bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SUFFICIENT AND NECESSARY CONDITION FOR SUPERDENSE CODING OF QUANTUM STATES
Authors: QIU DAOWEN
Published: November 2008

Recently, Harrow et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett.92 (2004) 187901] gave a method for preparing an arbitrary quantum state with high success probability by physically transmitting some qubits, and by consuming a maximally entangled state, together with exhausting some shared random bits. In this paper, we discover that some states are impossible to be perfectly prepared by Alice and Bob initially sharing some entangled states. In particular, we present a sufficient and necessary condition for the states being enabled to be exactly prepared with probability equal to unity, in terms of the initial entangled states (maybe nonmaximally). In contrast, if the initially shared entanglement is maximal, then the probabilities for preparing these quantum states are smaller than unity. Furthermore, the lower bound on the probability for preparing some states are derived.
APPROXIMATE JOINT MEASURABILITY OF SPIN ALONG TWO DIRECTIONS
Authors: HEINOSAARI TEIKO , STANO PETER , REITZNER DANIEL
Published: November 2008

We study the existence of jointly measurable POVM approximations to two non-commuting sharp spin observables. We compare two different ways to specify optimal approximations.
Translating Molecular Insights in Autoimmunity into Effective Therapy
Authors: Feldmann Marc
Published: November 2008

Autoimmunity and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases were a major focus of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, where I started my research career. After my initial studies on immune cell culture and immune regulation, I returned to an analysis of the pathogenesis of human autoimmunity in London. Linking upregulated antigen presentation to autoimmunity led to an investigation of the role of cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in collaboration with Ravinder Maini. These experiments defined the concept of a TNF-dependent cytokine cascade driving the manifestations of RA, which led to successful clinical trials of anti-TNF monoclonal antibody in RA patients, heralding a major change in medical practice. This success was made possible by enthusiastic support from many laboratory and clinical colleagues and taught us that cytokines are important rate-limiting steps and hence good therapeutic targets. My current scientific challenge is exploring the hypothesis of whether all major medical needs can be approached via cytokine blockade.
14-3-3 and FHA Domains Mediate Phosphoprotein Interactions
Authors: Chevalier David , Morris Erin R. , Walker John C.
Published: November 2008

Many aspects of plant growth and development require specific protein interactions to carry out biochemical and cellular functions. Several proteins mediate these interactions, two of which specifically recognize phosophoproteins: 14-3-3 proteins and proteins with FHA domains. These are the only phosphobinding domains identified in plants. Both domains are present in animals and plants, and are used by plant proteins to regulate metabolic, developmental, and signaling pathways. 14-3-3s regulate sugar metabolism, proton gradients, and control transcription factor localization. FHA domains are modular domains often found in multidomain proteins that are involved in signal transduction and plant development.
PGE2 potentiates tonicity-induced COX-2 expression in renal medullary cells in a positive feedback loop involving EP2-cAMP-PKA signaling
Authors: Steinert Daniela , Küper Christoph , Bartels Helmut , Beck Franz-X. , Neuhofer Wolfgang
Published: November 2008

Cyooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-derived PGE2 is critical for the integrity and function of renal medullary cells during antidiuresis. The present study extended our previous finding that tonicity-induced COX-2 expression is further stimulated by the major COX-2 product PGE2 and investigated the underlying signaling pathways and the functional relevance of this phenomenon. Hyperosmolality stimulated COX-2 expression and activity in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, a response that was further increased by PGE2-cAMP signaling, suggesting the existence of a positive feedback loop. This effect was diminished by AH-6809, an EP2 antagonist, and by the PKA inhibitor H-89, but not by AH-23848, an EP4 antagonist. The effect of PGE2 was mimicked by forskolin and dibutyryl-cAMP, suggesting that the stimulatory effect of PGE2 on COX-2 is mediated by a cAMP-PKA-dependent mechanism. Accordingly, cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-driven reporter activity paralleled the effects of PGE2, AH-6809, AH-23848, H-89, forskolin, and dibutyryl-cAMP on COX-2 expression. In addition, the stimulatory effect of PGE2 on tonicity-induced COX-2 expression was blunted in cells transfected with dominant-negative CRE binding (CREB) protein, as was the case in a COX-2 promoter reporter construct in which a putative CRE was deleted. Furthermore, PGE2 resulted in PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bad at Ser155, a mechanism that is known to inactivate Bad, which coincided with reduced caspase-3 activity during osmotic stress. Conversely, pharmacological interruption of the PGE2-EP2-cAMP-PKA pathway abolished Ser155 phosphorylation of Bad and blunted the protective effect of PGE2 on cell survival during osmotic stress. These observations indicate the existence of a positive feedback loop of PGE2 on COX-2 expression during osmotic stress, an effect that apparently is mediated by EP2-cAMP-PKA signaling, and that contributes to cell survival under hypertonic conditions.
Hypoxia reprograms calcium signaling and regulates myoglobin expression
Authors: Kanatous Shane B. , Mammen Pradeep P. A. , Rosenberg Paul B. , Martin Cindy M. , White Michael D. , DiMaio J. Michael , Huang Guojin , Muallem Shmuel , Garry Daniel J.
Published: November 2008

Myoglobin is an oxygen storage molecule that is selectively expressed in cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscles that have a high oxygen demand. Numerous studies have implicated hypoxia in the regulation of myoglobin expression as an adaptive response to hypoxic stress. However, the details of this relationship remain undefined. In the present study, adult mice exposed to 10% oxygen for periods up to 3 wk exhibited increased myoglobin expression only in the working heart, whereas myoglobin was either diminished or unchanged in skeletal muscle groups. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that hypoxia in the presence or absence of exercise-induced stimuli reprograms calcium signaling and modulates myoglobin gene expression. Hypoxia alone significantly altered calcium influx in response to cell depolarization or depletion of endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores, which inhibited the expression of myoglobin. In contrast, our whole animal and transcriptional studies indicate that hypoxia in combination with exercise enhanced the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum via the ryanodine receptors triggered by caffeine, which increased the translocation of nuclear factor of activated T-cells into the nucleus to transcriptionally activate myoglobin expression. The present study unveils a previously unrecognized mechanism where the hypoxia-mediated regulation of calcium transients from different intracellular pools modulates myoglobin gene expression. In addition, we observed that changes in myoglobin expression, in response to hypoxia, are not dependent on hypoxia-inducible factor-1 or changes in skeletal muscle fiber type. These studies enhance our understanding of hypoxia-mediated gene regulation and will have broad applications for the treatment of myopathic diseases.
Potential of 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl lactic acid for ameliorating ischemia-reperfusion-induced microvascular disturbance in rat mesentery
Authors: Han Jing-Yan , Horie Yoshinori , Fan Jing-Yu , Sun Kai , Guo Jun , Miura Soichiro , Hibi Toshifumi
Published: November 2008

This study intended to examine the effect of 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl lactic acid (DLA), a major ingredient of Salvia miltiorrhiza, on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat mesenteric microcirculatory injury. DLA (5 mg·kg−1·h−1), superoxide dismutase (SOD, 12,000 U·kg−1·h−1), or catalase (CAT, 20 mg/kg) was continuously infused either starting from 10 min before the ischemia or 10 min after the initiation of reperfusion. The venule diameter, number of adherent leukocytes, FITC-albumin leakage, dihydrorhodamine 123 fluorescence, and mast cell degranulation were determined using an intravital microscope. The production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the expression of adhesion molecules CD11b/CD18 in neutrophils were evaluated by in vitro experiments. The results showed that pretreatment with DLA significantly reduced peroxide production in and leukocyte adhesion to venular wall, albumin leakage, and mast cell degranulation induced by I/R. The DLA posttreatment exerted an ameliorating effect on I/R-induced disorders as well, characterized by inhibiting further increase in peroxide production in venular wall and albumin leakage and diminishing the number of leukocytes that had adhered to the venular wall. In vitro experiments revealed that treatment with DLA significantly attenuated TNF-α plus fMLP-evoked production of H2O2 and the H2O2-elicited expression of CD11b/CD18 on neutrophils. SOD and CAT manifested similarly but with the exception that either SOD or CAT were unable to retrieve the adherent leukocytes if administrated after initiation of reperfusion and to depress the H2O2-induced expression of CD11b/CD18 on neutrophils. It is concluded that DLA protects from and ameliorates the I/R-induced microcirculatory disturbance by interfering with both peroxide production and adhesion molecule expression.
Effects of carbon monoxide on trout and lamprey vessels
Authors: Dombkowski Ryan A. , Whitfield Nathan L. , Motterlini Roberto , Gao Yan , Olson Kenneth R.
Published: November 2008

Carbon monoxide (CO) is endogenously produced by heme oxygenase (HO) and is involved in vascular, neural, and inflammatory responses in mammals. However, the biological activities of CO in nonmammalian vertebrates is unknown. To this extent, we used smooth muscle myography to investigate the effects of exogenously applied CO (delivered via a water-soluble CO-releasing molecule, CORM-3) on isolated lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus) dorsal aortas and examined its mechanisms of action on trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) efferent branchial (EBA) and celiacomesenteric (CMA) arteries. CORM-3 dose-dependently relaxed all vessels examined. Trout EBA were twofold more sensitive to CORM-3 when precontracted with norepinephrine (NE) than KCl and CORM-3 relaxed five-fold more of the NE- than KCl-induced tension. Glybenclamide (10 μM), an ATP-sensitive potassium channel inhibitor, inhibited NE-induced contraction, but did not affect CORM-3-induced relaxation. NS-2028 (10 μM), a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, had no effect on a NE-contraction, but inhibited a subsequent CORM-3-induced relaxation. Zinc protopophyrin-IX (ZnPP-IX, 0.3–30 μM), a HO inhibitor, elicited a small, yet dose-dependent and significant, increase in baseline tension but did not have any effect on subsequent NE-induced contractions or a nitric oxide-induced relaxation (via sodium nitroprusside). [ZnPP-IX] greater than 3 μM, however, significantly reduced the predominant vasodilatory response of trout EBA to hydrogen sulfide. These results implicate an active HO/CO pathway in trout vessels having an impact on resting vessel tone and CO-induced vasoactivity that is at least partially mediated by soluble guanylyl cyclase.
Loss of cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1-induced satiation in mice lacking serotonin 2C receptors
Authors: Asarian Lori
Published: November 2008

To investigate the role of serotonin 2C receptors (2CR), which are expressed only in the central nervous system, in the satiating actions of the gut peptides CCK and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), we examined 1) the effect of null mutations of serotonin 2CR (2CR KO) on the eating-inhibitory potencies of dark-onset intraperitoneal injections of 0.9, 1.7, or 3.5 nmol/kg (1, 2, or 4 μg/kg) CCK and 100, 200, and 400 nmol/kg (33, 66, or 132 μg/kg) GLP-1, and 2) the effects of intraperitoneal injections of 1.7 nmol//kg CCK and 100 nmol/kg GLP-1 on neuronal activation in the brain, as measured by c-Fos expression. All CCK and GLP-1 doses decreased 30-min food intake in wild-type (WT) mice, but none of them did in 2CR KO mice. CCK increased the number of cells expressing c-Fos in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of WT, but not 2CR KO mice. CCK induced similar degrees of c-Fos expression in the paraventricular (PVN) and arcuate (Arc) nuclei of the hypothalamus of both genotypes. GLP-1, on the other hand, increased c-Fos expression similarly in the NTS of both genotypes and increased c-Fos expression more in the PVN and Arc of 2CR KO mice, but not WT mice. These results indicate that serotonin signaling via serotonin 2CR is necessary for the full satiating effects of CCK and GLP-1. In addition, they suggest that the satiating effects of the two peptides are mediated by different neural mechanisms.
Natriuretic peptides in hormonal regulation of hypoxia responses
Authors: Arjamaa Olli , Nikinmaa Mikko
Published: November 2008

The possibility that natriuretic peptides' effects are important in hypoxia responses of vertebrates is reviewed. Both the transcription and release of natriuretic peptides are affected by oxygen tension. Furthermore, many of the effects observed in hypoxia, such as diuresis and a reduction of plasma volume, are also caused by treatment of the animal with natriuretic peptides. Also, several clinical observations about changes in natriuretic peptide levels in, e.g., sleep apnea and cyanotic congenital heart disease, are consistent with the idea that hypoxia is involved in the etiology of conditions, in which natriuretic peptide levels increase. Virtually all published information on the relationship between oxygen and natriuretic peptides is based on human studies. Because hypoxic conditions are more common in aquatic than terrestrial environments, future studies about the possible role of natriuretic peptides in hypoxia, as well as the role of hypoxia in the evolution of natriuretic peptides, including the different subtypes, should increasingly involve also aquatic organisms.
Effects of early endotoxemia and dextran-induced anaphylaxis on the size selectivity of the glomerular filtration barrier in rats
Authors: Axelsson Josefin , Rippe Anna , Venturoli Daniele , Swärd Per , Rippe Bengt
Published: November 2008

This study was performed to investigate the glomerular permeability alterations responsible for the microalbuminuria occurring in endotoxemia and during anaphylactic shock. In anesthetized Wistar rats, the left ureter was catheterized for urine collection while, simultaneously, blood access was achieved. Endotoxemia was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli, and glomerular permeability was assessed at 60 and 90 ( n = 7) and 120 ( n = 7) min. Anaphylaxis was induced by a bolus dose of Dextran-70, and glomerular permeability assessed at 5 min ( n = 8) and 40 min ( n = 9). Sham animals were followed for either 5 or 120 min. The glomerular sieving coefficients (θ) to fluorescein isothiocyanate-Ficoll (70/400) were determined from plasma and urine samples and assessed using size-exclusion chromatography (HPLC). After start of the LPS infusion (2 h), but not at 60 or 90 min, θ for Ficoll70Åhad increased markedly [from 2.91 × 10−5± 6.33 × 10−6to 7.78 × 10−5± 6.21 × 10−6( P < 0.001)]. In anaphylaxis, there was a large increase in θ for Ficolls >60 Å in molecular radius already at 5 min, but the glomerular permeability was completely restored at 40 min. In conclusion, there was a transient, immediate increment of glomerular permeability in dextran-induced anaphylaxis, which was completely reversible within 40 min. By contrast, endotoxemia caused an increase in glomerular permeability that was manifest first after 2 h. In both cases, θ to large Ficoll molecules were markedly increased, reflecting an increase in the number of large pores in the glomerular filter.
A Myokinetic Arm Model for Estimating Joint Torque and Stiffness From EMG Signals During Maintained Posture
Authors: Shin Duk , Kim Jaehyo , Koike Yasuharu
Published: November 2008

The perturbation method has been used to measure stiffness of the human arm with a manipulator. Results are averages of stiffness during short perturbation intervals (<0.4 s) and also vary with muscle activation. We therefore propose a novel method for estimating static arm stiffness from muscle activation without the use of perturbation. We developed a mathematical muscle model based on anatomical and physiological data to estimate joint torque solely from EMG. This model expresses muscle tension using a quadratic function of the muscle activation and parameters representing muscle properties. The parameters are acquired from the relation between EMG and measured torque. Using this model, we were able to reconstruct joint torque from EMG signals with or without co-contraction. Joint stiffness is directly obtained by differentiation of this model analytically. We confirmed that the proposed method can be used to estimate joint torque, joint stiffness, and stiffness ellipses simultaneously for various postures with the same parameters and produces results consistent with the conventional perturbation method.
Comparison of Neural Responses in Primary Motor Cortex to Transient and Continuous Loads During Posture
Authors: Herter Troy M. , Korbel Tereza , Scott Stephen H.
Published: November 2008

The present study examined whether neurons in primary motor cortex (M1) exhibit similar responses to transient and continuous loads applied during posture. Rapid responses to whole-limb perturbations were examined by transiently applying (300 ms) flexor and extensor torques to the shoulder and/or elbow during postural maintenance. Over half of M1 neurons responded to these transient loads within 80 ms and many responded within 20–40 ms. These rapid responses exhibited a broad continuum of modulation patterns across load directions. At one extreme, neurons exhibited reciprocal increases and decreases in activity for opposing loads. At the other extreme, neurons (particularly those with onset times of 20–40 ms) displayed relatively uniform increases in activity for all loads. Activity of proximal arm muscles displayed a narrower distribution of modulation patterns characterized by broadly tuned excitation combined with little or no reciprocal inhibition. Both neurons and muscles showed a directional preference for whole-limb flexor and whole-limb extensor torques (flexor at one joint and extensor at the other). Most neurons with rapid responses also showed steady-state responses to continuous loads, although these responses generally displayed reciprocal increases and decreases in activity for opposing loads. Importantly, the preferred-torque directions were quantitatively similar across tasks. For example, a neuron with a maximal rapid response to a transient elbow flexor torque tended to exhibit a maximal steady-state response to a continuous elbow flexor torque. Activity of proximal arm muscles also showed this preservation of directional tuning. These results illustrate that M1 neurons respond rapidly to transient multijoint loads and their patterns of activity share some, but not all, features related to continuous multijoint loads applied during posture.
Separate Representations of Target and Timing Cue Locations in the Supplementary Eye Fields
Authors: Campos Michael , Breznen Boris , Andersen Richard A.
Published: November 2008

When different stimuli indicate where and when to make an eye movement, the brain areas involved in oculomotor control must selectively plan an eye movement to the stimulus that encodes the target position and also encode the information available from the timing cue. This could pose a challenge to the oculomotor system since the representation of the timing stimulus location in one brain area might be interpreted by downstream neurons as a competing motor plan. Evidence from diverse sources has suggested that the supplementary eye fields (SEF) play an important role in behavioral timing, so we recorded single-unit activity from SEF to characterize how target and timing cues are encoded in this region. Two monkeys performed a variant of the memory-guided saccade task, in which a timing stimulus was presented at a randomly chosen eccentric location. Many spatially tuned SEF neurons encoded only the location of the target and not the timing stimulus, whereas several other SEF neurons encoded the location of the timing stimulus and not the target. The SEF population therefore encoded the location of each stimulus with largely distinct neuronal subpopulations. For comparison, we recorded a small population of lateral intraparietal (LIP) neurons in the same task. We found that most LIP neurons that encoded the location of the target also encoded the location of the timing stimulus after its presentation, but selectively encoded the intended eye movement plan in advance of saccade initiation. These results suggest that SEF, by conditionally encoding the location of instructional stimuli depending on their meaning, can help identify which movement plan represented in other oculomotor structures, such as LIP, should be selected for the next eye movement.
Random Stimulation of Spider Mechanosensory Neurons Reveals Long-Lasting Excitation by GABA and Muscimol
Authors: Pfeiffer Keram , Panek Izabela , Höger Ulli , French Andrew S. , Torkkeli Päivi H.
Published: November 2008

γ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor activation inhibits many primary afferent neurons by depolarization and increased membrane conductance. Deterministic (step and sinusoidal) functions are commonly used as stimuli to test such inhibition. We found that when the VS-3 mechanosensory neurons innervating the spider lyriform slit-sense organ were stimulated by randomly varying white-noise mechanical or electrical signals, their responses to GABAA receptor agonists were more complex than the inhibition observed during deterministic stimulation. Instead, there was rapid excitation, then brief inhibition, followed by long-lasting excitation. During the final excitatory phase, VS-3 neuron sensitivity to high-frequency signals increased selectively and their linear information capacity also increased. Using experimental and simulation approaches we found that the excitatory effect could also be achieved by depolarizing the neurons without GABA application and that excitation could override the inhibitory effect produced by increased membrane conductance (shunting). When the VS-3 neurons were exposed to bumetanide, an antagonist of the Cl− transporter NKCC1, the GABA-induced depolarization decreased without any change in firing rate, suggesting that the effects of GABA can be maintained for a long time without additional Cl− influx. Our results show that the VS-3 neuron's response to GABA depends profoundly on the type of signals the neuron is conveying while the transmitter binds to its receptors.
Cav2-Type Calcium Channels Encoded bycacRegulate AP-Independent Neurotransmitter Release at Cholinergic Synapses in AdultDrosophilaBrain
Authors: Gu Huaiyu , Jiang Shaojuan Amy , Campusano Jorge M. , Iniguez Jorge , Su Hailing , Hoang Andy An , Lavian Monica , Sun Xicui , O'Dowd Diane K.
Published: November 2008

Voltage-gated calcium channels containing α1 subunits encoded by Cav2 family genes are critical in regulating release of neurotransmitter at chemical synapses. In Drosophila, cac is the only Cav2-type gene. Cacophony (CAC) channels are localized in motor neuron terminals where they have been shown to mediate evoked, but not AP-independent, release of glutamate at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Cultured embryonic neurons also express CAC channels, but there is no information about the properties of CAC-mediated currents in adult brain nor how these channels regulate transmission in central neural circuits where fast excitatory synaptic transmission is predominantly cholinergic. Here we report that wild-type neurons cultured from late stage pupal brains and antennal lobe projection neurons (PNs) examined in adult brains, express calcium currents with two components: a slow-inactivating current sensitive to the spider toxin Plectreurys toxin II (PLTXII) and a fast-inactivating PLTXII-resistant component. CAC channels are the major contributors to the slow-inactivating PLTXII-sensitive current based on selective reduction of this component in hypomorphic cac mutants ( NT27 and TS3). Another characteristic of cac mutant neurons both in culture and in whole brain recordings is a reduced cholinergic miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequency that is mimicked in wild-type neurons by acute application of PLTXII. These data demonstrate that cac encoded Cav2-type calcium channels regulate action potential (AP)-independent release of neurotransmitter at excitatory cholinergic synapses in the adult brain, a function not predicted from studies at the larval NMJ.
ACC/AHA Classification of Care Metrics: Performance Measures and Quality Metrics
Authors:   ACC/AHA TASK FORCE ON PERFORMANCE MEASURES, Bonow Robert O. , Masoudi Frederick A. , Rumsfeld John S. , DeLong Elizabeth , Estes N.A. Mark , Goff David C. , Grady Kathleen , Green Lee A. , Loth Ann R. , Peterson Eric D. , Piña Ileana L. , Radford Martha J. , Shahian David M.
Published: November 2008

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have provided leadership in enhancing the quality of cardiovascular care, including the development of clinical performance measures and clinical registries that permit the evaluation of quality of care and stimulate quality improvement. Compliance with ACC/AHA performance measures and metrics encourages the provision of the strongest evidence-based quality of care, including therapies that are life-extending or life-enhancing. Among quality metrics, only a subset should be considered performance measures—that is, those measures specifically suitable for public reporting, external comparisons, and possibly pay-for-performance programs, in addition to quality improvement. These

performance measures

have been developed using ACC/AHA methodology, often in collaboration with other organizations, and include the process of public comment and peer review.

Quality metrics

are those measures that have been developed to support self assessment and quality improvement at the provider, hospital, and/or health care system level. These metrics represent valuable tools to aid clinicians and hospitals in improving quality of care and enhancing patient outcomes, but may not meet all specifications of formal performance measures. These quality metrics may also be considered “candidate” measures that with further research or field testing would meet the criteria for formal performance measures in the future. This measure classification is intended to aid providers, hospitals, health systems, and payers in identifying those measures that the ACC and AHA formally endorse as performance measures, while at the same time promoting the broader range of clinical metrics that are useful for quality improvement efforts.
Gazing at Cirrus Clouds for 25 Years through a Split Window. Part I: Methodology
Authors: Heidinger Andrew K. , Pavolonis Michael J.
Published: November 2008

This paper demonstrates that the split-window approach for estimating cloud properties can improve upon the methods commonly used for generating cloud temperature and emissivity climatologies from satellite imagers. Because the split-window method provides cloud properties that are consistent for day and night, it is ideally suited for the generation of a cloud climatology from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), which provides sampling roughly four times per day. While the split-window approach is applicable to all clouds, this paper focuses on its application to cirrus (high semitransparent ice clouds), where this approach is most powerful. An optimal estimation framework is used to extract estimates of cloud temperature, cloud emissivity, and cloud microphysics from the AVHRR split-window observations. The performance of the split-window approach is illustrated through the diagnostic quantities generated by the optimal estimation approach. An objective assessment of the performance of the algorithm cloud products from the recently launched space lidar [Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation/Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIPSO/CALIOP)] is used to characterize the performance of the AVHRR results and also to provide the constraints needed for the optimal estimation approach.
How Do Outer Spiral Rainbands Affect Tropical Cyclone Structure and Intensity?*
Authors: Wang Yuqing
Published: November 2008

A long-standing issue on how outer spiral rainbands affect the structure and intensity of tropical cyclones is studied through a series of numerical experiments using the cloud-resolving tropical cyclone model TCM4. Because diabatic heating due to phase changes is the main driving force of outer spiral rainbands, their effect on the tropical cyclone structure and intensity is evaluated by artificially modifying the heating and cooling rate due to cloud microphysical processes in the model. The view proposed here is that the effect of diabatic heating in outer spiral rainbands on the storm structure and intensity results mainly from hydrostatic adjustment; that is, heating (cooling) of an atmospheric column decreases (increases) the surface pressure underneath the column. The change in surface pressure due to heating in the outer spiral rainbands is significant on the inward side of the rainbands where the inertial stability is generally high. Outside the rainbands in the far field, where the inertial stability is low and internal atmospheric heating is mostly lost to gravity wave radiation and little is left to warm the atmospheric column and lower the local surface pressure, the change in surface pressure is relatively small. This strong radially dependent response reduces the horizontal pressure gradient across the radius of maximum wind and thus the storm intensity in terms of the maximum low-level tangential wind while increasing the inner-core size of the storm.

The numerical results show that cooling in the outer spiral rainbands maintains both the intensity of a tropical cyclone and the compactness of its inner core, whereas heating in the outer spiral rainbands decreases the intensity but increases the size of a tropical cyclone. Overall, the presence of strong outer spiral rainbands limits the intensity of a tropical cyclone. Because heating or cooling in the outer spiral rainbands depends strongly on the relative humidity in the near-core environment, the results have implications for the formation of the annular hurricane structure, the development of concentric eyewalls, and the size change in tropical cyclones.
Toward a Sustainable Myth of Self
Authors: Hoffman Louis , Stewart Sharon , Warren Denise , Meek Lisa
Published: November 2008

The self has come under considerable attack in postmodern times. Amidst many deconstructions and reformulations of the self, various myths of self have lost their sustainability. This article reviews various theoretical perspectives on the self along with many postmodern challenges to the self. It is proposed that the self is a socially constructed entity which can be conceptualized from a variety of perspectives; however, not all myths of self are equal. In particular, premodern and modern myths of self are inadequate for postmodern times. Building from an existential—integrative perspective, we propose Schneider's paradoxical self as a promising myth of self for postmodern times.
Exposure to Situations Conducive to Delinquent Behavior
Authors: Anderson Amy L. , Hughes Lorine A.
Published: November 2008

Multilevel cross-sectional data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to test predictions based on Osgood and colleagues' extension of routine activity theory to individual offending. Specifically, the authors examined the associations between delinquent behavior and three variables hypothesized to increase exposure to situations conducive to such behavior: unstructured socializing (time use), income, and private transportation. Findings are generally supportive, showing that differences in individual offending among youth reflect varying degrees of criminal opportunities associated with diverse daily life patterns and routines.
Critical Commentary. Waking from the Dream: An Australian Perspective on Urban Resilience
Authors: Gleeson Brendan
Published: November 2008

Climate change and energy insecurity are grave threats to the stability and sustainability of human society. This paper considers the meaning of this globally manifest, yet regionally differentiated, ecological threat for Australia's urban system. It also considers the twin ecological peril of oil depletion, whose impacts may intensify to great effect the social stresses likely to emerge as climates warm. The paper intervenes in the debate that transfixes contemporary Australian urbanism: the sustainability of the suburban form in which most Australians live. A similar if not identical debate exists in North America and parts of western Europe. These discussions may be overemphasising the environmental significance of urban form and failing to apprehend the deeper socio-cultural forces that drive the (over)consumption of nature. Planning thought and practice need to loosen the grip of physical determinism on their environmental comprehension if they are to comprehend accurately the sources of, and solutions to, ecological threat. New urban scientific evidence suggests that planning's principal role in the fight against warming will be one of adaptation not mitigation. That is to say, there is no simple `spatial fix' for overconsumption.
The Impact of EU Area-based Programmes on Local Governance: Towards a `Europeanisation'?
Authors: Hamedinger Alexander , Bartik Herbert , Wolffhardt Alexander
Published: November 2008

In the context of the on-going debate on `Europeanisation' as a result of adaptation pressure on domestic structures emanating from the EU level, the article sets out to describe the particular characteristics of the `European turn' in the urban politics of the cities of Graz and Dortmund. Special attention is given to the effects of Structural Funds programmes on local government structures with regard to `new urban governance'. The conclusions point to different types of path-dependent adaptation to EU policies and norms, to the relevance of mediating local factors to explanations of variation between the cities and to the inevitably different trajectories of `Europeanisation' in cities across the EU. The article contributes to theoretical debates around the utility of historical/sociological institutionalist approaches in research on governance, notions of `download/top—down' and `upload/bottom—up' Europeanisation as well as the conceptualisation of the scope (the `deepness') of the EU impact.
Small Independent Merchants and Transnational Retail Encounters on Main Street: Some Insights from Bangkok
Authors: Mutebi Alex M. , Ansari Rashid
Published: November 2008

The aggressive expansion of retail transnational corporations is changing the face of much of emerging Asia's urban environment and prompting policy-makers to consider responses. Using cross-sectional survey data from 30 districts in Bangkok, this paper explores two issues: the impact of transnational, large-format retail on small, independent merchants; and, the ways in which the latter are attempting to cope with the stress associated with the arrival of the former, based on self-reported subjective measures of immediate marketing responses, sustained marketing efforts and organisational performance. The findings suggest that surviving incumbent merchants compete in different and mostly unfavourable environments compared with the status quo ante, with the overwhelming majority of these incumbents reporting negative impacts. In addition, the various responses of many of the incumbent independent merchants suggest that the latter may be unable to reverse the impact of the large retailers' arrival.
Feeling Insecure in Large Housing Estates: Tackling Unsicherheit in the Risk Society
Authors: Aalbers Manuel B. , Rancati Sara
Published: November 2008

The aim of this paper is to analyse Zygmunt Bauman's three-part concept of Sicherheit (safety, certainty and security) in the specific context of large housing estates in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Milan (Italy). The efficacy of the different actions and policies, which seek to tackle unsafety, uncertainty and insecurity will be qualified on the basis of their correspondence and potential to face the various dimensions of Sicherheit. In both Amsterdam and Milan, there is a weak connection between the three dimensions of Sicherheit . Amsterdam has implemented so many initiatives within one framework that one cannot see the wood for the trees, while Milan lacks a framework for a comprehensive approach. Contrary to Bauman's ideas, we observe that even though Unsicherheit is partly a result of globalisation processes, this does not imply that local solutions are superfluous or useless.
Who Would Pay for Rural Open Space Preservation and Inner-city Redevelopment? Identifying Support for Policies that Can Contribute to Regional Land Use Governance
Authors: Mohamed Rayman
Published: November 2008

A growing literature has made the case for preserving rural open space and redeveloping inner cities. Together, these polices can contribute to the inside—outside strategy of `new regionalism'. However, it is unclear whether citizens are willing to pay for these two polices. Using data from a survey of Michigan's citizens, statistical analyses were employed to ascertain who would pay for both policies. Of the respondents, 37 per cent would pay for both policies. The coalition of support is centred on younger people, liberals and Whites, and people who are generally satisfied with their communities but are concerned about sprawl. When compared with the results for those who would pay only for one policy, the findings suggest that policy-makers may be able to broaden the coalition of support for policies that can contribute to regional land use governance if measures are taken to ensure that benefits are widely spread.
Exploring Social Mobilities: Narratives of Walking and Driving in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Bean Catherine E. , Kearns Robin , Collins Damian
Published: November 2008

Recent studies have discussed the important role of the automobile in shaping contemporary urban social life. This research used a series of focus groups in Auckland, New Zealand, to illuminate the complex social attitudes and values associated with walking as well as driving. While the car is the dominant transport mode in Auckland, the shortcomings as well as the benefits of automobile use and dependence are well known. Moreover, while walking is often difficult in this urban environment, it continues to be perceived as a potentially useful and appropriate means of transport, and as an important and valued social practice. The paper's findings suggest that the positive perceptions of walking, as a facilitator of health and social life, could be built upon by policy-makers to encourage a greater use of this active form of travel.
Global Tourism Competitiveness and Freedom of the Press
Authors: Das Jayoti , DiRienzo Cassandra E.
Published: November 2008

Several studies have empirically explored the determinants of tourism demand and supply as well as the factors that affect destination or tourism competitiveness. However, no prior research has considered the role that uncensored information plays in a country's ability to compete globally in the tourism industry. Using the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, a new measure of tourism competitiveness developed by the World Economic Forum, and the Freedom of the Press Index created by Freedom House, this study concludes that countries that enjoy a free press as well as those that have a restricted press can be competitive in the tourism industry.
Assessment of the CYP3A‐Mediated Drug Interaction Potential of Anacetrapib, a Potent Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) Inhibitor, in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Krishna Rajesh , Bergman Arthur J. , Jin Bo , Garg Amit , Roadcap Brad , Chiou Rita , Dru James , Cote Josee , Laethem Tine , Wang Regina W. , Didolkar Varsha , Vets Eva , Gottesdiener Keith , Wagner John A.
Published: November 2008

In this study, midazolam was used as a probe‐sensitive CYP3A substrate to investigate the effect of anacetrapib on CYP3A activity, and ketoconazole was used as a probe‐inhibitor to investigate the effect of potent CYP3A inhibition on the pharmacokinetics of anacetrapib, a novel cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor in development for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Two partially blinded, randomized, 2‐period, fixed‐sequence studies were performed. Safety, tolerability, and midazolam and anacetrapib plasma concentrations were assessed. All treatments were generally well tolerated. The geometric mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of midazolam with anacetrapib/midazolam alone for AUC0‐∞ and Cmax were 1.04 (0.94, 1.14) and 1.15 (0.97, 1.37), respectively. Exposure to anacetrapib was increased by ketoconazole—specifically, the geometric mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of anacetrapib with ketoconazole/anacetrapib alone for AUC0‐∞ and Cmax were 4.58 (3.68, 5.71) and 2.37 (2.02, 2.78), respectively. The study showed that anacetrapib does not inhibit or induce CYP3A activity. Furthermore, anacetrapib appears to be a moderately sensitive substrate of CYP3A.
Fomepizole: A Critical Assessment of Current Dosing Recommendations
Authors: Bestic Michelle , Blackford Martha , Reed Michael
Published: November 2008

Fomepizole, 4‐methylpyrazole (4‐MP), is a competitive antagonist of alcohol dehydrogenase with a binding affinity >8000 times that of ethanol. The drug is currently labeled by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with known or suspected ethylene glycol or methanol poisoning. Fomepizole's wide therapeutic dose range and safety profile confer several advantages over standard ethanol therapy for the treatment of toxic alcohol exposures, including the lack of ethanol‐associated side effects. Published data and data obtained from the drug's manufacturer implies that the dose escalation after 48 hours is to compensate for fomepizole‐induced increased body clearance resulting from autoinduction of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) drug metabolizing enzyme CYP2E1. However, we were unable to identify any evidence of fomepizole's metabolism occurring via CYP2E1 in humans while the data most frequently cited as evidence for induction do not appear to support this claim. Based on this data along with the apparent zero‐order kinetics, the current dose increase recommendations may be unnecessary and considering the safety margin described for fomepizole, an extremely conservative constant higher dose administered every 12 hours would appear to assure efficacy and tolerability. Despite the evidence, dose changes should only be implemented after careful clinical trials.
Bridging the Gap Between Media Synchronicity and Task Performance
Authors: Münzer Stefan , Holmer Torsten
Published: November 2008

The study examines effects of media synchronicity in a group problem-solving task. The media characteristics of parallelism, immediacy of feedback, and reprocessability are varied within text-based computer-mediated communication. The hidden profile task requires groups to exchange unshared pieces of information and to integrate them. Contrary to expectations, asynchronous media characteristics do not support the production of unshared information. Furthermore, asynchronous media characteristics result in higher engagement in integrating information during discussion. Asynchronous media characteristics decrease the coherence of the discourse and increase the mental effort of the participants. Since coherence and mental effort indicate that asynchronous media characteristics impede the information integration process, the higher engagement in information integration is interpreted as compensatory effort.
The Wisdom of Way Kot
Authors: Loewe Ron
Published: November 2008

■ In this article I examine how commerce and the global economy are represented locally through the analysis of a popular Yucatecan tale. Way Kot depicts a veritable fantasy world in which human beings become winged beasts and animals betray their natural instincts; however, unlike the authors of many studies that explore the intersection of different modes of exchange, I do not view these images as projections of a mystified mind. On the contrary, building on Marx's discussion of money, and the aesthetic theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly Adorno's notion of `exact fantasy', I demonstrate the myth's rigorous logic by showing how it unravels the mysteries of the commodity form. In addition, I highlight the critical function of the tale (c. 1935), as rhetorical counterpoint to the commodity aesthetics of the era. While agents of a rapidly modernizing state were eager to make commodities enchant, Way Kot presents commerce as a form of witchcraft, and consumption as a form of cannibalism, in which unsuspecting Maya consume their relatives.
You Pig!
Authors: Hoefle Scott William
Published: November 2008

■ A political ecology approach is used to revisit the 1970s debate between Douglas and Leach on one side, and Harris on the other, in order to highlight methodological issues concerning spatial differentiation expressing cultural complexity as well as to demonstrate how opposing phenomenological and rationalist epistemologies can be mediated. The two sides of the debate concerning pigs as ambiguous and taboo creatures are shown to be related to two different sets of human—animal relationships and to vary spatially in different parts of the Sertão of Northeast Brazil. Consequently, the combination of the two contrasting approaches in one unified theoretical perspective results in a better overview than that produced by each one taken by itself.
A Life In and Out of Anthropology
Authors: Yelvington Kevin A.
Published: November 2008

■ This article presents an interview with Jack Sargent Harris (1912—2008), an anthropologist who earned his PhD at Columbia University in 1940 and was one of the first US anthropologists to do fieldwork in Africa, showing an interest in materialistic theoretical approaches. As a merchant seaman before becoming an anthropologist he traveled the globe, including trips to the Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. During the Second World War, Harris became a clandestine operative engaged in counter-espionage for the United States' Office of Strategic Services in West Africa and in South Africa. Returning to the United States, he was hired by the fledgling United Nations as part of its decolonization efforts. However, Harris fell victim to the McCarthy-era witch hunt and was purged from the United Nations. He moved to Costa Rica in 1954 where he became a successful entrepreneur.
Deuteronomy 16.18—18.22: Meeting the Challenge of Towns and Nations
Authors: O'Brien Mark
Published: November 2008

Historical-critical analysis sees Deut. 16.18—18.22 as a move by deuteronomistic reformers to effect a distribution of power in Israel and/or to curb the power of the monarchy. A recent detailed synchronic analysis argues that the pericope formulates a political `constitution' designed to enshrine Israel's status as a liberated people. This study argues that the passage aims to maintain Israel's unswerving commitment to the Torah in the challenging new situation of living in towns in the land and in proximity to surrounding nations. It does so by turning potential threats to the Deuteronomic ideal into things that will enhance Israel's status as YHWH's special possession, a people set apart.