bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Potential Role of the CXC Chemokine GROα in Atherosclerosis and Plaque Destabilization
Authors: Breland Unni M. , Halvorsen Bente , Hol Johanna , Øie Erik , Paulsson-Berne Gabrielle , Yndestad Arne , Smith Camilla , Otterdal Kari , Hedin Ulf , Wæhre Torgun , Sandberg Wiggo J. , Frøland Stig S. , Haraldsen Guttorm , Gullestad Lars , Damås Jan K. , Hansson Gøran K. , Aukrust Pål
Published: February 2008

Objective—

We examined the role of the CXCR2 ligand growth-related oncogene (GRO) α in human atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results—

GROα levels were examined by enzyme immunoassay, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and cDNA microarrays. The in vitro effect of statins on GROα was examined in endothelial cells and THP-1 macrophages. Our main findings were: (1) GROα was among the 10 most differentially expressed transcripts comparing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls. (2) Both patients with stable (n=41) and particularly those with unstable (n=47) angina had increased plasma levels of GROα comparing controls (n=20). (3) We found increased expression of GROα within symptomatic carotid plaques, located to macrophages and endothelial cells. (4) GROα enhanced the release of matrix metalloproteinases in vascular smooth muscle cells, and increased the binding of acetylated LDL in macrophages. (5) Atorvastatin downregulated GROα levels as shown both in vitro in endothelial cells and macrophages and in vivo in PBMCs from CAD patients. (6) The effect on GROα in endothelial cells involved increased storage and reduced secretion of GROα.

Conclusions—

GROα could be involved in atherogenesis and plaque destabilization, potentially contributing to inflammation, matrix degradation, and lipid accumulation within the atherosclerotic lesion.
Interleukin-1β Causes Acute Lung Injury via αvβ5 and αvβ6 Integrin–Dependent Mechanisms
Authors: Ganter Michael T. , Roux Jérémie , Miyazawa Byron , Howard Marybeth , Frank James A. , Su George , Sheppard Dean , Violette Shelia M. , Weinreb Paul H. , Horan Gerald S. , Matthay Michael A. , Pittet Jean-François
Published: February 2008

Interleukin (IL)-1β has previously been shown to be among the most biologically active cytokines in the lungs of patients with acute lung injury (ALI). Furthermore, there is experimental evidence that lung vascular permeability increases after short-term exposure to IL-1 protein, although the exact mechanism is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the mechanisms of IL-1β–mediated increase in lung vascular permeability and pulmonary edema following transient overexpression of this cytokine in the lungs by adenoviral gene transfer. Lung vascular permeability increased with intrapulmonary IL-1β production with a maximal effect 7 days after instillation of the adenovirus. Furthermore, inhibition of the αvβ6 integrin and/or transforming growth factor-β attenuated the IL-1β–induced ALI. The results of in vitro studies indicated that IL-1β caused the activation of transforming growth factor-β via RhoA/αvβ6 integrin–dependent mechanisms and the inhibition of the αvβ6 integrin and/or transforming growth factor-β signaling completely blocked the IL-1β–mediated protein permeability across alveolar epithelial cell monolayers. In addition, IL-1β increased protein permeability across lung endothelial cell monolayers via RhoA- and αvβ5 integrin–dependent mechanisms. The final series of in vivo experiments demonstrated that pretreatment with blocking antibodies to both the αvβ5 and αvβ6 integrins had an additive protective effect against IL-1β–induced ALI. In summary, these results demonstrate a critical role for the αvβ5/β6 integrins in mediating the IL-1β–induced ALI and indicate that these integrins could be a potentially attractive therapeutic target in ALI.
Distinct Regulation of Developmental and Heart Disease–Induced Atrial Natriuretic Factor Expression by Two Separate Distal Sequences
Authors: Horsthuis Thomas , Houweling Arjan C. , Habets Petra E.M.H. , de Lange Frederik J. , el Azzouzi Hamid , Clout Danielle E.W. , Moorman Antoon F.M. , Christoffels Vincent M.
Published: February 2008

Nppa
, encoding atrial natriuretic factor, is expressed in fetal atrial and ventricular myocardium and is downregulated in the ventricles after birth. During hypertrophy and heart failure,
Nppa
expression is reactivated in the ventricles and serves as a highly conserved marker of heart disease. The
Nppa
promoter has become a frequently used model to study mechanisms of cardiac gene regulation. Nevertheless, the regulatory sequences that provide the correct developmental pattern and ventricular reactivation during cardiac disease remain to be defined. We found that proximal
Nppa
fragments ranging from 250 bp to 16 kbp provide robust reporter gene activity in the atria and correct repression in the atrioventricular canal and the nodes of the conduction system in vivo. However, depending on fragment size and site of integration into the genome of mice, the fetal ventricular activity was either absent or present in an incorrect pattern. Furthermore, these fragments did not provide ventricular reactivation in heart disease models. These results indicate that the proximal promoter does not provide a physiologically relevant model for ventricular gene activity. In contrast, 2 modified bacterial artificial chromosome clones with partially overlapping genomic
Nppa
sequences provided appropriate reactivation of the green fluorescent protein reporter during pressure overload–induced hypertrophy and heart failure in vivo. However, only 1 of these bacterial artificial chromosomes provided correct fetal ventricular green fluorescent protein activity. These results show that distinct distal regulatory sequences and divergent regulatory pathways control fetal ventricular activity and reactivation of
Nppa
during cardiac disease, respectively.
Revisiting Low and List (1982): Evaluation of Raindrop Collision Parameterizations Using Laboratory Observations and Modeling
Authors: Barros Ana P. , Prat Olivier P. , Shrestha Prabhakar , Testik Firat Y. , Bliven Larry F.
Published: February 2008

Raindrop collision and breakup is a stochastic process that affects the evolution of drop size distributions (DSDs) in precipitating clouds. Low and List have remained the obligatory reference on this matter for almost three decades. Based on a limited number of drop sizes (10), Low and List proposed generalized parameterizations of collisional breakup across the raindrop spectra that are standard building blocks for numerical models of rainfall microphysics. Here, recent laboratory experiments of drop collision at NASA’s Wallops Island Facility (NWIF) using updated high-speed imaging technology with the objective of assessing the generality of Low and List are reported. The experimental fragment size distributions (FSDs) for the collision of selected drop pairs were evaluated against explicit simulations using a dynamical microphysics model (Prat and Barros, with parameterizations based on Low and List updated by McFarquhar). One-to-one comparison of the FSDs shows similar distributions; however, the model was found to underestimate the fragment numbers observed in the smallest diameter range (e.g., D < 0.2 mm), and to overestimate the number of fragments produced when small drops (diameter DS ≥ 1mm) and large drops (diameter DL ≥ 3mm) collide. This effect is particularly large for fragments in the 0.5–1.0-mm range, and more so for filament breakup (the most frequent type of breakup observed in laboratory conditions), reflecting up to 30% uncertainty in the left-hand side of the FSD (i.e., the submillimeter range). For coalescence, the NWIF experiments confirmed the drop collision energy cutoff (ET) estimated by Low and List (i.e., ET > 5.0 μJ). Finally, the digital imagery of the laboratory experiments was analyzed to determine the characteristic time necessary to reach stability in relevant statistical properties. The results indicate that the temporal separation between particle (i.e., single hydrometeor) and population behavior, that is, the characteristic time scale to reach homogeneity in the NWIF raindrop populations, is 160 ms, which provides a lower bound to the governing time scale in population-based microphysical models.
Geographical Variations of the Influence of Low-Frequency Variability on Lower-Tropospheric Extreme Westerly Wind Events
Authors: Yin Jeffrey H. , Branstator Grant W.
Published: February 2008

A conceptual framework is developed for quantifying the relationship between low-frequency variability and extreme events. In this framework, variability is decomposed into low-frequency and synoptic components using complementary 10-day low-pass and high-pass filters, and a distinction is made between two ways that low-frequency variability influences extremes: the additive effect, which neglects the dependence of synoptic variability on the low-frequency state, and the multiplicative effect, which is due to the dependence of synoptic variability on the low-frequency state. The influence of various factors on the relationship between low-frequency variability and extreme events is decomposed and quantified by generating a series of simple synthetic datasets based on different assumptions about low-frequency and synoptic variability and their relationship.

These techniques are used to study the relationship between low-frequency variability and extreme westerly wind events in three datasets, an 1158-yr GCM simulation and two reanalysis datasets, with similar results for all three. Geographical variations in the low-frequency–extreme relationship are only partially explained by geographical variations in the low-frequency–synoptic variance ratio; the non-Gaussianity of low-frequency and synoptic variability and the relationship between synoptic variance and the low-frequency state are also found to be important. The simple synthetic datasets that include these factors provide good estimates of the magnitude and probability of extremes. Implications for predictability and applications to more complex low-frequency–extreme relationships are discussed.
Interdecadal Variability of Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks
Authors: Liu Kin Sik , Chan Johnny C. L.
Published: February 2008

This study examines the interdecadal variability of the tropical cyclone (TC) tracks over the western North Pacific (WNP) during the 1960–2005 period. An empirical orthogonal function analysis of the 10-yr Gaussian-filtered annual frequency of TC occurrence shows three leading modes of TC occurrence patterns. The first mode is related to the variation of TC activity in the areas near Japan and its east. The second mode is characterized by a northeast–southwest dipole of TC occurrence anomalies along the southeast coast of China and an east–west dipole near Japan and its east. The third mode is similar to the second mode, except for the absence of the east–west dipole. These patterns are shown to be related to the decadal changes in the prevailing TC tracks.

Two characteristic flow patterns related to the first and third modes of TC occurrence pattern are identified. The first pattern is characterized by a north–south dipole of 500-hPa geopotential anomalies over the WNP. Such a pattern may affect the strength and westward extension of the subtropical high and the midlevel steering flow and hence the TC occurrence pattern. The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) is found to display a similar dipole-like structure. The decadal variability of TC tracks may therefore be partly attributed to the PDO signal. The second characteristic pattern shows a series of anomalous midlevel atmospheric circulations extending from the sea east of Japan to the south coast of China, which may explain the other part of the decadal variations.
The Diurnal Cycle of Clouds and Precipitation along the Sierra Madre Occidental Observed during NAME-2004: Implications for Warm Season Precipitation Estimation in Complex Terrain
Authors: Nesbitt Stephen W. , Gochis David J. , Lang Timothy J.
Published: February 2008

This study examines the spatial and temporal variability in the diurnal cycle of clouds and precipitation tied to topography within the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) tier-I domain during the 2004 NAME enhanced observing period (EOP, July–August), with a focus on the implications for high-resolution precipitation estimation within the core of the monsoon. Ground-based precipitation retrievals from the NAME Event Rain Gauge Network (NERN) and Colorado State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (CSU–NCAR) version 2 radar composites over the southern NAME tier-I domain are compared with satellite rainfall estimates from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center Morphing technique (CMORPH) and Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) operational and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 research satellite estimates along the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO). The rainfall estimates are examined alongside hourly images of high-resolution Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 11-μm brightness temperatures.

An abrupt shallow to deep convective transition is found over the SMO, with the development of shallow convective systems just before noon on average over the SMO high peaks, with deep convection not developing until after 1500 local time on the SMO western slopes. This transition is shown to be contemporaneous with a relative underestimation (overestimation) of precipitation during the period of shallow (deep) convection from both IR and microwave precipitation algorithms due to changes in the depth and vigor of shallow clouds and mixed-phase cloud depths. This characteristic life cycle in cloud structure and microphysics has important implications for ice-scattering microwave and infrared precipitation estimates, and thus hydrological applications using high-resolution precipitation data, as well as the study of the dynamics of convective systems in complex terrain.
Platform Motion Effects on Measurements of Turbulence and Air–Sea Exchange over the Open Ocean
Authors: Miller Scott D. , Hristov Tihomir S. , Edson James B. , Friehe Carl A.
Published: February 2008

Platform motion contaminates turbulence statistics measured in the surface layer over the ocean and therefore adds uncertainty to the understanding and parameterization of air–sea exchange. A modification to the platform motion–correction procedure of Edson et al. is presented that explicitly accounts for misalignment between anemometers and motion sensors. The method is applied to a high-resolution dataset, including four levels of turbulence within 20 m of the ocean surface, measured over deep ocean waves using the stable research platform R/P FLIP. The average error magnitude of the air–sea momentum flux (wind stress) from the four sensors during a 6-day period (10-m wind speed 2–14 m s−1) was 15% ± 1%, and varied systematically with measurement height. Motion and sensor-mounting offsets caused wind stress to be underestimated by 15% at 18.1 m, 13% at 13.8 m, and 11% at 8.7 m, and to be overestimated by 3% at 3.5 m. Sensor misalignment contributed to one-third of the correction to the wind stress. The motion correction reduced some measured artifacts in the wind that could otherwise be interpreted in terms of air–sea interaction, such as the angle between wind and wind stress vectors, while other features remained in the corrected wind, such as apparent upward momentum transfer from ocean to the atmosphere during low wind. These results demonstrate the complex interaction between motion and wind turbulence, and reinforce the necessity to measure and correct for platform motion. Finally, it is shown that the effects of motion on wind stress measured using R/P FLIP are much smaller than in situ measurements made using a conventional research ship.
Climatology of High Wind Events in the Owens Valley, California
Authors: Zhong Shiyuan , Li Ju , Whiteman C. David , Bian Xindi , Yao Wenqing
Published: February 2008

The climatology of high wind events in the Owens Valley, California, a deep valley located just east of the southern Sierra Nevada, is described using data from six automated weather stations distributed along the valley axis in combination with the North American Regional Reanalysis dataset. Potential mechanisms for the development of strong winds in the valley are examined.

Contrary to the common belief that strong winds in the Owens Valley are westerly downslope windstorms that develop on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, strong westerly winds are rare in the valley. Instead, strong winds are highly bidirectional, blowing either up (northward) or down (southward) the valley axis. High wind events are most frequent in spring and early fall and they occur more often during daytime than during nighttime, with a peak frequency in the afternoon. Unlike thermally driven valley winds that blow up valley during daytime and down valley during nighttime, strong winds may blow in either direction regardless of the time of the day. The southerly up-valley winds appear most often in the afternoon, a time when there is a weak minimum of northerly down-valley winds, indicating that strong wind events are modulated by local along-valley thermal forcing.

Several mechanisms, including downward momentum transfer, forced channeling, and pressure-driven channeling all play a role in the development of southerly high wind events. These events are typically accompanied by strong south-southwesterly synoptic winds ahead of an upper-level trough off the California coast. The northerly high wind events, which typically occur when winds aloft are from the northwest ahead of an approaching upper-level ridge, are predominantly caused by the passage of a cold front when fast-moving cold air behind the surface front undercuts and displaces the warmer air in the valley. Forced channeling by the sidewalls of the relatively narrow valley aligns the wind direction with the valley axis and enhances the wind speeds.
The Integrity of Corrupt States: Graft as an Informal State Institution
Authors: Darden Keith
Published: February 2008

This article argues that corrupt practices such as bribery and embezzlement, which scholars have previously assumed to be evidence of the breakdown of the state, may reinforce the state's administrative hierarchies under certain conditions. Drawing on a cross-national analysis of 132 countries and a detailed examination of the informal institutions of official graft in Ukraine, the article finds that where graft is systematically tracked, monitored, and granted by state leaders as an informal payment in exchange for compliance, it provides both an added incentive to obey leaders' directives and the potent sanction of criminal prosecution in the event of disobedience. Where graft is informally institutionalized in this way, it provides the basis for state organizations that are effective at collecting taxes, maintaining public order, and repressing political opposition but that may undermine the development of liberal politics.
Police Power and Race Riots in Paris
Authors: Schneider Cathy Lisa
Published: February 2008

This article looks at riots that consumed Paris and much of France for three consecutive weeks in November 2005. The author argues that the uprisings were not instigated by radical Muslims, children of African polygamists, or despairing youth suffering from high unemployment. First and foremost, they were provoked by a terrible incident of police brutality, a tragedy among a litany of similar tragedies. Black and Arab youth were already frustrated: decades of violent enforcement of France's categorical boundaries—both racial and geographic—had filled many with rage. When Minister of Interior Nicholas Sarkozy responded to the violent death of three teenage boys on October 25, 2005, by condemning the boys rather than the police officers who had killed them, he merely reaffirmed what many young blacks and Arabs already believed: that their lives have no value in France.
A Mixed Model Estimation of Age, Period, and Cohort Effects
Authors: O'Brien Robert M. , Hudson Kenneth , Stockard Jean
Published: February 2008

For more than 30 years, sociologists and demographers have struggled to come to terms with the age, period, cohort conundrum: Given the linear dependency between age groups, periods, and cohorts, how can these effects be estimated separately? This article offers a partial solution to this problem. The authors treat cohort effects as random effects and age and period effects as fixed effects in a mixed model. Using this approach, they can (1) assess the amount of variance in the dependent variable that is associated with cohorts while controlling for the age and period dummy variables, (2) model the dependencies that result from the age-period-specific rates for a single cohort being observed multiple times, and (3) assess how much of the variance in observations that is associated with cohorts is explained by differences in the characteristics of cohorts. The authors use empirical data to see how their results compare with other analyses in the literature.
Age–Period–Cohort Analysis of Repeated Cross-Section Surveys: Fixed or Random Effects?
Authors: Yang Yang , Land Kenneth C.
Published: February 2008

Yang and Land (2006) and Yang (forthcoming-b) developed a mixed (fixed and random) effects model for the age–period–cohort (APC) analysis of micro data sets in the form of a series of repeated cross-section sample surveys that are increasingly available to demographers. The authors compare the fixedversus random-effects model specifications for APC analysis. They use data on verbal test scores from 15 cross sections of the General Social Survey (GSS), 1974 to 2000, for substantive illustrations. Strengths and weaknesses are identified for both the random- and fixed-effects formulations. However, under each of the two data conditions studied, the random-effects hierarchical APC model is the most appropriate specification. While additional analyses and comparisons of random- and fixed-effects APC models using other data sets are necessary before generalizations can be drawn, this finding is consistent with results from other methodological studies with unbalanced data designs.
A Mechanism-Based Approach to the Identification of Age–Period–Cohort Models
Authors: Winship Christopher , Harding David J.
Published: February 2008

This article offers a new approach to the identification of age–period–cohort (APC) models that builds on Pearl's work on nonparametric causal models, in particular his front-door criterion for the identification of causal effects. The goal is to specify the mechanisms through which the age, period, and cohort variables affect the outcome and in doing so identify the model. This approach allows for a broader set of identification strategies than has typically been considered in the literature and, in many circumstances, goodness of fit tests are possible. The authors illustrate the utility of the approach by developing an APC model for political alienation.
Advances in Age–Period–Cohort Analysis
Authors: Smith Herbert L.
Published: February 2008

Social indicators and demographic rates are often arrayed over time by age. The patterns of rates by age at one point in time may not reflect the effects associated with aging, which are more properly studied in cohorts. Cohort succession, aging, and period-specific historical events provide accounts of social and demographic change. Because cohort membership can be defined by age at a particular period, the statistical partitioning of age from period and cohort effects focuses attention on identifying restrictions. When applying statistical models to social data, identification issues are ubiquitous, so some of the debates that vexed the formative literature on age–period– cohort models can now be understood in a larger context. Four new articles on age–period–cohort modeling call attention to the multilevel nature of the problem and draw on advances in methods including nonparametric smoothing, fixed and random effects, and identification in structural or causal models.
Language Puzzles
Authors: Semin Gün R.
Published: February 2008

The linguistic category model (LCM) is highlighted from 3 interrelated perspectives: (a) as a functional tool with distinctive properties that have evolved to link language producers and perceivers and, therefore, adapted to both; (b) within a general framework of linguistic behavior and an analysis of the architecture of linguistic behavior that highlights why lexical decisions, the prime analytic focus of LCM, generally escape conscious access; and finally (c) from an extended functional one, which views language as an instrument to steer attention and illustrates a new way of looking at how language shapes perception. Specifically, differential attention-driving functions of the LCM categories are illustrated with recent research.
The key to success: English language testing in China
Authors: Liying Cheng
Published: February 2008

The testing and examination history in China can be traced back to the imperial period nearly two thousand years ago. The existence of English language testing (tests), on the other hand, has a much shorter history. These English tests, developed and administered over the past 20 years, however, are taken by billions of learners of the English language in China. To many of these learners, doing well on these tests are the key to their academic success as well as the success of their life in general. The paper will first introduce major tests and examinations of English designed and administered in China, then provide an overview of the current research in language testing that has been conducted by Chinese researchers and published in Chinese academic journals over the past 10 years. This paper will focus on the discussion of the issues and concerns of language testing within the Chinese context.
The impact of EFL testing on EFL education in Korea
Authors: Choi Inn-Chull
Published: February 2008

The present study provides an overview of the impact of standardized EFL tests on EFL education in Korea. To achieve this goal, the paper (1) presents the status quo of EFL testing in the Korean context, (2) explores the nature of the EFL tests prevalent in the EFL testing market, and (3) investigates the overwhelming washback effects of EFL tests on EFL teaching based on a survey of stakeholder viewpoints. The overall findings of the survey reveal that the majority of stakeholders (i.e. test-takers and teachers) do not think favorably of the EFL tests due to negative washback effects on their EFL learning and teaching. The survey also shows that considerable numbers of young students are under unwarranted pressure to take the EFL tests and that secondary education puts too much emphasis on preparation for the college entrance exam. Most respondents have negative views of the tests in terms of the mismatch between test scores and English proficiency and the failure of multiple-choice EFL test preparation to induce productive English skills. Some respondents voice complaints about the financial burden caused by mandatory submission of test scores for graduation and employment.
Development of the ability to lexically encode novel second language phonemic contrasts
Authors: Hayes-Harb Rachel , Masuda Kyoko
Published: February 2008

Second language (L2) learners must often learn to perceive and produce novel L2 phoneme contrasts. Although both research and intuition suggest that these difficulties can be overcome to some extent with exposure to the L2, it is not known what consequences this kind of learning has for the phonological structure of the L2 lexicon. We present an experiment designed to investigate the lexical representations that learners establish for L2 words that contain novel phonemic contrasts. Specifically, we consider the acquisition of Japanese consonant length contrasts by native speakers of English: Japanese contrasts consonants such as /k/ and /kk/ while English does not. The results indicate that native English speakers do not initially encode consonant length consistently in their lexical representations of Japanese words, as reflected in both listening and production tasks. However, after one year of Japanese experience, the phonological structure of their Japanese lexicon more closely approximates that of native Japanese speakers. We conclude that significant changes to the structure of the L2 lexicon can occur even within the first year of L2 learning.
Weighing the benefits of studying a foreign language at a younger starting age in a minimal input situation
Authors: Larson-Hall Jenifer
Published: February 2008

This study examined whether a younger starting age is advantageous in a situation of minimal exposure to an instructed foreign language (≤ 4 hours classroom contact per week). Previous theoretical and empirical studies indicated there should be no advantage for an earlier start. Japanese college students who started studying English between ages three and twelve ( n = 61) were examined on a phonemic discrimination ( /l/w) and grammaticality judgement task (GJT). After controlling for language aptitude and amount of input, statistical correlations were found between starting age and scores on the GJT ( r = —.38) but not the phonemic task ( r = .03). These earlier starters were also compared to peers who began study in junior high at age twelve or thirteen ( n = 139) on the same measures. The earlier starters were found to score statistically higher on the phonemic but not morphosyntactic measure, and this remained true in an ANCOVA analysis where total amount of hours of study input were controlled for. A robust ANCOVA testing for differences at different levels of input found interesting interactions between group affiliation and amount of input. Language attitudes were also tested. The evidence shows there can be perceivable age effects for linguistic measures even in a situation of minimal exposure to a foreign language, but these may not emerge until a substantial amount of input has been gained.
Construction(s) of Swedish Family Policy, 1930-2000
Authors: Lundqvist Åsa , Roman Christine
Published: February 2008

Family politics has been important in the development of the Swedish “women-friendly” and weak-breadwinner welfare state. This article analyzes the development of Swedish family politics during the past century by taking as its point of departure the amalgamation of political ambitions, social reforms, and ideas put forward by experts in government commissions. Results suggest that the social sciences played an important role in the making and shaping of Swedish family policy (i.e., that they functioned as “bridge discourses” mediating between the welfare state and social movements that challenged established boundaries between the private and the public sphere).
Creating a Middle School Mathematics Curriculum for English-Language Learners
Authors: Freeman Barbara , Crawford Lindy
Published: February 2008

Hispanic English-language learners and other students learning English are failing in K–12 mathematics. The field has not responded with mathematics curricula designed for this population, especially at the middle grades. In response to this academic crisis, the Help with English Language Proficiency (HELP) Math program for middle school students was created. HELP Math is a Web-based supplemental curriculum composed of a series of rich interactive lessons that essentialize mathematical vocabulary and academic concepts so that students can better understand the content. As a vehicle for informing the field about designing mathematics curricula specifically for this population of students, the authors track the journey from conceptualization through research and implementation of this supplemental curriculum, with a particular focus on the key challenges and lessons learned.
Youth and Parental Attitudes Toward Fighting
Authors: Solomon Barry S. , Bradshaw Catherine P. , Wright Joseph , Cheng Tina L.
Published: February 2008

Certain parenting behaviors have been linked with youth aggression and violence, but less is known about whether parents' attitudes toward fighting are a risk factor for children's aggressive behavior problems and future injury risk. Social cognitive theory suggests that parents' beliefs about fighting and retaliation may influence their children's attitudes toward fighting and aggression. The authors examined the associations among parental and youth attitudes toward fighting, parent-child relationships, and youth aggressive behavior in adolescents at great risk for future interpersonal violence. Data came from 72 parents and their adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years, 89% African American), who presented to an emergency department for youth's assault-related injuries. Analyses revealed an association between parents' and youth's attitudes toward fighting. Youth's and parents' attitudes were positively correlated with aggressive behavior, fighting, and school suspension. Parents' attitudes predicted youth's aggressive behavior, even after controlling for youth's attitudes. The findings suggest that interventions for high-risk youth should target the fighting-related attitudes of both parents and youth.
The Human Milk Donation Experience: Motives, Influencing Factors, and Regular Donation
Authors: Pimenteira Thomaz Ana Claire , Maia Loureiro Luiz Victor , da Silva Oliveira Tathiane , de Mendonça Furtado Montenegro Norma Caroline , Dantas Almeida Júnior Eglailson , Fernando Rodrigues Soriano Cláudio , Calado Cavalcante Jairo
Published: February 2008

The aim of this investigation was to identify factors that influenced or motivated women (N = 737) to donate human milk to human milk banks in Alagoas, Brazil. The most common characteristics of a regular donor were having 4 to 7 pregnancies (relative risk [RR] = 1.9285; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0388-3.5800) and having obtained a higher education level (RR = 2,0625; 95% CI = 1.0097-4.2130). The most commonly reported reasons for donating were “encouragement of a health professional” (61.3%), followed by “the needs of the babies the banks serve” (25.3%). Most of the donors (49.9%) were introduced during their stay in the hospital to the human milk bank to which they donated, and 25.8% chose the bank recommended by a health professional. Health professionals play an indispensable role in motivating mothers to become human milk donors. J Hum Lact. 24(1):69-76.
The Impact of Maternal HIV Status on Infant Feeding Patterns in Nakuru, Kenya
Authors: Kamau-Mbuthia Elizabeth , Elmadfa Ibrahim , Mwonya Rose
Published: February 2008

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of maternal HIV status on infant feeding patterns. Two hundred eighty mothers (205 HIV uninfected, 75 infected) and their infants were recruited from the Provincial General Hospital, Nakuru, Kenya, from delivery and were followed for 14 weeks. From the feeding patterns, HIV-infected mothers were more likely to exclusively breastfeed in week 1 than HIV-uninfected mothers (71.7% vs 56.3%, P = .001), but there were no differences by week 14 (9.8% vs 4.8% P = .212). Mixed feeding increased for both groups from weeks 1 to 14. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, maternal age (younger mothers, P < .05) was associated with exclusive breastfeeding in the 6th week and infant birth weight (> mean birth weight, P < .05) in the 10th week. The results indicate a need to reassess adherence to infant feeding recommendations irrespective of maternal HIV status and also the infant feeding counseling process in the hospital. J Hum Lact . 24(1):34-41.
Newborn Wet and Soiled Diaper Counts and Timing of Onset of Lactation as Indicators of Breastfeeding Inadequacy
Authors: Nommsen-Rivers Laurie A. , Heinig M. Jane , Cohen Roberta J. , Dewey Kathryn G.
Published: February 2008

Using data from 242 exclusively breastfeeding mother-infant pairs, newborn elimination patterns were analyzed. Sensitivity (Se) and Specificity (Sp) of day 4 (72-96 hours) wet and soiled output, in addition to the timing of onset of lactation, in identifying cases of breastfeeding inadequacy (defined as neonatal weight loss ≥ 10% of birth weight) were examined. The usefulness of 2 measures in parallel was also explored. Median number of diapers (wet, soiled) on days 1, 4, and 7, respectively, was 2, 3; 5, 4; and 7, 6. The most efficient day 4 predictor of breastfeeding inadequacy was soiled diaper output ≤ 3 (Se = .75, Sp = .66). Sensitivity improved when used in parallel with delayed onset of lactation (≥ 72 hours); Se = .86 (95% confidence interval, .73-.99) and Sp = .59 (.55-.63). Fewer than 4 soiled diapers on day 4 when used in conjunction with delayed onset of lactation may be indicative of breastfeeding inadequacy, but low specificity will result in many false positives. J Hum Lact. 24(1):27-33.
Do Hospitals With Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) Provide Higher Quality Care?
Authors: Kazley Abby S. , Ozcan Yasar A.
Published: February 2008

This study investigates how hospital electronic medical record (EMR) use influences quality performance. Data include nonfederal acute care hospitals in the United States. Sources of the data include the American Hospital Association, Hospital Quality Alliance, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services case-mix index sets. The authors use a retrospective cross-sectional format with linear regression to assess the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality performance. Quality performance is measured using 10 process indicators related to 3 clinical conditions: acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia. The authors also use a propensity score adjustment to control for possible selection bias. After this adjustment, the authors identify a positive significant relationship between EMR use and 4 of the 10 quality indicators. They conclude that there is limited evidence of the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality.
Errorless-Based Techniques Can Improve Route Finding in Early Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study
Authors: Provencher Véronique , Bier Nathalie , Audet Thérèse , Gagnon Lise
Published: February 2008

Topographical disorientation is a common and early manifestation of dementia of Alzheimer type, which threatens independence in activities of daily living. Errorless-based techniques appear to be effective in helping patients with amnesia to learn routes, but little is known about their effectiveness in early dementia of Alzheimer type. A 77-year-old woman with dementia of Alzheimer type had difficulty in finding her way around her seniors residence, which reduced her social activities. This study used an ABA design (A is the baseline and B is the intervention) with multiple baselines across routes for going to the rosary (target), laundry, and game rooms (controls). The errorless-based technique intervention was applied to 2 of the 3 routes. Analyses showed significant improvement only for the routes learned with errorless-based techniques. Following the study, the participant increased her topographical knowledge of her surroundings. Route learning interventions based on errorless-based techniques appear to be a promising approach for improving the independence in early dementia of Alzheimer type.
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Cognitive and Functional Decline in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: An Observational Study
Authors: Hajjar Ihab M. , Keown Michelle , Lewis Paige , Almor Amit
Published: February 2008

We previously reported that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) decrease the rate of cognitive decline in elderly patients with hypertension, but their impact on patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not known. A total of 62 elderly patients with AD were enrolled, and 52 completed the study for 6 months. Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Clock Draw Test (CDT), working memory (Digit Ordering), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale, and the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB) were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. AD patients receiving ACEI (N = 15) demonstrated a slower rate of decline in digit forward ( P = .003) and IADL scale ( P = .003) and an improved measure of caregiver burden ( P = .04) but not MMSE ( P =.15) or CDT ( P =.9) compared with those not receiving ACEI after adjusting for other risk factors. This study suggests that use of ACEI in AD patients is associated with slower rate of AD progression. A randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm our finding.
Expected Flow Parameters Within Hemodialysis Access and Selection for Remedial Intervention of Nonmaturing Conduits
Authors: Back Martin R. , Maynard Maureen , Winkler Adam , Bandyk Dennis F.
Published: February 2008

Background Persistent poor patency rates of arteriovenous fistulae and bridge grafts for dialysis access prompted us to investigate whether flow parameters derived from an initial postconstruction, precannulation duplex study could predict access longevity or direct remedial procedures to salvage nonmaturing conduits.

Methods We analyzed 125 consecutive dialysis access conduits (34 forearm fistulae, 53 arm fistulae, 38 prosthetic bridge grafts, 108 patients, 82 male/26 female, average age 58 years) over the past 5 years having early (2 to 8 weeks) duplex scanning done prior to attempted hemodialysis cannulation. Velocity waveforms were recorded in the arterial inflow, arterial and venous anastomoses, mid-conduit, and in the venous outflow with averaging of volume flow rate (product of average velocity and cross-sectional area) measured at 3 mid-conduit sites. Conduits were deemed “adequate” for dialysis cannulation or “nonmaturing” by the presence of detected high-grade stenoses (peak systolic velocity >400cm/s, velocity ratio >3, and minimal diameter <2 to 3 mm) and subjected to remedial interventions (endovascular or open). Subsequent access function for hemodialysis use and late patency were recorded and correlated with early duplex findings.

Results Average flow rates (forearm fistula 784 ± 623 mL/min, arm fistula 1400 ± 850, bridge graft 1270 ± 604) and mid-conduit peak-systolic velocities (215 ± 214 cm/s forearm fistula vs 312 ± 194 arm fistula) differed between conduit type and location. Remedial interventions were needed in 10 (26%) bridge grafts and 18 (21%) fistulae “nonmaturing” due to occlusive lesions. Conduit flow rates differentiated “nonmaturing” (606 ± 769 mL/min) and “maturing” (1140 ± 857) fistulae ( P = .01). A threshold conduit flow rate of 800 mL/min better discriminated failing and functional fistulae and bridge grafts (accuracy 77%) than a flow rate greater or less than 500 mL/min (accuracy 67%). Remedial interventions doubled average flow rates of “nonmaturing” accesses (from 605 to 1159 mL/min) to values similar to “mature, functional” conduits (1374 mL/min) and facilitated a mean duration of patency (12.9 months) equivalent to conduits not needing remedial interventions (11.5 months).

Conclusions Duplex-derived hemodynamic parameters characterized early dialysis access conduit function, prognosticated access patency, guided necessary remedial interventions, and facilitated favorable access longevity.
IL-2 and IL-21 confer opposing differentiation programs to CD8+ T cells for adoptive immunotherapy
Authors: Hinrichs Christian S. , Spolski Rosanne , Paulos Chrystal M. , Gattinoni Luca , Kerstann Keith W. , Palmer Douglas C. , Klebanoff Christopher A. , Rosenberg Steven A. , Leonard Warren J. , Restifo Nicholas P.
Published: February 2008

IL-2 and IL-21 are closely related cytokines that might have arisen by gene duplication. Both cytokines promote the function of effector CD8+ T cells, but their distinct effects on antigen-driven differentiation of naive CD8+ T cells into effector CD8+ T cells are not clearly understood. We found that antigen-induced expression of Eomesodermin (Eomes) and maturation of naive CD8+ T cells into granzyme B- and CD44-expressing effector CD8+ T cells was enhanced by IL-2, but, unexpectedly, suppressed by IL-21. Furthermore, IL-21 repressed expression of IL-2Ra and inhibited IL-2–mediated acquisition of a cytolytic CD8+ T-cell phenotype. Despite its inhibitory effects, IL-21 did not induce anergy, but instead potently enhanced the capacity of cells to mediate tumor regression upon adoptive transfer. In contrast, IL-2 impaired the subsequent antitumor function of transferred cells. Gene expression studies revealed a distinct IL-21 program that was characterized phenotypically by increased expression of L-selectin and functionally by enhanced antitumor immunity that was not reversed by secondary in vitro stimulation with antigen and IL-2. Thus, the efficacy of CD8+ T cells for adoptive immunotherapy can be influenced by opposing differentiation programs conferred by IL-2 and IL-21, a finding with important implications for the development of cellular cancer therapies.
Strong induction of 4-1BB, a growth and survival promoting costimulatory receptor, in HTLV-1–infected cultured and patients' T cells by the viral Tax oncoprotein
Authors: Pichler Klemens , Kattan Tarek , Gentzsch Juliane , Kress Andrea K. , Taylor Graham P. , Bangham Charles R. M. , Grassmann Ralph
Published: February 2008

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), the cause of adult T-cell leukemia, stimulates the growth of infected T cells in cultures and in nonleukemic patients. In the latter, HTLV-1 is found in long-term persisting T-cell clones. The persistence of normal T cells is controlled by the growth-stimulating and antiapoptotic functions of costimulatory receptors, while the growth-stimulating HTLV-1 functions are mediated by the viral oncoprotein Tax. Here we analyzed the impact of Tax on costimulatory receptors in T cells with repressible Tax and found that among these receptors 4-1BB (TNFRSF9/CD137/ILA) was induced most strongly. Up-regulated 4-1BB expression was a consistent feature of all HTLV-1–infected cell lines, whether patient-derived or in vitro transformed. Tax was sufficient to induce the expression of the endogenous 4-1BB gene in uninfected T cells, and it strongly activated (45-fold) the 4-1BB promoter via a single NF-κB site. The ligand of 4-1BB was also found on transformed T-cell lines, opening up the possibility of autostimulation. Moreover, 4-1BB expression in patients' lymphocytes ex vivo correlated with Tax expression, strongly suggesting Tax-mediated 4-1BB activation in vivo. Thus, 4-1BB up-regulation by Tax could contribute to growth, survival, and clonal expansion of the infected cells during persistence and disease.
Mutation analysis of the MDM4gene in German breast cancer patients
Authors: Reincke Scarlett , Govbakh Lina , Wilhelm Bettina , Jin Haiyan , Bogdanova Natalia , Bremer Michael , Karstens Johann H , Dörk Thilo
Published: February 2008

Background

MDM4 is a negative regulator of p53 and cooperates with MDM2 in the cellular response to DNA damage. It is unknown, however, whether MDM4 gene alterations play some role in the inherited component of breast cancer susceptibility.

Methods

We sequenced the whole MDM4 coding region and flanking untranslated regions in genomic DNA samples obtained from 40 German patients with familial breast cancer. Selected variants were subsequently screened by RFLP-based assays in an extended set of breast cancer cases and controls.

Results

Our resequencing study uncovered two MDM4 coding variants in 4/40 patients. Three patients carried a silent substitution at codon 74 that was linked with another rare variant in the 5'UTR. No association of this allele with breast cancer was found in a subsequent screening of 133 patients with bilateral breast cancer and 136 controls. The fourth patient was heterozygous for the missense substitution D153G which is located in a less conserved region of the MDM4 protein but may affect a predicted phosphorylation site. The D153G substitution only partially segregated with breast cancer in the family and was not identified on additional 680 chromosomes screened.

Conclusion

This study did not reveal clearly pathogenic mutations although it uncovered two new unclassified variants at a low frequency. We conclude that there is no evidence for a major role of MDM4 coding variants in the inherited susceptibility towards breast cancer in German patients.