova‐Kirova Polina , Nerbonne Jeanne M. , Choi Bum‐Rak , Salama Guy
Published: November 2006

Enhanced dispersion of repolarization (DR) and refractoriness may be a unifying mechanism central to arrhythmia genesis in the long QT (LQT) syndrome. The role of DR in promoting arrhythmias was investigated in several strains of molecularly engineered mice: (a) Kv4.2 dominant negative transgenic (Kv4.2DN) that lacks the fast component of the transient outward current, Ito,f, have action potential (AP) and QT prolongation, but no spontaneous arrhythmias, (b) Kv1.4 targeted mice (Kv1.4−/−) that lack the slow component of Ito (Ito,s), have no QT prolongation and no spontaneous arrhythmias, and (c) double transgenic (Kv4.2DN×Kv1.4−/−) mice that lack both Ito,f and Ito,s, have AP and QT prolongation, and spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Hearts were perfused, stained with di‐4‐ANEPPS and optically mapped. Activation patterns and conduction velocities were similar between the strains but AP duration at 75% recovery (APD75) was longer in Kv4.2DN (28.0 ± 2.5 ms, P < 0.01, n= 6), Kv1.4−/− (28.4 ± 0.4 ms, P < 0.01, n= 5) and Kv4.2DN×Kv1.4−/− (34.3 ± 2.6 ms, P < 0.01, n= 6) mice than controls (20.3 ± 1.0 ms, n= 5). Dispersion of refractoriness between apex and base was markedly reduced in Kv4.2DN (0.3 ± 0.5 ms, n= 6, P < 0.05) but enhanced in Kv1.4−/− (14.2 ± 2.0 ms, n= 5, P < 0.05) and Kv4.2DN×Kv1.4−/− (15.0 ± 3 ms, n= 5, P < 0.5) mice compared with controls (10 ± 2 ms, n= 5). A premature pulse elicited ventricular tachycardia (VT) in Kv1.4−/− (n= 4/5) and Kv4.2DN×Kv1.4−/− hearts (n= 5/5) but not Kv4.2DN hearts (n= 0/6). Voltage‐clamp recordings showed that Ito,f was 30% greater in myocytes from the apex than base which may account for the absence of DR in Kv4.2DN mice. Thus, dispersion of repolarization (DR) appears to be an important determinant of arrhythmia vulnerability.
Manganese stimulates luteinizing hormone releasing hormone secretion in prepubertal female rats: hypothalamic site and mechanism of action
Authors: Lee Boyeon , Hiney Jill K. , Pine Michelle D. , Srivastava Vinod K. , Dees W. Les
Published: November 2006

We have shown recently that Mn2+ stimulates gonadotropin secretion via an action at the hypothalamic level, and a diet supplemented with a low dose of the element is capable of advancing the time of female puberty. In this study, we used an in vitro approach to investigate the mechanism by which Mn2+ induces luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone (LHRH) secretion from prepubertal female rats. The medial basal hypothalamus from 30‐day‐old rats was incubated in Locke solution for 30 min to assess basal LHRH secretion, then incubated with buffer alone or buffer plus either a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (N‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine (NMMA); 300 or 500 μm) or a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor (1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ); 100 or 250 μm) for another 30 min. Finally, the incubation continued for a further 30 min, but in the presence of MnCl2 (50 or 250 μm) to assess the effect of the blockers on stimulated LHRH secretion. Both 50 and 250 μm MnCl2 stimulated LHRH release (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). The addition of 300–500 μm NMMA to the medium did not block Mn2+‐stimulated release of LHRH, even with the higher dose of MnCl2. Furthermore, while 50, 100 and 250 μm MnCl2 all significantly induced LHRH release, the two lowest doses did not stimulate total nitrite released from the same tissue, an effect only observed with the highest dose. Taken together, these data suggest that Mn2+ is not an effective stimulator of NO. Conversely, inhibiting sGC with ODQ blocked the Mn2+‐stimulated secretion of LHRH in a dose‐dependent manner, indicating that GC is the site of action of Mn2+. Additionally, we showed that Mn2+ stimulated cGMP and LHRH from the same tissues, and that downstream blocking of protein kinase G formation with KT5823 (10 μm) inhibited Mn2+‐induced LHRH release. These data demonstrate that the principal action of Mn2+ within the hypothalamus is to activate sGC directly and/or as a cofactor with available NO, hence generating cGMP and resulting in prepubertal LHRH release.
Reliability and Efficiency of the Existing Spectral Methods for Isomorphism Detection
Authors: Sunkari Rajesh Pavan , Schmidt Linda C.
Published: November 2006

Mechanism researchers have developed several types of codes and indices, to indicate if a pair of kinematic chains is isomorphic. Unfortunately, most of these codes or indices are either computationally inefficient or unreliable. This work establishes, for the first time, the reliability of the existing spectral techniques—characteristic polynomial and eigenvector approaches—for isomorphism detection. The reliability of characteristic polynomial of adjacency matrix is established by determining the number of pairs of non-isomorphic chains, with up to 14 links and one, two, and three degrees of freedom. The most recent eigenvector approach is critically reviewed and correct proof is provided for the statement that is the basis for this approach. It is shown, for the first time, that the eigenvector approach was able to identify all nonisomorphic chains, with up to 14 links and one, two, and three degrees of freedom. It is shown that unlike the characteristic polynomial method the eigenvector approach in worst case might take exponential time. Finally, efficient methods are suggested to the classical eigenvector approach by using the Perron–Frobenius theorem.
Computerized Modeling and Simulation of Spiral Bevel and Hypoid Gears Manufactured by Gleason Face Hobbing Process
Authors: Fan Qi
Published: November 2006

The Gleason face hobbing process has been widely applied by the gear industry. But so far, few papers have been found regarding exact modeling and simulation of the tooth surface generations and tooth contact analysis (TCA) of face hobbed spiral bevel and hypoid gear sets. This paper presents the generalized theory of the face hobbing generation method, mathematic models of tooth surface generations, and the simulation of meshing of face hobbed spiral bevel and hypoid gears. The face hobbing indexing motion is described and visualized. A generalized description of the cutting blades is introduced by considering four sections of the blade edge geometry. A kinematical model is developed and analyzed by breaking down the machine tool settings and the relative motions of the machine elemental units and applying coordinate transformations of the elemental motions. The developed face hobbing generation model is directly related to a physical bevel gear generator. A generalized and enhanced TCA algorithm is proposed. The face hobbing process has two categories, non-generated (Formate®) and generated methods, applied to the tooth surface generation of the gear. In both categories, the pinion is always finished with the generated method. The developed tooth surface generation model covers both categories with left-hand and right-hand members. Based upon the developed theory, an advanced tooth surface generation and TCA program is developed and integrated into Gleason CAGE™for Windows Software. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the implementation of the developed mathematic models.
Analytical Behavior Law for a Constant Pitch Conical Compression Spring
Authors: Rodriguez Emmanuel , Paredes Manuel , Sartor Marc
Published: November 2006

Cylindrical compression spring behavior has been described in the literature using an efficient analytical model. Conical compression spring behavior has a linear phase but can also have a nonlinear phase. The rate of the linear phase can easily be calculated but no analytical model exists to describe the nonlinear phase precisely. This nonlinear phase can only be determined by a discretizing algorithm. The present paper presents analytical continuous expressions of length as a function of load and load as a function of length for a constant pitch conical compression spring in the nonlinear phase. Whal’s basic cylindrical compression assumptions are adopted for these new models (Wahl, A. M., 1963, Mechanical Springs, Mc Graw-Hill, New York). The method leading to the analytical expression involves separating free and solid/ground coils, and integrating elementary deflections along the whole spring. The inverse process to obtain the spring load from its length is assimilated to solve a fourth order polynomial. Two analytical models are obtained. One to determine the length versus load curve and the other for the load versus length curve. Validation of the new conical spring models in comparison with experimental data is performed. The behavior law of a conical compression spring can now be analytically determined. This kind of formula is useful for designers who seek to avoid using tedious algorithms. Analytical models can mainly be useful in developing interactive assistance tools for conical spring design, especially where optimization methods are used.
An Integrated Systematic Design Recovery Framework
Authors: Urbanic R. J. , ElMaraghy W. H. , ElMaraghy H. A.
Published: November 2006

Reverse engineering aims at reproducing an existing object by analyzing its dimensions, features, form, and properties. Reversing geometry has traditionally been emphasized in this process. The collected data and information must be transformed into pertinent product knowledge at both the detail and embodiment levels. A thorough analysis of the environment must be conducted in order determine the functional requirements, infer the original needs, and deduce the form and fit features. An integrated approach that blends techniques such as IDEF modeling, scanning, and physical measurements, least-squares methods, and statistics used for process capability analysis in an innovative manner can lead to a more complete model, as no one set of tools can provide a complete, comprehensive engineering representation. An integrated and systematic framework for design recovery of mechanical parts is proposed. Forward engineering techniques should be applied appropriately throughout and integrated with the reverse engineering process to heal the knowledge gaps. Examples are presented that illustrate the application of the proposed integrated approach and highlight its merits.
Probabilistic Approach to Modeling of 3D Objects using Silhouettes
Authors: Jain Ankur , Yadav Vikas , Mittal Ankush , Gupta Sumit
Published: November 2006

Recently, 3D model construction from 2D images using an uncalibrated camera has attracted significant attention in the research community. Most of the algorithms for 3D model construction suffer from problems such as inefficiency, irregular construction, and necessity of camera calibration. In this paper, a novel algorithm is presented that uses the silhouette images obtained from the object to construct the 3D model. To carry out the 3D modeling, multiple views of the object are taken from different angles. Then using a silhouette based technique, new silhouettes are constructed and feature points are derived from them. These feature points are then used to construct the triangular meshes, which in turn construct the whole surface of the 3D model. The noise in the silhouette images is dealt with a probabilistic framework. In addition, a faster technique is presented to reduce the time and space complexity of this algorithm making it feasible for most commercial applications. The algorithm has been successfully tested on several objects. The experimental results and comparison with a voxelization technique over several sequences shows the superiority and the effectiveness of our technique.
Modeling of pattern development during fibronectin nanofibril formation
Authors: Pompea Tilo , Starruß Jörn , Bobeth Manfred , Pompe Wolfgang
Published: November 2006

Formation of fibrillar fibronectin networks is a major process during embryogenesis and tissue formation, but the molecular details of fibril assembly remain poorly understood. Based on current ideas of fibronectin fibrillogenesis, a stochastic model was developed to enlighten the mechanism of the formation of paired fibronectin nanofibrils by adherent endothelial cells, which has been observed recently. The development of fibronectin clusters and fibrils was investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations, including diffusion-controlled aggregation and myosin-driven transport of fibronectin-integrin complexes in the vicinity of a focal adhesion. Different evolving growth patterns were summarized in a morphological diagram as a function of the fibronectin substrate and fibronectin-fibronectin interaction energies. The formation of paired nanofibrils was found to occur in a certain region of interaction parameters. Beyond this region branched fibronectin clusters as well as tear-off of fibronectin fibrils were observed.
Distinct Fermi-Momentum-Dependent Energy Gaps in Deeply Underdoped Bi2212
Authors: Tanaka Kiyohisa , Lee W. S. , Lu D. H. , Fujimori A. , Fujii T. , Risdiana  , Terasaki I. , Scalapino D. J. , Devereaux T. P. , Hussain Z. , Shen Z.-X.
Published: November 2006

We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy applied to deeply underdoped cuprate superconductors Bi
2
Sr
2
Ca

(1–
x
)

Y

x

Cu
2
O
8
(Bi2212) to reveal the presence of two distinct energy gaps exhibiting different doping dependence. One gap, associated with the antinodal region where no coherent peak is observed, increased with underdoping, a behavior known for more than a decade and considered as the general gap behavior in the underdoped regime. The other gap, associated with the near-nodal regime where a coherent peak in the spectrum can be observed, did not increase with less doping, a behavior not previously observed in the single particle spectra. We propose a two-gap scenario in momentum space that is consistent with other experiments and may contain important information on the mechanism of high–transition temperature superconductivity.
Efficacy of Caspofungin against
Aspergillus flavus
,
Aspergillus terreus
, and
Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Bowman J. C. , Abruzzo G. K. , Flattery A. M. , Gill C. J. , Hickey E. J. , Hsu M. J. , Nielsen Kahn J. , Liberator P. A. , Misura A. S. , Pelak B. A. , Wang T. C. , Douglas C. M.
Published: November 2006

The echinocandin caspofungin is a potent inhibitor of the activity of 1,3-β-
d
-glucan synthase from
Aspergillus flavus
,
Aspergillus terreus
, and
Aspergillus nidulans
. In murine models of disseminated infection, caspofungin prolonged survival and reduced the kidney fungal burden. Caspofungin was at least as effective as amphotericin B against these filamentous fungi in vivo.
Acyl-Substituted Dermaseptin S4 Derivatives with Improved Bactericidal Properties, Including on Oral Microflora
Authors: Porat Y. , Marynka K. , Tam A. , Steinberg D. , Mor A.
Published: November 2006

The 15-mer dermaseptin S4 derivative S4(1-15) was recently shown to exhibit potent activity against oral pathogens associated with caries and periodontitis. Here, we investigated possible modes for improving the peptide's properties through systematic replacement of an N-terminal amino acid(s) with various fatty acids that modulate the peptide's hydrophobicity and/or charge. Deletion of 1 to 3 residues led to progressive loss of potency as assessed by MIC experiments performed on four test bacteria. Replacing the deleted amino acids with fatty acids most often resulted in potency recovery or improvement, as evidenced by lower MICs and faster bactericidal kinetics in culture media. Best results were obtained after replacement of the N-terminal dipeptide alanine-leucine with heptanoic (C
7
) or aminododecanoic (NC
12
) acid. Circular dichroism analysis correlated antibacterial properties to the peptide's secondary structure. MIC experiments and confocal laser scanning microscopy results indicated that C
7
-S4(3-15) and NC
12
-S4(3-15) were bactericidal to various oral pathogens, including those which are immobilized in a biofilm. C
7
-S4(3-15) performed similarly to or better than (depending on growth medium) IB-367, a peptide assessed in clinical trials for treatment of oral mucositis, reducing CFU counts by >3 log units within 2 min of incubation. Collectively, the data indicate that substitution of fatty acids for amino acids may be a useful strategy in revealing improved derivatives of known antimicrobial peptides and suggest the suitability of such compounds for controlling pathogens associated with oral diseases.
Differential Activation of Human Gingival Epithelial Cells and Monocytes by
Porphyromonas gingivalis
Fimbriae
Authors: Eskan Mehmet A. , Hajishengallis George , Kinane Denis F.
Published: November 2006

Humans develop periodontitis in response to challenge by microbial dental plaque. Inflammation begins after perturbation of gingival epithelial cells by subgingival bacteria interacting through pattern-recognition receptors, including the Toll-like receptors (TLR).
Porphyromonas gingivalis
is a major periodontopathogen that interacts with epithelial cells through its cell surface fimbriae (FimA), leading to colonization and/or invasion. Previous work by our group has established membrane CD14 as an essential coreceptor for TLR2-mediated activation of transfected cell lines by
P. gingivalis
FimA. We have shown that gingival epithelial cells express TLR2 but not CD14 on their cell surfaces. We thus speculated that
P. gingivalis
FimA does not readily activate epithelial innate immune responses but rather functions to promote
P. gingivalis
colonization in the absence of a vigorous FimA-induced response. This hypothesis was verified by the findings that primary human gingival epithelial cells responded poorly to FimA in terms of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor alpha responses, in stark contrast to the marked response to other TLR2 agonists (Pam3Cys, FSL-1) that are not strictly dependent on CD14. On the other hand, CD14-expressing human primary monocytes responded with high levels of the same cytokines to both FimA and the control TLR2 agonists. The gingival epithelial cells failed to respond to FimA even in the presence of exogenously added soluble CD14. These data indicate that the gingival epithelial cell hyporesponsiveness to FimA is attributable to the lack of membrane-expressed but not soluble CD14. In conclusion,
P. gingivalis
FimA differentially activates human monocytes and epithelial cells, perhaps reflecting different tactics used by
P. gingivalis
when interacting with different host cell types or a host strategy to limit inflammation.
Personality correlates of physical activity: a review and meta-analysis: Table 1
Authors: Rhodes R E , Smith N E I
Published: November 2006

This review aimed to combine the literature on major personality traits and physical activity alongside providing some meta-analytic summaries of the findings. Overall, 33 studies containing 35 independent samples, ranging from 1969 to 2006, met the inclusion criteria. Extraversion (r = 0.23), neuroticism (r = −0.11) and conscientiousness (r = 0.20) were identified as correlates of physical activity using random effects meta-analytic procedures correcting for sampling bias and attenuation of measurement error. The five-factor model traits of openness to experience/intellect and agreeableness, as well as Eysenck’s psychoticism trait, were not associated with physical activity. Potential moderators of personality and physical activity relationships such as sex, age, culture/country, design and instrumentation were inconclusive given the small number of studies. Still, the existing evidence was suggestive that personality and physical activity relationships are relatively invariant to these factors. Studies examining personality and different physical activity modes suggested differences by traits such as extraversion, but more research is needed to make any conclusions. Future research using multivariate analyses, personality-channelled physical activity interventions, longitudinal designs and objective physical activity measurement is recommended.
ON THE UNIVERSAL CLUSTERING UNDER A BROAD CLASS OF LOSS FUNCTIONS
Authors: NIKULIN VLADIMIR
Published: November 2006

Determination of the number of significant clusters in the sample represents a very important problem. It is expected that the outcome of clustering under a broad class of loss functions will be more stable if the correct number of clusters is used. In order to illustrate the model of universal clustering we consider 1) family of power loss functions in probabilistic space; 2) family of exponential loss functions in Euclidean space. The proposed model is general, and proved to be effective in application to the synthetic datasets.
THE PREDICTION OF BACTERIAL TRANSCRIPTION START SITES USING SVMS
Authors: TOWSEY MICHAEL W. , GORDON JAMES J. , HOGAN JAMES M.
Published: November 2006

Identifying promoters is the key to understanding gene expression in bacteria. Promoters lie in tightly constrained positions relative to the transcription start site (TSS). In this paper, we address the problem of predicting transcription start sites in Escherichia coli. Knowing the TSS position, one can then predict the promoter position to within a few base pairs, and vice versa. The accepted method for promoter prediction is to use a pair of position weight matrices (PWMs), which define conserved motifs at the sigma-factor binding site. However this method is known to result in a large number of false positive predictions, thereby limiting its usefulness to the experimental biologist. We adopt an alternative approach based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM) using a modified mismatch spectrum kernel. Our modifications involve tagging the motifs with their location, and selectively pruning the feature set. We quantify the performance of several SVM models and a PWM model using a performance metric of area under the detection-error tradeoff (DET) curve. SVM models are shown to outperform the PWM on a biologically realistic TSS prediction task. We also describe a more broadly applicable peak scoring technique which reduces the number of false positive predictions, greatly enhancing the utility of our results.
Reaction Dynamics, Molecular Clusters, and Aqueous Geochemistry
Authors: Casey William H. , Rustad James R.
Published: November 2006

Earth scientists will come to rely heavily upon computational chemistry because our environments are so difficult to sample. Essential geochemical information can often be better acquired by simulation than by either experiment or field sampling. No reactions are more essential to geochemistry than those involving water. Considerable advances are being made in understanding these hydrolytic reactions by close coupling of simulation to experiments on 1–5-nm-sized metal-hydroxide clusters. These clusters are sufficiently small that experiments can identify reaction properties at specific metal-oxygen sites that can then be treated using high-level methods of simulation. This twofold approach shows that some reaction classes at mineral surfaces are surprisingly robust and treatable using kinetic information in hand. Pathways for other reactions, such as dissociation of the oxygens that bridge metals and that hold the structure together, are enormously sensitive to details that neither experiment, nor simulation, alone can fully uncover. New efforts are needed to synthesize 1–5 nm experimental molecules to predict rate parameters for these aqueous reactions.
Wave intensity analysis of left atrial mechanics and energetics in anesthetized dogs
Authors: Hobson Tracy N. , Flewitt Jacqueline A. , Belenkie Israel , Tyberg John V.
Published: November 2006

The left atrium (LA) acts as a booster pump during late diastole, generating the Doppler transmitral A wave and contributing incrementally to left ventricular (LV) filling. However, after volume loading and in certain disease states, LA contraction fills the LV less effectively, and retrograde flow (i.e., the Doppler Ar wave) into the pulmonary veins increases. The purpose of this study was to provide an energetic analysis of LA contraction to clarify the mechanisms responsible for changes in forward and backward flow. Wave intensity analysis was performed at the mitral valve and a pulmonary vein orifice. As operative LV stiffness increased with progressive volume loading, the reflection coefficient (i.e., energy of reflected wave/energy of incident wave) also increased. This reflected wave decelerated the forward movement of blood through the mitral valve and was transmitted through the LA, accelerating retrograde blood flow in the pulmonary veins. Although total LA work increased with volume loading, the forward hydraulic work decreased and backward hydraulic work increased. Thus wave reflection due to increased LV stiffness accounts for the decrease in the A wave and the increase in the Ar wave measured by Doppler.
Cardiac changes during arousals from non-REM sleep in healthy volunteers
Authors: Nalivaiko Eugene , Catcheside Peter G. , Adams Amanda , Jordan Amy S. , Eckert Danny J. , McEvoy R. Doug
Published: November 2006

Our aim was to evaluate cardiac changes evoked by spontaneous and sound-induced arousals from sleep. Cardiac responses to spontaneous and auditory-induced arousals were recorded during overnight sleep studies in 28 young healthy subjects (14 males, 14 females) during non-rapid eye movement sleep. Computerized analysis was applied to assess beat-to-beat changes in heart rate, atrio-ventricular conductance, and ventricular repolarization from 30 s before to 60 s after the auditory tone. During both types of arousals, the most consistent change was the increase in the heart rate (in 62% of spontaneous and in 89% of sound-induced arousals). This was accompanied by an increase or no change in PR interval and by a decrease or no change in QT interval. The magnitude of all cardiac changes was significantly higher for tone-induced vs. spontaneous arousals (mean ± SD for heart rate: +9 ± 8 vs. +13 ± 9 beats per min; for PR prolongation: 14 ± 16 vs. 24 ± 22 ms; for QT shortening: −12 ± 6 vs. −20 ± 9 ms). The prevalence of transient tachycardia and PR prolongation was also significantly higher for tone-induced vs. spontaneous arousals (tachycardia: 85% vs. 57% of arousals, P < 0.001; PR prolongation: 51% vs. 25% of arousals, P < 0.001). All cardiac responses were short-lasting (10–15 s). We conclude that cardiac pacemaker region, conducting system, and ventricular myocardium may be under independent neural control. Prolongation of atrio-ventricular delay may serve to increase ventricular filling during arousal from sleep. Whether prolonged atrio-ventricular conductance associated with increased sympathetic outflow to the ventricular myocardium contributes to arrhythmogenesis during sudden arousal from sleep remains to be evaluated.
Muscle size, neuromuscular activation, and rapid force characteristics in elderly men and women: effects of unilateral long-term disuse due to hip-osteoarthritis
Authors: Suetta C. , Aagaard P. , Magnusson S. P. , Andersen L. L. , Sipilä S. , Rosted A. , Jakobsen A. K. , Duus B. , Kjaer M.
Published: November 2006

Substantial evidence exists for the age-related decline in muscle strength and neural function, but the effect of long-term disuse in the elderly is largely unexplored. The present study examined the effect of unilateral long-term limb disuse on maximal voluntary quadriceps contraction (MVC), lean quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (LCSA), contractile rate of force development (RFD, Δforce/Δtime), impulse (∫force d t), muscle activation deficit (interpolated twitch technique), maximal neuromuscular activity [electromyogram (EMG)], and antagonist muscle coactivation in elderly men (M: 60–86 yr; n = 19) and women (W: 60–86 yr; n = 20) with unilateral chronic hip-osteoarthritis. Both sides were examined to compare the effect of long-term decreased activity on the affected (AF) leg with the unaffected (UN) side. AF had a significant lower MVC (W: 20%; M: 20%), LCSA (W: 8%; M: 10%), contractile RFD (W: 17–26%; M: 15–24%), impulse (W: 10–19%, M: 19–20%), maximal EMG amplitude (W: 22–25%, M: 22–28%), and an increased muscle activation deficit (−18%) compared with UN. Furthermore, women were less strong (AF: 40%; UN: 39%), had less muscle mass (AF: 33%; UN: 34%), and had a lower RFD (AF: 38–50%; UN: 41–48%) compared with men. Similarly, maximum EMG amplitude was smaller for both agonists (AF: 51–63%; UN: 35–61%) and antagonist (AF: 49–64%; UN: 36–56%) muscles in women compared with men. However, when MVC and RFD were normalized to LCSA, there were no differences between genders. The present data demonstrate that disuse leads to a marked loss of muscle strength and muscle mass in elderly individuals. Furthermore, the data indicate that neuromuscular activation and contractile RFD are more affected by long-term disuse than maximal muscle strength, which may increase the future risk for falls.
Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate prevents atrophy, weakness, and oxidative stress in soleus muscle of hindlimb-unloaded mice
Authors: Arbogast Sandrine , Smith Jacqueline , Matuszczak Yves , Hardin Brian J. , Moylan Jennifer S. , Smith Jeffrey D. , Ware Jeffrey , Kennedy Ann R. , Reid Michael B.
Published: November 2006

Antigravity muscles atrophy and weaken during prolonged mechanical unloading caused by bed rest or spaceflight. Unloading also induces oxidative stress in muscle, a putative cause of weakness. We tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate (BBIC), a soy protein extract, would oppose these changes. Adult mice were fed a diet supplemented with 1% BBIC during hindlimb unloading for up to 12 days. Soleus muscles of mice fed the BBIC-supplemented diet weighed less, developed less force per cross-sectional area, and developed less total force after unloading than controls. BBIC supplementation was protective, blunting decrements in soleus muscle weight and force. Cytosolic oxidant activity was assessed using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate. Oxidant activity increased in unloaded muscle, peaking at 3 days and remaining elevated through 12 days of unloading. Increases in oxidant activity correlated directly with loss of muscle mass and were abolished by BBIC supplementation. In vitro assays established that BBIC directly buffers reactive oxygen species and also inhibits serine protease activity. We conclude that dietary supplementation with BBIC protects skeletal muscle during prolonged unloading, promoting redox homeostasis in muscle fibers and blunting atrophy-induced weakness.
Nitroglycerin Treatment May Enhance Chemosensitivity to Docetaxel and Carboplatin in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Yasuda Hiroyasu , Nakayama Katsutoshi , Watanabe Mika , Suzuki Satoshi , Fuji Hiromi , Okinaga Shoji , Kanda Akio , Zayasu Kiyoshi , Sasaki Takahiko , Asada Masanori , Suzuki Tomoko , Yoshida Motoki , Yamanda Shinsuke , Inoue Daisuke , Kaneta Tomohiro , Kondo Takashi , Takai Yoshihiro , Sasaki Hidetada , Yanagihara Kazuhiro , Yamaya Mutsuo
Published: November 2006

Purpose: Nitroglycerin may improve the response to chemotherapy in advanced non–small cell lung cancer. The effects and mechanisms of nitroglycerin on the enhancement of chemosensitivity to docetaxel and carboplatin regimen (DCb) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma have not been reported.

Experimental Design: Seventeen patients with operable lung adenocarcinoma and stable angina pectoris were selected to investigate the effects of nitroglycerin on immunoreactivity for hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the production of which is regulated by HIF-1, and p53 proteins in their resected tumor by semiquantitative immunohistochemical analyses. Eight of 17 patients were treated with nitroglycerin patches before operation, but 9 of 17 patients were not. Furthermore, to study the relationship between changes in plasma VEGF levels by nitroglycerin treatment and response to DCb, 29 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma were treated with nitroglycerin for 3 days before chemotherapy using DCb.

Results: The rates of immunoreactive cells for HIF-1α, VEGF, and P-gp in tumor tissues treated with nitroglycerin were lower than those without nitroglycerin, but those for p53 were not different between those treated with and without nitroglycerin. Furthermore, the rates of immunoreactive cells for VEGF and P-gp proteins were significantly associated with those for HIF-1α in tumor tissue. The magnitude of decrease in plasma VEGF levels after treatment with nitroglycerin was significantly associated with response to DCb in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Conclusions: Nitroglycerin treatment may improve response to DCb in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, partly through decreasing VEGF and P-gp production via reduction of HIF-1α.