bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retrospective Multicenter Study of Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation Followed by Reduced-Intensity Conditioning or Conventional Myeloablative Regimen
Authors: Kim Dong Hwan , Sohn Sang Kyun , Baek Jin Ho , Kim Jong Gwang , Lee Jong Wook , Min Woo Sung , Kim Dong Wook , Choi Seong-Jun , Lee Je-Hwan , Lee Kyoo-Hyung , Lee Mark Hong , Lee Je Joong , Kim Hyeoung Joon , Kim Chun Choo , Lee Kyu Bo
Published: June 2005

This retrospective study compared the results of reduced-intensity conditioning stem cell transplantation (RIST) and a conventional myeloablative regimen (CST) followed by allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. In this respect, 63 RISTs and 41 CSTs were performed at 5 transplantation centers in Korea between April 1998 and December 2002. The RIST group had more adverse pretransplant characteristics. More aggressive diseases, like acute myeloid or lymphoblastic leukemia, were included in the CST group, while the RIST group included more indolent diseases, like chronic myeloid leukemia or myeloma (p < 0.001). The incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grades 2–4 was 29.1 and 57.9% for the RIST and CST groups, respectively (p = 0.010), yet the incidence of chronic GVHD was similar in the two groups (57.4 vs. 71.9%). With a median follow-up of 13 months (0.5–61 months, 17 months in 52 survivors), the 3-year overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was similar in the RIST and CST groups (p = 0.965 for OS, p = 0.545 for DFS). In a multivariate analysis, RIST (p = 0.010), good performance status (p = 0.006) and a higher CD34+ cell dose (p = 0.008) were all identified as independent favorable prognostic factors for OS. Accordingly, in the current study, RIST produced equivalent or acceptable results compared with CST in terms of OS. Therefore, a prospective randomized trial of RIST and CST is warranted.
Maternal, Neonatal and Collection Factors Influencing the Haematopoietic Content of Cord Blood Units
Authors: Solves Pilar , Perales Alfredo , Moraga Rosa , Saucedo Eric , Soler M.Angeles , Monleon Javier
Published: June 2005

Background and Objectives: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) contains haematopoietic stem cells and can be used as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation in certain cases. Engraftment was dependent upon the haematopoietic progenitor cell content of the cord blood units. This study was designed to investigate the influence of obstetric, neonatal and collection factors on the volume and haematopoietic content of UCB donations. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of obstetric and neonatal factors was performed from 300 cord blood donations in Valencia Cord Blood Bank. Maternal, neonatal and collection factors influencing cord blood quality measured as volume, total nucleated cell count, CD34+ cells and colony-forming units (CFU) were analysed. Results: Bigger babies produced cord blood units with larger volume, higher cells counts, CFU and CD34 cell counts. In the multivariate analysis, we found that both placental weight and mode of collection were predictor variables for total nucleated cell count, CD34 cells and CFU. Conclusion: Our study concludes that cord blood units must be collected before placental delivery and that birth weight, as an estimation of the placental weight, could be added to standard cord blood donors criteria in order to improve the bank efficiency.
High Expression of bcl-xL in K562 Cells and Its Role in the Low Sensitivity of K562 to Realgar-Induced Apoptosis
Authors: Zhang Jing , Wang Ji-Cun , Han Yue-Heng , Wang li-Feng , Ji Shao-Ping , Liu Shan-Xi , Liu Xin-Ping , Yao Li-Bo
Published: June 2005

Arsenic compounds (As2O3 orAs4S4) have been used successfully for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) for quite a long time. It has been noticed that the sensitivity to apoptosis induced by As2O3 varies among various leukemia cells. It was reported by several groups that As2O3 could induce apoptosis in APL-derived NB4 cells at concentrations of 0.5–1 µmol/l, whereas in other leukemia cells like K562, As2O3 has no effects at the same concentration. K562 cells undergo apoptosis only when the concentration of As2O3 is greater than 2 µmol/l. Another arsenic compound, realgar (As4S4), a traditional Chinese mineral medicine, has been used to treat APL effectively and demonstrated to have lower toxicity than As2O3. It would be interesting to know whether NB4 and K562 cells will show different sensitivity to realgar as well and if there is a difference, what is the cellular mechanism of it. In our present study, K562 cells were much less sensitive than NB4 cells to apoptosis induced by realgar. We confirm that the expression of bcl-xL is significantly higher in K562 cells than that in NB4 cells and is not downregulated upon realgar treatment. K562 cells become sensitive to realgar at clinically acceptable concentrations when bcl-xL expression level is downregulated by transfecting bcl-xL antisense RNA vector into the cells. Our results suggest that the increased bcl-xL expression in K562 cells contributes to its insensitivity to realgar-induced apoptosis.
Primary Peripheral B Cell Lymphoma, Burkitt-Like, of the Cranial Vault
Authors: Tanimura Akiko , Adachi Yasushi , Tanda Mariko , Yuasa Hiroo , Ishii Yoshifumi , Katou Yasuo
Published: June 2005

We report an autopsy case of malignant lymphoma of the cranial vault. The patient was an 85-year-old woman who exhibited a painless subcutaneous scalp lump associated with no neurological abnormalities. CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed an extra-intra cranial isodensity lesion of the cranial vault. Autopsy revealed that the tumor was composed of medium-sized cells which were immunoreactive with CD45, CD20, CD79a, and CD10, and a diagnosis of peripheral B cell lymphoma, Burkitt-like, was made. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma originating from the cranial vault is extremely rare; a search of the English literature revealed only 16 previously reported cases. Herein, we review this singular calvarial lymphoma.
Outcome of Pregnancy in a Patient with Gitelman Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Talaulikar Girish S. , Falk Michael C.
Published: June 2005

Gitelman syndrome (GS) is an autosomal-recessive condition characterized by hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia and hypocalciuria. Though it affects women of child-bearing age very little information is available about its impact on maternal and fetal outcome. We describe the course of pregnancy in a patient with GS which was characterized by a sixfold increase in potassium and magnesium requirements with inability to achieve normal levels despite intravenous supplementation. There was no adverse impact on the course of pregnancy or fetal outcome. The case highlights the variability in the phenotypic presentation of GS and recommends frequent monitoring of electrolytes with supplementation guided by clinical requirements without aiming to achieve normal blood levels.
Selective COX-2 Inhibitors and Risk of Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Krötz Florian , Schiele Thomas M. , Klauss Volker , Sohn Hae-Young
Published: June 2005

Selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, ‘coxibs’) are highly effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs that exert their action by preventing the formation of prostanoids. Recently some coxibs, which were designed to exploit the advantageous effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs while evading their side effects, have been reported to increase the risk of myo cardial infarction and atherothrombotic events. This has led to the withdrawal of rofecoxib from global markets, and warnings have been issued by drug authorities about similar events during the use of celecoxib or valdecoxib/parecoxib, bringing about questions of an inherent atherothrombotic risk of all coxibs and consequences that should be drawn by health care professionals. These questions need to be addressed in light of the known effects of selective inhibition of COX-2 on the cardiovascular system. Although COX-2, in contrast to the cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) isoform, is regarded as an inducible enzyme that only has a role in pathophysiological processes like pain and inflammation, experimental and clinical studies have shown that COX-2 is constitutively expressed in tissues like the kidney or vascular endothelium, where it executes important physiological functions. COX-2-dependent formation of prostanoids not only results in the mediation of pain or inflammatory signals but also in the maintenance of vascular integrity. Especially prostacyclin (PGI2), which exerts vasodilatory and antiplatelet properties, is formed to a significant extent by COX-2, and its levels are reduced to less than half of normal when COX-2 is inhibited. This review outlines the rationale for the development of selective COX-2 inhibitors and the pathophysiological consequences of selective inhibition of COX-2 with special regard to vasoactive prostaglandins. It describes coxibs that are current ly available, evaluates the current knowledge on the risk of atherothrombotic events associated with their intake and critically discusses the consequences that should be drawn from these insights.
BCG Immunization at Birth and Atopic Diseases in a Homogeneous Population of Spanish Schoolchildren
Authors: García-Marcos L. , Morales Suárez-Varela M. , Miner Canflanca I. , Batlles Garrido J. , Blanco Quirós A. , López-Silvarrey Varela A. , García Hernández G. , Guillén-Grima F. , González Díaz C. , Huerta González I. , Arnedo Pena A. , Busquets Monge R.
Published: June 2005

Background: The role of immunization with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in the prevalence of asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis is not definitely established and seems to be influenced by ethnic background. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between this immunization and the prevalence of those diseases in a homogeneous population of Spanish schoolchildren. Methods: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) core and environmental questionnaires were used in four different centers of the Spanish North Atlantic coast. Bilbao, San Sebastián and Asturias have a universal BCG immunization policy during the first days of life, whereas La Coruña discontinued this practice in 1989. Except for this center, immunization coverage was above 90%. A random sample of schools of Asturias or all schools in the city district (rest of centers) with children 6 and 7 years old was surveyed. Results: The participation rate was above 70%. After excluding those children born outside Spain, the numbers were 6,762 immunized and 2,828 nonimmunized. After adjusting for gender, age, smoking habits of the father and mother, truck traffic near the household, older and younger siblings and having a cat or a dog during the first year of the child’s life, the adjusted ORs of the BCG-immunized children suffering from asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis were respectively 0.87 (95% CI 0.76–1.00), 0.87 (0.75–1.01) and 0.89 (0.76–1.05). Conclusions: BCG immunization offers a weak but significant protection against asthma and hay fever in Spanish schoolchildren.
Two-Piece, Dual-Purpose Comprehensive Contact Lens for Vitreous Surgery
Authors: Chalam K.V. , Shah Vinay A.
Published: June 2005

Purpose: To describe a dual-purpose lens that can be used both as a planoconcave direct-image lens and wide-angle lens. This lens provides good resolution, is autoclavable and self-stabilizing. Design: New instrument design. Method: This lens has two components (lenses): the inferior element is a modification of the standard, self-stabilizing planoconcave, one-piece acrylic lens with 4 footplates and is used in a similar manner; the superior part is a biconvex glass lens in a high-temperature-resistant plastic casing. The superior plastic casing is screwed on the inferior lens to convert it into a wide-angle lens. The lens is used as a self-stabilizing, planoconcave or wide-angle lens and is sterilized by autoclaving. Result: The planoconcave direct-image inferior lens gives a high-resolution image with a field of view of 20°. The wide-angle lens on assembly of the inferior and superior parts gives a static field of view of 80° and a dynamic field of view of 98°. Conclusion: The two-piece dual-purpose contact lens is an inexpensive substitute for both planoconcave and traditional wide-angle lens without compromising the stability and quality of the fundus image.
Treatment of End-of-Dose Wearing-Off in Parkinson’s Disease: Stalevo® (Levodopa/Carbidopa/Entacapone) and Levodopa/DDCI Given in Combination with Comtess®/Comtan® (Entacapone) Provide Equivalent Improvements in Symptom Control Superior to That of Traditional Levodopa/DDCI Treatment
Authors: Brooks D.J. , Agid Y. , Eggert K. , Widner H. , Østergaard K. , Holopainen A.
Published: June 2005

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the new optimised levodopa, Stalevo® (levodopa, carbidopa and entacapone) in patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing end-of-dose wearing-off. Treatment with Stalevo was compared to treatment with traditional immediate-release levodopa and dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) formulations along with adjunct entacapone (Comtess®/Comtan®). A European, open, parallel-group, active treatment-controlled phase IIIb study evaluating 176 patients randomised to switch from their current regimen of levodopa/DDCI to either an equivalent dose of Stalevo or levodopa/DDCI plus entacapone. After 6 weeks, treatments were assessed using the Clinical Global Impression of Change, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale and a Motor Fluctuations Questionnaire. Over 70% of patients in both the Stalevo and adjunct entacapone arms felt that they were clinically improved and over 80% experienced a reduction in fluctuations. Although there was no significant difference between Stalevo and levodopa/DDCI plus entacapone with regard to motor improvement and side effects, 81% of patients stated that they preferred treatment with Stalevo compared with taking two separate tablets (i.e. levodopa/DDCI and entacapone). Stalevo was well tolerated and safe when substituted for levodopa DDCI preparations.
Antithrombotic Management after an Ischemic Stroke in French Primary Care Practice: Results from Three Pooled Cross-Sectional Studies
Authors: Touzé Emmanuel , Cambou Jean-Pierre , Ferrières Jean , Vahanian Alec , Coppé Gérard , Leizorovicz Alain , Jullien Gérard , Guérillot Martine , Herrmann Marie-Annick , Mas Jean-Louis
Published: June 2005

Background and Purpose: We aimed at quantifying and explaining the underuse of antithrombotic treatments after an ischemic stroke in patients seen in French primary care. Methods: We pooled all ischemic stroke patients included in 3 observational primary care-based observational studies. French general practitioners and cardiologists recruited 14,544 patients with atherothrombotic disease including 4,322 with an ischemic stroke. Antithrombotic therapies and risk factors were prospectively recorded. Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) were considered appropriate for oral anticoagulants (OAC) and those without AF for antiplatelet drugs. Results: Out of the 4,322 stroke patients, 3,732 (86.3%) were taking at least one antithrombotic drug. Among the 765 patients with AF, 333 (43.5%) received OAC and 2,718 (86.9%) out of the 3,129 patients appropriate for antiplatelet drug were taking antiplatelet drug. Multivariate analyses did not single out any risk factors for nonuse of OAC and showed that female sex (OR = 1.48; IC 95%: 1.14–1.92) was associated with nonuse of antiplatelet drugs. Conversely, past myocardial infarction (OR = 0.44; IC 95%: 0.26–0.71) and hypercholesterolemia (OR = 0.64; IC 95%: 0.50–0.81) were associated with appropriate use of antiplatelet drugs. Conclusion: More than 50% of stroke patients with AF do not receive OAC and 15% of those without AF do not receive antiplatelet drugs. These findings are not satisfactorily explained by the main patients’ characteristics and practitioner’s speciality and underline the complexity of the process which allows the transfer of scientific evidence in clinical practice.
Progesterone-Receptive β-Endorphin and Dynorphin B Neurons in the Arcuate Nucleus Project to Regions of High Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuron Density in the Ovine Preoptic Area
Authors: Dufourny Laurence , Caraty Alain , Clarke Iain J. , Robinson Jane E. , Skinner Donal C.
Published: June 2005

Progesterone inhibits gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion through interneuronal systems located in the mediobasal hypothalamus in ewes. Endogenous opioid peptides are implicated in this inhibition of GnRH secretion. The distributions of endogenous opioid peptides are known to overlap with progesterone receptors (PR) in the arcuate nucleus. We investigated whether PR is expressed by β-endorphin and dynorphin B neurons in the arcuate nucleus and if a subset of double-labeled cells projects to the preoptic area where most GnRH neurons are detected. Injection of a retrograde tracer, Fluorogold, into the rostral preoptic area was performed in ovariectomized ewes pretreated with estrogen and progesterone. Brain sections were processed using double immunocytochemistry. Only brains of ewes with an injection site encompassing at least 80 GnRH neurons were processed for PR and then either β-endorphin or dynorphin B immunocytochemistry. Antigen retrieval is essential for PR detection but causes Fluorogold to fade. Thus, quantitative analysis was performed on photographs taken before and after antigen retrieval. We found that 25–30% of PR-containing neurons, 20% of β-endorphin cells and 22% of dynorphin B neurons in the arcuate nucleus project toward the preoptic area. From the PR/β-endorphin double-labeled cells that represent 25 and 36% of PR and β-endorphin cells, respectively, 35% were labeled with Fluorogold. From the PR/dynorphin B double-labeled cells that account for 39 and 62% of PR and dynorphin B neurons, respectively, 26% contained Fluorogold. These data strongly support the hypothesis that progesterone acts in the arcuate nucleus through β-endorphin and dynorphin B neurons to affect preoptic area GnRH neurons.
Can Reanalysis Have Anthropogenic Climate Trends without Model Forcing?
Authors: Cai Ming , Kalnay Eugenia
Published: June 2005

This paper shows analytically that a reanalysis made with a frozen model can detect the warming trend due to an increase of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere at its full strength (at least 95% level) after a short transient (less than 100 analysis cycles). The analytical proof is obtained by taking into consideration the following three possible deficiencies in the model used to create first-guess fields: (i) the physical processes responsible for the observed trend (e.g., an increase of greenhouse gases) are completely absent from the model, (ii) the first-guess fields are affected by an initial drift caused by the imbalance between the model equilibrium and the analysis that contains trends due to the observations, and (iii) the model used in the reanalysis has a constant model bias. The imbalance contributes to a systematic reduction in the reanalysis trend compared to the observations. The analytic derivation herein shows that this systematic reduction can be very small (less than 5%) when the observations are available for twice-daily assimilation. Moreover, the frequent analysis cycle is essential to compensate for the impact due to relatively poor space coverage of the observational network, which effectively yields smaller weights assigned to observations in a global data assimilation system.

Other major issues about using reanalysis for a long-term trend analysis, particularly the impact of the major changes in the global observing system that took place in the 1950s and in 1979, are not addressed. Here it is merely proven mathematically that using a frozen model in a reanalysis does not cause significant harm to the fidelity of the long-term trend in the reanalysis.
Interannual and Interdecadal Variability of Thailand Summer Monsoon Season
Authors: Singhrattna Nkrintra , Rajagopalan Balaji , Kumar K. Krishna , Clark Martyn
Published: June 2005

Summer monsoon rains are a critical factor in Thailand’s water resources and agricultural planning and management. In fact, they have a significant impact on the country’s economic health. Consequently, understanding the variability of the summer monsoon rains over Thailand is important for instituting effective mitigating strategies against extreme rainfall fluctuations. To this end, the authors systematically investigated the relationships between summer monsoon precipitation from the central and northern regions of Thailand and large-scale climate features. It was found that Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs), in particular, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), have a negative relationship with the summer monsoon rainfall over Thailand in recent decades. However, the relationship between summer rainfall and ENSO was weak prior to 1980. It is hypothesized that the ENSO teleconnection depends on the SST configuration in the tropical Pacific Ocean, that is, an eastern Pacific–based El Niño pattern, such as is the case in most of the post-1980 El Niño events, tends to place the descending limb of the Walker circulation over the Thailand–Indonesian region, thereby significantly reducing convection and consequently, rainfall over Thailand. It is believed that this recent shift in the Walker circulation is instrumental for the nonstationarity in ENSO–monsoon relationships in Thailand. El Niños of 1997 and 2002 corroborate this hypothesis. This has implications for monsoon rainfall forecasting and, consequently, for resources planning and management.
Avoiding Inhomogeneity in Percentile-Based Indices of Temperature Extremes
Authors: Zhang Xuebin , Hegerl Gabriele , Zwiers Francis W. , Kenyon Jesse
Published: June 2005

Using a Monte Carlo simulation, it is demonstrated that percentile-based temperature indices computed for climate change detection and monitoring may contain artificial discontinuities at the beginning and end of the period that is used for calculating the percentiles (base period). This would make these exceedance frequency time series unsuitable for monitoring and detecting climate change. The problem occurs because the threshold calculated in the base period is affected by sampling error. On average, this error leads to overestimated exceedance rates outside the base period. A bootstrap resampling procedure is proposed to estimate exceedance frequencies during the base period. The procedure effectively removes the inhomogeneity.
A Distinctly Interdecadal Signal of Pacific Ocean–Atmosphere Interaction
Authors: Frauenfeld Oliver W. , Davis Robert E. , Mann Michael E.
Published: June 2005

A new and distinctly interdecadal signal in the climate of the Pacific Ocean has been uncovered by examining the coupled behavior of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation. This interdecadal Pacific signal (IPS) of ocean–atmosphere interaction exhibits a highly statistically significant interdecadal component yet contains little to no interannual (El Niño scale) variability common to other Pacific climate anomaly patterns. The IPS thus represents the only empirically derived, distinctly interdecadal signal of Pacific Ocean SST variability that likely also represents the true interdecadal behavior of the Pacific Ocean–atmosphere system. The residual variability of the Pacific’s leading SST pattern, after removal of the IPS, is highly correlated with El Niño anomalies. This indicates that by simply including an atmospheric component, the leading mode of Pacific SST variability has been decomposed into its interdecadal and interannual patterns. Although the interdecadal signal is unrelated to interannual El Niño variability, the interdecadal ocean–atmosphere variability still seems closely linked to tropical Pacific SSTs. Because prior abrupt changes in Pacific SSTs have been related to anomalies in a variety of physical and biotic parameters throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and because of the persistence of these changes over several decades, isolation of this interdecadal signal in the Pacific Ocean–atmosphere system has potentially important and widespread implications to climate forecasting and climate impact assessment.
Ocean–Atmosphere Interactions in the Tropical and Subtropical Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Huang Bohua , Shukla J.
Published: June 2005

A 110-yr simulation is conducted using a specially designed coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model that only allows air–sea interaction over the Atlantic Ocean within 30°S–60°N. Since the influence from the Pacific El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the Atlantic is removed in this run, it provides a better view of the extratropical influences on the tropical air–sea interaction within the Atlantic sector. The model results are compared with the observations that also have their ENSO components subtracted.

The model reproduces the two major anomalous patterns of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the southern subtropical Atlantic (SSA) and the northern tropical Atlantic (NTA) Ocean. The SSA pattern is phase locked to the annual cycle. Its enhancement in austral summer is associated with atmospheric disturbances from the South Atlantic during late austral spring. The extratropical atmospheric disturbances induce anomalous trade winds and surface heat fluxes in its northern flank, which generate SST anomalies in the subtropics during austral summer. The forced SST anomalies then change the local sea level pressure and winds, which in turn affect the northward shift of the atmospheric disturbance and cause further SST changes in the deep Tropics during austral fall.

The NTA pattern is significant throughout a year. Like the SSA pattern, the NTA pattern in boreal winter–spring is usually associated with the heat flux change caused by extratropical atmospheric disturbances, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation. The SST anomalies then feed back with the tropical atmosphere and expand equatorward. From summer to fall, however, the NTA SST anomalies are likely to persist within the subtropics for more than one season after it is generated. Our model results suggest that this feature is associated with a local feedback between the NTA SST anomalies and the atmospheric subtropical anticyclone from late boreal summer to early winter. The significance of this potential feedback in reality needs to be further examined with more observational evidence.
The Nonlinear Patterns of North American Winter Temperature and Precipitation Associated with ENSO
Authors: Wu Aiming , Hsieh William W. , Shabbar Amir
Published: June 2005

Nonlinear projections of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) onto North American winter (November–March) surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation anomalies have been performed using neural networks. During El Niño, the linear SAT response has positive anomalies centered over Alaska and western Canada opposing weaker negative anomalies centered over the southeastern United States. In contrast, the nonlinear SAT response, which is excited during both strong El Niño and strong La Niña, has negative anomalies centered over Alaska and northwestern Canada and positive anomalies over much of the United States and southern Canada.

For precipitation, the linear response during El Niño has a positive anomaly area stretching from the east coast to the southwest coast of the United States and another positive area in northern Canada, in opposition to the negative anomaly area over much of southern Canada and northern United States, and another negative area over Alaska. In contrast, the nonlinear precipitation response, which is excited during both strong El Niño and strong La Niña, displays positive anomalies over much of the United States and southern Canada, with the main center on the west coast at around 45°N and a weak center along the southeast coast, and negative anomalies over northwestern Canada and Alaska.

The nonlinear response accounts for about one-fourth and one-third as much variance as the linear response of the SAT and precipitation, respectively. A polynomial fit further verifies the nonlinear response of both the SAT and precipitation to be mainly a quadratic response to ENSO. Both the linear and nonlinear response patterns of the SAT and precipitation are basically consistent with the circulation anomalies (the 500-mb geopotential height anomalies), detected separately by nonlinear projection. A cross-validation test shows that including the nonlinear (quadratic) response can potentially contribute to additional forecast skill over North America.
A Generalized Energy Balance Climate Model with Parameterized Dynamics and Diabatic Heating
Authors: Shell Karen M. , Somerville Richard C. J.
Published: June 2005

Energy balance models have proven useful in understanding mechanisms and feedbacks in the climate system. An original global energy balance model is presented here. The model is solved numerically for equilibrium climate states defined by zonal average temperature as a function of latitude for both a surface and an atmospheric layer. The effects of radiative, latent, and sensible heating are parameterized. The model includes a variable lapse rate and parameterizations of the major dynamical mechanisms responsible for meridional heat transport: the Hadley cell, midlatitude baroclinic eddies, and ocean circulation. The model reproduces both the mean variation of temperature with latitude and the global average heat budget within the uncertainty of observations.

The utility of the model is demonstrated through examination of various climate feedbacks. One important feedback is the effect of the lapse rate on climate. When the planet warms as a result of an increase in the solar constant, the lapse rate acts as a negative feedback, effectively enhancing the longwave emission efficiency of the atmosphere. The lapse rate is also responsible for an increase in global average temperature when the meridional heat transport effectiveness is increased. The water vapor feedback enhances temperature changes, while the latent and sensible heating feedback reduces surface temperature changes.
Characteristics of Stochastic Variability Associated with ENSO and the Role of the MJO
Authors: Batstone Crispian , Hendon Harry H.
Published: June 2005

To shed light onto the possible role of stochastic forcing of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the characteristics of observed tropical atmospheric variability that is statistically uncoupled from slowly evolving sea surface temperature (SST) are diagnosed. The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is shown to be the dominant mode of variability within these uncoupled or “stochastic” components. The dominance of the MJO is important because the MJO generates oceanic Kelvin waves and perturbs SST in the equatorial Pacific that may feed back onto the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The seasonality present in the uncoupled zonal stress (maximum in austral summer), which reflects the seasonality of MJO activity, is also transmitted to the eastern Pacific thermocline variability by these Kelvin waves. Hence, the MJO component of the uncoupled stress could plausibly contribute to the observed phase locking of ENSO to the seasonal cycle.

During an El Niño event, maximum uncoupled zonal stress variance shifts eastward from the western Pacific along with the coupled surface westerly wind and warm SST anomalies. The MJO accounts for less than half of this low-frequency behavior of the uncoupled stress but accounts for nearly two-thirds of the resultant thermocline variability. The uncoupled zonal stress also exhibits weak, westerly anomalies in the western Pacific some 8–10 months prior to El Niño, which is mostly accounted for by the low-frequency (period ≫ 50 days) behavior of the MJO. This low-frequency behavior possibly explains why observed El Niño variability is recovered when weakly damped models are forced with similar estimates of observed stochastic zonal stress.
A Comparison of Total Precipitable Water between Reanalyses and NVAP
Authors: Sudradjat Arief , Ferraro Ralph R. , Fiorino Michael
Published: June 2005

This study compares monthly total precipitable water (TPW) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Water Vapor Project (NVAP) and reanalyses of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) (R-1), NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP-II) (R-2), and the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) from January 1988 through December 1999. Based on the means, NVAP exhibits systematic wetter land regions relative to the other datasets reflecting differences in their analyses due to paucity in radiosonde observations. ERA-40 is wetter in the atmospheric convergence zones than the U.S. reanalyses and NVAP ranges in between. Differences in the annual cycle between the reanalyses (especially R-2) and NVAP are also noticeable over the tropical oceans. Analyses on the interannual variabilities show that the ENSO-related spatial pattern in ERA-40 follows more coherently that of NVAP than those of the U.S. reanalyses. The 1997/98 El Niño’s effect on TPW is shown to be strongest only in NVAP, R-1, and ERA-40 during the period of study. All the datasets show TPW decreases in the Tropics following the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. By subtracting SST-estimated TPW from the datasets, only NVAP and ERA-40 can well represent the spatial pattern of convergence and/or moist-air advection zones in the Tropics. Even though all the datasets are viable for water cycle and climate analyses with discrepancies (wetness and dryness) to be aware of, this study has found that NVAP and ERA-40 perform better than the U.S. reanalyses during the 12-yr period.
The Affluent Worker and the Thesis of Embourgeoisement: Some Preliminary Research Findings
Authors: Goldthorpe John H. , Lockwood David , Bechhofer Frank , Platt Jennifer
Published: June 2005

Historically, interest in the affluent worker has centred on the presumed political consequences of rising living standards among the industrial labour force. In Britain in course of the 1950s, it was frequently argued that growing working-class prosperity was a major factor in Conservative election victories; affluence was held to be associated with a process of embourgeoisement, of which increased Conservative voting among manual workers was an important part. However, a study of what might be regarded as a critical sample of affluent workers reveals little evidence of changes in the direction of `middle-classness'. In order to achieve a high level of income, many of these men must experience greater deprivation in their working lives than do most white-collar employees; they also differ from the latter in having little chance of occupational advancement. In their home lives, they are largely `privatized'. They no longer share in traditional patterns of working-class sociability, yet few have adopted middle class life-styles and fewer still have become assimilated into middle-class society. Finally, these workers are found to be at least as strong in their support of the Labour Party as manual workers in the country generally.
Research and Consultancy in Industrial Enterprises
Authors: Brown Richard K.
Published: June 2005

This paper reviews the contribution of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations to the development of industrial sociology. Four major contributions are discussed: the development of an `open socio-technical systems' model of the industrial organization; the study of industrial work groups, particularly with reference to different forms of social organization within the same technological limits; the elaboration of ideas concerning management organization; and discussion of the sources of resistance to change in organizations, and means for handling them. Much of the research has been carried out in combination with consultancy and this has affected the sorts of problems examined and the modes of explanation attempted: the emphasis has necessarily been on social problems as defined by the `directorate' of an enterprise; there has been little discussion of industrial conflict and industrial relations, and insufficient attention to the structure of the wider society; sociological and psychological/psycho-analytical problems and explanations have not always been kept sufficiently distinct; and insufficient attention has been given to the work of others in this field. Despite important limitations the contribution is a distinctive and valuable one.
An Approach to the Study of Bureaucracy
Authors: Hinings C. R. , Pugh D. S. , Hickson D. J. , Turner C.
Published: June 2005

Sociology needs precise, comparative, reliable data. This requires the splitting down of unitary `grand' concepts into operationally defined variables, fashioned to attack particular problems, and amenable to multivariate statistical analysis. This approach can be exemplified in the study of bureaucracy by the development of scaleable dimensions of organization structure such as specialization. This concept has been operationally defined, and a comparative analysis across 52 work organizations of the degree of `functional specialization' and of `role specialization' within each function, has yielded 17 scales on which to base a profile, characteristic of each organization. An `overall specialization scale', obtained by factor analysis, gives a range of scores in the sample from 0 (no specialists) to 87 (an extremely high degree of role specialization within the organization). Using size and technology as independent variables, a prediction analysis gives a multiple correlation with overall role specialization of 0-81.
Social Class Differences in Conceptions of the Uses of Toys
Authors: Bernstein Basil , Young Douglas
Published: June 2005

Evidence from a sample of 351 families reveals social class differences in mother's conceptions of the uses of toys. Both the degree of agreement in the ranking of six possible uses of toys and the differentiation of the choices follow a social class gradient. Within the lower three social class groups the score on an index of maternal-child communication relates to maternal conceptions of the uses of toys. A significant correlation exists between the rank order of two uses of toys and the measured ability of six year old children even when the effect of social class is partialed out of this relationship. Maternal conception of the uses of toys is thought to have an important bearing upon socialization into the role of infant school pupil.
Ideology and Occupational Community: A Study of Compositors
Authors: Cannon I. C.
Published: June 2005

This study is concerned with a neglected dimension in the discussions over the process of embourgeoisement: the role of the occupation itself. One occupational group, that of the compositor, is selected for investigation; the compositor, because of his income, expendite patterns and other behavioural norms would appear to be just the kind of worker undergoing embourgeoisement; yet the compositor's ideology, in terms of class and political affiliations, is more radical than that found amongst the skilled working class in general. One partial explanation for this is suggested: the occupational community. The existence of a powerful occupational community is demonstrated and some measure is made of its influence on the ideology of its members. By implying that wide occupational differences exist within a similar class category, the importance of further occupational studies is emphasized.
Organizational Size, Orientation to Work and Industrial Behaviour
Authors: Ingham Geoffrey K.
Published: June 2005

Evidence regarding the inverse relationship between organizational size and organizational attachment (measured by rates of absenteeism and labour turnover) is examined. Two intervening variables have been isolated by previous studies, namely: functional specialization and bureaucratization. The manner in which these concepts have been used is examined critically. It is concluded that functional specialization varies independently of size and should therefore be excluded from consideration in any attempt to provide an explanation of the `size effect'. On the other hand, it is argued that the level of bureaucratization is directly associated with size, and several consequences of a low level of bureaucratization for attachment in the small firm are specified. However, this approach to the problem, which concentrates solely on the socio-technical structure of the organization, neglects possible variations in workers' orientations to work. It is suggested that, basically, two different orientations can be distinguished. Such orientations are to be looked upon as important intervening variables; it is argued that a high level of organizational attachment is a result of congruence between orientation to work and organizational control structure. Finally methods of demonstrating the independence of orientations to work are considered.
Continuity and Conscious Models in County Clare and Ashworthy: A Reappraisal
Authors: Hammond Hilary
Published: June 2005

The degrees of sociological self-awareness expressed in the actor models of continuity documented for County Clare and Ashworthy are compared and contrasted. The distinction between these models is highlighted if the definition which Lévi-Strauss gives to the conscious model is borne in mind. He implicitly distinguishes between at least two types of conscious models which are mirrored in those under discussion. The theoretical problem is to identify the factors affecting the degree of sociological insight shown by people in the elaboration of conscious models about the working of their own communities.
The Third World and International Stratification: Theoretical Considerations and Research Findings
Authors: Robertson Roland , Tudor Andrew
Published: June 2005

In recent years the rank-dimensional approach to the analysis of social stratification has become increasingly prominent. One of its advocates, Johan Galtung, has made relations between nations his major point of empirical reference. The present paper applies rank-dimensional analysis to the deprived nations of Africa and Asia (or the so-called Third World) in an attempt to grasp the degree of rank homogeneity within the group and to relate its rank characteristics to the more privileged nations in the global system. This exercise demonstrates that there is a linear relationship between total rank and rank disequilibrium in the Afro-Asian group; a finding which has a number of significant theoretical ramifications. The major theoretical innovation in this connexion is the concept of rank divergence—defined as the degree to which a unit in a system of stratification diverges from the typical relational pattern holding between the unit's total rank and rank disequilibrium scores.
Explaining Human Fertility
Authors: Hawthorn Geoffrey
Published: June 2005

Recent attempts at a sociological explanation of various aspects of fertility in industrial societies have, with two partial exceptions, failed, and for three reasons: they have placed too great a reliance on survey methods, they have ignored the causal importance of people's intentions, and they have eschewed theory. Recent developments in population theory, stressing the idea of self-regulation, can provide a sociological model with which some progress appears to be possible, although there are technical difficulties.
Church Affiliation and Denominational Values
Authors: Rodd Cyril S.
Published: June 2005

A survey carried out in a Birmingham suburb revealed that, while there was a large measure of agreement on general social issues between samples of Methodists, Anglicans, Roman Catholics and individuals having no church affiliation, there was marked divergence of attitude on total abstinence, gambling, divorce and family planning. These are issues on which the Methodist and Catholic churches have held distinctive teaching for many years and the differences between the samples can be attributed mainly to denominational affiliation. For the maintenance of these rigorist attitudes which do not conform to wider social norms, it is suggested that involvement in the activities of the local church is more important than isolation from secular organisations. This applies, however, only to normative standards which have become part of the denominational stereotype.
Class and Party Divisions: Britain as a Test Case
Authors: Rose Richard
Published: June 2005

The relationship between occupationally working-class persons and the Labour Party since 1900 is considered in terms of the recruitment of political leaders, mobilization of working-class electors and material and symbolic policies. No consistent relationship between class and party on these three dimensions is found, nor is there evidence of a trend toward or from convergence. Secondary analysis of Gallup Poll data from the 1964 general election shows the relative influence of indices of social position other than occupational class, including that cluster of characteristics possessed by the `ideal-typical' working-class voter. Deviant case analysis and comparison of Britain with other European countries supports the hypothesis that class is important in Britain because of the composition of society (i.e., the absence of stronger grounds of cleavage) rather than because of distinctive or unique cultural values.
Mobility and the Middle Class Extended Family
Authors: Bell Colin
Published: June 2005

The paper reports the findings of intensive research on 120 middle class families. The geographical distribution of the members of the extended family was wider, and contact between them was less frequent than among the middle class families sampled by previous authors. In these seemingly adverse conditions the middle class extended family was nevertheless a functioning social entity. The relationship between the head of a household and his father or father-in-law was found to be frequently of great importance. It is by means of this link that the elder middle class generation channels financial aid to the next generation. This aid enhances the living standard of the recipients. It is an aspect of social mobility overlooked by studies concentrating upon occupational mobility.
Politics in a Neighbourhood of Guatemala City
Authors: Roberts Bryan
Published: June 2005

Urban life in a low-income neighbourhood of a Latin-American city does not encourage political activity or radical political attitudes. In a neighbourhood populated mainly by migrants, inhabitants are politically conscious, aware of their relative poverty and have access to reform-orientated political parties. Yet there is little evidence of consistent and active support for political parties of any kind. This is accounted for by the absence of social cleavages in the economic and social structure of a city that has little industrialization or bureaucratization. There are no bases for political action among low-income inhabitants beyond that offered by neighbourhood problems. Residents develop individual sets of spatially extensive and socially heterogeneous relations to cope with urban life. These sets of relations and the nature of neighbourhood problems militate against united political action.
Formal Organizations or Industrial Sociology: Towards a Social Action Analysis of Organizations
Authors: Silverman David
Published: June 2005

The emergence, in the past two decades, of a separate discipline of `Formal Organizations' has been associated with the general acceptance of a Durkheimian view of organizations as `natural systems' integrated by a value consensus and a de-emphasis on the processes through which they are related to the social structure. The similarities, in these respects, between Human Relations and Structural-Functionalism are suggested and an alternative Social Action model is outlined. It is suggested that this latter perspective on organizational behaviour fits most easily into the older discipline of `Industrial Sociology'.