bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
11 Communicative Role
Authors: Gaynesford Maximilian de
Published: June 2006

I fulfils its communicative role in the deictic mode. It is the communicative role of any singular term to communicate thoughts. This requires that the audience know the positive answer to the question: ‘which individual is being spoken of?’, that is, the term must achieve discriminability of reference for the audience. Deictic terms require salience if they are to achieve discriminability of reference for the audience, i.e., it is as the individual made salient that one must identify the referent of a use of a deictic term. It is as the individual made salient that one must identify the referent of a use of I.
Introduction
Authors: Stanley Jason
Published: June 2006

This chapter lays out the basic evidence for the thesis that whether or not someone knows a proposition at a given time is partly determined by his or her practical interests. It considers and rejects a range of responses to the evidence that would undermine the case for Interest-Relative Invariantism.
3 Knowledge Ascriptions and Context‐Sensitivity
Authors: Stanley Jason
Published: June 2006

This chapter considers a range of context-dependent constructions, and concludes that there are sufficiently significant disanalogies between all of them and the behavior of epistemic predicates such as ‘know that the bank is open’ to cast doubt upon contextualism in epistemology. It is argued that even if knowledge ascriptions were context-sensitive, this fact about them would not have the explanatory value accorded to it by the contextualist.
Interest‐Relative Invariantism versus Contextualism
Authors: Stanley Jason
Published: June 2006

This chapter is devoted to a thorough-going comparison of Interest-Relativism Invariantism and contextualism. It argues that the contextualist is committed to a worse error-theory than the advocate of Interest-Relativism Invariantism. It concludes by arguing that neither contextualism nor Interest-Relative Invariantism helps with the problem of skepticism.
7 Interest‐Relative Invariantism versus Relativism
Authors: Stanley Jason
Published: June 2006

Relativism about knowledge-attributions is the thesis that knowledge attributions express propositions the truth of which is relative to a judge. On this view, a knowledge attribution may express a proposition that is true for one judge, and false for another. This chapter explains and criticizes various versions of relativism about knowledge attributions.
Kant's Theory of Moral Sensibility: Respect for the Moral Law and the Influence of Inclination
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: June 2006

This chapter explores two parallel topics in Kant's moral psychology: respect for the moral law as the motive to moral conduct, and the influence of inclinations on the will. It explains some of Kant's views about respect for the moral law and its role in moral motivation, and this leads to a consideration of the sensible motives that respect for the law limits, as well as the more general question of how Kant thinks that inclinations affect choice.
The Categorical Imperative and Kant's Conception of Practical Rationality
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: June 2006

This chapter outlines an explanation of how Kant grounds morality in reason. It argues that all rational choice is guided by normative considerations (reasons with normative force for the agent). In moral choice, the reasons from which the agent acts are in fact sufficient to justify the action to anyone. Such a view underlies Kant's derivation of the Categorical Imperative, and offers the best understanding of the connection that he draws between moral principles and the nature of practical reason. The chapter offers a reconstruction of the derivation of the Formula of Universal Law in the first two sections of the Groundwork. Section II provides an overview of the argument of Groundwork, I, which explains how Kant thinks that the concept of morality implicit in ordinary thought leads to the Formula of Universal Law (FUL). Sections III through V explain, respectively, what leads Kant to undertake another derivation of the FUL in Groundwork, II — this time one that traces it to the nature of practical reason; his conception of practical reason; and how it is most fully expressed by the Categorical Imperative.
Legislating the Moral Law
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: June 2006

This chapter spells out two distinct senses in which the rational will legislates moral requirements: one that holds for the Categorical Imperative, and a different sense that holds for particular categorical imperatives or moral requirements. The Formula of Universal Law is a law that Kant derives from the nature of rational volition or rational choice. In this sense, it is a law that the rational will legislates or gives to itself. Roughly, the will is a law to itself since the nature of rational volition leads to a principle that governs its own exercise, namely the Categorical Imperative. To understand the sense in which rational agents legislate particular moral requirements, it is important to bear in mind that Kant is led to this idea by considering how such requirements get their normative authority. Kant appears to claim that the agents who are subject to moral law must be the ‘legislators’ from whom these requirements receive their authority, because only then can we explain their unconditional authority as categorical imperatives. The view ascribed to Kant is that the reasons to comply with moral requirements are given simply by the reasoning that establishes them as requirements, from which it follows that moral agents are bound to moral requirements in such a way that they model the source of their authority.
Agency and the Imputation of Consequences in Kant's Ethics
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: June 2006

This chapter analyzes the structure and underlying rationale of Kant's principles of imputation (Zurechnung), with particular concern for his principles governing the moral imputation of bad consequences. It shows how Kant's principles make the imputation of actions and consequences a question for practical reason, rather than a straightforward factual, causal, or metaphysical issue. For Kant, the imputation of actions and consequences is made within the context of, and depends upon, the application of first-order moral norms governing conduct (those setting out strict moral requirements). It suggests that Kant's principles of imputation are generally sound, though they need to be qualified in important ways.
Policy Reforms
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter examines how different reforms were chosen and implemented in various transition countries. It focuses on price and subsidy policy reform, property rights reform and farm restructuring, and liberalization and the development of market institutions.
Basic Determinants of Reform Strategies
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter introduces the second part of the book, which focuses on the political economy of agricultural transition. It introduces the basic concepts to be used in the analysis: initial technology, wealth and structure of the economy, decentralization, historical legacy, and path dependency.
Why did the Communist Party Reform in China, but not in the Soviet Union?
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter explains why reforms were possible during the 1970s in China under the Communist regime, but not in the Soviet Union. It argues that the reasons are a combination of a change in leadership and grassroots pressure. Different choices were made in China than in the Soviet Union because the countries had different initial conditions in the countryside, particularly in terms of technology, incomes and wealth, and the structure of the economy; all affected the choices of the Communist leadership and the actions of citizens.
Determining the Pace of Market Liberalization
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter explains why, when, and how transition countries liberalized their agricultural markets. It explains why China opted for a gradual liberalization, and why a much more radical approach was chosen in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Conclusions
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter summarizes the key conclusions on the economics and political economy of agricultural transition.
The Second Decade of Transition
Authors: Swinnen Johan F. M.
Published: June 2006

This chapter reviews the main changes in the agricultural economy and policies that took place after the first decade of transition. It discusses the main developments in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and in China.
Whose Body is it Anyway?
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: June 2006

In the prevailing liberal ethos, if there is one thing that is beyond the reach of others, it is our body in particular, and our person in general. Our legal and political tradition is such that we have the right to deny others access to our person and body, even though doing so would harm those who need personal services or body parts from us. However, we lack the right to use ourselves as we wish in order to raise income, even though we do not necessarily harm others by doing so — even though we might in fact benefit them by doing so. This book aims to show that according to the principles of distributive justice which inform most liberal democracies — both in practice and in theory — it should be exactly the other way around. If it is true that we lack the right to withhold access to material resources from those who need them, we also lack the right to withhold access to our body from those who need it; but we do, under some circumstances, have the right to decide how to use it in order to raise income. The book argues in favour of the confiscation of body parts and personal services, as well as the commercialization of organs, sex, and reproductive capacities.
A Rights‐Based Theory of Justice
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: June 2006

This chapter sets out the theory of justice which underpins the book’s central claims. It argues that all human beings have a fundamental interest in living a minimally flourishing life of which autonomy and well-being are central components, which in turn, implies that they all have rights against the better-off to the material resources they need to lead such a life. However, the better off are under a duty to help if, and only if, they would not jeopardize their own prospects for a minimally flourishing life.
A Civilian Service
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: June 2006

This chapter argues that the duty of assistance outlined in Chapter 1 includes a duty to provide personal services in the form of a civilian service.
Confiscating Live Body Parts
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: June 2006

This chapter argues that the duty of assistance includes a duty to make some of one’s body parts available, before death, to those who need them. It claims that however demanding such duty may seem at first sight, it can be delineated in such a way as to preserve the interest of the healthy in living a minimally flourishing life.
Surrogacy Contracts
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: June 2006

This chapter argues that individuals have the right to sell and buy sexual reproductive services by way of surrogacy contracts. It reviews four objections to surrogacy based on commodification, exploitation, gender inequality, and children’s interests, and outlines ways in which the practice can and ought to be regulated.
6 Self‐transformation, Self‐organization, and Evolutionary Adaptation in the Economic Process
Authors: Metcalfe J. Stan , Ramlogan Ronnie
Published: June 2006

This chapter focuses on the connection between economic adaptation and economic development and growth. It argues that economic adaptation is inseparable from the growth of knowledge, and that market based dynamics give adaptation a form that is central to change in modern capitalism. Reallocation of resources is the consequence of different beliefs; the imagination that the economic world can be organized differently. This is the primary reason why economies evolve and adapt, in that they are instituted variation, selection, and developmental processes.
Holism about Reasons
Authors: McKeever Sean , Ridge Michael
Published: June 2006

Particularists often try to draw support for their view from the alleged context sensitivity of reasons, and more specifically holism. According to holism about reasons, a consideration that is a reason in one context may not be similarly a reason in another context because of differences in the presence or absence of defeating and enabling conditions. This chapter distinguishes several versions of the argument from holism, and shows that despite wide currency, no version establishes any significant particularist thesis.
Introduction: The Neo-medieval Paradigm
Authors: Zielonka Jan
Published: June 2006

The introductory chapter spells out the major arguments of the book, defines the basic terms used, and explains the genesis, structure, and the theoretical context of the book. Two contrasting models of the emerging EU system are identified: a Westphalian superstate and a neo-medieval empire. It explains why other possible alternatives are not considered, and the difference between a neo-Westphalian and neo-medieval type of empire.
European Power Politics
Authors: Zielonka Jan
Published: June 2006

This chapter examines the way the EU accession process contributed to greater convergence across the old East-West divide. It argues that the eastern enlargement was an impressive exercise in empire building. The Union tried to assert political and economic control over that unstable and impoverished neighborhood. However, this imperial exercise lacked a broader strategic vision — it was prone to parochial pressures and its implementation was fairly benign. The countries of Eastern Europe had to comply with an ever growing list of conditions, but were given access to the EU’s decision-making and resources at the end of the accession process.
A Rational Actor Approach
Authors: Toya Tetsuro , Amyx Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This chapter begins with an overview of existing literature on Japanese politics, focusing on Japanese financial politics in the 1990s. It identifies three issues of contention in the various approaches to Japanese politics, and explains how these debates help inform the study’s research design. It suggests five alternative explanations for the emergence of the Big Bang reforms, against which the explanation in later chapters will be weighed.
How do Systems Change?
Authors: Toya Tetsuro , Amyx Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This chapter has two main objectives. First, it introduces the theoretical frameworks of institutional change and organizational survival to be utilized in later chapters to make sense of the development in financial politics. Second, it constructs possible scenarios regarding financial reforms by identifying the actors and deriving their preferences based on observed behavioral regularities. It shows how the starting assumption — that organizations seek survival — applies more broadly to actors in the political economy. These actors include political parties, bureaucratic agencies, firms, and interest groups. Through this process, the institutions in Japanese finance (the Convoy) and public policymaking (bureaupluralism) that prevailed until the first half of the 1990s are identified.
The Financial Industry and the Big Bang
Authors: Toya Tetsuro , Amyx Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This chapter analyzes the process in which the initiative of November 1996 was embodied and implemented. The Big Bang is compared to three cases of past financial reforms (1991-93, 1992-94, and 1979-82) to assess the extent of change the Big Bang has brought about. The focus is on the influence of regulated industry actors — the economic ‘losers’ from the Big Bang — on public policymaking. The influence they had on the outcome as well as their inability to reverse the Big Bang reforms are assessed.
New Developments in Bureaupluralism: Comparing and Contrasting the Big Bang to the 1998 “Financial Diet”
Authors: Toya Tetsuro , Amyx Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This chapter examines what can be said about the new developments in financial politics since 1995. It considers the case of the Financial Diet of 1998, an extraordinary legislative session held to deal with the bad debt problem in banking. It is shown that the new developments observed in the case of the Big Bang represent a more general trend in financial politics, evident since 1995. This trend is one in which the public matters more than ever in the policymaking process.
Conclusion
Authors: Toya Tetsuro , Amyx Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This chapter examines the applicability of the study’s findings to other cases in the political economy, generating hypotheses about the determinants of regulatory reform. It discusses the policy implications of the analysis and identifies issues for additional research. It argues the need to shift the emphasis from ‘stability’ to ‘change’ in conceptualizing Japanese politics today. This shift should take place not only at the level of theory but also at the level of practice, given the fast pace of technological innovation, the deepening global integration, and change in the institutional environment. Accordingly, public administration must be carried out with the assumption of ‘change’ rather than the assumption of ‘continuity’, and the long-established emphasis on following precedents in policymaking abandoned.
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Young Children: Test Parameters and Normative Data
Authors: Kelsch Timothy A. , Schaefer Lynne A. , Esquivel Carlos R.
Published: June 2006

Objective: The vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) is a test of the vestibulocollic reflex that has been extensively studied in adults. Much is known about the normal values in adults as well as their changes with age. In children, the expected test values and their possible changes in development have not yet been described nor has the feasibility of reliable testing in this group. The aim of this prospective study is to accumulate normative data and to verify the viability of testing in young children. The study focused on optimal test parameters, reproducibility, and subject compliance in a pediatric population.

Methods: Thirty normal‐hearing children (60 ears) ages 3 to 11 completed VEMP testing and audiograms for analysis. VEMP testing was performed with alternating clicks at three intensities (80‐, 85‐, and 90‐dB normalized hearing level) using averaged, unrectified electromyograms recorded by surface electrode on the sternocleidomastoid muscle ipsilateral to the stimulus. VEMP latencies, amplitude, compliance, and length of testing were recorded for each patient, as well as their feedback on the testing session. The subjects were divided into four age groups for analysis.

Results: All but one of the subjects attempting VEMP testing was able to finish. Of 30 children completing VEMP tests, bilateral reflexes were recorded for all subjects with symmetric responses in 28 of 30 subjects (93%). The mean peak latencies (± standard deviation [SD]) of pI and nII were 11.3 msec (1.3 ms) and 17.6 msec (1.4 ms), respectively. The mean pI‐nII amplitude (± SD) was 122 μV (68 μV). There was a significantly shorter nII mean peak latency of group I (ages 3–5) left ear in comparison to other groups, with an absolute shorter mean latency nII in the right ear of group I (not significant). Average test time was 15 minutes with two researchers testing, and subjects were highly compliant.

Conclusions: VEMP is a well‐tolerated test for screening vestibular function in young children, performed with minimal test time and reproducible results. Mean latencies in this study suggested a shorter initial negative peak (nII) than in adult studies, consistent with prolongation seen in previous research on the effects of age. Ninety‐decibel normalized hearing level clicks were adequate for uniform response rates. Expected latency and amplitude values in single‐channel VEMP‐unrectified electromyograms were established. This is the first study describing expected latencies and optimal testing parameters in children.
The Role of Positron Emission Tomography Scans in the Management of the N‐Positive Neck in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Brkovich Victoria S. , Miller Frank R. , Karnad Anand B. , Hussey David H. , McGuff H Stan , Otto Randal A.
Published: June 2006

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of 18‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) in predicting residual cervical metastatic disease in patients with N‐positive necks undergoing curative radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Methods: The authors studied a prospective case series of patients (2003–2005) of patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for advanced head and neck SSC. Study entry criteria included N‐positive neck disease, a complete response to treatment at the primary tumor site, posttreatment PET scan (8–12 weeks after completion of treatment), followed by salvage neck dissection. The posttreatment PET scan neck findings were correlated to the salvage neck dissection pathology report. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the PET scan to predict residual cervical metastatic disease after curative chemoradiotherapy were calculated.

Results: Twenty‐one neck dissections (pretreatment N1 = 5, N2a = 2, N2b = 8, N3 = 6) were entered into the protocol. Four (19.0%) of the 21 neck specimens were positive for residual cervical metastatic disease, whereas the remaining 17 (80.9%) specimens demonstrated no residual carcinoma. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 75.0% and 64.7%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 33% and the negative predictive value was 91.7%.

Conclusions: Although the role of posttreatment neck dissection remains controversial, the surgeon must rely on clinical examination and imaging studies. Our practice has been to perform planned staged neck dissections on all N2 and N3 necks, as well as N1 necks with an incomplete response to treatment. Based on this small prospective study, it appears that PET imaging lacks adequate sensitivity and specificity to reliably predict the presence of residual cervical metastatic disease after completion of chemoradiotherapy. With a negative predictive value of 91.7%, however, a negative PET scan appears to be a reliable predictor of the absence of residual tumor.
Tuberculous Otitis Media: A Clinical and Radiologic Analysis of 52 Patients
Authors: Cho Yang‐Sun , Lee Hyun‐Seok , Kim Sang‐Woo , Chung Kyu‐Hwan , Lee Dong‐Kyung , Koh Won‐Jung , Kim Myung‐Gu
Published: June 2006

Objective: This retrospective study reports on the clinical and radiologic features and the treatment outcomes of patients with tuberculous otitis media (TOM).

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 52 patients (53 ears) with TOM between 1993 and 2005 and analyzed temporal bone computed tomography scans of 23 patients. The diagnosis of TOM was made if a specimen of the middle ear revealed the presence of acid fast bacilli (AFB), grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. Tb) on a culture, revealed characteristic histology, and/or was positive for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for M. Tb.

Results: The highest incidence of the disease was observed among patients in their 30s. The main symptom was otorrhea, and the duration of symptoms was shorter than with nonspecific chronic otitis media. Most patients demonstrated a moderate to severe hearing loss. Five patients (9.6%) demonstrated a peripheral‐type facial palsy. Temporal bone CT scans demonstrated relatively well‐pneumatized mastoids and occupation by soft tissue of the entire tympanum and mastoid air cells. Six patients demonstrated bone destruction that involved the cortex of the mastoid bone. In most patients, antituberculous medication was effective treatment. The patients who underwent chemotherapy after surgery achieved more rapid healing of the ear and more frequent closure of the tympanic membrane than those who did not receive surgery.

Conclusions: Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion and be aware of the clinical and radiologic characteristics of TOM.
Laboratory versus Portable Sleep Studies: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Ghegan Mark D. , Angelos Patrick C. , Stonebraker Angela C. , Gillespie M Boyd
Published: June 2006

Objective: The objective of this meta‐analysis study was to compare the accuracy of home sleep studies with laboratory polysomnography in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: Eligible studies included prospective cohort studies of portable and in‐laboratory sleep studies performed on the same groups of patients. A comparison of respiratory disturbance index (RDI), mean low oxygen saturation levels, sleep time, rate of inadequate studies, and average cost per examination was made between portable and in‐laboratory sleep studies. A total of 18 papers were identified in two independent Medline searches.

Results: RDI values on portable sleep studies were 10% lower on average compared with laboratory studies (odds ratio [OR], 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87–0.92). There was no significant difference in the mean low oxygen saturation on portable versus laboratory studies (OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.94–1.10). Recorded sleep time was significantly higher by 13% for laboratory compared with portable studies (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.86–0.89), and portable studies were significantly more likely to give a poor recording when compared with laboratory examinations (P = .0001). The cost of home studies ranged from 35% to 88% lower than laboratory studies across a number of countries.

Conclusion: Home sleep studies provide similar diagnostic information to laboratory polysomnograms in the evaluation of sleep‐disordered breathing but may underestimate sleep apnea severity. The lower cost of home sleep studies makes it a viable screening tool for patients with suspected OSA; however, these lower costs are partially offset by the higher rate of inadequate examinations.
Sequential External Beam Radiotherapy and High–Dose‐Rate Intracavitary Brachytherapy in T1 and T2 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: An Evaluation of Long‐Term Outcome
Authors: Thiagarajan Anuradha , Lin Kong , Tiong Chua Eu , Tan Luke Kim Siang , Loh Thomas Kwok Seng , Goh Boon Cher , Lu Jiade J.
Published: June 2006

Objectives/Hypothesis: The standard treatment for nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), with or without chemotherapy. Because local control in NPC is an independent prognostic factor for distant metastases and survival, various dose‐escalation strategies have been used to reduce recurrences at the primary site. The objective of this report was to evaluate the outcome of adjuvant high–dose‐rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDRIB) in patients with T1 and T2 NPC.

Study Design and Methods: Thirty‐three consecutive patients with T1 and T2 NPC were treated prospectively according to a standardized institutional protocol between March 1999 and July 2001. Seventeen patients with stage I/II disease were treated with EBRT to 66 Gy followed by HDRIB (10 Gy in 2 weekly 5 Gy fractions). The remaining 16 patients with Stage III to IVb disease received chemotherapy in addition to radiation. All patients were assessed for treatment response, local control, survival, and toxicity.

Results: Median follow‐up for all surviving patients was 67 (range 52–76) months. Local failure occurred in two patients; both subsequently underwent successful salvage treatments. Three patients died of metastatic disease, whereas two died of unrelated causes. Five year local control, overall survival, and disease‐free survival rates were 93.8%, 83.9% and 78.4%, respectively. All patients experienced acute or late radiotherapy‐related sequelae. However, no grade 4/5 toxicities were reported. Specifically, toxicities that could be attributed to brachytherapy were not seen, except for in one patient who developed severe choanal stenosis.

Conclusions: EBRT supplemented by HDRIB produced superior local control rates for T1 and T2 NPC at 5 years of follow‐up, with acceptable rates of acute and late toxicities.
Usefulness of Autologous Cartilage and Fibrin Glue for the Prevention of Septal Perforation during Septal Surgery: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Lee Jae Yong , Lee Sang Hag , Kim Shi Chan , Koh Yoon Woo , Lee Seung Won
Published: June 2006

Objectives: Septal surgery is one of the most common causes of nasal septal perforation. In cases in which a septal mucosal defect at the corresponding area has occurred, autologous cartilage is usually inserted between the injured mucosal flaps. In addition, we applied fibrin glue to the margins of injured mucosal surface to fix the inserted cartilage and to promote mucosal regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of this method in the prevention of nasal septal perforation.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of medical records.

Methods: A total of 463 septal surgeries were performed between March 2003 and August 2005. Septal mucosal defect at the corresponding area occurred in 34 patients. In group 1 (23 patients), septal or auricular cartilage was inserted between the injured mucosal flaps. In group 2 (11 patients), septal or auricular cartilage was inserted, and fibrin glue was applied on the mucosal margins of cartilage insertion site. We compared the perforation rate between the two groups.

Results: In group 1, nasal septal perforation occurred 8 of 23 (34.8%) patients, and in group 2, 1 of 11 (9.1%) patients experienced perforation. Although the occurrence rate of perforation was significantly lower in group 2, statistical significance between the two groups could not be established because of the small number of patients who experienced septal perforation.

Conclusion: The application of fibrin glue at the bilaterally injured mucosal surface after cartilage insertion is thought to be very useful as a preventive measure of nasal septal perforation. We report these results as preliminary data for further study to determine the usefulness of fibrin glue in the prevention of nasal septal perforation.
Ultrasonic Technology Facilitates Minimal Access Thyroid Surgery
Authors: Terris David J. , Seybt Melanie W. , Gourin Christine G. , Chin Edward
Published: June 2006

Objectives: Options for controlling the vasculature during thyroid surgery include suture ligatures, vessel clips, and bipolar cautery. Ultrasonic technology represents an alternative to conventional techniques in which the vessels are simultaneously sealed and divided. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of thyroidectomy with ultrasonic technology.

Design: Nonrandomized, prospective analysis of a series of patients undergoing thyroidectomy at the Medical College of Georgia.

Methods and Materials: The records of 51 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid surgery between December 2004 and June 2005 were reviewed. Patients in whom ultrasonic technology (Harmonic‐ACE™, Ethicon Endo‐Surgery, Cincinnati, OH) was used comprised the study population.

Results: Forty‐four of 51 patients underwent thyroidectomy with the assistance of ultrasonic technology. There were 4 males and 40 females with a mean age of 43.5 ± 15.8 years. Twenty‐two patients had a total thyroidectomy, 18 underwent unilateral lobectomy, and 4 underwent completion thyroidectomy. The overall mean incision length was 5.0 ± 2.6 (range 2–12) cm. A subgroup of patients underwent minimally invasive video‐assisted thyroidectomy (n = 13) and had a mean incision length of 29.3 ± 0.8 mm. There were no cases of permanent injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and no cases of persistent hypoparathyroidism. Blood loss ranged from 5 mL to 100 mL, with a mean of 26.7 ± 21.8 mL.

Conclusions: Ultrasonic technology facilitates thyroid surgery, particularly when a minimally invasive approach is undertaken. It reliably seals and divides the thyroid vasculature and will likely replace other methods of managing the thyroid blood supply.
A Randomized, Prospective, Double‐Blind Study on the Efficacy of Dead Sea Salt Nasal Irrigations
Authors: Friedman Michael , Vidyasagar Ramakrishnan , Joseph Ninos
Published: June 2006

Objective: The objective of this randomized, prospective, double‐blind study was to compare nasal irrigation using hypertonic Dead Sea salt (DSS) solution with hypertonic saline in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis and improvement of quality of life (QOL).

Methods: With Institutional Review Board approval, 42 adults seeking treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis in a tertiary university‐affiliated medical center were studied. After history and endonasal examination, computed tomography imaging, and QOL survey (Standardized Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire [RQLQ(S)]), patients were randomized to self‐administered hypertonic saline spray and irrigation twice daily or hypertonic DSS spray and irrigation. Patients were reassessed weekly and at 1 month.

Results: Both groups had similar symptoms and RQLQ(S) scores before treatment and had significant improvement after treatment. However, the DSS patients had significantly better symptom relief and only the DSS group showed improved RQLQ(S) scores.

Conclusions: We present a short‐term study providing level I evidence on the superiority of DSS over saline nasal irrigation for treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis.
Safety Study of the Cochlear Nucleus® 24 Device with Internal Magnet in the 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner
Authors: Gubbels Samuel P. , McMenomey Sean O.
Published: June 2006

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imager (MRI) on the Cochlear Nucleus® 24 Device without removing the internal magnet. To determine whether device fixation using a compression dressing could prevent internal magnet displacement in the MRI scanner and potentially obviate the need for surgical removal of the internal magnet.

Study Design: Prospective cadaveric study.

Methods: Four cadaver heads were implanted bilaterally with the Nucleus device with the internal magnet in place and placed into the 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. The devices were then explanted after interaction with the MRI and evaluated for displacement of the internal magnet. Conditions tested include device fixation with a commercially available compression dressing and no fixation (worst‐case scenario). Magnet strength was measured before and after each of the test conditions.

Results: Moderate to severe displacement of the magnet from the internal device occurred in 14 of 16 (87%) implants when no compression dressing was placed. Displacement occurred in 0 of 16 (0%) implants when the compression dressing was applied. No decrease in the strength of the implant magnet was found with the initial or subsequent MRI/implant interactions.

Conclusions: Use of the 1.5 Tesla MRI on subjects with Cochlear Nucleus® 24 implants did not result in any significant demagnetization of the internal magnet and did not cause displacement of the magnet when an external compression dressing was applied. Surgical removal of the internal magnet before scanning with the 1.5 Tesla MRI may not be necessary if a compression dressing is applied.
Physiologic Features of Vocal Fatigue: Electromyographic Spectral‐Compression in Laryngeal Muscles
Authors: Boucher Victor J. , Ahmarani Christian , Ayad Tareck
Published: June 2006

Objectives: This study addresses the problem of defining observable attributes of “vocal fatigue” as a physiologic condition. The aim was to determine the applicability of electromyography (EMG) spectral compression in observing fatigue in laryngeal muscles arising from prolonged vocal effort.

Study Design: Single institution, nonrandomized, prospective analysis of subjects evaluated in an academic, tertiary care center.

Methods: In adapting EMG techniques, we report pretest observations that bear on the choice of voicing tasks serving to induce and estimate muscle fatigue and the selection of muscles that are particularly involved in effortful vocalization. On this basis, an experiment was designed where intramuscular EMG was used to record lateral cricoarytenoid potentials of seven subjects at regular intervals across a 12 to 14 hour period (50 samples per subject). Between each of these samples, the participants were required to produce loud speech for 3 minutes with peaks of 74 dBA at 1 meter.

Results: The results show fatigue‐related spectral compression for all subjects and nonlinear changes across time indicating critical values beyond which fatigue is persistent.

Conclusion: Spectral compression appears to present a robust attribute of fatigue‐related changes in muscles involved in vocalization. There are several implications with respect to research on the prevention of acquired voice pathologies.
Dural Defect Repair with Fascia by a CO2 Laser System in a Porcine Model
Authors: Forer Boaz , Vasilyev Tamar , Brosh Tamar , Kariv Naam , Trejo Leonor Leider , Gil Ziv , Katzir Abraham , Fliss Dan M.
Published: June 2006

Hypothesis/Objectives: We tested the effectiveness of a temperature‐controlled CO2 laser soldering system on a porcine model for dural defect reconstruction using a fascial patch.

Methods: A dural patch was excised and then reconstructed with fascia by a CO2 laser system in vitro in 27 animals and in vivo in five animals.

Results: After dural reconstruction, the average burst pressure of the soldered patch in vitro, as measured by a custom‐made pressure detector, was 258.5 cm H2O. All five pigs in the in vivo group showed no neurological complications or cerebrospinal fluid leak, and the underlying brain tissue showed no thermal injury.

Conclusion: The CO2 laser system created a watertight bond and did not cause thermal injury to the brain. The procedure is potentially faster than conventional repair, and wound healing may also be more rapid.
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Young Patients: A Systematic Review of Racial Demographics
Authors: Cannon Trinitia , Zanation Adam M. , Lai Victor , Weissler Mark C.
Published: June 2006

Objectives: To evaluate patients 25 years of age or younger who were treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Study Design: Retrospective review, systematic literature review.

Methods: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is rare in the Western world. In people younger than 30 years, it is even less common, with an incidence of 1 to 2 per million. This retrospective study was designed to analyze the outcomes of patients 25 years of age or younger who were treated for NPC at a tertiary care academic medical center. Between November 1982 and December 2004, 15 patients meeting the above criteria were treated. These patients form the basis for this report. A systematic review of all NPC trials published in the United States since 1990 was done and the results compared with those of our cohort.

Results: Young African Americans represented 67% of the 15 cases seen at our institution and between 55% and 67% of the patients in the United States. With a mean follow‐up of 5.36 years, disease‐free survival and overall survival rates were 67% and 87%, respectively. Locoregional control was excellent after treatment with cisplatin‐based combination chemoradiotherapy; however, four patients (27%) developed distant metastasis. Despite this, no patients died of disease. Toxicity was significant but manageable, and retreatment met with good success.

Conclusions: In patients 25 years of age or younger, NPC is more common in African Americans. This may represent a genetic and racial predisposition of this unusual disease in the United States. Late‐stage presentations and distant recurrences are common. Platinum‐based combination chemoradiotherapy and aggressive management of metastatic disease, however, is associated with good long‐term survival. Further study of the possibly changing epidemiology and racial genetics of this unusual tumor is warranted.
Pretreatment, Preoperative Swallowing Exercises May Improve Dysphagia Quality of Life
Authors: Kulbersh Brian Daniel , Rosenthal Eben L. , McGrew Benjamin M. , Duncan Ryan D. , McColloch Nancy L. , Carroll William R. , Magnuson J S.
Published: June 2006

Objectives: Dysphagia is commonly associated with head and neck cancer treatment. Traditional dysphagia management strategies focus on post‐treatment therapy. This study evaluated the utility of pretreatment swallowing exercises in improving post‐treatment swallowing quality of life (QOL).

Study Design: Prospective cohort study and cross‐sectional QOL analysis.

Methods: This study includes 37 patients who underwent primary radiation or combined chemoradiation treatment for newly diagnosed hypopharyngeal, laryngeal, or oropharyngeal primary tumors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Of the 37, 25 patients underwent swallowing exercises beginning 2 weeks prior to the start of radiation. The M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) was administered an average of 14 months after treatment to assess the success of the protocol. Analysis of QOL scores related to gender, primary site, stage, and race were obtained.

Results: Patients who performed pretreatment swallowing exercises (n = 25) showed improvement in the overall MDADI score (P = .0002) compared to the control population (n = 12) who underwent post‐treatment therapy. Furthermore, a separate analysis of individual domains of the MDADI (global, emotional, functional, and physical) demonstrated improved quality of life.

Conclusions: Implementation of pretreatment swallowing education and exercise may improve dysphagia‐specific QOL in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation and/or chemoradiation therapy.
Wet but not slippery: boundary friction in tree frog adhesive toe pads
Authors: Federle W , Barnes W.J.P , Baumgartner W , Drechsler P , Smith J.M
Published: June 2006

Tree frogs are remarkable for their capacity to cling to smooth surfaces using large toe pads. The adhesive skin of tree frog toe pads is characterized by peg-studded hexagonal cells separated by deep channels into which mucus glands open. The pads are completely wetted with watery mucus, which led previous authors to suggest that attachment is solely due to capillary and viscous forces generated by the fluid-filled joint between the pad and the substrate. Here, we present evidence from single-toe force measurements, laser tweezer microrheometry of pad mucus and interference reflection microscopy of the contact zone inLitoria caerulea, that tree frog attachment forces are significantly enhanced by close contacts and boundary friction between the pad epidermis and the substrate, facilitated by the highly regular pad microstructure.
Poisson's ratio in cubic materials
Authors: Norris Andrew N
Published: June 2006

Expressions are given for the maximum and minimum values of Poisson's ratio
ν
for materials with cubic symmetry. Values less than −1 occur if and only if the maximum shear modulus is associated with the cube axis and is at least 25 times the value of the minimum shear modulus. Large values of

occur in directions at which the Young modulus is approximately equal to one half of its 111 value. Such directions, by their nature, are very close to 111. Application to data for cubic crystals indicates that certain Indium Thallium alloys simultaneously exhibit Poisson's ratio less than −1 and greater than +2.
Geological and geomorphological insights into Antarctic ice sheet evolution
Authors: Sugden David E , Bentley Michael J , Ó Cofaigh Colm
Published: June 2006

Technical advances in the study of ice-free parts of Antarctica can provide quantitative records that are useful for constraining and refining models of ice sheet evolution and behaviour. Such records improve our understanding of system trajectory, influence the questions we ask about system stability and help to define the ice-sheet processes that are relevant on different time-scales. Here, we illustrate the contribution of cosmogenic isotope analysis of exposed bedrock surfaces and marine geophysical surveying to the understanding of Antarctic ice sheet evolution on a range of time-scales. In the Dry Valleys of East Antarctica,3He dating of subglacial flood deposits that are now exposed on mountain summits provide evidence of an expanded and thicker Mid-Miocene ice sheet. The survival of surface boulders for approximately 14 Myr, the oldest yet measured, demonstrates exceptionally low rates of subsequent erosion and points to the persistence and stability of the dry polar desert climate since that time. Increasingly, there are constraints on West Antarctic ice sheet fluctuations during Quaternary glacial cycles. In the Sarnoff Mountains of Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica,10Be and26Al cosmogenic isotope analysis of glacial erratics and bedrock reveal steady thinning of the ice sheet from 10 400 years ago to the present, probably as a result of grounding line retreat. In the Antarctic Peninsula, offshore analysis reveals an extensive ice sheet at the last glacial maximum. Based on radiocarbon dating, deglaciation began by 17 000 cal yr BP and was complete by 9500 cal yr BP. Deglaciation of the west and east sides of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet occurred at different times and rates, but was largely complete by the Early Holocene. At that time ice shelves were less extensive on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula than they are today. The message from the past is that individual glacier drainage basins in Antarctica respond in different and distinctive ways to global climate change, depending on the link between regional topography and climate setting.
A glycolytic enzyme, enolase, is recruited as a cofactor of tRNA targeting toward mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Entelis Nina , Brandina Irina , Kamenski Piotr , Krasheninnikov Igor A. , Martin Robert P. , Tarassov Ivan
Published: June 2006

In many organisms, mitochondria import nuclear DNA-encoded small RNAs. In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one out of two cytoplasmic isoacceptor tRNAsLys is partially addressed into the organelle. Mitochondrial targeting of this tRNA was shown to depend on interaction with the precursor of mitochondrial lysyl–tRNA synthetase, preMsk1p. However, preMsk1p alone was unable to direct tRNA targeting, suggesting the existence of additional protein factor(s). Here, we identify the glycolytic enzyme, enolase, as such a factor. We demonstrate that recombinant enolase and preMSK1p are sufficient to direct tRNA import in vitro and that depletion of enolase inhibits tRNA import in vivo. Enzymatic and tRNA targeting functions of enolase appear to be independent. Three newly characterized properties of the enolase can be related to its novel function: (1) specific affinity to the imported tRNA, (2) the ability to facilitate formation of the complex between preMsk1p and the imported tRNA, and (3) partial targeting toward the mitochondrial outer membrane. We propose a model suggesting that the cell exploits mitochondrial targeting of the enolase in order to address the tRNA toward peri-mitochondrially synthesized preMsk1p. Our results indicate an alternative molecular chaperone function of glycolytic enzyme enolase in tRNA mitochondrial targeting.
Jmjd2b antagonizes H3K9 trimethylation at pericentric heterochromatin in mammalian cells
Authors: Fodor Barna D. , Kubicek Stefan , Yonezawa Masato , O’Sullivan Roderick J. , Sengupta Roopsha , Perez-Burgos Laura , Opravil Susanne , Mechtler Karl , Schotta Gunnar , Jenuwein Thomas
Published: June 2006

Histone lysine trimethyl states represent some of the most robust epigenetic modifications in eukaryotic chromatin. Using a candidate approach, we identified the subgroup of murine Jmjd2 proteins to antagonize H3K9me3 at pericentric heterochromatin. H3K27me3 and H4K20me3 marks are not impaired in inducible Jmjd2b-GFP cell lines, but Jmjd2b also reduces H3K36 methylation. Since recombinant Jmjd2b appears as a very poor enzyme, we applied metabolic labeling with heavy methyl groups to demonstrate Jmjd2b-mediated removal of chromosomal H3K9me3 as an active process that occurs well before replication of chromatin. These data reveal that certain members of the jmjC class of hydroxylases can work in a pathway that actively antagonizes a histone lysine trimethyl state.