bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Thanksgiving Turkey Tap: A New and Simple Model for Teaching Ultrasound‐guided Thoracentesis
Authors: Richardson Derek , Straff Dean
Published: April 2009

Thoracentesis is a critical procedure that every emergency physician must be able to perform comfortably. By introducing ultrasound technology to the procedure, we have the potential to redefine the standard of care for emergency department thoracentesis by effectively decreasing complication rates of this procedure. Ultrasound‐guided thoracentesis has been shown to lead to fewer incidents of pneumothorax than the traditional technique; however, due to the complicated anatomy of the chest wall, this skill is difficult to teach without using living patient models. The NewYork‐Presbyterian Emergency Medicine Residency Program has developed an effective model for teaching and practicing ultrasound‐guided thoracentesis. The Presbyterian model uses a whole turkey with the cavity lined with a water‐retaining plastic sheet, containing water and an air‐filled balloon. Ultrasound can then be used to visualize the ribs, the underlying fluid, and the balloon representing lung space. By using a standard thoracentesis kit with our model, the complete procedure can be performed and techniques of positioning, entry point, and fluid collection can be demonstrated and practiced. This was performed for 50 medical students, residents, and attending physicians in late November 2008 for under $100. This simple model may be used to introduce new practitioners to thoracentesis, or to update experienced physicians on new techniques to decrease complication rates during procedures with an effective and inexpensive model.
Geriatric Emergency Medicine Educational Module: Abdominal Pain in the Older Adult
Authors: Gerson Lowell , Losman Eve
Published: April 2009

The Society for Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Geriatrics Task Force has created an instructional tool to address the complaint of abdominal pain in older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED). This is the first module in a comprehensive, web‐based geriatric emergency medicine curriculum that will address common syndromes in older adults presenting to the ED. There is no formal, residency‐based curriculum in geriatric emergency medicine and there is a paucity of geriatric Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities for practicing emergency physicians. The amount, quality, and convenience of geriatrics training available to emergency physicians is insufficient. This educational gap is particularly concerning given the ever‐growing volume of older adult emergency patients. The Task Force chose to focus first on geriatric abdominal pain because a survey of emergency physicians in the mid 1990s found that it is one of the most difficult complaints to evaluate and manage. The module comprises of six clinical cases with a pre‐ and post‐test. Together, these cases encompass the broad differential diagnosis for geriatric abdominal pain and the core medical knowledge pertaining to the subject. The modules will expose the learner, through either content or modeling, to the six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies and to the Principles of Geriatric Emergency Medicine including rapid evaluation of functional status, communication skills, and consideration of the effect of polypharmacy and co‐morbidity on the presenting complaint. This module will be available to residency programs as an “asynchronous educational session” via the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) website as well as to practicing emergency physicians via the SAEM and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) websites.
Surface phenotype and rapid quantification of blood dendritic cell subsets in the rhesus macaque
Authors: Brown Kevin N. , Barratt‐Boyes Simon M.
Published: April 2009

Background  The study of dendritic cell (DC) biology in the rhesus macaque is becoming increasingly important but is limited by incomplete characterization and the lack of a rapid assay to quantify cells.

Methods  We characterized the surface phenotype of myeloid (mDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) subsets in healthy rhesus macaque blood and developed a flow cytometry‐based assay for absolute DC determinations.

Results  Rhesus CD11c+ mDC were CD16+ CD11b+ CD56lo CD8− CD1c− whereas CD123+ pDC lacked expression of these markers. Precise DC determinations were performed using a rapid two‐step assay combining the analysis of whole blood and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL).

Conclusions  Antibodies to CD11b, CD56 and CD16 must be omitted from the lineage antibody cocktail to prevent inadvertent gating‐out of DC when analyzing rhesus blood. The combined whole‐blood/PBL quantification assay will be invaluable for the rapid and repeated monitoring of blood DC counts in this species.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Leukocyte Activation and Circulating Leukocyte‐Derived Microparticles in Preeclampsia
Authors: Lok Christianne A.R. , Jebbink Jiska , Nieuwland Rienk , Faas Marijke M. , Boer Kees , Sturk Augueste , Van Der Post Joris A.M.
Published: April 2009

Problem  Preeclampsia shows characteristics of an inflammatory disease including leukocyte activation. Analyses of leukocyte‐derived microparticles (MP) and mRNA expression of inflammation‐related genes in leukocytes may establish which subgroups of leukocytes contribute to the development of preeclampsia.

Method of Study  Blood samples were obtained from preeclamptic patients, normotensive pregnant and non‐pregnant controls. sL‐selectin and elastase were measured by ELISA. mRNA was isolated from leukocytes and gene expression was determined by multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA). MP were characterized by flow cytometry.

Results  Altered concentrations of sL‐selectin and elastase confirmed leukocyte activation in preeclampsia. These leukocytes showed up‐regulation of Nuclear Factor of Kappa light chain gene enhancer in B Cells inhibitor (NFκB‐1A) and cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKN)‐1A compared with normotensive pregnant women. interleukin‐1 Receptor Antagonist (IL‐1RA) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐R1 were increased compared with those in non‐pregnant controls. Monocyte‐derived MP were elevated in preeclamptic patients compared with pregnant women. The numbers of cytotoxic T‐cell‐derived and granulocyte‐derived MP were elevated compared with those of non‐pregnant women.

Conclusion  Leukocytes are activated in preeclampsia. A pro‐inflammatory gene expression profile is not prominent, although differences in mRNA expression can be detected. Increased levels of particular subsets of leukocyte‐derived MP reflect activation of their parental cells in preeclampsia.
New Directions in Recent Milton Criticism
Authors: West John
Published: April 2009

This article considers the state of Milton criticism in 2008. It suggests that Milton criticism is emerging from a period when historicist criticism that investigated the politics of Milton's work was dominant and is now characterised by variety and change. The article considers how some historicist political criticism continues. It goes on to show how there is a new foregrounding of literary issues such as form and aesthetics and also how some Milton criticism is displaying an increasing interest in how Milton matters to the present. The article suggests that such changes could constitute a reaction against the historicist legacy but also argues that they build upon the insights of the past few decades by re‐examining the interactions of literature and politics.
The Evolution of the Psychology of the Self
Authors: Gehrie Mark J.
Published: April 2009

Since the publication of Heinz Kohut's last book in 1984, “self psychology” has become much more diverse in its perspectives and even fragmented in its applications. Perhaps due in large part to Kohut's own inconsistencies and lack of clarity on certain major points of theory and technique, self psychology currently lacks a clear definition and has become increasingly marginalized in the larger psychoanalytic community, even as some concepts have been absorbed into more general psychoanalytic usage. Major theoretical and clinical concepts in self psychology remain foggy in their definition and in their clinical application. This article will outline an essential paradigm for a psychoanalytic self psychology, given the author's background in social science, and its connection to particular psychoanalytic values. Focal changes in post‐Kohutian self psychology that conflict with these views are briefly reviewed; changes that I saw at odds with not only the basic orientation of self psychology but also with psychoanalysis itself. Changes in the selfobject concept and in how the role of early trauma is understood in the context of Kohut's concept of optimal frustration are discussed. A clinical illustration demonstrates my concern that the introduction of the relational perspective in self psychology appears to interfere with psychoanalytic goals per se; that heavy reliance on present reality and “optimal gratification” is at the expense of access to the unconscious and interferes with achievement of specific analytic goals regarding the acquisition of maturity in the narcissistic realm. These conclusions relocate self psychology within the fabric of psychoanalysis and its emphasis on the self as internal.
Theory Is Personal
Authors: Siegel Allen M.
Published: April 2009

In “Theory Is Personal,” Allen Siegel MD, a Chicago psychoanalyst and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center, shares the very personal story of how he came to his theory. Sometimes we find our theory. Other times, Siegel argues, it is our theory that finds us. In this article Siegel catalogues his early encounters with figures—contemporary and real—from Sigmund Freud to influential department chairs to an analyst who would become legendary for introducing a bold new theory into the psychoanalytic canon. Charting key experiences that shaped his adoption of this new approach—a depression in response to his first patient, a clinical treatment with Heinz Kohut, and exposure to others who dared to challenge Freud—Siegel describes the theory that brought both himself and his patients to life. After outlining the principles that guide the new theory and practice known as self psychology, Siegel tells of the empathic ambiance that can now emerge in the consulting room. Finally, he shows how this new theory of human motivation provides not merely a rationale for psychotherapy but an explanatory apparatus for understanding human action in the world beyond the consulting room. He turns to a brief study of aggression and war, as expressed in a 1932 correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, to illustrate how the understanding of aggression and war changes significantly when empathy is the field's data collecting instrument.
From Self Psychology to Selves in Relationship
Authors: Knoblauch Steven H.
Published: April 2009

This article traces four shifts in conceptualization marking the theoretical/clinical journey of this author's developmental movement from a self psychologist to a selves‐in‐relationship psychoanalyst. It commences with a recognition that the analyst's conceptualizations, building blocks of organizing activity, are actions that impact self and other. Psychoanalysis was initiated as a practice in open‐systems thinking, the hallmark of scientific observation and meaning making. Continuing in this tradition requires careful attention to clinical experiences anomalous to what a particular conceptualization might lead one to expect or to how that conceptualization might inform one's response. Such anomalous experiences, as Kohut demonstrated, can require expansion or emendation in conceptualization as central to the analyst's clinical activity. Four key concepts emerging in the self‐psychological tradition are revisited for conceptual expansion: mirroring, self, attunement, and rupture repair. Each reformulation impacts on and is constituted, in part, by the other, hence the nonlinear relationship between these concepts. Each reformulation is grounded in a clinical illustration and marks a shift from structural conceptualization to process conceptualization characterized by attention to, and narration of, the analyst's as well as the analysand's subjective experience and contribution to the clinical interaction. Furthermore, clinical attention is expanded to the micro dimensions of nonsymbolic‐embodied experiences and the macro dimensions of how different cultural beliefs and customs, shaped by both local as well as professional identifications, can influence the meaning‐making process of the analyst's subjective organizations of self, other, and intersubjective processes. In the clinical illustrations narrated, these reconceptualizations are demonstrated to have significant impact on how analyst and analysand interact.
The Journey of a Psychoanalyst
Authors: Sorter Dorienne
Published: April 2009

This chapter discusses the author's involvement with contemporary self psychology. Beginning from a traditional Freudian background, the author's history is traced to her current psychoanalytic interest in applying infant research to adult treatment. A case example is provided illustrating the interweaving of the verbal/explicit and nonverbal/implicit dimensions of working with a patient traumatized following the World Trade Center disaster.
On Ideals and Idealization
Authors: Morrison Andrew P.
Published: April 2009

This chapter repositions ideals away from their role as defensive structures restraining aggressive and lustful drives (as traditionally viewed) toward their place in shaping creativity and love. We select and mold our particular ideals in providing meaning and in this manner help to create those selfobjects needed to resolve or soothe our needs. This creative process may include “reshaping” of the available object to represent the “idealized other.” From this perspective, Kohut's view of idealization and the idealized parental imago will be considered, including my own notion of a one‐and‐a‐half person psychology. Our ideals inevitably conflict and clash, leading to internal self‐conflicts that generate what I call the dialectic of narcissism. Narcissism is here considered broadly, reflecting all attributes of self‐experience. Shame plays an important role in this dialectic, relating to failure with regard to ideals and to falling short of cherished goals. Ultimately, it is the shaping of, and approximation to, flexible and meaningful ideals that comprise that lofty, ineffable, human ideal—wisdom. Clinical vignettes will be offered to illustrate these themes.
One Case, Four Theories
Authors: VanDerHeide Nancy
Published: April 2009

In this chapter, clinical material illustrates key theoretical concepts and underscores the value of Heinz Kohut's radical approach to psychoanalysis. The psychodynamic treatment of “Matthew” spans over a decade and traces the therapist's immersion in four clinical modalities. The transition from Kleinian and British object relations orientations to a therapeutic style informed by psychoanalytic self psychology and intersubjective systems theory broke through impasses generated in the earlier chapters of Matthew's therapy. The empathic listening stance, the impact of the analyst's subjectivity on the treatment's progress, and the vital role of selfobject experiences in the development, restoration, and maintenance of an individual's sense of self constitute a few of the crucial and enduring curative elements brought to the field of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy by Kohut's pioneering efforts.
Outcomes Associated With Nesiritide Administration for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in the Emergency Department Observation Unit: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Styron Joseph F. , Jois‐Bilowich Preeti , Tallman Thomas , Emerman Charles , Starling Randall C. , Frank Peacock W.
Published: April 2009

The authors’ purpose was to determine 30‐ and 180‐day readmission and mortality rates for acutely decompensated heart failure patients receiving nesiritide in the emergency department observation unit. The authors conducted a retrospective evaluation of all patients admitted to the emergency department observation unit, stratified by nesiritide administration, from January 2002 to January 2004. Eligible patients had a primary diagnosis of acutely decompensated heart failure. Observation unit treatment was by previously published protocols, except for nesiritide administration, which was per attending physician choice. Of 595 patients, 196 (33%) received nesiritide. The crude and adjusted odds ratios comparing readmission rates and mortality rates of the nesiritide group with the control group failed to demonstrate significant differences at either the 30‐ or the 180‐day endpoints. The use of nesiritide for acute decompensated heart failure in the emergency department observation unit is not associated with mortality or readmission differences compared with standard therapy alone.
Effect of Cadmium on a Stable, Large Volume, Laboratory Ecosystem Containing Daphnia and Phytoplankton
Authors: Borgmann U. , Millard E. S. , Charlton C. C.
Published: April 2009

Stable 3400-L indoor Daphnia-phytoplankton ecosystems were exposed to cadmium to test the hypothesis that sublethal concentrations of toxicants cause an increase in the biomass of lower trophic levels and a decrease in the biomass of higher trophic levels. At 5 µg∙L−1 the Daphnia population collapsed after approximately 9 wk and chlorophyll levels increased to levels substantially greater than those observed in the control. At 15 µg∙L−1 the Daphnia population declined after approximately 5 wk. Chlorophyll levels remained low even after the Daphnia collapse. At concentrations of 1 µg∙L−1 and below, the ecosystem appeared to remain stable. The nature of the response of the ecosystem to 5 µg Cd∙L−1 was predicted correctly, but the magnitude of the response was not. A synergistic effect between cadmium toxicity and Daphnia population growth inhibition by high algal concentrations resulted in a much more dramatic response than predicted. A standard benchtop Daphnia bioassay could be used to accurately predict the concentration of cadmium below which no detrimental ecosystem effects are likely to occur; however, the degree of response cannot be predicted.
Genetic Divergence of Anadromous and Nonanadromous Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in the River Namsen, Norway
Authors: Vuorinen Jukka , Berg Ole Kristian
Published: April 2009

Anadromous and nonanadromous Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, coexist in the River Namsen in Norway. We studied genetic divergence between these two life history types by using electrophoretic data from 38 protein loci. Although allele frequencies differed significantly between the types at four loci no fixed allele frequency difference was observed. Nei's genetic distance between the life history types, however, was 0.01 a relatively high value for Atlantic salmon populations. The genetic differences observed between anadromous and nonanadromous salmon accounted for 18.3% of the total gene diversity. The five nonanadromous salmon samples formed two genetically different groups corresponding to the upper and lower ranges of the nonanadromous salmon in the river. The average observed heterozygosity was 3.1% for anadromous and 1.0% for nonanadromous salmon. The low heterozygosity in nonanadromous salmon probably reflects a strong founder effect. Stockings of large numbers of anadromous salmon fry to the upper reaches of the River Namsen have caused no detectable hybridization with nonanadromous salmon. Also downstream migrating nonanadromous salmon have apparently not made any important genetic contribution to the anadromous fish.
Evaluation of Variation in Permeability Measurements when Using the MARK VI Standpipe
Authors: Young Michael K. , Hubert Wayne A. , Wesche Thomas A.
Published: April 2009

Using the MARK VI standpipe in a substrate-filled flume under constant flow conditions, we found significant differences in permeability readings made by different people at four of five sites. Coefficients of variation at each site ranged from 27 to 79%. Readings usually varied greatly for each person at each site. To detect a 10% change in the mean permeability at single sites (α = 0.05) would require from 34 to 90 samples; for a 30% change, the range was 4 – 10. Repeated sampling at a site did not produce directional changes in permeability estimates, nor did the performance of individuals change during the test. We propose a sampling strategy based on repeated readings taken by one person.
Prediction Limits of Allometric Equations: A Reanalysis of Ryder's Morphoedaphic Index
Authors: Schneider David C. , Haedrich Richard L.
Published: April 2009

Empirical equations are frequently used to predict potential fish harvest from lakes or reservoirs. The prediction limits around these estimates have not been evaluated. We found that prediction limits from Ryder's morphoedaphic equation were inaccurate because of artificial correlation between dependent and independent variables used in regression. Furthermore there are inconsistencies between different versions of the model. Reanalysis of Ryder's data, gave upper 95% prediction limits that were 4.8–5.9 times the lower 95% prediction limit. Separating the component variables of the morphoedaphic index reduced prediction limits slightly. New upper limits were 4.5–5.6 times the lower 95% limits. Theoretical scaling of fish harvest on lake volume, consistent with the known tendency of small lakes to yield more fish per unit area, reduced the upper prediction limits to 2.8 times the lower limit. The model, which was allometric in form, correctly related the exponent relating harvest to lake volume in two independent data sets.
Morphology of potassium chloride in aqueous and in formamide solution — An experimental and computational investigation
Authors: Singh Ajeet , Selvamani T. , Mukhopadhyay Indrajit , Ganguly Bishwajit
Published: April 2009

The morphology of potassium chloride grown in pure water as well as in water–formamide solution was investigated. Surface morphology of the crystals was examined by using scanning electron microscopy. It has been observed that the potassium chloride crystals are largely grown with {100} face at different concentrations in pure water, which contradicts earlier reports. Experimental results show that the potassium chloride crystals grown in formamide are also cubic in nature. However, it has been found that the sodium chloride crystals are octahedrons under similar conditions. The difference in the morphological behavior of these two alkali halides with formamide was investigated with computational methods. The calculated results revealed that formamide is largely preferred to adsorb on the {111} surface of NaCl, which can lead to octahedrons. However, the energetics is not substantially different for the adsorption of additives to the important surfaces of potassium chloride and results in the formation of a competing stable {100} surface.
Neurofuzzy Modeling to Determine Recurrence Risk Following Radical Cystectomy for Nonmetastatic Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder
Authors: Catto James W.F. , Abbod Maysam F. , Linkens Derek A. , Larré Stéphane , Rosario Derek J. , Hamdy Freddie C.
Published: April 2009

Purpose: Bladder cancer recurrence occurs in 40% of patients following radical cystectomy (RC) and pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND). Although recurrence can be reduced with adjuvant chemotherapy, the toxicity and low response rates of this treatment restrict its use to patients at highest risk. We developed a neurofuzzy model (NFM) to predict disease recurrence following RC and PLND in patients who are not usually administered adjuvant chemotherapy.

Experimental Design: The study comprised 1,034 patients treated with RC and PLND for bladder urothelial carcinoma. Four hundred twenty-five patients were excluded due to lymph node metastases and/or administration of chemotherapy. For the remaining 609 patients, we obtained complete clinicopathologic data relating to their tumor. We trained, tested, and validated two NFMs that predicted risk (Classifier) and timing (Predictor) of post-RC recurrence. We measured the accuracy of our model at various postoperative time points.

Results: Cancer recurrence occurred in 172 (28%) patients. With a median follow-up of 72.7 months, our Classifier NFM identified recurrence with an accuracy of 0.84 (concordance index 0.92, sensitivity 0.81, and specificity 0.85) and an excellent calibration. This was better than two predictive nomograms (0.72 and 0.74 accuracies). The Predictor NFMs identified the timing of tumor recurrence with a median error of 8.15 months.

Conclusions: We have developed an accurate and well-calibrated model to identify disease recurrence following RC and PLND in patients with nonmetastatic bladder urothelial carcinoma. It seems superior to other available predictive methods and could be used to identify patients who would potentially benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Living by the Cratylus Hermeneutics and Philosophic Names in the Roman Empire
Authors: Tarrant Harold
Published: April 2009

This paper is about an aspect of philosophic life, showing, in the case of one Platonic dialogue in particular, that the texts that later Platonists employed in a quasi-scriptural capacity could influence their lives in important ways. The Cratylus was seen as addressing the question of how names could be regarded as 'correct', raising the role of the name-giver to the level of the law-giver. It begins with the question of how a personal name could be correct. The ancient text that offers us most evidence of the philosophic manipulation of proper names is Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, which makes it quite clear that the revision of individuals' names, and in particular the giving of a Greek name to those of non-Greek origins, had become a regular practice. The name, it seems, was intended to capture something of the actual nature of the individual in question. There is evidence that the practice goes back to the age of Lucian, and specifically to the circle of Numenius, whose own name is also that of a bird. His religious dialogue Hoopoe suggests that there was something special in bird-names; Lucian's Gallus reincarnates Pythagoras as a bird, while his Death of Peregrinus has the eponymous sham philosopher ultimately adopting a bird-name too. Curiously, the final name that Porphyry bears also closely recalls the name of a bird. This may be explained as the apt naming of one who rose to the highest philosophic vision in accordance with the 'flight of the mind' passage in Plato's Phaedrus.
A Multimodel Analysis for the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP)
Authors: Bosilovich Michael G. , Mocko David , Roads John O. , Ruane Alex
Published: April 2009

A collection of eight operational global analyses over a 27-month period have been processed to common data structures to facilitate comparisons among the analyses and global observational datasets. The present study evaluated the global precipitation, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) at the top of the atmosphere, and basin-scale precipitation over the United States. In addition, a multimodel ensemble was created from a linear average of the available data, as close to the analysis time as each system permitted. The results show that the monthly global precipitation and OLR from the multimodel ensemble compares generally better to the observations than any single analysis. Likewise, the daily precipitation from the ensemble exhibits better statistical comparison (in space and time) to gauge observations over the Mississippi River basin. However, the comparisons have seasonality, when the members of the ensemble exhibit generally more skill, during winter. There is notably higher skill of the summertime basin precipitation by the ensemble. Using the global precipitation and OLR, the sensitivity was tested to selectively choose the members with the best statistical comparisons to the reference data. Only small improvements in the statistics were found when comparing a selective ensemble to the full ensemble. Additionally, terms of the global energy budget were compared among the ensemble and to other estimates. The ensemble data and the variance of the ensemble should make a useful point of comparison for the development of model and assimilation components of global analyses.
Intraseasonal Variability Associated with Summer Precipitation over South America Simulated by 14 IPCC AR4 Coupled GCMs
Authors: Lin Jia-Lin , Shinoda Toshiaki , Liebmann Brant , Qian Taotao , Han Weiqing , Roundy Paul , Zhou Jiayu , Zheng Yangxing
Published: April 2009

This study evaluates the intraseasonal variability associated with summer precipitation over South America in 14 coupled general circulation models (GCMs) participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Eight years of each model’s twentieth-century climate simulation are analyzed. Two dominant intraseasonal bands associated with summer precipitation over South America are focused on: the 40- and the 22-day band. The results show that in the southern summer (November–April), most of the models underestimate seasonal mean precipitation over central-east Brazil, northeast Brazil, and the South Atlantic convergence zone (SACZ), while the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is shifted southward of its observed position. Most of the models capture both the 40- and 22-day band around Uruguay, but with less frequent active episodes than observed. The models also tend to underestimate the total intraseasonal (10–90 day), the 40-, and the 22-day band variances. For the 40-day band, 10 of the 14 models simulate to some extent the 3-cell pattern around South America, and 6 models reproduce its teleconnection with precipitation in the south-central Pacific, but only 1 model simulates the teleconnection with the MJO in the equatorial Pacific, and only 3 models capture its northward propagation from 50° to 32°S. For the 7 models with three-dimensional data available, only 1 model reproduces well the deep baroclinic vertical structure of the 40-day band. For the 22-day band, only 6 of the 14 models capture its northward propagation from the SACZ to the Atlantic ITCZ. It is found that models with some form of moisture convective trigger tend to produce large variances for the intraseasonal bands.
On the Remote Drivers of Rainfall Variability in Australia
Authors: Risbey James S. , Pook Michael J. , McIntosh Peter C. , Wheeler Matthew C. , Hendon Harry H.
Published: April 2009

This work identifies and documents a suite of large-scale drivers of rainfall variability in the Australian region. The key driver in terms of broad influence and impact on rainfall is the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is related to rainfall over much of the continent at different times, particularly in the north and east, with the regions of influence shifting with the seasons. The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) is particularly important in the June–October period, which spans much of the wet season in the southwest and southeast where IOD has an influence. ENSO interacts with the IOD in this period such that their separate regions of influence cover the entire continent. Atmospheric blocking also becomes most important during this period and has an influence on rainfall across the southern half of the continent. The Madden–Julian oscillation can influence rainfall in different parts of the continent in different seasons, but its impact is strongest on the monsoonal rains in the north. The influence of the southern annular mode is mostly confined to the southwest and southeast of the continent. The patterns of rainfall relationship to each of the drivers exhibit substantial decadal variability, though the characteristic regions described above do not change markedly. The relationships between large-scale drivers and rainfall are robust to the selection of typical indices used to represent the drivers. In most regions the individual drivers account for less than 20% of monthly rainfall variability, though the drivers relate to a predictable component of this variability. The amount of rainfall variance explained by individual drivers is highest in eastern Australia and in spring, where it approaches 50% in association with ENSO and blocking.
A global perspective on social security programs for the unemployed
Authors: Dixon John
Published: April 2009

Eighty countries have adopted unemployment programs. Most have an employment-based strategy, social insurance, that restricts coverage to those in paid formal employment. The cash entitlements provided are predominantly earnings-related. Funding comes overwhelmingly from employer and employee contributions, with only a minority of countries providing government subsidies. A comparative-evaluative assessment methodology is used to assess national statutory intentions with respect to social security provision for the unemployed. The best unemployment programs are in Australia and Finland.
Explanatory Unification
Authors: Mäki Uskali
Published: April 2009

Explanatory unification—the urge to “explain much by little”—serves as an ideal of theorizing not only in natural sciences but also in the social sciences, most notably in economics. The ideal is occasionally challenged by appealing to the complexity and diversity of social systems and processes in space and time. This article proposes to accommodate such doubts by making a distinction between two kinds of unification and suggesting that while such doubts may be justified in regard to mere derivational unification (which serves as a formal constraint on theories), it is less justified in the case of ontological unification (which is a result of factual discovery of the actual degree of underlying unity in the world).
Eating, Ecstasy, and Exorcism (Mark 3:21)
Authors: Neufeld Dietmar
Published: April 2009

There have been many attempts to explain Mark 3:20-35 in recent years, though most of these have concentrated on determining how this Markan intercalation functions within the Markan narrative. By contrast, the interest here is in understanding what Jesus had done that would have led to the accusation of madness. This article Assuming the recent social-scientific work on honor/shame and kinship/fictive kinship groups, this article attempts to show what in Jesus' behavior was perceived to be deviant. Mark's off-hand comment that Jesus could not or would not eat provides a clue to the behavior that precipitated the controversy. The symbolism involved in not eating food was used by magicians, thaumaturges, and exorcists to prepare for an encounter with the gods and demons. That symbolism was also a powerful way to ommunicate that one belonged to a certain social group. To abstain from food suggested to some that the non-consumer was a magician. Magicians, however, were regarded with a great deal of ambivalence and uncertainty, sometimes perceived as sorcerers. Jesus abstained from food perhaps for reasons of purgation and purification, perhaps to bring on visions, but the ambivalence evoked by his non-consumption was exploited by the religious elite to impugn his honor. They accused him of sorcery and marked him as a deviant.
An archaeology of the global era: constructing a belief
Authors: Mattelart Armand
Published: April 2009

Beliefs in the coming of the global era confuse our understanding of the complexity of contemporary processes of world integration. Absorption in the latest that high-tech IT has to offer is conjoined with the flourishing of mythologies that celebrate the virtues of techno-global networks. By resituating the planetary process of unification in the longue durée, we may escape a one-sided vision of the destiny of the so-called ‘great human family’. It is against this fatalism that the new social movements are presently mobilizing themselves.
The Morphology of Juxtaglomerular Cell Hyperplasia and Hypertrophy in Normotensive Rats and Monkeys Given an Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonist
Authors: Owen Roger A. , Molon-Noblot Sylvmn , Hubert Marie-Françoise , Kindt M. Victoria , Keenan Kevin P. , Eydelloth Ronald S.
Published: April 2009

L-694,492 (DUP 532), an angiotensin II (AII) receptor antagonist, was given orally at 125 mg/kh/day to rats and monkeys for up to 6 mo to assess the effects of the compound on juxtaglomerular (JG) cells. In rats, mild JG cell hypertrophy/hyperplasia occurred and was associated with a 12-fold increase in the bromodeoxyuridine-labeling index of JG cells and a 10-fold increase in renal renin content. Ultrastructurally, intermediate cells with characteristics of both smooth muscle cells and granulated renin-producing cells as well as hypertrophied renin-synthesizing cells were seen in the afferent arterioles. In monkeys, marked hypertrophy and hyperplasia were seen with an 80% increase in JG cell numbers, mitotic activity, and a greatly increased renin content compared to controls. Three mo after drug withdrawal, an increased number of cells remained, which showed features of smooth muscle cells with essentially no renin. These results show that AII receptor antagonism stimulates increased renal renin production by hypertrophy of existing granulated cells, metaplasia of smooth muscle cells to renin-synthesizing cells, and cell proliferation. When treatment was discontinued, the renin-producing cells redeveloped the features of smooth muscle cells, but, as we have shown with enalapril (augioteusin-converting enzyme inhibitor), the increase in their number persists for at least 3 mo.
Differences Between Pharmacokinetics and Toxicokinetics
Authors: Welling Peter G.
Published: April 2009

Pharmacokinetics has evolved into a highly interactive discipline in which the dispositional characteristics of an administered drug are often compared to the time course of observed drug effects. The more recent discipline of toxicokinetics is undergoing a similar, although belated, evolution. While toxicokinetic studies were first intended to demonstrate merely that toxicology test animals received drug, they now provide a critical evaluation of drug disposition at toxicologic doses and also the relationships between toxicokinetic values and the occurrence and time course of toxic events. Different dose levels used in toxicokinetics, compared to pharmacokinetics, give rise to technological changes in such factors as solubility, stability, absorption, presystemic clearance, protein binding, and metabolism that may be influenced by dose size, and may give rise to profound differences in the design and interpretation of studies. Pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic studies also have different objectives. While preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies provide correlates, based on generally well-established parameters, that may provide useful but perhaps not essential information to guide drug dosage in man, information from toxicokinetics and toxicodynamic studies, which is difficult to obtain because of capricious interspecies differences in dispositional characteristics and organ/tissue sensitivities, is critical to predict the behavior and safety of compounds in man.
Olfactory Toxicity of Methimazole: Dose-Response and Structure-Activity Studies and Characterization of Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase Activity in the Long-Evans Rat Olfactory Mucosa
Authors: Genter Mary Beth , Deamer Nora J. , Blake Bonita L. , Wesley Deborah S. , Levi Patricia E.
Published: April 2009

Methimazole is a compound administered to humans for the treatment of hyperthyroidism and is used experimentally as a model substrate for the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) system. Previous results from this laboratory demonstrated that methimazole is an olfactory system toxicant, causing nearly complete destruction of the olfactory epithelium in the male Long-Evans rat following a single ip dose of 300 mg/kg. The present studies were undertaken to determine the dose-response relationship for methimazole-induced olfactory mucosal damage and to determine whether or not similar damage occurs as a result of oral administration, mimicking the relevant route of human exposure. We also investigated the mechanism of olfactory toxicity of methimazole by means of a structure-activity study and began the characterization of the form(s) of FMO present in the olfactory mucosa of the male Long-Evans rat. Dose-response analysis demonstrated that methimazole causes olfactory mucosal damage at doses of 25 mg/kg ip and greater. The results of gavage studies showed that a single oral dose of 50 mg/kg also caused olfactory mucosal damage. Two structurally related compounds, methylimidazole and methylpyrrole, were not olfactory toxicants, suggesting that a reactive intermediate generated in the course of metabolizing methimazole to an S-oxide is the olfactory toxic species. Microsomal incubation studies revealed the presence ofmethimazole S-oxidation activity in olfactory mucosal microsomes at levels comparable to those in liver. An anti-mouse liver FMO antibody reacted on Western blots with olfactory mucosal microsomes. These findings demonstrate a dose-response for the olfactory toxicity of methimazole and suggest that characterization of human olfactory mucosal FMO activity may be necessary to assess the potential for human risk associated with therapeutic exposure to methimazole.
Intratubular Spermatic Granulomas of the Canine Efferent Ductules
Authors: Foley George L. , Bassily Nader , Hess Rex A.
Published: April 2009

Spermatic granulomas are inflammatory lesions that occur in the efferent ductule and epididymis of humans, goats, rats, and bulls. Three clinically normal dogs from a control group had histologic lesions of the initial segment of the caput epididymis consisting of intratubular spermatic granulomas. The granulomas were located within the efferent ductules, and the inflammatory response consisted primarily of aggregates of spermiophagic macrophages in the ductules. Sperm stasis of the affected ductules was evident by the dilation and accumulation of large numbers of spermatozoa in adjacent cross-sections of efferent ductules. Blind-ending efferent ductules were demonstrated by serially sectioning the initial segment of the epididymis. The intratubular granulomas did not completely occlude the outflow tract because spermatozoa were present in the cauda epididymis. While spermatic granulomas can be induced by trauma, infection, or toxins, spontaneous granulomas due to blind-ending ductules should be considered as a differential. Clinical history, location of the granuloma, and serial sectioning can help determine the most likely etiology in early cases.
Structure and Function of Sinusoidal Lining Cells in the Liver
Authors: Wisse Eddie , Braet Filip , Dianzhong Luo  , De Zanger Ronald , Jans Danny , Crabbe Evelyne , Vermoesen AN
Published: April 2009

The hepatic sinusoid harbors 4 different cells: endothelial cells (100, 101), Kupffer cells (96, 102, 103), fat-storing cells (34, 51, 93), and pit cells (14, 107. 108). Each cell type has its own specific morphology and functions, and no transitional stages exist between the cells. These cells have the potential to proliferate locally, either in normal or in special conditions, that is, experiments or disease. Sinusoidal cells form a functional unit together with the parenchymal cells. Isolation protocols exist for all sinusoidal cells. Endothelial cells filter the fluids, exchanged between the sinusoid and the space of Disse through fenestrae (100), which measure 175 nm in diameter and are grouped in sieve plates. Fenestrae occupy 6-8% of the surface (106). No intact basal lamina is present under these cells (100). Various factors change the number and diameter of fenestrae [pressure, alcohol, serotonin, and nicotin; for a review, see Fraser et al (32)]. These changes mainly affect the passage of lipoproteins, which contain cholesterol and vitamin A among other components.

Fat-storing cells are pericytes, located in the space of Disse, with long, contractile processes, which probably influence liver (sinusoidal) blood flow. Fat-storing cells possess characteristic fat droplets, which contain a large part of the body's depot of vitamin A (91, 93). These cells play a major role in the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) (34, 39-41). Strongly reduced levels of vitamin A occur in alcoholic livers developing fibrosis (56). Vitamin A deficiency transforms fat-storing cells into myofibroblast-like cells with enhanced ECM production (38).

Kupffer cells accumulate in periportal areas. They specifically endocytose endotoxin (70), which activates these macrophages. Lipopolysaccharide, together with interferon γ, belongs to the most potent activators of Kupffer cells (28). As a result of activation, these cells secrete oxygen radicals, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1, interleukin 6, and a series of eicosanoids (28) and become cytotoxic against tumor cells [e.g., colon carcinoma cells (19, 22, 48)]. Toxic secretory products can cause necrosis of the liver parenchyma, which constitutes a crucial factor in liver transplantation (55).

Pit cells possess characteristic azurophylic granules and display a high level of spontaneous cytolytic activity against various tumor cells, identifying themselves as natural killer cells (10). The number and cytotoxicity of pit cells can be considerably enhanced with biological response modifiers, such as Zymosan or interleukin 2 (8). Pit cell proliferation occurs within the liver, but recent evidence indicates that blood large granular lymphocytes develop into pit cells in 2 steps involving high- and low-density pit cells (88). Kupffer cells control the motility, adherence, viability, and cytotoxicity of pit cells (89), whereas cytotoxicity against tumor cells is synergistically enhanced (80, 81).
Gastric Gland Degeneration Induced in Monkeys by the CCK-B/Gastrin Receptor Antagonist CI-988
Authors: Dethloff Lloyd A. , Robertson Donald G. , Tierney Bridget M. , Breider Michael A. , Bestervelt Lorelle L.
Published: April 2009

Gastric effects of subchronic treatment with the cholecystokinin-B (CCK-B)/gastrin receptor antagonist CI-988 were investigated in cynomolgus monkeys. In preliminary range-finding studies, CI-988 was given orally to 1 monkey per sex for 14 days at doses of 50, 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day. Subchronic studies of CI-988 were subsequently conducted using 5 monkeys per sex at doses of 0, 5, 25, and 75 mg/kg for 4 or 13 wk. High-dose monkeys were dosed initially at 100 mg/kg, but the dose was not well tolerated and was decreased to 75 mg/kg after 8 days of treatment. One male monkey at 75 mg/kg was euthanatized in extremis on day 23. In the range-finding study, minimal to moderate, multifocal to diffuse degeneration of gastric glands, primarily in the fundic region, was observed at 100 mg/kg and above, with frank gastric mucosal atrophy occurring at 200 and 500 mg/kg. Minimal to mild gastric gland degeneration was also observed in the subchronic study after 4 wk at 25 and 75 mg/kg, but histopathologic gastric changes were remarkably absent after 13 wk. Mucosal height in the stomach fundus was decreased 19.8% in 75-mg/kg males at week 4, and although gastric mucosa appeared histologically normal after 13 wk, mucosal height remained 28.6% less than that of controls. In females at 75 mg/kg, fundic mucosal height was decreased 7% and 5% at weeks 4 and 13, respectively, but decreases were not statistically significant. Mean serum gastrin concentrations were increased 10-fold in males only after 4 wk at 75 mg/kg, but were comparable to controls during week 13. CI-988-induced gastric gland degeneration is consistent with antagonism of gastrin's trophic activity toward gastric mucosa. Notwithstanding decrements in gastric mucosal height, disappearance of mild histopathologic findings despite continued treatment with the ligand suggests some degree of adaptation to subchronic CCK-B/gastrin inhibition, although the mechanism of accomodation has yet to be delineated.