bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between 24-Hour Blood Pressure Readings, Subcortical Ischemic Lesions and Vascular Dementia
Authors: Yamamoto Y. , Akiguchi I. , Oiwa K. , Hayashi M. , Ohara T. , Ozasa K.
Published: March 2005

Background: Twenty-four-hour blood pressure (BP) readings have been found to correlate with hypertensive target organ damage. Lacunar infarcts (LI) and white matter lesions (WML) probably represent manifestations of cerebral hypertensive target organ damage. This study was conducted to better delineate the relationships between 24-hour BP measurements, LI/WML and small vessel disease cognitive impairment/vascular dementia (CI/VD). Methods: Two hundred patients with first-time symptomatic LI were examined with 24-hour BP monitoring. The degree of nocturnal BP dip, (daytime BP – nighttime BP)/daytime BP, was categorized into three groups: dippers (>0.1), nondippers (0–0.1) and reverse dippers (<0). WML were subdivided into periventricular hyperintensities (PVH) and subcortical hyperintensities. Results: The breakdown of patients was: 50% nondippers, 27.5% reverse dippers and 22.5% dippers. Forty-one patients (20.5%) were found to have CI and dementia. Male sex (OR 3.35; 95% CI 1.20–9.34), advanced PVH (OR 14.42; 95% CI 5.62–36.98) and absence of a dipping status (nondipper: OR 12.62; 95% CI 1.37–115.95; reverse dipper: OR 11.95; 95% CI 1.27–112.11) were independently associated with CIVD after multivariate analysis. High nighttime systolic BP (OR 3.93; 95% CI 1.38–11.17), high daytime (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.03–4.04) and nighttime diastolic BP (OR 2.48; 95% CI 1.13–5.45) and absence of a dipping status (nondipper: OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.03–7.05; reverse dipper: OR 3.78; 95% CI 1.38–10.34) were significantly associated with PVH. Conclusions: High prevalence of a nondipping status was found in the LI cohort. A nondipping status appears to be directly associated with CIVD independent of PVH. This study indicates the need for further studies to investigate whether or not controlling nighttime BP will help reduce the risk for CI/VD development.
Improving Pilot Response to In-Flight Strokes: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Leira Enrique C. , Cruz-Flores Salvador , Wyrwich Kathleen W. , Northam Gary J. , Acharya Aninda B. , Pan Yi , Holzemer Eve M. , Womack Sharon B.
Published: March 2005

Background: When a passenger suffers an in-flight stroke (IFS), the pilot decides when to expedite access to ground care. Pilot pro-activeness towards IFS could improve outcome and should be promoted. Unfortunately, little is known about a pilot’s stroke pro-activeness or limiting factors. Methods: Randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention (American Stroke Association, 30-slide stroke awareness lecture) through an internet-based computer system using pilot students and instructors as subjects. Pilots completed pre-intervention and post-intervention tests of 25 simulated in-flight scenarios that describe strokes and other neurological and medical symptoms. Outcomes chosen were the percentage of pilots that would use a medical radio service, declare an emergency on board, or divert to the nearest airport for each scenario. Results: Participant pilots (n = 104) were less likely to respond to IFS than to myocardial infarction (p < 0.001). Fear of retaliation by an employer was the most important modifiable limitation. The educational program increased the simulated rate of emergency declarations for in-flight vertebrobasilar strokes (p < 0.001) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Pilot-simulated response to certain IFS improves immediately after this educational intervention, which should be disseminated in schools and airlines. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term benefits of this intervention and the impact on actual diversion rates. Companies should also review their policies to shield pilots from retaliation when altering the flight plan for patients.
A Singular Case of Graves’ Disease in Congenital Thyroid Hemiagenesis
Authors: Baldini Marina , Orsatti Alessandra , Cantalamessa Luigi
Published: March 2005

We report the observation of an unusual case of Graves’ disease associated with thyroid hemiagenesis. A 41-year-old woman who presented with symptoms and clinical signs of hyperthyroidism was discovered to have thyroid hemiagenesia of the left lobe. Thyroid ultrasound scan showed enlargement of the right lobe with a single nodule, and absence of the left lobe; isotope scan showed homogeneous uptake in the single lobe and nodule. Ophthalmopathy, which was absent at presentation, developed after two years; after a further 2 years the patient developed decompensated hypothyroidism requiring thyroxine replacement. This is the first case of Graves’ disease in thyroid hemiagenesis evolved to hypothyroidism, and a rare case of thyroid ophthalmopathy accompanying this condition.
Molecular Analysis of the CYP21 Gene and Prenatal Diagnosis in Families with 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency in Northeastern Iran
Authors: Vakili Rahim , Baradaran-Heravi Alireza , Barid-Fatehi Babak , Gholamin Mehran , Ghaemi Nosrat , Abbaszadegan Mohammad Reza
Published: March 2005

Objectives: A rapid and convenient approach for the detection of the most common CYP21 gene mutations in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) with classical forms of 21-hydroxylase deficiency was used. In addition, a new semiquantitative strategy for the detection of del8-bp was designed. These procedures were used for prenatal diagnosis and genotype-phenotype correlation in northeastern Iran. Design: Molecular analysis of the CYP21 gene for the detection of the 9 most common mutations (CYP21gene deletion, P30L, i2g, del-8bp, I172N, E6 cluster, V281L, Q318X and R356W) was performed on 30 CAH patients and for prenatal diagnosis in 2 cases. Methods: Restriction fragment length polymorphism, amplification-created restriction sites, allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semiquantitative PCR were performed. Results: We characterized 90% of the CAH chromosomes. The most frequent mutations in the CYP21 gene were del-CYP21 (25%), I172N (22%) and i2g (15%). Unlike in other ethnic groups, there was no R356W mutation, however, a higher rate of del-8bp (10%) was found in our population. Wealso found 6 complex alleles in our patients. For 2 families prenatal CYP21 gene analysis resulted in the diagnosis of healthy fetuses and termination of dexamethasone treatment in the 15th week of gestation. Genotype-phenotype correlation was observed. The rate of homozygosity (50%) was greater than the predicted values due to the higher rate of parental consanguinity in our population. Conclusions: These molecular procedures proved to be sensitive and rapid for the detection of the most common mutations of the CYP21 gene and prenatal diagnosis. Increased 17-hydroxyprogesterone, found in neonatal CAH screening, can be confirmed by these mutation analyses.
Incomplete functional recovery after delirium in elderly people: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Andrew Melissa K , Freter Susan H , Rockwood Kenneth
Published: March 2005

Background

Delirium often has a poor outcome, but why some people have incomplete recovery is not well understood. Our objective was to identify factors associated with short-term (by discharge) and long-term (by 6 month) incomplete recovery of function following delirium.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study of elderly patients with delirium seen by geriatric medicine services, function was assessed at baseline, at hospital discharge and at six months.

Results

Of 77 patients, vital and functional status at 6 months was known for 71, of whom 21 (30%) had died. Incomplete functional recovery, defined as ≥10 point decline in the Barthel Index, compared to pre-morbid status, was present in 27 (54%) of the 50 survivors. Factors associated with death or loss of function at hospital discharge were frailty, absence of agitation (hypoactive delirium), a cardiac cause and poor recognition of delirium by the treating service. Frailty, causes other than medications, and poor recognition of delirium by the treating service were associated with death or poor functional recovery at 6 months.

Conclusion

Pre-existing frailty, cardiac cause of delirium, and poor early recognition by treating physicians are associated with worse outcomes. Many physicians view the adverse outcomes of delirium as intractable. While in some measure this might be true, more skilled care is a potential remedy within their grasp.
Gluten-free diet may alleviate depressive and behavioural symptoms in adolescents with coeliac disease: a prospective follow-up case-series study
Authors: Pynnönen Päivi A , Isometsä Erkki T , Verkasalo Matti A , Kähkönen Seppo A , Sipilä Ilkka , Savilahti Erkki , Aalberg Veikko A
Published: March 2005

Background

Coeliac disease in adolescents has been associated with an increased prevalence of depressive and disruptive behavioural disorders, particularly in the phase before diet treatment. We studied the possible effects of a gluten-free diet on psychiatric symptoms, on hormonal status (prolactin, thyroidal function) and on large neutral amino acid serum concentrations in adolescents with coeliac disease commencing a gluten-free diet.

Methods

Nine adolescents with celiac disease, aged 12 to 16 years, were assessed using the semi-structured K-SADS-Present and Lifetime Diagnostic interview and several symptom scales. Seven of them were followed at 1 to 2, 3, and 6 months on a gluten-free diet.

Results

Adolescent coeliac disease patients with depression had significantly lower pre-diet tryptophan/ competing amino-acid (CAA) ratios and free tryptophan concentrations, and significantly higher biopsy morning prolactin levels compared to those without depression. A significant decrease in psychiatric symptoms was found at 3 months on a gluten-free diet compared to patients' baseline condition, coinciding with significantly decreased coeliac disease activity and prolactin levels and with a significant increase in serum concentrations of CAAs.

Conclusion

Although our results of the amino acid analysis and prolactin levels in adolescents are only preliminary, they give support to previous findings on patients with coeliac disease, suggesting that serotonergic dysfunction due to impaired availability of tryptophan may play a role in vulnerability to depressive and behavioural disorders also among adolescents with untreated coeliac disease.
2-Arachidonoyl-glycerol suppresses interferon-γ production in phorbol ester/ionomycin-activated mouse splenocytes independent of CB1 or CB2
Authors: Kaplan Barbara L F , Ouyang Yanli , Rockwell Cheryl E , Rao Gautham K , Kaminski Norbert E
Published: March 2005

2-Arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2), has previously been demonstrated to modulate immune functions including suppression of interleukin-2 expression and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) activity. The objective of the present studies was to investigate the effect of 2-AG on interferon-γ (IFN-γ) expression and associated upstream signaling events. Pretreatment of splenocytes with 2-AG markedly suppressed phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore (PMA/Io)-induced IFN-γ secretion. In addition, 2-AG suppressed IFN-γ steady-state mRNA expression in a concentration-dependent manner. To unequivocally determine the putative involvement of CB1 and CB2, splenocytes derived from CB1−/−/CB2−/− knockout mice were used. No difference in the magnitude of IFN-γ suppression by 2-AG in wild-type versus CB1/CB2 null mice was observed. Time-of-addition studies revealed that 2-AG treatment up to 12 h post-cellular activation resulted in suppression of IFN-γ, which was consistent with a time course conducted with cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of NFAT activity. Coincidentally, 2-AG perturbed the nuclear translocation of NFAT protein and blocked thapsigargin-induced elevation in intracellular calcium, suggesting that altered calcium regulation might partly explain the suppression of NFAT nuclear translocation and subsequent IFN-γ production. Indeed, Io partially attenuated the 2-AG-induced suppression of PMA/Io-stimulated IFN-γ production. Taken together, these data demonstrate that 2-AG suppresses IFN-γ expression in murine splenocytes in a CB receptor-independent manner and that the mechanism partially involves suppression of intracellular calcium signaling and perturbation of NFAT nuclear translocation.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Before Liver Resection for Patients With Unresectable Liver Metastases From Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: Leonard Gregory D. , Brenner Baruch , Kemeny Nancy E.
Published: March 2005

Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the world, and more than 50% of these patients develop liver metastases. Despite recent advances, systemic chemotherapy for metastatic disease without the use of surgery is considered palliative, as there are rarely long-term survivors. However, patients who are candidates for surgical resection of their liver metastases can have a prolonged survival or possibly a cure. Consensus guidelines on criteria for resection and prognostic scores help facilitate patient selection, yet only 25% of patients with liver metastases are considered to have resectable metastases. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been explored in an attempt to render more patients candidates for resection. First reports using neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy in patients with unresectable disease found that 13% to 16% of patients could be rendered resectable. Efforts to increase response rates using hepatic arterial infusion or biologic agents may increase resection rates. This review summarizes the current data on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the rationale for this approach, potential complications, and future prospects.
Pattern of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Failure Dictates the Probability of a Positive Bone Scan in Patients With an Increasing PSA After Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Dotan Zohar A , Bianco Fernando J. , Rabbani Farhang , Eastham James A. , Fearn Paul , Scher Howard I. , Kelly Kevin W. , Chen Hui-Ni , Schöder Heiko , Hricak Hedvig , Scardino Peter T. , Kattan Michael W.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

Physicians often order periodic bone scans (BS) to check for metastases in patients with an increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA; biochemical recurrence [BCR]) after radical prostatectomy (RP), but most scans are negative. We studied patient characteristics to build a predictive model for a positive scan.

Patients and Methods

From our prostate cancer database we identified all patients with detectable PSA after RP. We analyzed the following features at the time of each bone scan for association with a positive BS: preoperative PSA, time to BCR, pathologic findings of the RP, PSA before the BS (trigger PSA), PSA kinetics (PSA doubling time, PSA slope, and PSA velocity), and time from BCR to BS. The results were incorporated into a predictive model.

Results

There were 414 BS performed in 239 patients with BCR and no history of androgen deprivation therapy. Only 60 (14.5%) were positive for metastases. In univariate analysis, preoperative PSA (P = .04), seminal vesicle invasion (P = .02), PSA velocity (P < .001), and trigger PSA (P < .001) predicted a positive BS. In multivariate analysis, only PSA slope (odds ratio [OR], 2.71; P = .03), PSA velocity (OR, 0.93; P = .003), and trigger PSA (OR, 1.022; P < .001) predicted a positive BS. A nomogram for predicting the bone scan result was constructed with an overfit-corrected concordance index of 0.93.

Conclusion

Trigger PSA, PSA velocity, and slope were associated with a positive BS. A highly discriminating nomogram can be used to select patients according to their risk for a positive scan. Omitting scans in low-risk patients could reduce substantially the number of scans ordered.
Paclitaxel Decreases the Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Improves Oxygenation in Breast Cancers in Patients Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Clinical Implications
Authors: Taghian Alphonse G. , Abi-Raad Rita , Assaad Sherif I. , Casty Adrian , Ancukiewicz Marek , Yeh Eren , Molokhia Peryhan , Attia Khaled , Sullivan Timothy , Kuter Irene , Boucher Yves , Powell Simon N.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

It has been hypothesized that tumors with high interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and/or hypoxia respond poorly to chemotherapy (CT) because of poor drug delivery. Preclinical studies have shown that paclitaxel reduces the IFP and improves the oxygenation (pO2) of tumors. Our aim is to evaluate the IFP and pO2 before and after neoadjuvant CT using sequential paclitaxel and doxorubicin in patients with breast cancer tumors of ≥ 3 cm.

Patients and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned, according to an institutional review board–approved phase II protocol, to receive neoadjuvant sequential CT consisting of either four cycles of dose-dense doxorubicin at 60 mg/m2 every 2 weeks followed by nine cycles of weekly paclitaxel at 80 mg/m2 (group 1) or vice versa, with paclitaxel administered before doxorubicin (group 2). Patients were re-evaluated clinically and radiologically. The IFP (wick-in-needle technique) and pO2 (Eppendorf) were measured in tumors at baseline and after completing the administration of the first and second drug.

Results

IFP and pO2 were measured in 54 patients at baseline and after the first CT. Twenty-nine and 25 patients were randomly assigned to groups 1 and 2, respectively. Paclitaxel, when administered first, decreased the mean IFP by 36% (P = .02) and improved the tumor pO2 by almost 100% (P = .003). In contrast, doxorubicin did not have a significant effect on either parameter. This difference was independent of the tumor size or response measured by ultrasound.

Conclusion

Paclitaxel significantly decreased the IFP and increased the pO2, whereas doxorubicin did not cause any significant changes. Tumor physiology could potentially be used to optimize the sequence of neoadjuvant CT in breast cancer.
Gaze and arrow cueing of attention reveals individual differences along the autism spectrum as a function of target context
Authors: Bayliss Andrew P. , Tipper Steven P.
Published: March 2005

Observing averted gaze results in a reflexive shift of attention to the gazed‐at location. In two experiments, participants scoring high and low on the Autism‐Spectrum Quotient questionnaire (AQ; Baron‐Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001) observed arrow and gaze cues to investigate cueing effect magnitude as a function of the context in which peripheral targets could appear. While identical cueing effects were found with gaze and arrow cues, the more striking results concerned target stimuli. In Experiment 1, targets could appear on a peripheral face, or on scrambled face parts. Overall, greater cueing effects were found when the target appeared on a face. However, this face bias was only observed in participants with low AQ scores, whereas high AQ scorers oriented more to scrambled features. Experiment 2 found equal cueing to targets appearing on tools, as compared with tool parts. However, individual differences were again observed, where low AQ scorers showed larger cueing towards tools, while high scorers oriented more to scrambled parts, as in Experiment 1. These results support the idea that low AQ individuals orient strongly to objects attended by others. However, since the same results were found for arrow cues, this effect may generalize to all central cues to attention. High AQ scorers possessing many more autistic‐like traits tended to orient more to scrambled shapes, perhaps reflecting a bias for orienting to local details.
The prediction of hallucinatory predisposition in non‐clinical individuals: Examining the contribution of emotion and reasoning
Authors: Allen Paul , Freeman Daniel , McGuire Philip , Garety Philippa , Kuipers Elizabeth , Fowler David , Bebbington Paul , Green Catherine , Dunn Graham , Ray Katarzyna
Published: March 2005

Background. Emotion, especially anxiety, has been implicated in triggering hallucinations. Reasoning processes are also likely to influence the judgments that lead to hallucinatory experiences. We report an investigation of the prediction of hallucinatory predisposition by emotion and associated processes (anxiety, depression, stress, self‐focused attention) and reasoning (need for closure, extreme responding).

Method. Data were analysed from a questionnaire survey in a student population (N =327).

Results. Higher levels of anxiety, self‐focus, and extreme responding were associated with hallucinatory predisposition. Interactions between these three variables did not strengthen the predictive effect of each. Depression, stress, and need for closure were not found to be predictors of hallucinatory experience in the regression analysis.

Conclusion. Emotional and reasoning processes may both need to be considered in the understanding of hallucinatory experience.
The effects of person–innovation fit on individual responses to innovation
Authors: Choi Jin Nam , Price Richard H.
Published: March 2005

Drawing on the person–environment fit literature, we propose that cognitive comparisons between person and innovation on meaningful dimensions determine organizational members' affective and behavioural responses to innovations. Specifically, we hypothesize that two different types of person‐innovation fit constructs (value fit and ability fit) differentially predict employees' commitment to implementation and implementation behaviour. The results of this study indicate that congruence between innovation values and personal values is more strongly related to employees' commitment to implementation than to implementation behaviour, whereas the congruence between required abilities and current abilities is more strongly associated with implementation behaviour than with commitment to implementation. In addition, commitment to implementation was more strongly associated with environmental characteristics (innovation values), whereas implementation behaviour was associated more strongly with personal characteristics (personal values, current abilities). This study expands the person–environment fit and innovation implementation literature by applying the fit concept to a new domain and by identifying and testing cognitive processes that determine employees' affective and behavioural responses to innovations.
The benefits of a preventive job search program on re‐employment and mental health at 2‐year follow‐up
Authors: Vuori Jukka , Silvonen Jussi
Published: March 2005

This study investigated whether a preventive, group‐based job search program has long‐term beneficial effects on the re‐employment and mental health of participants who have been unemployed for a prolonged period of time. A total of 1,227 unemployed Finnish job seekers participated in this randomly assigned experimental field study. Participation in the programme significantly decreased symptoms of depression, and increased the self‐esteem of the participants during the 2 years of follow‐up. Compared to the control group, the participants of the experimental group were engaged significantly more often in the labour market, either employed, or participating in vocational training.
Wage comparisons with similar and dissimilar others
Authors: Sweeney Paul D. , McFarlin Dean B.
Published: March 2005

Considerable research has been completed on the link between social comparisons and employee satisfaction. Surprisingly, however, few of those studies contrast the effects of various comparisons with others on pay satisfaction. Based on social comparison theory, we expected that comparisons with similar others would be more important predictors of pay satisfaction than comparisons with dissimilar others. Across four studies, the degree of similarity of the comparison other was varied. In Studies 1 and 2, respondents made pay comparisons inside or outside the organization. In Studies 3 and 4, respondents made pay comparisons with referents in the same and different occupations. In all four studies we found that while similar others did provide employees with important information that affected their satisfaction, so did information about dissimilar others. We suggest that the importance of a job in our self‐definitions, with pay level being among the most overt markers, may account for our findings. Using pay as a yardstick may lead us all to widen our search for information about others, including ordinarily discrepant others. Alternative explanations and directions for research are discussed.
Women's opinions about attending for breast cancer screening: Stability of cognitive determinants during three rounds of screening
Authors: Drossaert C. H. C. , Boer H. , Seydel E. R.
Published: March 2005

Objectives. To examine the stability of beliefs and intentions towards repeat attendance at breast cancer screening, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The aims of the study were to examine whether and how cognitions changed in the course of the programme, and whether intentions that were assessed proximally were better predictors of behaviour than those assessed distally.

Design and methods. A total of 2,657 women filled out a baseline questionnaire (T1), 2 months after being invited for an initial mammogram in the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Programme. Actual attendance data in the second and third screening rounds were subsequently collected and follow‐up questionnaires were sent to parts of the sample at four points in time: shortly before (T2) and after (T3) the second screening round, and shortly before (T4) and after (T5) the third screening round.

Results. Only minor changes in beliefs and intentions were found. In the assessments shortly before screening, women were somewhat less positive about attending than in the assessments shortly after screening. Throughout the course of the programme, women's opinions about attending remained positive. In fact, women became somewhat more convinced that they were vulnerable to getting breast cancer, and that participating in screening was beneficial to them. Actual attendance in subsequent rounds of screening was higher than expected. Proximal beliefs and intentions were only slightly more predictive of actual behaviour than distal beliefs.

Conclusions. In organized breast cancer screening, beliefs and intentions remain positive and rather stable. Although our results should be interpreted with caution, due to little variation in behaviour, they suggest that the gap between intentions and behaviour could not be substantially reduced by proximal assessment of determinants.
Solubility of amino acids, sugars, and proteins
Authors: Macedo Eugénia Almeida
Published: March 2005

The importance of biomolecules is well recognized nowadays, owing to their application in many industrial processes, particularly in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

Amino acids, carbohydrates, and proteins are the three types of biomolecules considered in this review. Solubilities of several amino acids and sugars have been measured in water and, more recently, in mixed solvents, both with or without salts. Experimental data on partition of proteins in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), with polymers or salts, have also been reported in the literature. The experimental techniques used are briefly discussed. Regarding modeling, the complexity of these solutions is very high. Sugars form strong hydrogen bonds with one another and with water or other solvents like alcohols. Liquid solutions with amino acids or proteins present not only short-range interaction forces, but also long-range forces, owing to the appearance of charged species. The capabilities of different molecular models and group-contribution-based methods are shown.
Molecular Modeling
Authors: Profeta Salvatore
Published: March 2005

Chemistry, as the central science, utilizes models in virtually every aspect of the discipline. Integral to the progress of chemistry has been its ability to draw from physics, mathematics, statistics, and computer science to develop new subdisciplines, such as computational chemistry. As computing hardware has become faster and more accessible, so to have techniques to perform modeling and simulations of molecular systems. Software systems today assist researchers in the study of molecular systems and provide mechanisms for deriving a rigorous and consistent explanation for the chemical or biological behavior observed or help the researcher to develop a model for predictions.

To appreciate the origins of molecular modeling, we examine how computational chemistry came to be developed. From its roots in modern quantum theory, in the early twentieth century, through the evolution of empirical, semiempirical, and nonempirical (or ab initio) methods, computational chemistry or molecular modeling techniques have grown from being the province of an esoteric specialist to a “must have” tool in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries today.

This article covers the major techniques of molecular modeling, including semiempirical and ab initio methods (eg, MNDO,AM1,PM3, SPARTAN), empirical force field or molecular mechanics techniques, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques (eg, MM3/4, MMFF, AMBER). Also reviewed are basic methods involved in the development of quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR). These include principal components analysis (PCA), partial least squares (PLS), comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), and 3D database searching. The article closes with a table listing representative software systems for computer‐assisted molecular modeling (CAMM).
Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs in China. BY FRANK DIKÖTTER, LARS LAAMANN, and ZHOU XUN. [Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2004. 319 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-226-14905-6.]
Authors: Madancy Joyce A.
Published: March 2005

In the burgeoning sub-field of narcotic history in China, Narcotic Culture stands out as a revision of the revisionist literature. Most scholars now concur that the nature and extent of China's narcotic “problem” has been grossly exaggerated over time, and recent scholarship has reinterpreted opiates as key components of social, economic and political developments in the late Qing and Republican eras. But Narcotic Culture goes well beyond this reassessment in an interpretation that relies on a wide range of archival and other primary sources, as well as a methodology that successfully blends history and anthropology. Dikötter, Laamann and Zhou take issue with the “narcophobic discourse” (p. 2) that has characterized the rhetoric of drug use and abuse in China and, even more significant, they dispute the assumption that various attempts to prohibit opium and other narcotics were positive developments that reflected state strength or rising Chinese nationalism. Instead, the authors build a strong case for their contention that it was prohibition that generated a social and economic disaster for many Chinese.

The first half of the book is devoted to debunking what the authors term “the opium myth,” the idea that opium caused more harm than good and was largely responsible for the downfall of Chinese civilization. They establish that opium use was not confined to China, most Chinese opium smokers were not addicts, and many smokers sought the drug's valued medical benefits. They hypothesize that opium abuse in China was largely prevented by a smoking culture that valued decorum and encouraged complex and time consuming rituals. The authors also note that any valid historical examination of narcotics in China must have a global focus and should seek to extricate the drug from the multilayered socio-cultural meanings that have, at various times, transformed a legitimate medicine into a moral problem.
The Politics of Buddhist Organisations in Taiwan: 1989–2003. Safeguarding the Faith, Building a Pure Land, Helping the Poor. By ANDRÉ LALIBERTÉ . [London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2004. xii+178 pp. ISBN 0-415-32235-9.] Establishing a Pure Land on Earth. The Foguang Buddhist Perspective on Modernization and Globalization. By STUART CHANDLER. [Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2004. xvii+371 pp. ISBN 0-8248-2746-5.]
Authors: Tarocco Francesca
Published: March 2005

In open contrast to the abundance of studies concerning the first millennium of Chinese history, many aspects of the institutional, intellectual and cultural history of Chinese Buddhism during the past one thousand years remain, with some notable exceptions, largely unstudied. In particular, Western language scholarly accounts of Chinese Buddhism since the end of the 19th century are still rare and, with regards to the first part of the 20th century, largely limited to the efforts of one individual, the late American scholar, Holmes Welch (1921–1981). During the last ten or 15 years, however, there have been signs of a reversal of this tendency as an increasing number of researchers began to devote themselves to the study of modern and contemporary Chinese Buddhism. The lion's share of this emerging scholarly trend belongs to studies of Taiwanese rather than mainland Chinese Buddhism. This choice can partly be attributed to the increasing international visibility of Taiwanese Buddhist associations, but I also suspect that funding opportunities and a comparatively more welcoming research environment may have something to do with it!

The two books under review are also concerned with contemporary Taiwanese Buddhism. Their authors adopt different but somehow complementary approaches. Whereas André Laliberté's instructive study of the attitudes towards the active political participation of Taiwanese Buddhist organizations focuses on the activities of the three main Taiwanese Buddhist organizations, namely the Buddha Light Mountain (or Foguangshan) monastic order, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association (or Ciji gongdehui), and the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China (Zhongguo fojiaohui), Stuart Chandler's engaging study focuses on Foguangshan and the views of its founder and charismatic leader, Ven. Xingyun.
Lu Xun: the Chinese “Gentle” Nietzsche. By CHIU-YEE CHEUNG. [Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2001. 178 pp. £24.00. ISBN 3-631-38073-9.]
Authors: von Kowallis Jon Eugene
Published: March 2005

This is the first intellectual biography of Lu Xun (1881–1936) published in English in nearly 20 years. Arguably, it may be the first one ever. Cheung skilfully utilizes the prism of Lu Xun's interest in Nietzsche to examine not only his influence on the development of the Chinese writer's thought, but also a host of other issues from the interpretation of Lu Xun's works to his marital status. In order to do this, Cheung must first come to terms with Nietzsche's intellectual legacy, which he defines as that of the “gentle” Nietzsche – the Nietzsche sans Nachlass familiar to us through Walter Kaufmann, not the Nietzsche of the Will to Power created posthumously by his sister and others from fragments of the philosopher's unpublished manuscripts. In fact, it is best to read Nietzsche as rumination, Cheung tells us, or to pick up his Leitworte or main terms (p. 9). Cheung then asserts that Lu Xun was the “chosen one” to realize Nietzsche's influence on China (p. 17).

Central to all this was Thus Spake Zarathustra and Lu Xun's understanding of it as well as what he had gleaned from secondary sources during his years of study in Japan, probably Takayama Chogyuu's 1901 essay “Bunmei hihyooka to shite no bungakusha” (“The litterateur as cultural critic”), derived from Ziegler's Die geistigen und sozialen Stroemungen Deutschlands in neunzehnten Jahrhundert [The German Intellectual and Social Movements in the Nineteenth Century] (Berlin: Georg Bondi, 1911), which, Cheung informs us, is based on Nietzsche's Untimely Meditations (p. 23). If that is the case, the young Lu Xun is to be commended for his choice of sources.
Quantifying magmatic, crustal, and atmospheric helium contributions to volcanic aquifers using all stable noble gases: Implications for magmatism and groundwater flow
Authors: Saar M. O. , Castro M. C. , Hall C. M. , Manga M. , Rose T. P.
Published: March 2005

We measure all stable noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) in spring waters in the Oregon Cascades volcanic arc and in eastern Oregon, USA. We show that in order to estimate magmatic helium (He) contributions it is critical to simultaneously consider He isotopic ratios, He concentrations, and mixing of He components. Our component mixing analysis requires consideration of all measured noble gases but no other elements and is particularly insightful when strong dilution by air‐saturated water has occurred. In addition, this approach can allow distinction between crustal and magmatic He components and facilitates their identification in deep groundwaters that have been diluted by near‐surface water. Using this approach, we show that some cold springs on the eastern flanks of the Oregon Cascades exhibit He isotopic ratios that indicate significant magmatic He contributions comparable to those observed in thermal springs on the western flanks. Furthermore, while these magmatic He contributions are largest in deep groundwaters near the Cascades crest, greater magmatic excess He fractions than may be inferred from He isotopic ratios alone are present in all (deep) groundwaters including those at larger distances (>70 km) from the volcanic arc. We also suggest that excess He and heat discharge without dilution by air‐saturated water may be restricted to spring discharge along faults.
A depth‐averaged two‐dimensional model for flow, sediment transport, and bed topography in curved channels with riparian vegetation
Authors: Wu Weiming , Shields F. Douglas , Bennett Sean J. , Wang Sam S. Y.
Published: March 2005

A depth‐averaged two‐dimensional numerical model has been developed to simulate flow, sediment transport, and bed topography in river channels with emergent and submerged rigid vegetation and large woody debris. The effect of helical flow in bends is considered by adopting an algebraic model for the dispersion terms in the depth‐averaged two‐dimensional momentum and suspended‐sediment transport equations and by adjusting the bed load transport angle. The governing equations are discretized using the finite volume method on a nonstaggered, curvilinear grid. Model validity has been assessed using experimental data observed in both fixed‐ and movable‐bed laboratory flumes and a natural channel with submerged and emergent rigid vegetation. In general, mean flow velocities, sediment transport rates, and changes in bed topography predicted by the model agree well with the experimental observations. For laboratory and field cases, root‐mean‐square relative errors for velocities were less than about 13% and 44%, respectively, and about 50% of errors for changes in bed topography were less than 14.5% and 8% of the flow depth, respectively.
Proapoptotic BAX and BAK control multiple initiator caspases
Authors: Ruiz‐Vela Antonio , Opferman Joseph T , Cheng Emily H‐Y , Korsmeyer Stanley J
Published: March 2005

BAX and BAK operate at both the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to regulate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. An unresolved issue is whether any caspases can be activated in response to intrinsic apoptotic signals in the absence of BAX and BAK. Following organelle‐specific intrinsic stress signals, including DNA damage and ER stress, we detected no activation of CARD‐containing caspases (initiator CASP)‐1, ‐2, ‐9, ‐11 and ‐12 in Bax−/−Bak−/− doubly deficient (DKO) cells. BCL‐2 overexpression in these DKO cells provided no further protection to their already strong protection from DNA damage and ER stress. Moreover, there was no activation of effector CASP‐3 and ‐7 in DKO cells, consistent with the lack of initiator caspase activity and disfavouring a BAX, BAK‐independent intrinsic apoptotic pathway to activate initiator caspases. Thus, BAX and BAK confer an essential gateway for the activation of caspases in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.
Solving the quantum nonlinear Schrödinger equation with δ-type impurity
Authors: Caudrelier V. , Mintchev M. , Ragoucy E.
Published: March 2005

We establish the exact solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a delta-function impurity, representing a pointlike defect which reflects and transmits. We solve the problem both at the classical and the second quantized levels. In the quantum case the Zamolodchikov–Faddeev algebra, familiar from the case without impurities, is substituted by the recently discovered reflection-transmission (RT) algebra, which captures both particle–particle and particle–impurity interactions. The off-shell quantum solution is expressed in terms of the generators of the RT algebra and the exact scattering matrix of the theory is derived.
Sapphire-anvil cell for small-angle neutron scattering measurements in large-volume liquid samples up to 530 MPa
Authors: Bonetti M. , Calmettes P.
Published: March 2005

A cell with unsupported beveled sapphire-anvils was developed to carry out small-angle neutron scattering measurements in large-volume liquid samples up to a pressure of 530 MPa. The body of the anvil is a cylinder with a 30 mm diameter. One end is shaped into a truncated cone with a face 14 mm in diameter. The two opposed anvils squeeze a flat metallic gasket of thickness between 1 and 3 mm with a central hole between 4 and 10 mm in diameter. The initial sample volume varies from about 10 to 240mm3. The highest achievable pressure depends on the dimensions and on the mechanical properties of the gasket. To allow a high neutron transmission of the collimated neutron beam, a 10-mm-diam bore is machined along the cell axis. For a neutron beam of 7 mm in diameter, the maximum forward scattering angle is about 9.5°. With a neutron wavelength of 0.4 nm, this allows scattering spectra to be recorded for wave-number transfers up to 2.6nm−1.
Transcriptional activation triggers deposition and removal of the histone variant H3.3
Authors: Schwartz Brian E. , Ahmad Kami
Published: March 2005

DNA in eukaryotic cells is packaged into nucleosomes, the structural unit of chromatin. Both DNA and bulk histones are extremely long-lived, because old DNA strands and histones are retained when chromatin duplicates. In contrast, we find that the Drosophila HSP70 genes rapidly lose histone H3 and acquire variant H3.3 histones as they are induced. Histone replacement does not occur at artificial HSP70 promoter arrays, demonstrating that transcription is required for H3.3 deposition. The H3.3 histone is enriched in all active chromatin and throughout large transcription units, implying that deposition occurs during transcription elongation. Strikingly, we observed that the stability of chromatin-bound H3.3 differs between loci: H3.3 turns over at continually active rDNA genes, but becomes stable at induced HSP70 genes that have shut down. We conclude that H3.3 deposition is coupled to transcription, and continues while a gene is active. Repeated histone replacement suggests a mechanism to both maintain the structure of chromatin and access to DNA at active genes.
Balancing family members’ interests regarding stepparent rights and obligations: A social policy challenge*
Authors: Malia Sarah E. C.
Published: March 2005

Abstract: Although stepparents often play important roles in their stepchildren's lives, residential stepparents generally have fewer rights than legal guardians or foster parents. U.S. law does not consistently recognize stepparents’ roles, functions, rights, and obligations regarding their stepchildren. This paper examines and synthesizes diverse current stepfamily legal policies and regulations as well as legal and social science policy reform concerns. Policy recommendations related to stepparents’ roles and responsibilities that would better balance various interests while promoting children's welfare and strengthening diverse family forms and relationships are offered.
Estimates of protozoan‐ and viral‐mediated mortality of bacterioplankton in Lake Bourget (France)
Authors: JACQUET STÉPHAN , DOMAIZON ISABELLE , PERSONNIC SÉBASTIEN , RAM ANGIA SRIRAM PRADEEP , HEDAL MIKAL , DUHAMEL SOLANGE , SIME‐NGANDO TÉLESPHORE
Published: March 2005

1. We performed three, 1‐week in situ experiments in March‐April (expt 1), May (expt 2) and August (expt 3) 2003 in order to assess protozoan and virus‐induced mortality of heterotrophic bacteria in a French lake. Viral and bacterial abundances were obtained using flow cytometry (FCM) while protozoa were counted using epifluorescence microscopy (EFM).

2. A dilution approach, applied to pretreated grazer‐free samples, allowed us to estimate that viral lysis could be responsible for 60% (expt 1), 35% (expt 2) and 52% (expt 3) of daily heterotrophic bacterial mortality. Flagellate (both mixotrophic and heterotrophic) grazing in untreated samples, was responsible for 56% (expt 1), 63% (expt 2) and 18% (expt 3) of daily heterotrophic bacteria removal.

3. These results therefore suggest that both viral lysis and flagellate grazing had a strong impact on bacterial mortality, and this impact varied seasonally.

4. From parallel transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, we found that the burst size (i.e. the number of viruses potentially released per lysed cell) ranged from nine to 25 (expt 1), 10 to 35 (expt 2) and eight to 25 (expt 3). The percentage of infected heterotrophic bacteria was 5.7% (expt 1), 3.4% (expt 2) and 5.7% (expt 3) so that the calculated percentage of bacterial mortality induced by viruses was 6.3% (expt 1), 3.7% (expt 2) and 6.3% (expt 3).

5. It is clear that the dilution‐FCM and TEM methods yielded different estimates of viral impact, although both methods revealed an increased impact of viruses during summer.
Management Behaviour as Social Capital: A Systematic Analysis of Organizational Ethnographies
Authors: Hodson Randy
Published: March 2005

This article explores managerial behaviour as a potential source of social capital in the workplace. Using content‐coded data from the full population of organizational ethnographies (N = 204), we explore facets of workplace behaviours and relations that have been difficult to evaluate using survey‐based techniques. Analysing ethnographic‐based data with multivariate techniques, we find that competent management leadership, in particular, has widespread and significant effects on important workplace outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behaviour, and co‐worker infighting. The findings highlight the value of cross‐methods techniques for evaluating and extending existing workplace theories.
Investors in People: Market‐led Voluntarism in Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Hoque Kim , Taylor Scott , Bell Emma
Published: March 2005

Introduced in the UK in 1991, Investors in People (IiP) provides a benchmark for good training practice. It has become a central feature of the UK government's vocational education and training policy. This article aims to broaden the debate relating to IiP in two ways: first, by reviewing the existing evidence on recognition rates and its impact on training activity; and second, by exploring the new directions that IiP is taking in terms of its redesign and its overseas adoption. Finally, we consider the research agenda and the policy implications that arise from the review.