bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Securitization and Minority Rights: Conditions of Desecuritization
Authors: Roe Paul
Published: September 2004

This article assesses the possibilities for applying the concept of desecuritization to the area of minority rights. The major conclusion is that a Jef Huysmans-type deconstructivist strategy, while perhaps conducive to the desecuritization of the individual migrant, is not possible in the case of the collective minority; indeed, the desecuritization of minority rights may well be ‘logically impossible’ in certain cases. The article seeks to show how, in seeking to maintain their collective identity, minorities are necessarily imbued with a certain ‘societal security-ness’, which, if removed, results in the death of the minority as a distinctive group. The article therefore suggests that ‘managing’ securitized issues might be more profitable than trying to ‘transform’ them.
Human Security - Conflict, Critique and Consensus: Colloquium Remarks and a Proposal for a Threshold-Based Definition
Authors: Owen Taylor
Published: September 2004

The aim of the colloquium in this issue of Security Dialogue was to both summarize and advance the rich but scattered literature on human security. The result is a microcosm of the ten-year academic debate, told through the condensed perspectives of many of the people who shaped it. This article first summarizes the 21 thoughtful and innovative commentaries, and identifies three principle themes: the theoretical broad-versus-narrow debate, human security’s practical utility, and the fundamental critique and defense of the concept. Then, it is proposed that a threshold-based conceptualization, one rooted in the original UNDP definition, offers a conciliatory way forward to what is often characterized as a fractured debate. It is suggested that limiting threat inclusion by severity, rather than by cause, bridges the divide between the broad and narrow proponents, addresses the many critiques of the concept, and provides a clear policy agenda operating on various scales.
Exploring Patterns of Perpetration of Crime Across the Life Course
Authors: Kazemian Lila , Le Blanc Marc
Published: September 2004

This study explores the characteristics of the perpetration of crime over a 15-year follow-up period for a sample of adjudicated French Canadian males. Two patterns of perpetration of crime were identified between adolescence and adulthood. The organized pattern is mainly characterized by a predominance of utilitarian motives, a considerable level of planning, and an increased use of instruments. The disorganized pattern of perpetration of crime is motivated by hedonism and thrill seeking, displays little organization, and is characterized by a greater propensity to drug and alcohol use. Pathways were identified to determine how offenders combined these patterns between adolescence and midadulthood. All pathways showed signs of disorganization with age. These results suggest that patterns of perpetration of crime are more dependent on situational components and criminal opportunities, which are both more likely to vary across time, rather than on individual predispositions. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.
Violent Encounters
Authors: Weaver Greg S. , Wittekind Janice E. Clifford , Huff-Corzine Lin , Corzine Jay , Petee Thomas A. , Jarvis John P.
Published: September 2004

This study identifies key factors from the criminal events perspective that affect the lethality of violent encounters. Data for this research are derived from the National Incident-Based Reporting System of the FBI. Using logistic regression analysis, the effects of several contextual factors, including weapon, location, time of incident, circumstances, and victim and offender characteristics and relationships are explored. Analysis reveals that variables from each of the six categories affect the lethality of interpersonal violence, but the circumstance and type of weapon exert the strongest influence. Our investigation demonstrates the utility of the criminal events perspective for explaining the outcomes of violent encounters.
Interactions and the Criminal Event Perspective
Authors: Anderson Amy L. , Meier Robert F.
Published: September 2004

Using data from a large sample of adolescents, this research examines the role of interactions in describing a criminal event. The authors test whether characteristics from multiple social settings combine to increase the likelihood of a criminal event. Broadly conceived, the interactions examine characteristics reflecting the residential environments of adolescents in addition to characteristics of family and leisure. The authors find that both structural and cross-level interactions condition delinquency, although not all such interactions are significant for every offense. The findings support the utility of using a criminal events perspective to describe and interpret criminal and delinquent acts.
Exploring the Drugs-Homicide Connection
Authors: Varano Sean P. , McCluskey John D. , Patchin Justin W. , Bynum Timothy S.
Published: September 2004

The relationship between drugs and homicide has been well documented for some period of time. Drugs can play many different roles in homicide events. Drug homicides are disaggregated into peripheral drug homicides and drug-motivated homicides. In the former, drugs were present at the scene or drugs were being used by the victim or offender but were not the central causal feature of the event. In the latter, the sale or use of drugs was the primary cause of the lethal interaction. Using multinomial logistic analysis, we analyze the extent to which individual, situational, and contextual factors discriminate between different drug-homicideevents. We found variables indicative of risky lifestyles were significant predictors of the different types of drug homicides. More important, findings suggest the variables considered in the multivariate model had different effects on different measures of the dependent variable. Policy implications are discussed.
Feasibility of Providing Culturally Relevant, Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Antenatal Depression in an Obstetrics Clinic: A Pilot Study
Authors: Grote Nancy K. , Bledsoe Sarah E. , Swartz Holly A. , Frank Ellen
Published: September 2004

Objective: To minimize barriers to care, ameliorate antenatal depression, and prevent postpartum depression, we conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of providing brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B) to depressed, pregnant patients on low incomes in an obstetrics and gynecological (OB/GYN) clinic. Method: Twelve pregnant, depressed women were recruited as a convenience sample from the clinic and were offered a pretreatment engagement interview and eight sessions of IPT-B, followed by monthly maintenance IPT sessions up to 6-months postpartum. Results: Nine of these 12 patients (75%) completed eight sessions of IPT-B. Paired t tests showed that completers of IPT-B displayed significant improvement at posttreatment and 6-months postpartum on three measures of depression, a measure of anxiety, and some aspects of social functioning. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that providing depression screening and treatment to this sample in an OB/GYN clinic was feasible and accompanied by high rates of clinical and functional improvement.
Confirmational Response Bias and the Quality of the Editorial Processes Among American Social Work Journals
Authors: Epstein William M.
Published: September 2004

Objective: To experimentally test for confirmational response bias among social work journals and to assess the time-liness and quality of the referee review process. Method: A positive and a negative version of two stimulus articles were sent to two randomized groups of 31 social work journals; journals were stratified by prestige; the timeliness of journal responses were recorded; four judges rated the quality of referee reviews against a high-quality referee review from a prestigious clinical psychology journal. Results: The differences in acceptance rates between positive and negative versions of the stimulus articles were significant in one case and not significant in the other. Combining the results of this experiment with a previous experiment produced significant results overall; the quality of 73.5% of the referee reviews were inadequate. Conclusion: There are substantial problems of bias, timeliness, and quality in the editorial decisions and review processes of social work journals.
Initial Development of a Measure of Emotional Dysregulation for Individuals With Cluster B Personality Disorders
Authors: Newhill Christina E. , Mulvey Edward P. , Pilkonis Paul A.
Published: September 2004

Individuals with DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorders are at particular risk of violence toward self or others. Emotional dysregulation is likely to be a factor in such incidents and is a central issue addressed in therapies with personality-disordered individuals. This article reports findings from a study that developed an original 18-item measure of emotional dysregulation and administered the scale to 100 participants diagnosed with Cluster B personality disorders or traits. A 13-item scale (the General Emotional Dysregulation Measure or GEDM) reflecting general emotional arousal and dysregulation of negative affect was derived using principal components analysis. The GEDM demonstrates good reliability and validity and correlates significantly with other established measures of affect. This measure is seen as potentially useful in clinical social work practice and in future investigations of the relationships among emotional dysregulation, personality disorders, substance abuse, and violence.
Mechanical Implications of High Current Densities in Flip-chip Solder Joints
Authors: Ye Hua , Basaran Cemal , Hopkins Douglas C.
Published: September 2004

We studied the electromigration damage to flip-chip solder joints of eutectic Sn/Pb under current stressing at room temperature with a current density of 1.3 × 104 A/cm2. The height of the solder joints was 100 μm. The mass accumulation near the anode side and the void nucleation near the cathode were observed during current stressing. In the preliminary experiment, the surface marker movement technique was used to measure the atomic flux driven by electromigration and to calculate the product of effective charge number and diffusivity (D × Z*) of the solder. Subsequent experiments revealed that the presence of thermomigration due to joule heating makes the extraction of the product of effective charge number and diffusivity erroneous when using marker movement technique.
The Fluid-filled Spherical Cavity in a Damage-susceptible Poroelastic Medium
Authors: Selvadurai A. P. S. , Shirazi A.
Published: September 2004

This paper examines the problem of fluid pressure development in a fluid-filled spherical cavity located in an extended fluid-saturated poroelastic medium susceptible to damage. The evolution of damage introduces alterations in both the hydraulic conductivity and skeletal elasticity properties of the poroelastic solid. The paper examines the fluid-filled spherical cavity problem with a view to establishing the influence of the stress state-dependent damage on the amplification and decay of the fluid pressure in the spherical cavity. Sufficient computational results are available to aid the development of certain generalized conclusions relating to the influence of damage on the behaviour of encapsulated fluid domains.
Phenomenological Modeling of the Stress-Stretch Behavior of EPDM Rubber with Loading-rate and Damage Effects
Authors: Cheng Ming , Chen Weinong , Song Bo
Published: September 2004

This paper formulates a phenomenological continuum model, which includes the idealized Mullins effect and loading-rate effects, for the stress-stretch behavior of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM). This proposed model is based on Ogden and Roxburgh’s pseudoelasticity theory and a hyperelastic form of strain-energy function describing the Mullins effect. Based on experimental results, the loading-rate effects are introduced into this model by replacing the material parameters with an exponential formation as a function of loading rate. The loading rate has effects only on the material parameters and the degree of damage in a specimen is only dependent on the maximum stretch ratio it experiences. It is demonstrated that this model provides a good agreement with the experimental results on EPDM stress-stretch behavior over a wide range of stretching rates.
Effect of Mode of Interest Assessment on Clients’ Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy
Authors: Uffelman Rachel A. , Subich Linda Mezydlo , Diegelman Nathan M. , Wagner Kimberly S. , Bardash Rebekah J.
Published: September 2004

To compare the effects of three different modes of interest assessment on career decision-making self-efficacy, 81 career-undecided college students participated in one of the following four conditions: an assessment intervention using the Strong Interest Inventory, an intervention using one of two methods of applying the Self-Directed Search, or a no-treatment control group. Change in career decisionmaking self-efficacy from pre-to posttest was assessed. Career decision-making self-efficacy increased significantly for all three treatment groups, and in each case, pre-post differences for the treatment groups exceeded the pre-post difference for the no-treatment control group. Differences in outcomes among the three treatment groups were not observed.
Personality, Career Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction: Test of a Directional Model
Authors: Lounsbury John W. , Park Soo-Hee , Sundstrom Eric , Williamson Jeanine M. , Pemberton Anne E.
Published: September 2004

A conceptual model proposing paths from personality traits to career satisfaction and life satisfaction and from career satisfaction to life satisfaction was evaluated in a field study by structural equations modeling using LISREL 8. Participants were a convenience sample of 1,352 information science professionals. An exploratory maximum likelihood common factor analysis revealed two oblique personality factors, the first comprised of extraversion, optimism, assertiveness, openness, and emotional stability and the second consisting of conscientiousness and tough-mindedness. Results indicated a good fit for a two-factor personality model showing significant links between both personality factors and career satisfaction, between the second personality factor and life satisfaction, and between career and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed in terms of comparisons to previous research, limitations, and areas for further research, with emphasis on the importance of personality in relation to career satisfaction and the relationship between career and life satisfaction.
Work Task Dimensions Underlying the World of Work: Research Results for Diverse Occupational Databases
Authors: Prediger Dale J. , Swaney Kyle B.
Published: September 2004

This article reports new research supporting the two bipolar work task dimensions that underlie the World-of-Work Map (WWM) and Holland’s hexagon—working with data versus ideas (D/I) and working with things versus people (T/P). Three databases provided diverse perspectives on basic work tasks: (a) general nature of work (expert ratings for 1,122 occupations), (b) detailed nature of work (job analysis data for 1,573 occupations), and (c) interests of workers (mean interest scores for 640 career groups; total of 213,854 persons). Separate and combined database analyses supported the D/I and T/P dimensions. Across database pairs, correlations between D/I scores ranged from .75 to .78. Correlations between T/P scores ranged from .74 to .81. Because these correlations provide good support for the D/I and T/P work task dimensions, the scores were used to update and refine the WWM. Update procedures and use of the WWM in career planning are summarized.
Perceptions of Barriers to Employment, Coping Efficacy, and Career Search Efficacy in People with Mental Illness
Authors: Corbière Marc , Mercier Céline , Lesage Alain
Published: September 2004

The Barriers to Employment and Coping Efficacy Scale (BECES) and the Career Search Efficacy Scale (CSES) were designed to assist people in their work integration process. The BECES was specifically developed for people with mental illness. Although the CSES was not specifically designed for people with mental illness, its items appear relevant for such clients seeking work. This article reports the construct and convergent validities of these two questionnaires as well as the internal consistency pertaining to each of their subscales. The BECES and CSES demonstrated satisfactory results regarding their validity and reliability with people suffering from mental illness registered in vocational programs. Practical guidelines based on this experience are discussed.
When Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims Backfires
Authors: McDermott M. Joan , Garofalo James
Published: September 2004

This article argues that although victim advocacy in domestic violence has brought significant improvement in victim services, there are instances in which advocacy backfires: The very interventions designed to help and empower victims contain the seeds of disempowerment. After discussing types and sources of victim disempowerment from their own research and that of others, the authors draw attention to some macro issues related to domestic violence victim advocacy.
Social Support and Spirituality as Culturally Relevant Factors in Coping Among African American Women Survivors of Partner Abuse
Authors: Fowler Dawnovise N. , Hill Hope M.
Published: September 2004

This study examined partner abuse, mental health, and coping in a sample of African American women survivors of partner abuse (N = 126). The mediating effects of social support and spirituality, as culturally relevant factors in coping, on the relationships between partner abuse and both depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were investigated. Findings from hierarchical regression analysis indicated that PTSD symptoms remain significantly related to partner abuse after controlling for the effects of social support and spirituality. Findings point to practice and research implications regarding African American women survivors’ mental health and ways of coping.
The Psycho-linguistic Embodiment of Parental Ethnotheories: A New Avenue to Understanding Cultural Processes in Parental Reasoning
Authors: Keller Heidi , Hentschel Elke , Yovsi Relindis Dzeaye , Lamm Bettina , Abels Monika , Haas Verena
Published: September 2004

A linguistic discourse analysis of the study of parental ethnotheories is proposed in this paper. It is argued that not only are ideas about parenting informed by the cultural environment, but the ways ideas are formulated in language itself can be understood as expressing cultural codes. In order to identify these cultural codes, we analysed interviews with mothers from independent and interdependent cultural contexts and looked for specific differences in the content and linguistic markers found in these personal narratives. We studied interviews with mothers from: two typically independent cultural communities (middle-class mothers from Los Angeles, USA, and Berlin, Germany); one typical interdependent cultural community (West African Nso farmers); and a cultural community that is believed to combine independent and interdependent orientations (middle-class urban Nso). The styles and analysis enabled us to discover the cultural embodiment of ethnotheories in terms of characteristic linguistic markers associated with independent and interdependent parenting environments. The close association between style and content in the narratives sheds further light on children’s early socialization environments.
Circumventing Ambivalence in Identity: The Importance of Latent and Overt Aspects of Symbolic Meaning
Authors: Abbey Emily
Published: September 2004

Individuals negotiate identity through symbolic communications, expressing their own beliefs in relation to those that exist within the broader cultural context. In this process, individuals may simultaneously address multiple aspects of identity. To do so, individuals may rely upon both overt and latent meanings, sometimes using overt meaning to attend to one aspect of identity and latent meaning to address another. When one of the aspects of identity being negotiated creates ambivalence due to the co-presence of seemingly exclusive meanings about that particular aspect, the ability to make symbolic meaning in these multiple ways becomes particularly important. In this situation, an ambivalence-reducing circumvention of one of the meanings may be necessary, and that it can occur through either the overt or latent level of meaning increases the flexibility of the circumvention process, as well as the identity negotiation as a whole.
Ethnotheories and Childrearing Practices: Some Constraints on Their Investigation
Authors: Amorim Katia S. , Rossetti-Ferreira Maria Clotilde
Published: September 2004

Our comments on Keller et al’s (2004) paper stress that new perspectives on the investigation of ethnotheories and childrearing practices are very much needed. Based on our own assumptions—the ‘network of meanings’ perspective—some constraints of the results reported in the target article are discussed. In order to alter some dominant and traditional Western ethnotheories, suggestions are made for taking into account both parents and relevant kin group members, not just the mother figure. Given the diversity of the existing ethnotheories, and the diversity of social strata, cultural psychology of parenting needs to go beyond the usual middle-class models. The need for an awareness of the dialogical processes established among researchers and participants is also highlighted. Finally, it is suggested that discourse analysis should go far beyond verbal communication, analyzing other kinds of social languages.
Utilization of the CARDIAB®™ database system to promote quality of care in Australian general practice
Authors: Burns Joan R. , Bonney Mary-Ann , Davies P. Gawaine Powell , Harris Mark F.
Published: September 2004

This article describes quality of care and health outcome indicator data aggregated from seven Australian Divisions of General Practice, using the CARDIAB®™ register recall system, involving 4359 people with diabetes. Eighty-eight per cent of patients registered had type 2 diabetes. The process of care of these patients was evaluated in nine parameters critical to quality of care in diabetes: glycaemic control (HbA1c), blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, high density lipoprotein levels (HDL), microalbumin level, foot checks and eye checks. The data provide important baseline information for program planning, service delivery, quality assurance and quality improvement at local, state and national levels. They demonstrate the potential of CARDIAB®™ to provide support to general practice in the management of diabetes. The reach of such registers will be facilitated by increased computerization of general practice records. A policy framework which addresses key concerns was central to recruitment to the project.
The state of readiness of student health professionals for web-based learning environments
Authors: Stokes Christopher W. , Cannavina Cenwein , Cannavina Giuseppe
Published: September 2004

The health professions are increasing the placement of students within working environments in other institutions and the community. The aim of this study was to assess the readiness for online and web-based learning of future health professionals at the University of Sheffield prior to the establishment of a national web-based Inter-professional Learning Network (WILeN). A link to a short survey was distributed to the Medical Faculty at Sheffield and 191 valid responses were received. Only 62 per cent of students had access to an Internet-connected computer at home. Most students (95.8%) checked their e-mail every few days or more, with slightly less (82.8%) using the web frequently. Relevant technologies were often never used, including internet relay chat, message forums and video conferencing. However, 66 per cent of students had used computer aided learning packages. Future use of online continuing professional education material is likely to be limited.
Eliminating the enemy
Authors: Page Joshua
Published: September 2004

This article investigates why Congress passed legislation in 1994 that denied Pell Grants - the primary source of funding for postsecondary correctional education (PSCE) - to prisoners, despite evidence that PSCE helped reduce recidivism and bolster carceral order. Analysis of the congressional debates and relevant media texts shows that lawmakers, in concert with the popular media, produced a legislative penal drama in which they spoke to key audiences’ - particularly white, working and middle class voters’ - mistrust of penal practitioners and criminal justice experts, prejudices toward (black and brown) street criminals, fears about crime and anxiety over the economy, the transformed labor market and access to higher education. The article contends that the timing and texture of the Pell Grant affair were symbiotically related to a confluence of developments in the political and related fields during the 1980s and early 1990s. It extends Emile Durkheim’s communicative theory of penality to encompass notions of class power and political interest. By producing such legislative penal dramas, lawmakers simultaneously tap into and legitimize collective sentiments of particular audiences, highlight symbolic boundaries between in-and out-groups and shore up political electoral support for punitive policies.
‘Can culture excuse crime?’
Authors: Tunick Mark
Published: September 2004

The inability thesis holds that one’s culture determines behavior and can make one unable to comply with the law and therefore less deserving of punishment. Opponents of the thesis reject the view that humans are made physically unable to act in certain ways by their cultural upbringing. The article seeks to help evaluate the inability thesis by pointing to a literature in cultural psychology and anthropology presenting empirical evidence of the influence of culture on behavior, and offering conceptual analysis of the concept of determinism and its connection to moral culpability. Without conceding that culture never determines behavior, the author argues that opponents of the inability thesis err in drawing a moral implication from this premise. What matters in formulating moral judgments about punishment are not the possibility but the reasonability of complying with the law. Cultural influences may make an action reasonable that without similar cultural influences would be unreasonable.
Who Responds to Incentives?
Authors: Storms Vicky , Loosveldt Geert
Published: September 2004

In one year’s time, the number of respondents in the Flemish Survey of Cultural Shifts expressing a wish to be paid for participating in surveys doubled (28% in 2002, compared to 14% in 2001). Analyses show this is mainly the result of survey-specific characteristics such as length of the survey, invasion of privacy issues, and cognitive efforts needed to fill in the questionnaire. Person-specific characteristics such as the level of individualistic attitudes and the age of the respondent also have an effect but less so than the survey-related issues.
Demographic Analysis of Small Populations Using the Own-Children Method
Authors: Childs Geoff
Published: September 2004

This article discusses the own-childrenmethod, a reverse-survival techniquedevised by demographers to estimate Total Fertility Rates in the absence of detailed data on reproduction. The method is useful for researchers such as anthropologists since the basic data requirements can be met through a household survey. It can help researchers answer key questions concerning population processes within well-delineated social, cultural, economic, and political contexts. The author uses a historical tax register from Tibet to illustrate the steps taken when using the own-children method.
Three Innovative Research Tools to Store, Visualize, and Analyze Data in and from the Field
Authors: Bennardo Giovanni , Schultz Kurt
Published: September 2004

In this article, the authors describe three research tools that have been prepared to store, visualize, and analyze data in and from the field. These tools are intended to be used for a research that investigates a hypothesized cultural model in Tonga, Polynesia. The three tools are (1) the Digitized Tonga database, (2) the interactive 3-D display of the island of Vava’u and the village of Houma, and (3) the Synchronized Media and Visualization Analysis Tool (SMVAT). A detailed description of the genesis of the tools is provided. Two brief examples illustrate how these tools can be used and the types of innovative analyses they allow.
Aspergillus antigen induces robust Th2 cytokine production, inflammation, airway hyperreactivity and fibrosis in the absence of MCP-1 or CCR2
Authors: Koth Laura L , Rodriguez Madeleine W , Bernstein Liu Xin , Chan Salina , Huang Xiaozhu , Charo Israel F , Rollins Barrett J , Erle David J
Published: September 2004

Background

Asthma is characterized by type 2 T-helper cell (Th2) inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, airway hyperreactivity, and airway fibrosis. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1 or CCL2) and its receptor, CCR2, have been shown to play important roles in the development of Th2 inflammation. CCR2-deficient mice have been found to have altered inflammatory and physiologic responses in some models of experimental allergic asthma, but the role of CCR2 in contributing to inflammation and airway hyperreactivity appears to vary considerably between models. Furthermore, MCP-1-deficient mice have not previously been studied in models of experimental allergic asthma.

Methods

To test whether MCP-1 and CCR2 are each required for the development of experimental allergic asthma, we applied an Aspergillus antigen-induced model of Th2 cytokine-driven allergic asthma associated with airway fibrosis to mice deficient in either MCP-1 or CCR2. Previous studies with live Aspergillus conidia instilled into the lung revealed that MCP-1 and CCR2 play a role in anti-fungal responses; in contrast, we used a non-viable Aspergillus antigen preparation known to induce a robust eosinophilic inflammatory response.

Results

We found that wild-type C57BL/6 mice developed eosinophilic airway inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, airway hyperreactivity, elevations in serum IgE, and airway fibrosis in response to airway challenge with Aspergillus antigen. Surprisingly, mice deficient in either MCP-1 or CCR2 had responses to Aspergillus antigen similar to those seen in wild-type mice, including production of Th2 cytokines.

Conclusion

We conclude that robust Th2-mediated lung pathology can occur even in the complete absence of MCP-1 or CCR2.
Safety assessment of inhaled xylitol in mice and healthy volunteers
Authors: Durairaj Lakshmi , Launspach Janice , Watt Janet L , Businga Thomas R , Kline Joel N , Thorne Peter S , Zabner Joseph
Published: September 2004

Background

Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar that can lower the airway surface salt concentration, thus enhancing innate immunity. We tested the safety and tolerability of aerosolized iso-osmotic xylitol in mice and human volunteers.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study of C57Bl/6 mice in an animal laboratory and healthy human volunteers at the clinical research center of a university hospital. Mice underwent a baseline methacholine challenge, exposure to either aerosolized saline or xylitol (5% solution) for 150 minutes and then a follow-up methacholine challenge. The saline and xylitol exposures were repeated after eosinophilic airway inflammation was induced by sensitization and inhalational challenge to ovalbumin. Normal human volunteers underwent exposures to aerosolized saline (10 ml) and xylitol, with spirometry performed at baseline and after inhalation of 1, 5, and 10 ml. Serum osmolarity and electrolytes were measured at baseline and after the last exposure. A respiratory symptom questionnaire was administered at baseline, after the last exposure, and five days after exposure. In another group of normal volunteers, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was done 20 minutes and 3 hours after aerosolized xylitol exposure for levels of inflammatory markers.

Results

In naïve mice, methacholine responsiveness was unchanged after exposures to xylitol compared to inhaled saline (p = 0.49). There was no significant increase in Penh in antigen-challenged mice after xylitol exposure (p = 0.38). There was no change in airway cellular response after xylitol exposure in naïve and antigen-challenged mice. In normal volunteers, there was no change in FEV1 after xylitol exposures compared with baseline as well as normal saline exposure (p = 0.19). Safety laboratory values were also unchanged. The only adverse effect reported was stuffy nose by half of the subjects during the 10 ml xylitol exposure, which promptly resolved after exposure completion. BAL cytokine levels were below the detection limits after xylitol exposure in normal volunteers.

Conclusions

Inhalation of aerosolized iso-osmotic xylitol was well-tolerated by naïve and atopic mice, and by healthy human volunteers.
Allermatch™, a webtool for the prediction of potential allergenicity according to current FAO/WHO Codex alimentarius guidelines
Authors: Fiers Mark WEJ , Kleter Gijs A , Nijland Herman , Peijnenburg Ad ACM , Nap Jan Peter , van Ham Roeland CHJ
Published: September 2004

Background

Novel proteins entering the food chain, for example by genetic modification of plants, have to be tested for allergenicity. Allermatch™ http://allermatch.org is a webtool for the efficient and standardized prediction of potential allergenicity of proteins and peptides according to the current recommendations of the FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, as outlined in the Codex alimentarius.

Description

A query amino acid sequence is compared with all known allergenic proteins retrieved from the protein databases using a sliding window approach. This identifies stretches of 80 amino acids with more than 35% similarity or small identical stretches of at least six amino acids. The outcome of the analysis is presented in a concise format. The predictive performance of the FAO/WHO criteria is evaluated by screening sets of allergens and non-allergens against the Allermatch databases. Besides correct predictions, both methods are shown to generate false positive and false negative hits and the outcomes should therefore be combined with other methods of allergenicity assessment, as advised by the FAO/WHO.

Conclusions

Allermatch™ provides an accessible, efficient, and useful webtool for analysis of potential allergenicity of proteins introduced in genetically modified food prior to market release that complies with current FAO/WHO guidelines.
Heme oxygenase-2 gene deletion attenuates oxidative stress in neurons exposed to extracellular hemin
Authors: Regan Raymond F , Chen Jing , Benvenisti-Zarom Luna
Published: September 2004

Background

Hemin, the oxidized form of heme, accumulates in intracranial hematomas and is a potent oxidant. Growing evidence suggests that it contributes to delayed injury to surrounding tissue, and that this process is affected by the heme oxygenase enzymes. In a prior study, heme oxygenase-2 gene deletion increased the vulnerability of cultured cortical astrocytes to hemin. The present study tested the effect of HO-2 gene deletion on protein oxidation, reactive oxygen species formation, and cell viability after mixed cortical neuron/astrocyte cultures were incubated with neurotoxic concentrations of hemin.

Results

Continuous exposure of wild-type cultures to 1–10 μM hemin for 14 h produced concentration-dependent neuronal death, as detected by both LDH release and fluorescence intensity after propidium iodide staining, with an EC50 of 1–2 μM; astrocytes were not injured by these low hemin concentrations. Cell death was consistently reduced by at least 60% in knockout cultures. Exposure to hemin for 4 hours, a time point that preceded cell lysis, increased protein oxidation in wild-type cultures, as detected by staining of immunoblots for protein carbonyl groups. At 10 μM hemin, carbonylation was increased 2.3-fold compared with control sister cultures subjected to medium exchanges only; this effect was reduced by about two-thirds in knockout cultures. Cellular reactive oxygen species, detected by fluorescence intensity after dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) staining, was markedly increased by hemin in wild-type cultures and was localized to neuronal cell bodies and processes. In contrast, DHR fluorescence intensity in knockout cultures did not differ from that of sham-washed controls. Neuronal death in wild-type cultures was almost completely prevented by the lipid-soluble iron chelator phenanthroline; deferoxamine had a weaker but significant effect.

Conclusions

These results suggest that HO-2 gene deletion protects neurons in mixed neuron-astrocyte cultures from heme-mediated oxidative injury. Selective inhibition of neuronal HO-2 may have a beneficial effect after CNS hemorrhage.
A systematic review of the content of critical appraisal tools
Authors: Katrak Persis , Bialocerkowski Andrea E , Massy-Westropp Nicola , Kumar VS Saravana , Grimmer Karen A
Published: September 2004

Background

Consumers of research (researchers, administrators, educators and clinicians) frequently use standard critical appraisal tools to evaluate the quality of published research reports. However, there is no consensus regarding the most appropriate critical appraisal tool for allied health research. We summarized the content, intent, construction and psychometric properties of published, currently available critical appraisal tools to identify common elements and their relevance to allied health research.

Methods

A systematic review was undertaken of 121 published critical appraisal tools sourced from 108 papers located on electronic databases and the Internet. The tools were classified according to the study design for which they were intended. Their items were then classified into one of 12 criteria based on their intent. Commonly occurring items were identified. The empirical basis for construction of the tool, the method by which overall quality of the study was established, the psychometric properties of the critical appraisal tools and whether guidelines were provided for their use were also recorded.

Results

Eighty-seven percent of critical appraisal tools were specific to a research design, with most tools having been developed for experimental studies. There was considerable variability in items contained in the critical appraisal tools. Twelve percent of available tools were developed using specified empirical research. Forty-nine percent of the critical appraisal tools summarized the quality appraisal into a numeric summary score. Few critical appraisal tools had documented evidence of validity of their items, or reliability of use. Guidelines regarding administration of the tools were provided in 43% of cases.

Conclusions

There was considerable variability in intent, components, construction and psychometric properties of published critical appraisal tools for research reports. There is no "gold standard' critical appraisal tool for any study design, nor is there any widely accepted generic tool that can be applied equally well across study types. No tool was specific to allied health research requirements. Thus interpretation of critical appraisal of research reports currently needs to be considered in light of the properties and intent of the critical appraisal tool chosen for the task.
Tissue Doppler echocardiography and biventricular pacing in heart failure: Patient selection, procedural guidance, follow-up, quantification of success
Authors: Knebel Fabian , Katharina Reibis Rona , Bondke Hans-Jürgen , Witte Joachim , Walde Torsten , Eddicks Stephan , Baumann Gert , Borges Adrian Constantin
Published: September 2004

Asynchronous myocardial contraction in heart failure is associated with poor prognosis. Resynchronization can be achieved by biventricular pacing (BVP), which leads to clinical improvement and reverse remodeling. However, there is a substantial subset of patients with wide QRS complexes in the electrocardiogram that does not improve despite BVP. QRS width does not predict benefit of BVP and only correlates weakly with echocardiographically determined myocardial asynchrony. Determination of asynchrony by Tissue Doppler echocardiography seems to be the best predictor for improvement after BVP, although no consensus on the optimal method to assess asynchrony has been achieved yet. Our own preliminary results show the usefulness of Tissue Doppler Imaging and Tissue Synchronization Imaging to document acute and sustained improvement after BVP. To date, all studies evaluating Tissue Doppler in BVP were performed retrospectively and no prospective studies with patient selection for BVP according to echocardiographic criteria of asynchrony were published yet. We believe that these new echocardiographic tools will help to prospectively select patients for BVP, help to guide implantation and to optimize device programming.
Planned neck dissection following chemo-radiotherapy in advanced HNSCC
Authors: Gupta Tejpal , Agarwal Jai Prakash
Published: September 2004

Background

Neck dissection has traditionally played an important role in the management of patients with regionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with radical radiotherapy alone. However, with the incorporation of chemotherapy in the therapeutic strategy for advanced HNSCC and resultant improvement in outcome the routine use of post chemo-radiotherapy neck dissection is being questioned.

Methods

Published data for this review was identified by systematically searching MEDLINE, CANCERLIT & EMBASE databases from 1995 until date with restriction to the English language.

Results

There is lack of high quality evidence on the role of planned neck dissection in advanced HNSCC treated with chemo-radiotherapy. A systematic literature search could identify only one small randomized controlled trial (Level I evidence) addressing this issue, albeit with major limitations. Upfront neck dissection followed by chemo-radiotherapy resulted in better disease-specific survival as compared to chemoradiation only. Several single arm prospective and retrospective reports were also identified with significant heterogeneity and often-contradictory conclusions.

Conclusions

Planned neck dissection after radical chemo-radiotherapy achieves a high level of regional control, but its ultimate benefit is limited to a small subset of patients only. Unless there are better non-invasive ways to identify residual viable disease, the role of such neck dissection shall remain debatable. A large randomized controlled trial addressing this issue is needed to clarify its role and provide evidence-based answers.
Production of infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 does not require depletion of APOBEC3G from virus-producing cells
Authors: Kao Sandra , Miyagi Eri , Khan Mohammad A , Takeuchi Hiroaki , Opi Sandrine , Goila-Gaur Ritu , Strebel Klaus
Published: September 2004

Background

The human immunodeficiency virus Vif protein overcomes the inhibitory activity of the APOBEC3G cytidine deaminase by prohibiting its packaging into virions. Inhibition of APOBEC3G encapsidation is paralleled by a reduction of its intracellular level presumably caused by the Vif-induced proteasome-dependent degradation of APOBEC3G.

Results

In this report we employed confocal microscopy to study the effects of Vif on the expression of APOBEC3G on a single cell level. HeLa cells dually transfected with Vif and APOBEC3G expression vectors revealed efficient co-expression of the two proteins. Under optimal staining conditions approximately 80% of the transfected cells scored double-positive for Vif and APOBEC3G. However, the proportion of double-positive cells observed in identical cultures varied dependent on the fixation protocol and on the choice of antibodies used ranging from as low as 40% to as high as 80% of transfected cells. Importantly, single-positive cells expressing either Vif or APOBEC3G were observed both with wild type Vif and a biologically inactive Vif variant. Thus, the lack of APOBEC3G in some Vif-expressing cells cannot be attributed to Vif-induced degradation of APOBEC3G. These findings are consistent with our results from immunoblot analyses that revealed only moderate effects of Vif on the APOBEC3G steady state levels. Of note, viruses produced under such conditions were fully infectious demonstrating that the Vif protein used in our analyses was both functional and expressed at saturating levels.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that Vif and APOBEC3G can be efficiently co-expressed. Thus, depletion of APOBEC3G from Vif expressing cells as suggested previously is not a universal property of Vif and thus is not imperative for the production of infectious virions.
Novel Families of Hole-Transporting Monomers and Polymers
Authors: Getautis Vytautas , Grazulevicius Juozas Vidas , Malinauskas Tadas , Jankauskas Vygintas , Tokarski Zbig , Jubran Nusrallah
Published: September 2004

The novel families of hole transporting monomers and polymers containing hydrazone moieties are reported. The polymers were prepared in polyaddition reaction of hydrazone-containing diepoxides with 4,4′-thiobisbenzenethiol. The hole drift mobilities in the newly synthesized polymers exceed 10−4 cm2 V−1s−1 and in the compositions of the monomers with polymeric binder exceed 10−6 cm2 V−1s−1 at an electric field of 106 V cm−1 as characterized by the xerographic time of flight technique.
Simple Route for Synthesis of PbS Dendritic Nanostructured Materials
Authors: Huang Qing , Gao Lian
Published: September 2004

Novel PbS dendritic nanostructured materials are synthesized using 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) via simple hydrothermal approach. The morphology evolution of PbS from zero-dimensional nanodots, one-dimensional rod-shaped structure to three-dimensional dendritic nanostructure is well illustrated and explained in terms of the adsorption of AET molecule on the crystal surface.
Preparation Method Allowing Self-isolation of CdS Nanocrystals Emitting Intense Band-gap Luminescence
Authors: Kuwabata Susumu , Ueda-Sarson Keiko , Torimoto Tsukasa
Published: September 2004

Isolated CdS nanocrystals exhibiting intense luminescence can be prepared in aqueous solution, and combination of this new method with the previously developed size-selective photoetching method produces fluorescent markers emitting desired wavelengths.
Large Scale Synthesis of Carbon Hollow Spheres from Metal Zinc Powder and Ethanol
Authors: Zhang Wu , Liu Jianwei , Huang Zhen , Ma Dekun , Liang Jianbo , Qian Yitai
Published: September 2004

A simple method was used to prepare carbon hollow spheres with average size of about 400 nm in diameter from metal zinc powder and ethanol. The FE-SEM and TEM images show that these carbon spheres have a ball-like and vessel-like morphology, all of which have smooth surfaces and a quite uniform diameter.
Preparation of ε-Caprolactam via Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime: A Mild and Recyclable Process
Authors: Qiao Kun , Deng Youquan , Yokoyama Chiaki , Sato Hikaru , Yamashina Miki
Published: September 2004

A recyclable liquid phase process for preparation of ε-caprolactam via the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime is developed by utilizing Lewis acidic ionic liquid as catalyst and a mixture of supercritical CO2 and chloroform as extractant.
A New Class of Substrates for the Nucleophilic 5-endo-trig Cyclization, 1-Trifluoromethylvinyl Compounds: Syntheses of Indoline and Pyrrolidine Derivatives
Authors: Ichikawa Junji , Mori Takashi , Iwai Yu
Published: September 2004

Disfavored 5-endo-trig cyclizations were achieved in 1-trifluoromethylvinyl compounds with a sulfonamido group via (i) intramolecular SN2′ reaction with loss of a fluoride ion or (ii) intramolecular addition to the vinylic group. These reactions provided indoline and pyrrolidine derivatives bearing fluorinated one-carbon units such as difluoromethylene and trifluoromethyl groups.