bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of education and occupational complexity on rate of
cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients
Authors: ANDEL ROSS , VIGEN CHERYL , MACK WENDY J. , CLARK LINDA J. , GATZ MARGARET
Published: March 2008

We explored the effect of education and occupational complexity on the
rate of cognitive decline (as measured by the Mini-Mental State
Examination) in 171 patients with a confirmed Alzheimer's disease
(AD) diagnosis. Complexity was measured as substantive complexity of work
and complexity of work with data, people, and things. Average lifetime
occupational complexity was calculated based on years at each occupation.
Participants were followed for an average of 2.5 years and 3.7 visits. In
multivariate mixed-effects models, high education, high substantive
complexity, and high complexity of work with data and people predicted
faster rates of cognitive decline, controlling for age, gender, native
language, dementia severity, and entry into the analyses at initial
versus follow-up testing. These results provide support for the
concept of cognitive reserve according to which greater reserve may
postpone clinical onset of AD but also accelerate cognitive decline after
the onset. (JINS, 2006, 12, 147–152.)
WAIS-III and WMS-III performance in chronic Lyme disease
Authors: KEILP JOHN G. , CORBERA KATHY , SLAVOV IORDAN , TAYLOR MICHAEL J. , SACKEIM HAROLD A. , FALLON BRIAN A.
Published: March 2008

There is controversy regarding the nature and degree of intellectual
and memory deficits in chronic Lyme disease. In this study, 81
participants with rigorously diagnosed chronic Lyme disease were
administered the newest revisions of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
(WAIS-III) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III), and compared to 39
nonpatients. On the WAIS-III, Lyme disease participants had poorer Full
Scale and Performance IQ's. At the subtest level, differences were
restricted to Information and the Processing Speed subtests. On the
WMS-III, Lyme disease participants performed more poorly on Auditory
Immediate, Immediate, Auditory Delayed, Auditory Recognition Delayed, and
General Memory indices. Among WMS-III subtests, however, differences were
restricted to Logical Memory (immediate and delayed) and Family Pictures
(delayed only), a Visual Memory subtest. Discriminant analyses suggest
deficits in chronic Lyme are best characterized as a combination of memory
difficulty and diminished processing speed. Deficits were modest, between
one-third and two-thirds of a standard deviation, consistent with earlier
studies. Depression severity had a weak relationship to processing speed,
but little other association to test performance. Deficits in chronic Lyme
disease are consistent with a subtle neuropathological process affecting
multiple performance tasks, although further work is needed to
definitively rule out nonspecific illness effects. (JINS, 2006,
12, 119–129.)
Understanding diversity: A multimodal approach to good and poor
aphasia therapy outcomes
Authors: GROSSMAN MURRAY
Published: March 2008

Aphasia is extraordinarily common. Over one million people in the US
currently suffer from aphasia. The personal and societal costs associated
with aphasia are enormous. We live in a highly verbal world, and
compromised language communication limits the aphasic's participation
in society. Activities associated with a reasonable quality of life are
highly constrained, and significant depression and other psychological
costs are frequent. From a financial perspective, it is the aphasic's
limited communicative capacity—not an associated motor
disorder—that constrains employment and the ability to contribute
productively to society. Thus, there are many reasons to pursue aphasia
therapy. Yet effective aphasia therapies are few. Despite the frequency of
aphasia and its enormous costs, resources devoted to the treatment of
aphasia have been disappointingly modest.
Amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Diagnostic outcomes and clinical prediction over a two-year time period
Authors: GRIFFITH H. RANDALL , NETSON KELLI L. , HARRELL LINDY E. , ZAMRINI EDWARD Y. , BROCKINGTON JOHN C. , MARSON DANIEL C.
Published: March 2008

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been defined as a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD), although it is sometimes difficult to identify which persons with MCI will eventually convert to AD. We sought to predict MCI conversion to AD over a two-year follow-up period using baseline demographic and neuropsychological test data from 49 MCI patients. Using a stepwise discriminant function analysis with Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) Initiation/Perseveration and Wechsler Memory Scale, third edition (WMS-III) Visual Reproduction Percent Retention scores, we correctly classified 85.7% of the sample as either AD converters or MCI nonconverters, with 76.9% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity. Adding race, the presence of vascular risk factors, or cholinesterase inhibitor use to the analysis did not greatly change the classification rates obtained with neuropsychological test data. Examining neuropsychological test cutoff scores revealed that DRS Initiation/Perseveration scores below 37 and Visual Reproduction Percent Retention scores below 26% correctly identified AD converters with 76.9% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity. These results demonstrate that commonly administered neuropsychological tests identify persons with MCI at baseline who are at risk for conversion to AD within 1–2 years. Such methods could aid in identifying MCI patients who might benefit from early treatment, in providing prognostic information to patients, and identifying potential clinical trial participants. (JINS, 2006,12, 166–175.)
The influence of visual and nonvisual attributes in visual object
identification
Authors: SCHWEIZER TOM A. , DIXON MIKE J.
Published: March 2008

To elucidate the role of visual and nonvisual attribute knowledge on
visual object identification, we present data from three patients, each
with visual object identification impairments as a result of different
etiologies. Patients were shown novel computer-generated shapes paired
with different labels referencing known entities. On test trials they were
shown the novel shapes alone and had to identify them by generating the
label with which they were formerly paired. In all conditions the same
triad of computer-generated shapes were used. In one condition, the labels
(banjo, guitar, violin) referenced entities that were both visually
similar and similar in terms of their nonvisual attributes within
semantics. In separate conditions we used labels (e.g., spike, straw,
pencil or snorkel, cane, crowbar) that referenced entities that were
similar in terms of their visual attributes but were dissimilar in terms
of their nonvisual attributes. The results revealed that nonvisual
attribute information profoundly influenced visual object identification.
Our patients performed significantly better when attempting to identify
shape triads whose labels referenced objects with distinct nonvisual
attributes versus shape triads whose labels referenced objects
with similar nonvisual attributes. We conclude that the nonvisual aspects
of meaning must be taken into consideration when assessing visual object
identification impairments. (JINS, 2006, 12,
176–183.)
Frontal injury: Impairments of fundamental processes lead to
functional consequences
Authors: ALEXANDER MICHAEL , STUSS DONALD T.
Published: March 2008

Frontal functions, or impairments, have achieved the status of
pornography: everyone knows them when they see them, but there is little
agreement on their exact defining properties. Patients with frontal lobe
lesions have impairments in planning, monitoring, sequencing, and
inhibiting responses. They cannot organize complex behaviors. They are
somehow simultaneously unaware and distractible, irritable and apathetic,
violent and passive, impulsive and perseverative. They lack empathy,
self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Patients often are incapacitated
by frontal impairments that paradoxically are not at all obvious to most
observers. To understand the effects of frontal lesions, science has
sacrificed countless rats and nonhuman primates. Neuropsychology and
Neurology have sanctified a few tests as the tests of frontal
function, and then spent money, time, and the mental health of countless
graduate students and research assistants trying to tease out of those
tests some basic knowledge of frontal functions. Experimental Psychology
has brought novel constructs to the problem of defining frontal functions,
and modern neuroimaging has merged the traditional clinical and the novel
experimental with imaging technology. (A quick PubMed search of
“fMRI and frontal lobes” on October 12, 2005 retrieved 4,646
articles, the most recent, “An fMRI study of the Trail Making
Test”.) Yet, confronted with a patient with a large right prefrontal
lesion who cannot hold a job or even be relied upon to buy the groceries
he set out to buy, we have precious few tools to define his problem and
almost nothing to offer to fix it.
Impairments of procedures for implementing complex language are due to disruption of frontal attention processes
Authors: ALEXANDER MICHAEL P.
Published: March 2008

Production of complex discourse—lengthy, open-ended utterances and narratives—requires intact basic language operations, but it also requires a series of learned procedures for construction of complex, goal-directed communications. The progression of clinical disorders from transcortical motor aphasia to dynamic aphasia to discourse impairments represents a progression of procedural deficits from basic morpho-syntax to complex grammatical structures to narrative and a progression of lesions from posterior frontal to polar and/or lateral frontal to medial frontal. Two cases of impaired utilization of language exemplify the range of impairments from clearly aphasic agrammatic, nonfluency to less and less “aphasic” and more and more executive impairments from transcortical motor aphasia to dynamic aphasia to narrative discourse disorder. The clinical phenomenology of these disorders gradually comes to be more accurately defined in the terminology of executive deficits than that of aphasia. The executive deficits are, in turn, based on impairments in various components of attention. Specific impairments in energizing attention and setting response criteria associated, respectively, with lesions in superior medial and left ventrolateral frontal regions may cause defective recruitment of the procedures of complex language assembly. (JINS, 2006,12, 236–247.)
Is the Prefrontal Cortex Necessary for Delay Task Performance?
Evidence from Lesion and fMRI Data
Authors: D'ESPOSITO MARK , COONEY JEFFREY W. , GAZZALEY ADAM , GIBBS SASHA E.B. , POSTLE BRADLEY R.
Published: March 2008

Although the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is consistently found to be
associated with various working memory processes, the necessity of the PFC
for such processes remains unclear. To elucidate PFC contributions to
storage and rehearsal/maintenance processes engaged during verbal
working memory function, we assessed behavior of patients with lesions to
the left or right lateral PFC, and neural activity of healthy young
subjects during fMRI scanning, during performance of working memory tasks.
We found that PFC lesions did not affect storage processes—which is
consistent with the notion that posterior cortical networks can support
simple retention of information. We also found that PFC lesions did not
affect rehearsal/maintenance processes, which was in contrast to our
finding that healthy subjects performing a verbal delayed recognition task
showed bilateral PFC activation. These combined imaging and behavioral
data suggest that working memory rehearsal/maintenance processes may
depend on both hemispheres, which may have implications for recovery of
function and development of rehabilitation therapies after frontal injury.
(JINS, 2006, 12, 248–260.)
Progressive knowledge loss: A longitudinal case study
Authors: MONDINI SARA , BORGO FRANCESCA , COTTICELLI BIAGIO , BISIACCHI PATRIZIA
Published: March 2008

The evolution of the progressive loss of semantic knowledge of a patient, VZ, with lesions mainly affecting the infero-medial temporal lobes, was followed for two years. At the beginning of the study VZ's performance was mainly characterized by a category-specific deficit for living things and a modality-specific deficit for perceptual attribute knowledge. As time went on, VZ's disorder affected all categories by changing the relationship between category and attribute knowledge. Data show that dissociations may change in the course of progressive cognitive breakdown, depending on both degeneration stage and task demands. VZ's performance is discussed in the light of the most influential theoretical accounts. Methodological suggestions regarding longitudinal studies of degenerative patients are also put forward. (JINS, 2006,12, 275–284.)
A model of neurocognitive function in spina bifida over the life span
Authors: DENNIS MAUREEN , LANDRY SUSAN H. , BARNES MARCIA , FLETCHER JACK M.
Published: March 2008

Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), a neural tube defect that is the product of a complex pattern of gene-environment interactions, is associated with naturally occurring, systematic variability in the neural phenotype and in environmental factors that lead to systematic variability in the cognitive phenotype. We characterize the basis for variability in the cognitive phenotype of children with SBM with reference to a model of key biological, cognitive, and environmental events unfolding over the course of development from infancy to middle age. The cognitive phenotype is not domain-specific, but represents manifestations of unobservable constructs involving associative and assembled processing, the latter directly reflecting the impact of the neural phenotype on core deficits involving movement, timing, and attention orienting. The expression of the cognitive phenotype is variable, being moderated by features of the neural phenotype involving secondary CNS insults (such as hydrocephalus) that impair assembled processing, as well as by environmental factors (such as poverty, parenting, and education) that impair associative processing. The preservation of strengths in associative processing depends in part on the severity of the CNS deficits in SBM and the impact of the environment. (JINS, 2006,12, 285–296.)
Living, non-living and other things. What can be learned nowadays from category-specific deficits?
Authors: SEMENZA CARLO
Published: March 2008

Warrington and Shallice's (1984) report on patient J.B.R. [4] was the first and most influential study about the living/nonliving semantic dissociation.
What's Etiology Got to Do With It?
Authors: Donnelly Kerry
Published: March 2008

Cerebrovascular Disease, Cognitive Impairment and Dementia. John O'Brien, David Ames, Lars Gustafson, Marshal Folstein, and Edmond Chiu (Eds.). 2004. London: Martin Dunitz, 406 pp., $79.95 (HB).

Cerebrovascular Disease, Cognitive Impairment and Dementiais the second edition ofCerebrovascular Disease and Dementia(2000). The new edition is over 160 pages longer than the earlier version, with several new chapters devoted to the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease [including provocative chapters on neurotransmitter changes in vascular dementia (VaD), the contributions of homocysteine and low vitamin B to VaD, and a good overview of hereditary forms of VaD], vascular mild cognitive impairment, noncognitive symptoms, and an expanded discussion of prevention and treatment. It is written for both clinical and scientific audiences. As in the first edition, there is a laudable comparative emphasis, with epidemiologic studies of vascular dementia in Europe, North America, Japan, and China. Indeed, the editors hail from the U.K, Australia, Sweden, and the U.S, and this affords the volume a useful global perspective. With five editors and 22 additional contributors, however, this book suffers a bit from the “too many cooks” syndrome. There is a good bit of redundancy. After the fifth or sixth description of classification criteria for vascular dementia, the reader begins to feel on the receiving end of some repetitive rehearsal therapy for her own dementia.
Explaining the Mind in Terms of the Brain: Two Challenges
Authors: Howieson Diane B.
Published: March 2008

The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger as Your Brain
Grows Older, by Elkhonon Goldberg. 2005. New York: Gotham Books.
337pp., $26.00 (HB).

Creativity and the Brain, by Kenneth M. Heilman. 2005. New
York: Psychology Press. 207 pp., $55.00 (HB).

Doctors Goldberg and Heilman have both written absorbing accounts of
the brain for the interested public as well as scientists that address
some of the most intriguing questions in neuroscience, wisdom and
creativity. Dr. Goldberg is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at New York
University School of Medicine and a valuable and innovative contributor to
the theoretical foundations of neuropsychology. Dr. Heilman, a
Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Health Psychology at the
University of Florida, is recognized for his many contributions to
understanding brain mechanisms underlying behavior as well as his legacy
as a teacher and mentor for many neuroscientists.
Disorder of the Natural Kind?
Authors: Greiffenstein Manfred F.
Published: March 2008

Neuropsychology of PTSD: Biological, Cognitive, and Clinical
Perspectives. Jennifer J. Vasterling and Chris R. Brewin (Eds.).
2005. New York: The Guilford Press, 337 pp., $48.00 (HB).

Philosophically, neuropsychologists believe the disorders they
evaluate are of a natural kind: biologically real and existing
independently of our means of classifying them, much like viruses or
atomic structures exist separately from cultural outlook (McNally, 2004). We do not like to believe historical
influences affect our evaluations, and nobody likes the idea that
cognitive disorders can be created by merely marketing their existence.
Social and cultural factors cannot be avoided when neuropsychologists move
away from well-defined cerebral disorders to the study of subjectively
defined disorders. Shorter (1994) elaborated the
fluid presentation of hysteria over time, and ill-defined “railway
spine” syndromes emerged when railroad accidents became compensable
in 1800's Great Britain but not for orchard workers with similarly
abrupt orthopedic strains. For a current controversy, consider how rising
autism rates are believed to be biologically determined (e.g., mercury in
vaccines) even though research underscores a proportional decline in
mental retardation rates and autism rates still climbed long after mercury
preservatives were eliminated in Denmark (Madsen et
al., 2003). I refer to diagnostic “bracket creep”
(e.g., “defining deviancy down” or “up” in the
case of retardation), and “medicalization of misery,” variants
of the idea that cultural pressures influence the vocabulary and scope of
our inquiries. This can lead to increasing heterogeneity of our diagnostic
categories, becoming a potentially insurmountable obstacle for those
determined to discover a specific neurobiology for psychological
suffering. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a myriad symptom
constellation with widening boundaries under increasing neurocognitive
scrutiny.
Fluid dynamics of the 1997 Boxing Day volcanic blast on Montserrat, West Indies
Authors: Esposti Ongaro T. , Clarke A. B. , Neri A. , Voight B. , Widiwijayanti C.
Published: March 2008

Directed volcanic blasts are powerful explosions with a significant laterally directed component, which can generate devastating, high‐energy pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). Such blasts are an important class of eruptive phenomena, but quantified understanding of their dynamics and effects is still incomplete. Here we use 2‐D and 3‐D multiparticle thermofluid dynamic flow codes to examine a powerful volcanic blast that occurred on Montserrat in December 1997. On the basis of the simulations, we divide the blast into three phases: an initial burst phase that lasts roughly 5 s and involves rapid expansion of the gas‐pyroclast mixture, a gravitational collapse phase that occurs when the erupted material fails to mix with sufficient air to form a buoyant column and thus collapses asymmetrically, and a PDC phase that is dominated by motion parallel to the ground surface and is influenced by topography. We vary key input parameters such as total gas energy and total solid mass to understand their influence on simulations, and we compare the simulations with independent field observations of damage and deposits, demonstrating that the models generally capture important large‐scale features of the natural phenomenon. We also examine the 2‐D and 3‐D model results to estimate the flow Mach number and conclude that the range of damage sustained at villages on Montserrat can be reasonably explained by the spatial and temporal distribution of the dynamic pressure associated with subsonic PDCs.
Transmission and absorption of solar radiation by Arctic sea ice during the melt season
Authors: Light Bonnie , Grenfell Thomas C. , Perovich Donald K.
Published: March 2008

The partitioning of incident solar radiation between sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere strongly affects the Arctic energy balance during summer. In addition to spectral albedo of the ice surface, transmission of solar radiation through the ice is critical for assessing heat and mass balances of sea ice. Observations of spectral irradiance profiles within and transmittance through ice in the Beaufort Sea during the summer of 1998 during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) are presented. Sites representative of melting multiyear and first‐year ice, along with ponded ice were measured. Observed spectral irradiance extinction coefficients (Kλ) show broad minima near 500 nm and strong increases at near‐infrared wavelengths. The median Kλ at 600 nm for the bare ice cases is close to 0.8 m−1 and about 0.6 m−1 for ponded ice. Values are considerably smaller than the previously accepted value of 1.5 m−1. Radiative transfer models were used to analyze the observations and obtain inherent optical properties of the ice. Derived scattering coefficients range from 500 m−1 to 1100 m−1 in the surface layer and 8 to 30 m−1 in the ice interior. While ponded ice is known to transmit a significant amount of shortwave radiation to the ocean, the irradiance transmitted through bare, melting ice is also shown to be significant. The findings of this study predict 3–10 times more solar radiation penetrating the ice cover than predicted by a current GCM (CCSM3) parameterization, depending on ice thickness, pond coverage, stage of the melt season, and specific vertical scattering coefficient profile.
Tropical Andean forest derives calcium and magnesium from Saharan dust
Authors: Boy Jens , Wilcke Wolfgang
Published: March 2008

We quantified base metal deposition to Amazonian montane rain forest in Ecuador between May 1998 and April 2003 and assessed the response of the base metal budget of three forested microcatchments (8–13 ha). There was a strong interannual variation in deposition of Ca [4.4–29 kg ha−1 a−1], Mg [1.6–12], and K [9.8–30]). High deposition changed the Ca and Mg budgets of the catchments from loss to retention, suggesting that the additionally available Ca and Mg was used by the ecosystem. Increased base metal deposition was related to dust outbursts of the Sahara and an Amazonian precipitation pattern with trans‐regional dry spells allowing for dust transport to the Andes. The increased base metal deposition coincided with a strong La Niña event in 1999/2000.
Wavelet analysis of high‐latitude electric and magnetic fluctuations observed by the Dynamic Explorer 2 satellite
Authors: Kozelov B. V. , Golovchanskaya I. V. , Ostapenko A. A. , Fedorenko Y. V.
Published: March 2008

Wavelet analysis has been performed on the low‐frequency (0.1 to 16 Hz) electric and magnetic field variations observed by the low‐altitude polar‐orbiting Dynamic Explorer 2 (DE2) spacecraft. The application of the wavelet transform is conditioned by the fact that both magnetic and electric signals, as well as their ratio, vary along the spacecraft track. They grow from low values in the middle latitudes to the peak values in the center of the auroral zone and then subside in the transition to the polar cap. In such a case the wavelet transform technique appears most adequate for signal processing. Using the wavelet transform of the data, we compute the local intermittency measure and flatness of electric and magnetic fluctuations and demonstrate that both in the auroral zone and in the polar cap they are a manifestation of intermittent turbulence. In order to distinguish between the static and wave interpretations of the turbulent fields, the ratios of magnetic to electric field strengths are computed from wavelet magnitudes. Within the static interpretation, these ratios should be determined by the height‐integrated ionospheric Pedersen conductivity, while in the wave interpretation they should be governed by the inverse impedance of Alfvén waves. It is shown that in the auroral zone, the observed magnetic to electric field ratios are in a better agreement with the values of Pedersen conductance (ΣP ∼ 5–10 mhos). This suggests that the fluctuations predominantly result from spacecraft crossing quasi‐static field structures, which signatures are Doppler shifted when detected in the spacecraft frame.
Fast deformation of perennially frozen debris in a warm rock glacier in the Swiss Alps: An effect of liquid water
Authors: Ikeda Atsushi , Matsuoka Norikazu , Kääb Andreas
Published: March 2008

Surface movement, internal deformation, and temperature were monitored over 5 years on Büz North rock glacier, a small rock glacier located at the lower limit of the permafrost belt in the Swiss Alps. The permafrost in the rock glacier mainly consists of pebbles and cobbles filled with interstitial ice. Two inclinometers installed at 4 and 5 m depths showed fast deformation with large seasonal and interannual variations, while the permafrost temperatures remained almost at the melting point. The movement of the inclinometers coincided with changes in the surface velocities. The deformation rapidly accelerated during snowmelt periods, whereas it gradually decelerated below a dry snow cover in winter. The frozen debris was more deformable than typical glacier ice at the melting point. These phenomena suggest that the frozen debris is permeable to snowmelt water. The fast deformation should result from significant annual relocation of debris particles, which probably creates a network of air voids in the frozen debris that eventually allows water infiltration. The meltwater infiltration accelerates the deformation by reducing effective stress, resulting in the reduced strength of the frozen debris. The refreezing of the pore water, which depends on the cooling intensity in winter, decelerates the deformation. The combination of these processes controls the temporal variations in the deformation.
Optimum vegetation characteristics, assimilation, and transpiration during a dry season: 1. Model description
Authors: van der Tol C. , Meesters A. G. C. A. , Dolman A. J. , Waterloo M. J.
Published: March 2008

This paper presents a model to predict optimum vegetation characteristics in water stressed conditions. Starting point is the principle of homeostasis of water flow through the soil‐vegetation‐atmosphere continuum. Combining this with a biochemical model for photosynthesis, a relationship between photosynthetic capacity, stomatal regulation, and hydraulic properties of the vegetation is derived. Optimum photosynthetic capacity and internal carbon dioxide concentration are calculated using the assumption that growth is maximized. This optimality hypothesis is applied for three scenarios which are increasingly realistic. Optimum parameters reflect a strategy to deal with two tradeoffs: the trade‐off between fast growth and avoidance of drought and between a high photosynthetic capacity and avoidance of high respiration losses. The theory predicts general boundary conditions for growth but does not consider effects of competition between species, fires, pest, and diseases or other limitations that occur locally. In a companion paper the theory is evaluated using a data set collected in sub‐Mediterranean vegetation.
An adaptive ensemble Kalman filter for soil moisture data assimilation
Authors: Reichle Rolf H. , Crow Wade T. , Keppenne Christian L.
Published: March 2008

In a 19‐year twin experiment for the Red‐Arkansas river basin we assimilate synthetic surface soil moisture retrievals into the NASA Catchment land surface model. We demonstrate how poorly specified model and observation error parameters affect the quality of the assimilation products. In particular, soil moisture estimates from data assimilation are sensitive to observation and model error variances and, for very poor input error parameters, may even be worse than model estimates without data assimilation. Estimates of surface heat fluxes and runoff are at best marginally improved through the assimilation of surface soil moisture and tend to have large errors when the assimilation system operates with poor input error parameters. We present a computationally affordable, adaptive assimilation system that continually adjusts model and observation error parameters in response to internal diagnostics. The adaptive filter can identify model and observation error variances and provide generally improved assimilation estimates when compared to the non‐adaptive system.
Geophysical indications of magma uprising at Mt Etna during the December 2005 to January 2006 non‐eruptive period
Authors: Carbone Daniele , Zuccarello Luciano , Saccorotti Gilberto
Published: March 2008

During the December 2005–January 2006 non‐eruptive period, the tremor amplitude at Etna markedly increased and negatively correlated with the gravity signal from one of the two summit station, over 2–3 hour periods. No correlation was found with the signal from the other gravity station. We locate the tremor source by inverting the spatial distribution of seismic amplitudes. Relying on the relative position of the two stations, we define a volume within which the gravity source must lie. During the period of marked anti‐correlation, the tremor sources intersect this volume in a region located 1 km S‐SE of the summit craters and about 2 km beneath the surface. This finding suggests that the anti‐correlation marks the activation of a joint source process, possibly related to the arrival of fresh magma and the consequent gas separation. Our study has implications for the early recognition of gas segregation processes at active volcanoes.
Niche differentiation among sulfur-oxidizing bacterial populations in cave waters
Authors: Macalady Jennifer L , Dattagupta Sharmishtha , Schaperdoth Irene , Jones Daniel S , Druschel Greg K , Eastman Danielle
Published: March 2008

The sulfidic Frasassi cave system affords a unique opportunity to investigate niche relationships among sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, including epsilonproteobacterial clades with no cultivated representatives. Oxygen and sulfide concentrations in the cave waters range over more than two orders of magnitude as a result of seasonally and spatially variable dilution of the sulfidic groundwater. A full-cycle rRNA approach was used to quantify dominant populations in biofilms collected in both diluted and undiluted zones. Sulfide concentration profiles within biofilms were obtained in situ using microelectrode voltammetry. Populations in rock-attached streamers depended on the sulfide/oxygen supply ratio of bulk water (r=0.97; P<0.0001). Filamentous epsilonproteobacteria dominated at high sulfide to oxygen ratios (>150), whereas Thiothrix dominated at low ratios (<75). In contrast, Beggiatoa was the dominant group in biofilms at the sediment–water interface regardless of sulfide and oxygen concentrations or supply ratio. Our results highlight the versatility and ecological success of Beggiatoa in diffusion-controlled niches, and demonstrate that high sulfide/oxygen ratios in turbulent water are important for the growth of filamentous epsilonproteobacteria.
School‐based Obesity Prevention Programs: An Evidence‐based Review
Authors: Kropski Jonathan A. , Keckley Paul H. , Jensen Gordon L.
Published: March 2008

Objective: This review seeks to examine the effectiveness of school‐based programs for reducing childhood overweight or obesity.

Methods and Procedures: A systematic review of the research literature published since 1990 was conducted to identify experimental or quasi‐experimental school‐based curricular or environmental preventive interventions, with evaluation ≥6 months after baseline, which reported outcomes in terms of a measure of overweight.

Results: Fourteen studies were identified, including one involving a nutrition‐only program, two physical activity promotion interventions and eleven studies combining nutrition and physical activity components. Most studies (n = 10) offered weak (grade 2) quality evidence. One study offered strong (grade 4) evidence reducing the odds ratio for overweight in girls only, while four grade 2 studies reported significant improvements in BMI or at‐risk‐for overweight or overweight prevalence in boys, girls, or both. Twelve studies reported significant improvement in at least one measure of dietary intake, physical activity, and/or sedentary behavior.

Discussion: Our ability to draw strong conclusions as to the efficacy of school‐based obesity prevention programs is limited by the small number of published studies and by methodological concerns. Qualitative analysis suggests programs grounded in social learning may be more appropriate for girls, while structural and environmental interventions enabling physical activity may be more effective for boys. High‐quality evaluation protocols should be considered essential components of future programs.
Dietary Fatty Acids Differentially Regulate Production of TNF‐α and IL‐10 by Murine 3T3‐L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Bradley Richard L. , Fisher FFolliott M. , Maratos‐Flier Eleftheria
Published: March 2008

Objective: Obesity correlates with increased production of adipocyte‐derived cytokines, which may contribute to a chronic subclinical inflammation seen in obese individuals. This study evaluated the ability of specific fatty acids to modulate production of the proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and the anti‐inflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), in murine 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Effects on nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), a key transcriptional activator of the inflammatory cascade, and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS‐3), a negative regulator of cytokine signaling, were also determined.

Methods and Procedures: Adipocytes were incubated for 24 and 48 h with and without 50 or 500 μmol/l of palmitic acid, oleic acid, or docosahexaenoic acid, (DHA). Effects on gene expression and protein secretion of TNF‐α and IL‐10 were determined using real‐time PCR and a murine multipex RIA kit. SOCS‐3 expression was determined by northern blotting and NF‐κB binding activity was assessed using a commercially available assay.

Results: Adipocytes treated for 24 h with palmitic acid exhibited a 70% increase in TNF‐α production and up to a 75% decrease in IL‐10 production, relative to untreated cells. In contrast, DHA treatment had no effect on TNF‐α, but increased IL‐10 production twofold. No effect of oleic acid was seen on either TNF‐α or IL‐10 production. Similar results were obtained during a 48‐h incubation. Furthermore, NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity increased fourfold in response to palmitic acid and decreased 60% in response to DHA. Expression of SOCS‐3 increased twofold in DHA‐treated cells.

Discussion: In aggregate, these results suggest that dietary fatty acids act directly on adipocytes to modulate cytokine production. As circulating fatty acids levels are chronically elevated in obese individuals, this effect may account in part for obesity‐associated inflammation.
Peripheral Endocannabinoid System Activity in Patients Treated With Sibutramine
Authors: Engeli Stefan , Heusser Karsten , Janke Jürgen , Gorzelniak Kerstin , Bátkai Sándor , Pacher Pál , Harvey‐White Judith , Luft Friedrich C. , Jordan Jens
Published: March 2008

Objective: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) promotes weight gain and obesity‐associated metabolic changes. Weight loss interventions may influence obesity‐associated risk indirectly through modulation of the peripheral ECS. We investigated the effect of acute and chronic treatment with sibutramine on components of the peripheral ECS.

Methods and Procedures: Twenty obese otherwise healthy patients received randomized, double‐blind, crossover treatment with placebo and 15 mg/day sibutramine for 5 days each, followed by 12 weeks open‐label sibutramine treatment. We determined circulating anandamide and 2‐arachidonoylglycerol and expression levels of endocannabinoid genes in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue biopsies.

Results: Body weight was stable during the acute treatment period and decreased by 6.0 ± 0.8 kg in those patients completing 3 months of sibutramine treatment (P < 0.05). Circulating endocannabinoids and the expression of ECS genes did not change with acute or chronic sibutramine treatment.

Discussion: The ECS is activated in obesity. We did not find any influence of 5% body weight loss induced by sibutramine on circulating levels of endocannabinoids and adipose‐tissue expression of endocannabinoid genes in obese subjects. These data confirm our previous findings on dietary weight loss and suggest that the dysregulation of the ECS may be a cause rather than a consequence of obesity.
School Level Contextual Factors Are Associated With the Weight Status of Adolescent Males and Females
Authors: Richmond Tracy K. , Subramanian S.V.
Published: March 2008

Objective: To determine whether school context influences the BMI of adolescent males and females.

Methods and Procedures: Our sample was 17,007 adolescents (aged 12–19) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). We used gender‐stratified multilevel modeling to examine the contribution of schools to the overall variance in adolescent BMIs, calculated from self‐reported weight and height. We then examined the associations of individual attributes with BMI after controlling for the average BMI of the school and the association of two school‐level variables with BMI.

Results: Participants attended schools that were segregated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In females, when controlling only for individual‐level attributes, individual household income was inversely associated (β = −0.043, P = 0.01) while Hispanic (β = 0.89, P < 0.001) and black (β = 1.61, P < 0.001) race/ethnicity were positively associated with BMI. In males, Hispanic (β = 0.67, P < 0.001) race/ethnicity was positively associated with BMI; there was no difference in the BMIs of blacks compared with whites (β = 0.24, P = 0.085). After controlling for the school racial/ethnic makeup and the school level median household income, the relationship between individual race/ethnicity and BMI was attenuated in both male and female adolescents. Higher school level median household income was associated with lower individual BMIs in adolescent girls (γ = −0.37, P < 0.001) and boys (γ = −0.29, P < 0.001) suggesting a contextual effect of the school.

Discussion: Male and female adolescents attending schools with higher median household incomes have on average lower BMIs. Resources available to or cultural norms within schools may constitute critical mechanisms through which schools impact the BMI of their students.
Socioeconomic Position at Different Stages of the Life Course and Its Influence on Body Weight and Weight Gain in Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study With 13‐Year Follow‐up
Authors: Giskes Katrina , van Lenthe Frank J. , Turrell Gavin , Kamphuis Carlijn B.M. , Brug Johannes , Mackenbach Johan P.
Published: March 2008

Socioeconomic inequalities in body weight have been demonstrated in numerous cross‐sectional studies; however, little research has investigated these inequalities from a life course and longitudinal perspective. We examined the association between child‐ and adulthood socioeconomic position (SEP) and BMI and overweight/obesity in 1991 (baseline) and changes in BMI and the prevalence of overweight and obesity between 1991 and 2004. Data from the 1991 and 2004 waves of the longitudinal Dutch GLOBE study were used. Participants (n= 1,465) were aged 40–60 years at baseline. BMI was calculated from self‐reported height and weight collected by postal questionnaire. Retrospective recall of father's occupation was used as childhood socioeconomic indicator, and adulthood SEP was measured by the occupation of the main income earner of the household. The findings showed that among women, childhood SEP exerted a greater influence on body weight than SEP in adulthood: at baseline, women from disadvantaged backgrounds in childhood had a higher BMI and were more likely to be overweight or obese, and they gained significantly more weight between baseline and follow‐up. In contrast, adult SEP had a greater impact than childhood circumstances on men's body weight: those from disadvantaged households had a higher mean BMI and were more likely to be overweight or obese at baseline, and they gained significantly more weight between 1991 and 2004. The findings suggest that exposure to disadvantaged circumstances at critically important periods of the life course is associated with body weight and weight gain in adulthood. Importantly, these etiologically relevant periods differ for men and women, suggesting gender‐specific pathways to socioeconomic inequalities in body weight in adulthood.
Weight Loss Produced by Tesofensine in Patients With Parkinson's or Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Astrup Arne , Meier Dieter H. , Mikkelsen Birgit O. , Villumsen John S. , Larsen Thomas M.
Published: March 2008

Objective: Tesofensine (TE) is a norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor. We conducted a meta‐analysis of TE's effect on body weight in trials investigating its potential for treatment of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.

Methods and Procedures: Four randomized, double‐blind, multicenter trials compared TE (n = 740) and placebo (n = 228), two in each disease. Patients received oral TE or placebo once daily for 14 weeks without any weight loss program. Results were adjusted for baseline values, age, and study.

Results: In the placebo group, 14% were obese and 21% were in the TE group. In the total cohort, weight change after 14 weeks was +0.5, −0.5, −0.9, −1.8, −2.8% in the placebo, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg in the TE groups, respectively (P = 0.015 for dose effect). In the obese subgroup, weight changes were −0.2, −1.7, −1.6, −1.5, −3.7%, and 2.1, 8.2, 14.1, 20.9, 32.1% of the obese patients achieved ≥5% weight loss (P < 0.001 for 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg vs. placebo for both end points). Changes in heart rate were −0.4, 2.1, 4.2, 6.0, and 6.8 bpm after 14 weeks (TE vs. placebo: P < 0.001 from 0.25 mg), but no effect on blood pressure was observed.

Discussion: TE produced a placebo‐subtracted weight loss of ∼4% for >14 weeks without any diet and lifestyle therapy, which is similar to that of sibutramine, but with no effect on blood pressure. On the basis of these results, TE is now being developed for obesity management.
Additional Contribution of Emerging Risk Factors to the Prediction of the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence From the Western New York Study
Authors: Stranges Saverio , Rafalson Lisa B. , Dmochowski Jacek , Rejman Karol , Tracy Russell P. , Trevisan Maurizio , Donahue Richard P.
Published: March 2008

Objective: To examine whether several biomarkers of endothelial function and inflammation improve prediction of type 2 diabetes over 5.9 years of follow‐up, independent of traditional risk factors.

Methods and Procedures: A total of 1,455 participants from the Western New York Study, free of type 2 diabetes at baseline, were selected. Incident type 2 diabetes was defined as fasting glucose exceeding 125 mg/dl or on antidiabetic medication at the follow‐up visit. Sixty‐one people who met the case definition (8/1,000 person years) were identified and individually matched with up to three controls on gender, race, year of study enrollment, and baseline fasting glucose (<110 or 110–125 mg/dl). Biomarkers were measured from frozen baseline samples.

Results: In conditional logistic regression analyses accounting for traditional risk factors (age, family history of diabetes, smoking, drinking status, and BMI), E‐selectin was positively related (3rd vs. 1st tertile: odds ratio 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–6.79, P for linear trend = 0.023) and serum albumin was inversely related (3rd vs. 1st tertile: odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.14–0.93, P for linear trend = 0.032) to type 2 diabetes incidence. The addition of E‐selectin, serum albumin, and leukocyte count to a basic risk factor model including only traditional risk factors significantly increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) (from 0.646 to 0.726, P value = 0.04).

Discussion: These results support the role of endothelial dysfunction and subclinical inflammation as important mechanisms in the etiopathogenesis of type 2 diabetes; moreover, they indicate that novel biomarkers may improve the prediction of type 2 diabetes beyond the use of traditional risk factors alone.
Loss analysis of permanent-magnet synchronous motor using three-dimensional finite-element method with homogenization method
Authors: Takahashi Y. , Wakao S. , Kondo M. , Terauchi N.
Published: March 2008

This paper describes an iron-loss analysis of permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) taking into account lamination of iron core by a finite-element method (FEM) with a homogenization method. The detailed modeling of the laminated structure by the FEM with gap elements and double nodes requires a huge number of elements, which results in the limitation of the problem size. In order to reduce the computational costs, we apply the homogenization method to iron-loss analyses of a skewed interior PMSM and a surface permanent-magnet motor with overhanging magnet. For the clarification of the effectiveness, the homogenization method is compared with the detailed modeling from the viewpoints of computational costs and accuracy. As a consequence, it is verified that the homogenization method can analyze magnetic fields in a laminated iron core of a practical electric machine within acceptable computational costs.
Orbit-orbit relativistic corrections to the pure vibrational non-Born-Oppenheimer energies of H2
Authors: Stanke Monika , Kȩdziera Dariusz , Bubin Sergiy , Molski Marcin , Adamowicz Ludwik
Published: March 2008

We report the derivation of the orbit-orbit relativistic correction for calculating pure vibrational states of diatomic molecular systems with σ electrons within the framework that does not assume the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The correction is calculated as the expectation value of the orbit-orbit interaction operator with the non-BO wave function expressed in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussian functions multiplied by even powers of the internuclear distance. With that we can now calculate the complete relativistic correction of the order of α2 (where α=1∕c). The new algorithm is applied to determine the full set of the rotationless vibrational levels and the corresponding transition frequencies of the H2 molecule. The results are compared with the previous calculations, as well as with the frequencies obtained from the experimental spectra. The comparison shows the need to include corrections higher than second order in α to further improve the agreement between the theory and the experiment.