bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Evidence‐Based Approach to the Treatment of Thyroid Lymphoma
Authors: Mack Lloyd A. , Pasieka Janice L.
Published: January 2007

Background

Primary thyroid lymphoma is a rare tumor that makes up 1–5% of thyroid malignancies and less than 2% of extranodal lymphomas. The treatment and prognosis of thyroid lymphomas can be divided into two distinct clinicopathologic entities: pure mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas and diffuse large B‐cell or mixed subtypes.

Methods

An evidence‐based review was performed to determine the role of fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and adjuncts as the first diagnostic test for thyroid lymphoma, the role of open surgical biopsy, the role of palliative surgery as well as the best treatment (combined chemoradiation versus single modality surgery or radiation) for thyroid lymphoma. The ideal treatment of thyroid lymphoma was further assessed for both diffuse B‐cell and MALT histologic subtypes.

Results

Although an evidence‐based review was challenging primarily due to a lack of high‐level evidence, several recommendations are possible and presented regarding the optimal diagnostic methods and treatment of thyroid lymphoma. FNA and adjuncts are recommended as the first test to diagnose thyroid lymphoma, but open surgical biopsy may still be required in many cases. Combined chemoradiation therapy is recommended for all diffuse B‐cell or mixed lymphomas. Single modality therapy with surgery or radiation alone may be considered for early‐stage (IE) intrathyroidal MALT lymphomas. No recommendations could be made regarding the role of palliative surgery.

Conclusion

Evidence‐based recommendations can be applied to the individual patient with thyroid lymphoma with the involvement of an experienced multidisciplinary team consisting of an endocrine/oncology surgeon, radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist.
The Liebermann–Burchard Reaction: Sulfonation, Desaturation, and Rearrangment of Cholesterol in Acid
Authors: Xiong Quanbo , Wilson William K. , Pang Jihai
Published: January 2007

In the Liebermann–Burchard (LB) colorimetric assay, treatment of cholesterol with sulfuric acid, acetic anhydride, and acetic acid elicits a blue color. We studied the reactivity of cholesterol under LB conditions and provide definitive NMR characterization for approximately 20 products, whose structure and distribution suggest the following mechanistic picture. The major reaction pathways do not involve cholestadienes, i‐steroids, or cholesterol dimers, as proposed previously. Instead, cholesterol and its acetate and sulfate derivatives undergo sulfonation at a variety of positions, often with skeletal rearrangements. Elimination of an SO3H group as H2SO3 generates a new double bond. Repetition of this desaturation process leads to polyenes and ultimately to aromatic steroids. Linearly conjugated polyene cations can appear blue but form too slowly to account for the LB color response, whose chemical origin remains unidentified. Nevertheless, the classical polyene cation model is not excluded for Salkowski conditions (sulfuric acid), which immediately generate considerable amounts of cholesta‐3,5‐diene. Some rearrangements of cholesterol in H2SO4 resemble the diagenesis pathways of sterols and may furnish useful lipid biomarkers for characterizing geological systems.
Global existence of small classical solutions to nonlinear Schrödinger equations
Authors: Ozawa Tohru , Zhai Jian
Published: January 2007

We study the global Cauchy problem for nonlinear Schrödinger equations with cubic interactions of derivative type in space dimensionn⩾3. The global existence of small classical solutions is proved in the case where every real part of the first derivatives of the interaction with respect to first derivatives of wavefunction is derived by a potential function of quadratic interaction. The proof depends on the energy estimate involving the quadratic potential and on the endpoint Strichartz estimates.
Autonomic activation and pain in response to low‐grade mental stress in fibromyalgia and shoulder/neck pain patients
Authors: Nilsen Kristian Bernhard , Sand Trond , Westgaard Rolf Harald , Stovner Lars Jacob , White Linda R. , Leistad Rune Bang , Helde Grethe , Rø Magne
Published: January 2007

Objective: Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, but how stress affects musculoskeletal pain is poorly understood. We wanted to examine the relationship between low‐grade autonomic activation and stress‐related pain in patients with fibromyalgia and localised chronic shoulder/neck pain.

Methods: Twenty‐three female patients with fibromyalgia, 29 female patients with chronic shoulder—neck pain, and 35 healthy women performed a stressful task lasting 60min. With a blinded study design, we recorded continuous blood pressure, heart rate, finger skin blood flow and respiration frequency before (10min), during (60min) and after (30min) the stressful task. The physiological responses were compared with subjective reports of pain.

Results: The increase in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in response to the stressful task were smaller in fibromyalgia patients compared with the healthy controls. Furthermore, fibromyalgia patients had reduced finger skin blood flow at the end of the stressful task compared to healthy controls. We also found an inverse relationship between the heart rate response and development and recovery of the stress‐related pain in fibromyalgia patients.

Conclusion: We found abnormal cardiovascular responses to a 60min long stressful task in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, we found a negative association between the heart rate response and the pain which developed during the stressful task in the fibromyalgia group, possibly a result of reduced stress‐induced analgesia for fibromyalgia patients.
Transcriptional suppression of nephrin in podocytes by macrophages: Roles of inflammatory cytokines and involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway
Authors: Takano Yosuke , Yamauchi Kozue , Hayakawa Kunihiro , Hiramatsu Nobuhiko , Kasai Ayumi , Okamura Maro , Yokouchi Makiko , Shitamura Akihiro , Yao Jian , Kitamura Masanori
Published: January 2007

Expression of nephrin, a crucial component of the glomerular slit diaphragm, is downregulated in patients with proteinuric glomerular diseases. Using conditionally immortalized reporter podocytes, we found that bystander macrophages as well as macrophage‐derived cytokines IL‐1β and TNF‐α markedly suppressed activity of the nephrin gene promoter in podocytes. The cytokine‐initiated repression was reversible, observed on both basal and inducible expression, independent of Wilms’ tumor suppressor WT1, and caused in part via activation of the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase/Akt pathway. These results indicated a novel mechanism by which activated macrophages participate in the induction of proteinuria in glomerular diseases.
The anaerobe Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 grows at nearly atmospheric oxygen levels
Authors: Lobo Susana A.L. , Melo Ana M.P. , Carita João N. , Teixeira Miguel , Saraiva Lígia M.
Published: January 2007

Sulfate reducing bacteria of the Desulfovibrio genus are considered anaerobes, in spite of the fact that they are frequently isolated close to oxic habitats. However, until now, growth in the presence of high concentrations of oxygen was not reported for members of this genus. This work shows for the first time that the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 is able to grow in the presence of nearly atmospheric oxygen levels. In addition, the activity and expression profile of several key enzymes was analyzed under different oxygen concentrations.
Nitrosative stress in plants
Authors: Valderrama Raquel , Corpas Francisco J. , Carreras Alfonso , Fernández-Ocaña Ana , Chaki Mounira , Luque Francisco , Gómez-Rodríguez María V. , Colmenero-Varea Pilar , del Río Luis A. , Barroso Juan B.
Published: January 2007

Nitrosative stress has become a usual term in the physiology of nitric oxide in mammalian systems. However, in plants there is much less information on this type of stress. Using olive leaves as experimental model, the effect of salinity on the potential induction of nitrosative stress was studied. The enzymatic l‐arginine‐dependent production of nitric oxide (NOS activity) was measured by ozone chemiluminiscence. The specific activity of NOS in olive leaves was 0.280 nmol NO mg−1 protein min−1, and was dependent on l‐arginine, NADPH and calcium. Salt stress (200 mM NaCl) caused an increase of the l‐arginine‐dependent production of nitric oxide (NO), total S‐nitrosothiols (RSNO) and number of proteins that underwent tyrosine nitration. Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis using either specific fluorescent probes for NO and RSNO or antibodies to S‐nitrosoglutathione and 3‐nitrotyrosine, showed also a general increase of these reactive nitrogen species (RNS) mainly in the vascular tissue. Taken together, these findings show that in olive leaves salinity induces nitrosative stress, and vascular tissues could play an important role in the redistribution of NO‐derived molecules during nitrosative stress.
Programming Review of Visual Basic.NET for the Laboratory Automation Industry
Authors: Harkness Robert , Crook Malcolm , Povey David
Published: January 2007

The latest version of Microsoft Visual Basic (2005) is built upon the Microsoft.NET Framework. It has finally become a fully-fledged Object Oriented Language with all the associated features one would come to expect. It allows Visual Basic programmers to tackle much larger applications, through improved scalability and reusability. This article discusses the new features using code examples to real applications in the Laboratory Automation environment.
An Overview of Real-Time Operating Systems
Authors: Cedeño Walter , Laplante Phillip A.
Published: January 2007

Over the past 25 years, advances in semiconductor manufacturing have led to smaller and faster computers, which in turn has stimulated the development of “smarter” laboratory devices that can control complex networks of devices and process large amounts of data fast and reliably. As more functionality is pushed down to laboratory devices and personal computers, the sophistication needed to manage external resources, events, and information grows. In some cases, only realtime operating systems (RTOSs) can meet the time and resource constraints of such systems. Whether you write your own software for lab automation, write middleware to help communicate between programs, or use off-the-shelf software, it is beneficial to know when a RTOS is an appropriate platform for your application. This paper provides an overview of RTOSs, the criteria needed for their evaluation, and examples of typical RTOSs. Our main purpose is to enable the reader to understand basic concepts of real-time systems and to stimulate further investigation into their unique properties in the context of laboratory automation.
The enigma of mixed dementia
Authors: Jellinger Kurt A.
Published: January 2007

Mixed type dementia (MD) refers to a combination of Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular encephalopathy (VE) and other dementia disorders, but the distinction between these diseases is difficult. For the diagnosis of MD, the clinical/neuroimaging criteria of probable AD plus vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) as separate entities are used. Both disorders increase exponentially with age, but their interactions are common and controversial. Pathologic diagnosis is based on the combination of autopsy‐proven AD with multiple vascular or ischemic brain lesions. The population‐based incidence and prevalence of MD is unknown. In retrospective and prospective autopsy studies, its prevalence ranges from 2% to 58% with reasonable means of 6% to 12%, although findings from several recent studies indicated frequent coexistence of AD with multiple cerebrovascular lesions (CVLs) in cognitively impaired elderly subjects. In both AD and VCI, vascular lesions frequently involve subcortical regions (basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, white matter) or are multiple microinfarcts, whereas in MD large/hemispheral infarcts and multiple microinfarcts are more frequent, suggesting different pathogenic mechanisms. There is increasing evidence that critically located small CVLs can induce/promote cognitive impairment in early‐stage AD but not once AD pathology becomes more advanced. Discussion of the major pathogenic factors inducing AD, VCI, and MD suggests synergistic relations between these disorders. Currently available clinical and morphologic criteria for AD and VCI are of limited value for the diagnosis of MD, and the ability of current consensus criteria to distinguish between AD, VCI, and MD is limited. Therefore, future development of methods that more accurately characterize the impact of both AD‐related and vascular brain injuries are warranted.
Computerized diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Aharonson Vered , Halperin Ilan , Korczyn Amos D.
Published: January 2007

Background

We previously described software that we have developed for use in the evaluation of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Our previous study included an aged nondemented population with memory complaints (n = 41) that was relatively homogenous in terms of education, clinical history, neurological examination, and Mini‐Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores. Performance patterns in the computerized tests separated the subjects into two groups, and we hypothesized that one group might have had incipient dementia.

Methods/Results

In the present study we report a follow‐up of 35 of the subjects 2 years later. Eight subjects who were thought to have incipient dementia at baseline could be evaluated in the follow‐up, and six of them have deteriorated according to both MMSE and neurologists' evaluations and have now fulfilled clinical diagnostic criteria of dementia. The other two deteriorated only according to their computer performance. Of the 27 remaining subjects, only one now fulfilled clinical diagnostic criteria for dementia, although the present computerized examinations identified 10 subjects whose performance has deteriorated compared with the previous session.

Conclusion

The follow‐up examination thus supported our hypothesis that human‐computer interaction features can contribute to the detection of incipient dementia.
Anxiety of Alzheimer's disease patients before and after a standardized on‐road driving test
Authors: Bhalla Rishi K. , Papandonatos George D. , Stern Robert A. , Ott Brian R.
Published: January 2007

Background

A large number of licensed elderly drivers are demented or are likely to become demented. On‐road driving tests, a method often used to assess driver competency, are likely anxiety‐provoking for elderly individuals. This article examines the relationship between anxiety and driving performance in a mildly demented and elderly control (EC) sample.

Methods

Anxiety ratings of fear and tension, as assessed by visual analog scales, of 84 patients clinically diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) (68 safe/marginal and 16 unsafe drivers) were compared with those of 44 age‐ and education‐equated safe/marginal EC participants, both before and after a standardized on‐road driving test.

Results

Analyses revealed significant positive correlations between AD patients' pre–road test and post–road test tension and post–road test fear ratings and total road test score. Subsequent analyses of variance showed no significant pre–road test differences in fear ratings between the three groups but significantly higher levels of tension among the unsafe AD participants. After adjusting for baseline group differences, unsafe AD drivers experienced stable or higher anxiety levels after road test, whereas both the EC and safe/marginal AD drivers endorsed a significant reduction in anxiety.

Discussion

Unlike their safe EC and safe AD driver counterparts, unsafe AD patients reported continued elevated levels of fear and tension after the road test. Given these findings, we suggest that the most appropriate time for driving instructors to counsel patients regarding their driving skills might be directly after the road test.
The SF-6D Health Utility Index in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: ATROSHI I. , GUMMESSON C. , MCCABE S. J. , ORNSTEIN E.
Published: January 2007

Cost effectiveness is an important factor to consider when choosing between various hand surgical interventions. Health utility measures can be used to determine cost effectiveness. The SF-6D is a health utility index derived from 11 items of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire; values range from 0.296 to 1.0 (“perfect” health). We evaluated the validity of the SF-6D in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) who completed the SF-36 and the CTS symptom severity and functional status questionnaire before and 3 months after carpal tunnel release. Complete responses to the SF-6D items were available for 100 patients at baseline and 95 patients at baseline and follow-up. The mean SF-6D health utility index was 0.69 (SD 0.13) before surgery and 0.77 (SD 0.13) after surgery (moderate effect size). The SF-6D could discriminate between patient groups differing in self-rated global health and in whether, or not, they had a minimal clinically important improvement in CTS symptom severity after surgery. The SF-6D appears to be a valid measure of health utilities in patients with CTS and can be used in cost effectiveness studies.
Reliability of the Pulp Nail Bone (PNB) Classification for Fingertip Injuries
Authors: PINSOLLE V. , SALMI L. R. , EVANS D. M. , MICHEL P. , PELISSIER P.
Published: January 2007

Evans and Bernardis proposed the ‘PNB classification’, by which a fingertip injury is classified according to each structure: pulp P, nail N, bone B. The objective of this study was to assess the inter-observer reliability, repeatability and accuracy of PNB. One hundred patients presenting with a fingertip injury were included prospectively, photographed, then classified in randomly chosen orders by nine independent observers. A third were drawn randomly and classified a second time to measure repeatability. A reference classification was also provided by one of the authors of the PNB system. Classifications agreed with the reference in 59% of injuries for P, 55% for N and 54% for B. The Kappa values for inter-observer agreement were 0.520 for P, 0.512 for N, and 0.504 for B; for intra-observer agreement, they were 0.616 for P, 0.658 for N, and 0.577 for B. Although levels of agreement are comparable with results found for other classifications, they are insufficient for use of the PNB classification without improvement.
Aetiology of intramammary infection and its effect on milk composition in goat flocks
Authors: Leitner Gabriel , Merin Uzi , Lavi Yotva , Egber Anat , Silanikove Nissim
Published: January 2007

Although there has been little study of the origin of intramammary infection (IMI) in goats, a common view is that most bacterial infection in goats occurs during milking. In the present study, the dynamics of occurrence of udder infection during and between lactations in three Anglo-Nubian goat farms in Israel was monitored. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the predominant bacteria in the IMIs. We found that about 15% of the yearling does were already infected with bacteria when they joined the flock, whereas about 8% of the goats that dried-off returned with new IMIs. Moreover, virtually none of the goats acquired infection during lactation. Thus, our study showed that the aetiology of IMI in goats is very similar to that in dairy cows. A preventive treatment during the dry period should, therefore, be considered as an effective means of reducing the current rate of bacterial infections in goats.
Plötzliche Thoraxschmerzen und Atemnot bei einem jungen Mann
Authors: Miedinger
Published: January 2007

Wir berichten über einen jungen bisher gesunden Patienten, der sich mit plötzlich in Ruhe aufgetretenen Thoraxschmerzen notfallmässig in unserer Sprechstunde vorgestellt hat. Das Leitsymptom Thoraxschmerzen wird in der Hausarztpraxis häufig angetroffen. Differentialdiagnostische Überlegungen des Leitsymptoms Thoraxschmerzen werden diskutiert. Schon die gründliche klinische Untersuchung, mit abgeschwächtem Atemgeräusch, hypersonorem Klopfschall und vermindertem Stimmfremitus führte in diesem Fall zu der Diagnose eines Pneumothorax, welcher radiologisch gesichert werden konnte. Je nach Grösse, Lokalisation und Symptomatik ist die Therapie unterschiedlich. Aufgrund der persönlichen Risikofaktoren für ein Rezidiv und des ausdrücklichen Wunschs des Patienten wurde schon bei erster Episode thorakoskopisch eine Talkpleurodese durchgeführt.
Work-Life-Balance - Ein neuer Blick auf die Vereinbarkeit von Berufs- und Privatleben?
Authors: Resch Marianne , Bamberg Eva
Published: January 2007

Zusammenfassung. Work-Life-Balance ist eine - populär gewordene, jedoch schlecht gewählte - Bezeichnung verschiedener Fragestellungen, die Qualität und Verhältnis verschiedener Arbeits- und Lebensbereiche zueinander betreffen. Zum Teil gibt es in diesem Gebiet bereits Forschungstraditionen, zum Teil ergeben sich neue Problemstellungen und Perspektiven. Vermehrt erforderlich sind Ansätze, die sich Fragen des Verhältnisses von Erwerbsarbeit und anderen Lebensbereichen allgemein zuwenden, gesellschaftliche sowie betriebliche Ursachen für Imbalancen einbeziehen und hierbei z. B. auch prekäre Arbeitsverhältnisse in den Blick nehmen.
Mikropolitik: Stand der Forschung und Reflexion
Authors: Neuberger Oswald
Published: January 2007

Zusammenfassung. Mikropolitik ist ein kontrovers bewertetes Thema. Die früher dominierende stark negative Konnotation hat inzwischen einer eher ausgewogenen Betrachtungsweise Platz gemacht, bei der auch die produktiven Funktionen gewürdigt werden. Wie bei den meisten strategischen Konzepten der Organisationsforschung hat sich auch hier kein einheitliches Begriffsverständnis durchgesetzt, aber es lassen sich zugrundeliegende Dimensionen identifizieren. Im vorliegenden Text wird davon ausgegangen, dass mikropolitisches Handeln die Instrumentalisierung Anderer ist, um in organisationalen Ungewissheitszonen eigene Interessen geltend zu machen. Politisches und sach-rationales Handeln werden einander nicht als Gegensätze gegenübergestellt, sondern in einer wechselseitigen Strukturationsbeziehung gesehen. Am Beispiel des meistverwendeten Erhebungsinstruments (POIS) wird das Vorgehen bei der Entwicklung von Taktik-Inventaren illustriert; die Resultate der Untersuchung von Taktik-Varianten werden bilanziert. Anschließend werden metaanalytische Ergebnisse der Beziehung zwischen Einflusstaktiken und Erfolgskriterien referiert und kommentiert. Als Bedingung der Möglichkeit von Mikropolitik wird die Gleichzeitigkeit widersprüchlicher organisationaler Steuerungsprinzipien behauptet. In einer kritischen Reflexion werden Ansätze, Befunde und Möglichkeiten der Mikropolitik-Forschung gewürdigt.
Entwicklung und Erfahrungen mit einem computergestützten ADS-Mediatoren-Training für Lehrer
Authors: Altherr Peter
Published: January 2007

Zusammenfassung. In die Diagnostik und Behandlung von Kindern mit Aufmerksamkeitsstörungen mit/ohne Hyperaktivität (ADS) sind Lehrer unbedingt mit einzubeziehen. In ihrer Ausbildung wird dies bisher jedoch kaum berücksichtigt. Im Rahmen eines umfassenden Projektes wurde daher neben einem Verhaltenstraining ein computergestütztes ADS-Fortbildungsprogramm für Lehrer entwickelt. Im Beitrag werden Aufbau, Inhalte und Ziele der CD-ROM vorgestellt. In vier Hauptkapiteln, “Symptomatik und Begleitprobleme“, “Entstehung, Entwicklung und Diagnostik“, “ADS in der Schule“ und “Intervention, Behandlung und außerschulische Hilfen“, erhalten Benutzer Informationen, Material und Behandlungsanleitungen, die über Text, Bild und Ton veranschaulicht werden. Eine Evaluation des Trainings ist gestartet, erste Erfahrungen zum Einsatz werden beschrieben.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Autogenic Training in Gerontopsychology
Authors: Krampen Günter
Published: January 2007

This paper presents the results of two studies on the promotion of personal self-regulation of development, personal control over development and development-related emotions as well as generalized locus of control and psychosomatic well-being in the elderly using autogenic training (AT), a psychophysiological self-control method using self-inductions of physical and mental relaxation. Subjects were 120 adults aged 66-80 years. Study I had a randomized cross-over design with a waiting list group; Study II had a randomized cross-over design comparing the effects of introductory courses on autogenic training and of a general health education program. Each program phase continued for 8 weeks, with one small group meeting per week. Tests were conducted in both studies before program start, during mid-program, after total program, and 6 months after the end of the program. Data were gathered on development-related emotions, personal control over development, personal self-regulation of development, psychosomatic complaints, and generalized locus of control. The results point towards short-term as well as long-term effects of autogenic training on these variables. Possible applications of autogenic training in gerontopsychology are discussed as well as its role in developmental intervention and its references to the action-theory oriented perspective in developmental psychology.
To the Memory of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936)
Authors: Pawlik Kurt
Published: January 2007

This editorial preface introduces the historical context and explains the editorial preparation of this Thematic Issue devoted to Ivan P. Pavlov and his research on classical conditioning. Following a brief synopsis of Pavlov's life, an extract from his 1904 Nobel Laureate address is reprinted to highlight Pavlov's thinking, in his own words, about the nature of the psychological phenomena that formed the focus of research in the second half of his life.
Pleasure as a Sign of Efficacy of Mental Activity
Authors: Cabanac Michel , Pouliot Chantal , Everett James
Published: January 2007

Previous work has shown that sensory pleasure is both the motor and the sign of optimal behaviors aimed at physiological ends. From an evolutionary psychology point of view it may be postulated that mental pleasure evolved from sensory pleasure. Accordingly, the present work tested empirically the hypothesis that pleasure signals efficacious mental activity. In Experiment 1, ten subjects played video-golf on a Macintosh computer. After each hole they were invited to rate their pleasure or displeasure on a magnitude estimation scale. Their ratings of pleasure correlated negatively with the difference par minus performance, i.e., the better the performance the greater the pleasure reported. In Experiments 2 and 3, the pleasure of reading poems was correlated with comprehension, both rated by two groups of subjects, science students and arts students. In the majority of science students pleasure was significantly correlated with comprehension. Only one arts student showed this relationship; this result suggests that the proposed relationship between pleasure and cognitive efficiency is not tautological. Globally, the results support the hypothesis that pleasure is aroused by the same mechanisms, and follows the same laws, in physiological and cognitive mental tasks and also leads to the optimization of performance.
Brain Asymmetry and Autonomic Control of the Heart
Authors: Wittling Werner
Published: January 2007

Neurocardiology has shown that the dynamic performance of the heart is strongly influenced by the brain, including the cerebral cortex. Neural control is mediated by sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers innervating the pacemaker, conductile, and contractile tissues of the heart. In this review, evidence is presented that autonomic control of the heart is lateralized, each brain side influencing cardiac activity in a different manner. Moreover, it is shown that asymmetries observed at the level of the cerebral hemispheres are characterized by different principles than asymmetries at the levels of the lower brain stem and the peripheral pathways. Findings on lateralized control of the heart are integrated into a general model of brain asymmetry, in which it is postulated that each hemisphere has a unique and comprehensive response system characterizing its cognitive, emotional, and physiological functioning.
State and Trait Cheerfulness and the Induction of Exhilaration
Authors: Ruch Willibald
Published: January 2007

The present paper examines whether state and trait cheerfulness represent actual and habitual dispositions for the emotion of exhilaration. In Experiment I, 60 research participants were involved in a 10-minute interaction with a clowning vs. neutral experimenter. Individuals high in trait cheerfulness, as assessed by the State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI), displayed facial signs of exhilaration with higher frequency, intensity, and duration than did low cheerful individuals. In Experiment II (N = 60), the experimenter was instructed to laugh or not laugh at certain preselected scenes while watching a movie. The experimenter's laughter facilitated enjoyment displays among individuals high in state cheerfulness, but not among those low in state cheerfulness. In both experiments, smiling and laughter predicted the subsequent mood level.
Coping Style and Its Role in Coping with Stressful Encounters
Authors: Heszen-Niejodek Irena
Published: January 2007

Early stress research tended to focus on the situational determinants of coping behavior, overlooking individual differences in responses. In this article an interactional approach to the description and explanation of coping with stress is suggested. It is presumed that coping behavior, like other forms of human behavior, depends on an interaction between situational and individual factors. From among individual factors, coping style is selected as a dispositional variable which indirectly determines coping behavior. This is defined as a repertoire of strategies available to cope with stressful encounters that are specific for an individual. A “trait-state” distinction is made between coping style as a disposition and actual coping behavior, a process composed of activated coping strategies. The attitude towards information concerning the stressful event is assumed to be the basic property of the individual coping style. Of the situational factors, controllability is regarded as a variable of special importance for coping behavior, because in controllable situations information processing concerning the stressor is adaptive, while in uncontrollable situations it has a little value. Two studies on coping with somatic illness, conducted by the author and her coworkers, are presented as examples of applying the interactional approach in research on coping with stress. In the second, more comprehensive and longitudinal study, 259 patients participated. Their coping style was evaluated using an adaptation of the MBSS. They represented illnesses differing in controllability. Results have confirmed the superiority of the interactional approach, compared with an approach including only the situational factor, in the explanation of coping behavior.
Understanding seismic heterogeneities in the lower mantle beneath the Americas from seismic tomography and plate tectonic history
Authors: Ren Yong , Stutzmann Eléonore , van der Hilst Robert D. , Besse Jean
Published: January 2007

We combine results from seismic tomography and plate motion history to investigate slabs of subducted lithosphere in the lower mantle beneath the Americas. Using broadband waveform cross correlation, we measured 37,000 differential P and S traveltimes, 2000 PcP‐P and ScS‐S times along a wide corridor from Alaska to South America. We invert the data simultaneously to obtain P and S wave velocity models. We interpret slab structures and unravel subduction history by comparing our VS tomographic images with reconstructed plate motion from present‐day up to 120 Myr. Convergence of the Pacific with respect to the Americas is computed using either (1) the Pacific and Indo‐Atlantic hot spot reference frames or (2) the plate circuit passing through Antarctica. Around 800 km depth, four distinctive fast anomalies can be associated with subduction of the Nazca, Cocos, and Juan de Fuca plates beneath South, Central, and North America, respectively, and of the Pacific plate beneath the Aleutian island arc. The large fast anomalies in the lowermost mantle, which are most pronounced in the S wave models, can be associated with Late Cretaceous subduction of the Farallon plate beneath the Americas. Near 2000 km depth, the images record the post‐80 Myr fragmentation of the proto‐Farallon plate into the Kula plate in the north and the Farallon plate in the northeast. Near 1000 km depth, we infer separate fast anomalies interpreted as the Kula‐Pacific, Juan de Fuca, and Farallon slabs. This interpretation is consistent with the volume and length of slabs estimated from the tomographic images and the plate history reconstruction.
Microplate model for the present‐day deformation of Tibet
Authors: Thatcher Wayne
Published: January 2007

Site velocities from 349 Global Positioning System (GPS) stations are used to construct an 11‐element quasi‐rigid block model of the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings. Rigid rotations of five major blocks are well determined, and average translation velocities of six smaller blocks can be constrained. Where data are well distributed the velocity field can be explained well by rigid block motion and fault slip across block boundaries. Residual misfits average 1.6 mm/yr compared to typical one standard deviation velocity uncertainties of 1.3 mm/yr. Any residual internal straining of the blocks is small and heterogeneous. However, residual substructure might well represent currently unresolved motions of smaller blocks. Although any smaller blocks must move at nearly the same rate as the larger blocks within which they lie, undetected relative motions between them could be significant, particularly where there are gaps in GPS coverage. Predicted relative motions between major blocks agree with the observed sense of slip and along‐strike partitioning of motion across major faults. However, predicted slip rates across Tibet's major strike‐slip faults are low, only 5–12 mm/yr, a factor of 2–3 smaller than most rates estimated from fault offset features dated by radiometric methods as ∼2000 to ∼100,000 year old. Previous work has suggested that both GPS data and low fault slip rates are incompatible with rigid block motions of Tibet. The results reported here overcome these objections.
A concentric gravity wave structure in the mesospheric airglow images
Authors: Suzuki S. , Shiokawa K. , Otsuka Y. , Ogawa T. , Nakamura K. , Nakamura T.
Published: January 2007

A concentric gravity wave pattern was observed by an all‐sky airglow imager located at Shigaraki, Japan (34.9°N, 136.1°E) on 3 October 2002. The wave pattern was identified over 2.5 hours (1330–1600 UT or 2230–0100 LT) both in the OI (557.7 nm) and OH (720–910 nm) band images. It had a wavelength of about 35 km and propagated concentrically northeastward with a horizontal phase velocity of about 80 m/s. The wave had a short period of about 7 min and a momentum flux of 2.2 m2/s2. We identified the source of the waves as a cumulonimbus in the satellite cloud images and in radar precipitation images near the center of the concentric pattern. We conclude that this rare wave pattern was caused by a weak wind system that extended from the stratosphere to the mesopause region in an autumn transition.
Saturn's satellite Rhea is a homogeneous mix of rock and ice
Authors: Anderson J. D. , Schubert G.
Published: January 2007

A close flyby of Saturn's satellite Rhea by the Cassini spacecraft on 26 November 2005 can be used to infer its mass and quadrupole gravity moments. From these data we derive a mean density of 1233 ± 5 kg m−3 for Rhea and an axial moment of inertia consistent with an undifferentiated interior. The small density implies an interior made up of about 25% rock‐metal and 75% water ice by mass. The moment of inertia implies a homogeneous mix of these constituents with some compression of the ice and the transition from ice I to ice II at depth.
On the disappearance of noctilucent clouds during the January 2005 solar proton events
Authors: von Savigny C. , Sinnhuber M. , Bovensmann H. , Burrows J. P. , Kallenrode M.‐B. , Schwartz M.
Published: January 2007

A possible connection between the January 2005 solar proton events (SPEs) and the partial disappearance of Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) in the southern polar mesopause region is studied. Space‐borne measurements of the NLC occurrence rate made with SCIAMACHY on Envisat as well as temperature measurements with MLS on Aura are employed. Immediately after the onset of the enhanced solar particle precipitation on January 16, 2005, we observe a severe decrease in the NLC occurrence rate. Between 70°S–80°S the NLC occurrence rate drops from about 80% to less than 20% within the period of enhanced solar proton fluxes. Throughout this period an anti‐correlation between NLC occurrence rate and temperatures at NLC altitude is found, and the disappearance of NLCs is apparently caused by increasing temperatures. Potential mechanisms leading to the warming are discussed.
A Saturnian longitude system based on a variable kilometric radiation period
Authors: Kurth W. S. , Lecacheux A. , Averkamp T. F. , Groene J. B. , Gurnett D. A.
Published: January 2007

This paper describes a longitude system for Saturn which is locked to the period of Saturn kilometric radiation. Because the apparent radio emission period varies with time, the period used in the system is allowed to vary. The resulting system results in the ‘diurnal’ peak of the radio emission occurring when the subsolar longitude is 100°, as was the case during the Voyager epoch. The variable period used in this system is shown to be statistically the same as periodicities recently reported for residuals in Saturn's magnetic field. It is expected that this longitude system will be more useful for organizing magnetospheric phenomena and even spoke creation in the rings than the existing longitude system based on the fixed period determined from Voyager observations which is fully 1% shorter than the currently‐measured period.
Sublimation rate of ice under simulated Mars conditions and the effect of layers of mock regolith JSC Mars‐1
Authors: Chevrier Vincent , Sears Derek W. G. , Chittenden Julie D. , Roe Larry A. , Ulrich Richard , Bryson Kathryn , Billingsley Lisa , Hanley Jennifer
Published: January 2007

We have studied the sublimation of ice buried beneath ≤200 mm of JSC Mars‐1 model regolith under simulated Mars conditions. As expected, even thin layers of regolith cause large decreases in sublimation rate, up to one order of magnitude at 50 mm. When the depth of the regolith was 50 to 200 mm we detected water desorbing from the overlying layers for which we were able to determine a desorption coefficient of 1.45 ± 0.5 × 10−3 h−1. After allowing for the effect of desorption, we found that the diffusion coefficient for water vapor through our regolith is 1.74 ± 0.70 × 10−4 m2 s−1, in excellent agreement with theoretical values. We thus find that a 1‐m thick layer of ice buried below a meter of regolith resembling JSC Mars‐1 on Mars at 235 K would last ∼800 years.
Predicting leaf and canopy 15N compositions from reflectance spectra
Authors: Wang Lixin , Okin Gregory Stewart , Wang Jin , Epstein Howard , Macko Stephen A.
Published: January 2007

We explored whether 15N concentration could be predicted from reflectance spectra of fresh leaves, and, if so, whether the spectral features were related to the 15N concentration on a canopy scale. Leaf scale reflectance (R) measurements were conducted in Ghanzi, Botswana using a spectrophotometer in March 2005 and canopy scale leaf R was measured in a series of successional fields in Northern Virginia, USA using the same instrument in September 2005. Results showed that there was a strong correlation between foliar 15N concentration and spectral data in both visible and near‐infrared wavelength regions. Stepwise regressions showed that the first‐difference of the log1/R [(log 1/R)′] could explain 76 to 92% of the variation in foliar δ15N, providing the most reliable correlations with foliar 15N at bands near 600 and 700 nm. The present study indicates the possibility of estimating fresh leaf 15N abundance from high‐resolution reflectance at leaf and canopy levels.
Effects of bottom boundary placement on subsurface heat storage: Implications for climate model simulations
Authors: Stevens M. Bruce , Smerdon Jason E. , González‐Rouco J. Fidel , Stieglitz Marc , Beltrami Hugo
Published: January 2007

A one‐dimensional soil model is used to estimate the influence of the position of the bottom boundary condition on heat storage calculations in land‐surface components of General Circulation Models (GCMs). It is shown that shallow boundary conditions reduce the capacity of the global continental subsurface to store heat by as much as 1.0 × 1023 Joules during a 110‐year simulation with a 10 m bottom boundary. The calculations are relevant for GCM projections that employ land‐surface components with shallow bottom boundary conditions, typically ranging between 3 to 10 m. These shallow boundary conditions preclude a large amount of heat from being stored in the terrestrial subsurface, possibly allocating heat to other parts of the simulated climate system. The results show that climate models of any complexity should consider the potential for subsurface heat storage whenever choosing a bottom boundary condition in simulations of future climate change.
Synoptic features of orographically enhanced heavy rainfall on the east coast of Korea associated with Typhoon Rusa (2002)
Authors: Park Seon K. , Lee Eunhee
Published: January 2007

A record‐breaking heavy rainfall event, with a 24‐hr accumulated rainfall of 870.5 mm, occurred in a coastal area at the foot of a mountain range in the central‐eastern part of the Korean Peninsula during the passage of Typhoon Rusa (2002). Synoptic features of this case were investigated via high‐resolution numerical analysis and forecast fields obtained from the PSU/NCAR MM5. The main causes of this localized heavy rainfall include: 1) strong low‐level convergence of moist air from the sea into the coastal/mountainous area; 2) consequent orographic lifting; 3) low levels of lifting condensation and free convection; and 4) release of potential instability by orographic lifting to trigger deep convection.
Persistent influence of the North Atlantic hydrography on central European winter temperature during the last 9000 years
Authors: Mangini A. , Verdes P. , Spötl C. , Scholz D. , Vollweiler N. , Kromer B.
Published: January 2007

A prominent feature of the N. Atlantic's Holocene climate is a series of centennial and millennial shifts in ocean surface hydrography (Bond et al., 2001; Oppo et al., 2003). Here, we compare a climate reconstruction from the Central Alps for the last 9,000 years derived from the oxygen isotope record in stalagmites with the percentage of hematite‐stained‐grains in N. Atlantic sediments, an indicator for the proportion of ice‐bearing surface water from north of Iceland. The excellent match between the two curves proves that meteorological conditions in the Alpine region responded synchronously to changes in the hydrography of the N. Atlantic during winter. In addition, the speleothem record suggests significant multi centennial and millennial variability of N. European winters throughout the past 9,000 years that might have been incompletely recorded in tree‐ring archives.
Synthesis of vector wave envelopes in three‐dimensional random elastic media characterized by a Gaussian autocorrelation function based on the Markov approximation: Spherical wave case
Authors: Sato Haruo
Published: January 2007

High‐frequency seismograms of microearthquakes show broadened envelopes with travel distance increasing. Scattered P waves appear in the transverse components and scattered S waves also appear in the longitudinal component. These phenomena are clear evidence of scattering due to random inhomogeneities spreading over the lithosphere. There is a statistical method to directly simulate wave envelopes when the medium inhomogeneity is weak and the wavelength is shorter than the medium‐scale length. Applying the Markov approximation to spherically outgoing vector waves radiated from a point source in three‐dimensional random elastic media statistically characterized by a Gaussian autocorrelation function, we synthesize their envelopes. Solving the stochastic master equation for the development of the two‐frequency mutual coherence function of potential with travel distance, and taking the Fourier transform of it, we newly derive analytic representation of mean square (MS) envelopes of three component vector waves by using the elliptic theta function. For P waves, the radial component shows a broadened envelope with a delayed peak and a smoothly decaying tail, where the peak MS amplitude is approximately proportional to the minus fourth power of travel distance. The transverse component shows a broadened envelope with a smaller peak value and a longer peak delay and a longer tail compared with those in the radial component, where the peak MS amplitude is proportional to the minus third power of travel distance. S wave envelopes are also solved. S wave envelope broadening is larger than that of P wave broadening. These features well explain qualitatively the characteristics of seismogram envelopes of microearthquakes.
Is the magnitude of the carbonate ion decrease in the abyssal ocean over the last 8 kyr consistent with the 20 ppm rise in atmospheric CO2 content?
Authors: Broecker Wallace , Clark Elizabeth
Published: January 2007

Changes in the extent of shell fragmentation, the wall thicknesses of foraminifera shells, and the bulk CaCO3 content of deep Pacific sediments demonstrate that the extent of dissolution has steadily increased during the past 8 kyr. On the basis of measurements on sediment core top material from a range of water depths on the Ontong‐Java Plateau, these dissolution proxies have been calibrated, allowing the extent of the decrease in carbonate ion concentration to be quantified. The results suggest that the decrease was larger than that of 6 μmol/km expected to accompany the 20 μatm rise in atmospheric CO2 content that occurred during this time interval. However, the inconsistency between the magnitude of the change based on the decrease in shell weight on one hand and that based on the increase in fragmentation on the other hand is problematic. If indeed the drop in carbonate ion concentration has been larger than expected, then 8 kyr ago either a change in the pattern of thermohaline circulation or in the strength of the biological pump must have kicked in and become ever stronger as the millennia passed. If thermohaline circulation is the villain, then a possible explanation is that the strength of deepwater formation in the northern Atlantic has weakened relative to that in the Southern Ocean.