bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deciding the Adequacy of a Set of Tests for an Specific Assessment Situation. Decision-making Strategies
Authors: Esteve R. , Godoy A.
Published: April 2008

The aim of the present paper was to test the effects of response mode (choice vs. judgment) on decision-making strategies when subjects were faced with the task of deciding the adequacy of a set of tests for a specific assessment situation. Compared with choice, judgment was predicted to lead to more information sought, more time spent on the task, a less variable pattern of search, and a greater amount of interdimensional search. Three variables hypothesized as potential moderators of the response mode effects are also studied: time pressure, information load and decision importance. Using an information board, 300 subjects made decisions (choices and judgments) on tests for a concrete assessment situation, under high or low time pressure, high or low information load, and high or low decision importance. Response mode produced strong effects on all measures of decision behavior except for pattern of search. Moderator effects occurred for time pressure and information load.
The Use of the Emotional Indicator Scores on the Goodenough-Harris Draw-a-Person Test and the Bender Motor-Gestalt Test to Screen Primary School Children for Possible Emotional Maladjustment
Authors: Porteous Murray A.
Published: April 2008

A sample of 140 children were classified as Maladjusted, Borderline Maladjusted or Not Maladjusted based on behavioral data collected from their parents using a standard psychiatric interview schedule. Differences in the children's Emotional Indicator scores on the Bender Motor-Gestalt Test and the Draw-a-Person Test across the Maladjustment categories were observed. The data were then subjected to a Discriminant Function Analysis. The resulting function correctly classified 50% of cases, or over 65% when the distinction between Borderline Maladjusted and Maladjusted was disregarded. The results suggest the usefulness of drawing test emotional indicators in the context of screening for maladjustment.
Ecosystem Adversity as Setting Factors in Mothers' Judgment of Child Behavior and Indiscriminate Mothering
Authors: Cerezo M. Angeles , Pons Gemma
Published: April 2008

Several studies have shown that troubled mothers are not accurate observers of their children's behavior. These mothers have a global and usually blame-oriented reporting style coloured by disphoric views of social isolation, social coercion and socioeconomic disadvantage. The dsyphoric view describes a number of contextual or setting factors that seem to influence a mother's observational reports about her child more than the child's actual behavior does. Of course, when this observational bias exists, the mother's parenting performance is bound to be comprised. According to the considerations above, this study was designed with a group of 21 mother-child dyads characterized by their coercive interactions and child abuse (physical and emotional). The children were school-aged children ranging from 4 to 14 years of age and all mother-child dyads were observed at home. Two sets of analyses were conducted, one related to the maternal perception and one related to maternal behavior. The maternal judgment of the child's externalizing behavior problems throughout the CBCL.E and of the child's deviant behavior through the dayly scale rating constitued the criterion variables for the maternal perception analyses. The indiscriminate maternal reaction to child prosocial behavior was the criterion for the second set of analyses. Ecosystem variables and observational measures were taken as the predictors. The findings suggest that the role played by the child's deviant behavior as predictor is very important in the mother's specific report, the mother's rating of her child's behavior during the previous hour. However, the best predictors of the mother's global judgment were both her actual aversive behavior and the setting factor as well as the perceived quality of social contacts. Likewise, with regard to the maternal behavior predictions, the results indicate that ecosystem factors and maternal judgment predicted the mother's indiscriminate behavior following her child's prosocial behavior. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Test-Wiseness: Its Nature and Application
Authors: Rogers W. Todd , Yang Ping
Published: April 2008

If a test taker possesses test-wiseness and relevant partial knowledge, and if a test contains susceptible items, then the combination of these factors can result in improved or higher scores. In this article, test-wiseness is defined and described in terms of the elements that comprise test-wiseness. A model of test-wise test taking behavior is presented that shows the need for relevant partial knowledge in the application of test-wiseness. A review of the correlates, including race or ethnicity, of test-wiseness is then provided, followed by a review of the effects of training programs designed to minimize the differences in test-wiseness among examinees. The paper concludes with the recommendation, made in the interest of fairness to all examinees, that multifaceted, multimedia training programs directed toward the acquisition of test-wiseness be included as a regular part of the school program at the junior high school level.
The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100): Validation Study with the Dutch Version
Authors: De Vries Jolanda , Van Heck Guus L.
Published: April 2008

In this study, we examine the reliability and validity of a new quality-of-life (QoL) instrument, the Field Trial Version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-100). Two-hundred-and-twenty persons, 147 healthy individuals, and 73 chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients completed the WHOQOL-100 and a test battery of related measures. The WHOOQL-100 has a fairly good internal consistency and a good validity.
Are Most Dieters Unsuccessful? An Alternative Interpretation of the Confounding of Success and Failure in the Measurement of Restraint
Authors: van Strien Tatjana
Published: April 2008

Since Ogden's 1993 study, the concept of restrained eating as measured by the restrained eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ-R) has been further explored. In the present study, as in Ogden's study, most subjects did not differentiate between items relating to attempts at dieting and actual dieting. Ogden's conceptualization of the confounding of successful and failed restraint in the measurement of restraint, however, was not supported. First, there was no indication that trying to eat less is associated with unsuccessful dieting and actually eating less with successful dieting. Secondly, in contrast to Ogden, in our study the highest restraint score was found in subjects with low susceptibility toward failure of restraint. The results are discussed in terms of an alternative interpretation of the confounding of success and failure in the measurement of restraint. Instead of a confounding of success and failure within a subject (successful restraint is followed by failure of restraint), it would be better interpreted in terms of a difference in eating behaviour between subjects. Within the population of restraint eaters there are two subpopulations: those with a low versus those with a high tendency toward overeating - successful and failed dieters, respectively.
Assessing vegetation change temporally and spatially in southeastern Arizona
Authors: King D. M. , Skirvin S. M. , Holifield Collins C. D. , Moran M. S. , Biedenbender S. H. , Kidwell M. R. , Weltz M. A. , Diaz‐Gutierrez A.
Published: April 2008

Vegetation species cover and photographic data have been collected at multiple grass‐ and shrub‐dominated sites in 1967, 1994, 1999, and 2005 at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in southeastern Arizona. This study combines these measurements with meteorological and edaphic information, as well as historic repeat photography from the late 1880s onward and recent satellite imagery to assess vegetation change at WGEW. The results of classification and ordination of repeated transect data showed that WGEW had two main vegetation structural types, shrub dominated and grass dominated. Spatial distribution was closely linked to soil type and variations in annual and August precipitation. Other than the recent appearance of Eragrostis lehmanniana (Lehmann lovegrass) at limited sites in WGEW, little recruitment has taken place in either shrub or grass vegetation types. Effects of recent drought on both vegetation types were apparent in both transect data and enhanced vegetation index data derived from satellite imagery. Historic photos and a better understanding of WGEW geology and geomorphology supported the hypothesis that the shift from grass‐ to shrub‐dominated vegetation occurred substantially before 1967, with considerable spatial variability. This work reaffirmed the value of maintaining long‐term data sets for use in assessments of vegetation change.
Dynamics of the 5 April 2003 explosive paroxysm observed at Stromboli by a near‐vent thermal, seismic and infrasonic array
Authors: Ripepe Maurizio , Harris Andrew J. L.
Published: April 2008

On 5 April 2003 an array of thermal, infrasonic and seismic sensors tracked the dynamics of a major explosive (paroxysmal) event at Stromboli. The thermal signal recorded a decline ∼1 hour before the paroxysm, which itself lasted 6.5 minutes and opened with a ∼14 s low thermal amplitude phase. This was followed by three main explosive phases, with gas and ejecta velocities of 324 and 185 m/s being calculated for the first phase. The delay time between thermal and infrasonic signals indicates a very shallow (<150 m) source for fragmentation. A strong tilt component in the seismic signals shows that the conduit began to expand at least 90 s before the explosion. Large seismic amplitudes were recorded during the emission onset. The seismic signal can thus be related to stress build up followed by release during the ejection of the gas‐particles mixture. We calculate that the cloud of hot gas and ash emitted during the explosion had an overpressure of 3.8 MPa and involved 5.7 × 105 m3 (2.9 × 106 kg) of gas.
Pore‐scale analysis of permeability reduction resulting from colloid deposition
Authors: Chen Cheng , Packman Aaron I. , Gaillard Jean‐François
Published: April 2008

High‐energy, synchrotron‐based x‐ray difference micro‐tomography (XDMT) was combined with lattice Boltzmann simulations to assess changes in pore‐scale flow patterns and bulk permeability resulting from colloid deposition in a granular porous medium. The detailed structural information obtained from XDMT was used to define internal boundary conditions for simulations of pore fluid flow both with and without colloidal deposits. As colloids accumulated in the pore space, the mean tortuosity increased and the tortuosity distribution became multi‐modal, indicating the development of macro‐scale heterogeneity. These structural changes also produced large reductions in bulk permeability that were not captured by empirical or semi‐empirical estimators based on the first‐order geometric properties of the porous medium. This work demonstrates that coupling between fluid flow and particle transport produces heterogeneities at the sub‐millimeter scale that greatly affect the hydrogeologic properties of natural porous media.
Variational analysis of drifter positions and model outputs for the reconstruction of surface currents in the central Adriatic during fall 2002
Authors: Taillandier V. , Griffa A. , Poulain P. M. , Signell R. , Chiggiato J. , Carniel S.
Published: April 2008

In this paper we present an application of a variational method for the reconstruction of the velocity field in a coastal flow in the central Adriatic Sea, using in situ data from surface drifters and outputs from the ROMS circulation model. The variational approach, previously developed and tested for mesoscale open ocean flows, has been improved and adapted to account for inhomogeneities on boundary current dynamics over complex bathymetry and coastline and for weak Lagrangian persistence in coastal flows. The velocity reconstruction is performed using nine drifter trajectories over 45 d, and a hierarchy of indirect tests is introduced to evaluate the results as the real ocean state is not known. For internal consistency and impact of the analysis, three diagnostics characterizing the particle prediction and transport, in terms of residence times in various zones and export rates from the boundary current toward the interior, show that the reconstruction is quite effective. A qualitative comparison with sea color data from the MODIS satellite images shows that the reconstruction significantly improves the description of the boundary current with respect to the ROMS model first guess, capturing its main features and its exchanges with the interior when sampled by the drifters.
Long‐distance nutrient‐transport process in the Changjiang river plume on the East China Sea shelf in summer
Authors: Isobe Atsuhiko , Matsuno Takeshi
Published: April 2008

Idealized physical and ecosystem numerical models are coupled to investigate the phytoplankton bloom in Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) on the East China Sea shelf in summer. Special attention is given to the phytoplankton not exhausting nutrients in CDW over a period of a few months in spite of high biological productivity. In the present study, CDW is expressed by a bowl‐shaped three‐layered plume moving on an infinitely deep layer due to ambient eastward currents. This model permits layers outcropping to the sea surface. The simplest ecosystem model composed of the nutrient, phytoplankton, and detritus is coupled with the above physical model. When river plumes contain a large amount of suspended sediment, it is likely that turbid river water prevents sunlight from reaching the lower layer of the plumes. Hence in the ecosystem model for turbid CDW, it is assumed that primary production is completely restricted when a layer is shaded by upper layers. As three‐layered CDW is carried eastward by the ambient currents, lower layers south of the plume outcrop to the sea surface because of the layer‐to‐layer interaction. The nutrient released into the lower layers is used for primary production when it reaches the outcrop area south of the plume, and causes the phytoplankton bloom there. The modeled phytoplankton concentration in the uppermost layer exhibits a similar pattern to that seen in satellite‐derived chlorophyll a images in which a high concentration is observed south of CDW extending eastward.
Incorporating water table dynamics in climate modeling: 3. Simulated groundwater influence on coupled land‐atmosphere variability
Authors: Anyah Richard O. , Weaver Christopher P. , Miguez‐Macho Gonzalo , Fan Ying , Robock Alan
Published: April 2008

Using a coupled regional climate‐hydrologic modeling system, RAMS‐Hydro, we investigate the role of the water table dynamics in controlling soil moisture, evapotranspiration (ET), boundary layer dynamics, and precipitation. In an earlier study we showed that a shallow water table can primarily exist in two types of hydrologic settings in North America: the humid river valleys and coastal regions in the east and the arid or semiarid intermountain valleys in the west. We also showed that the shallow water table in these settings can lead to significantly wetter soils than would exist without the presence of the water table. Here, we show that the water table–induced wetter soil directly maps into enhanced ET in the western setting, where soil water is a strong limiting factor of ET flux, but it is less likely to be the case in the more humid eastern setting where soil water is not limiting in general. We also ask whether any resulting enhanced ET will directly map into enhanced precipitation. Our hypothesis is that this can occur through two primary mechanisms: local, ET‐driven enhancement of convective precipitation and enhanced regional or lateral moisture convergence caused by altered soil moisture fields, and hence altered ET, far from the region of concern. We find that, indeed, water table–induced higher ET in the arid west results in greater convective precipitation and that ET‐precipitation coupling is primarily through local feedback pathways and precipitation recycling, with the main role of large‐scale moisture convergence as an initiator of convection following dry periods. Transitioning to the more humid regions farther east, the greater atmospheric (relative to surface) control of precipitation progressively obscures any potential effects of the water table, and the effects of large‐scale moisture convergence tend to dominate.
Characterizing mixed microbial population dynamics using time-series analysis
Authors: Trosvik Pål , Rudi Knut , Næs Tormod , Kohler Achim , Chan Kung-Sik , Jakobsen Kjetill S , Stenseth Nils C
Published: April 2008

Due to a general shortage of temporal population data, dynamic structures in microbial communities remain largely unexplored. Knowledge of community dynamics is, however, essential for understanding the mechanisms by which microbes interact. Here, we have used a computational approach for quantification of bacteria in multispecies populations, generating data for time-series modeling. Moreover, we have used online FR-IR spectroscopy to monitor the main metabolic processes. The approach enabled us to provide a functional description of the parameters governing the population dynamics in a three-species model bacterial community, demonstrating density-dependent regulation, interspecies competition and even a case of cooperation between two species. Since the field of microbial ecology has yet to embrace many of the concepts and methods developed for the study of ecology of higher plants and animals, the realization that microbial systems can be analyzed within the same conceptual framework as other ecosystems is of fundamental importance.
Obesity‐related Changes in High‐density Lipoprotein Metabolism
Authors: Mooradian Arshag D. , Haas Michael J. , Wehmeier Kent R. , Wong Norman C.W.
Published: April 2008

Obesity is associated with a 3‐or‐more‐fold increase in the risk of fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction (1,2,3,4,5,6). The American Heart Association has reclassified obesity as a major, modifiable risk factor for coronary heart disease (7). The increased prevalence of premature coronary heart disease in obesity is attributed to multiple factors (8,9,10). A principal contributor to this serious morbidity is the alterations in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels. The dyslipidemia of obesity is commonly manifested as high plasma triglyceride levels, low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), and normal low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) with preponderance of small dense LDL particles (7,8,9,10). However, there is a considerable heterogeneity of plasma lipid profile in overweight and obese people. The precise cause of this heterogeneity is not entirely clear but has been partly attributed to the degree of visceral adiposity and insulin resistance. The emergence of glucose intolerance or a genetic predisposition to familial combined hyperlipidemia will further modify the plasma lipid phenotype in obese people (11,12,13,14,15).
Motor Skill Performance and Physical Activity in Preschool Children
Authors: Williams Harriet G. , Pfeiffer Karin A. , O'Neill Jennifer R. , Dowda Marsha , McIver Kerry L. , Brown William H. , Pate Russell R.
Published: April 2008

Children with better‐developed motor skills may find it easier to be active and engage in more physical activity (PA) than those with less‐developed motor skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor skill performance and PA in preschool children. Participants were 80 three‐ and 118 four‐year‐old children. The Children's Activity and Movement in Preschool Study (CHAMPS) Motor Skill Protocol was used to assess process characteristics of six locomotor and six object control skills; scores were categorized as locomotor, object control, and total. The actigraph accelerometer was used to measure PA; data were expressed as percent of time spent in sedentary, light, moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA), and vigorous PA (VPA). Children in the highest tertile for total score spent significantly more time in MVPA (13.4% vs. 12.8% vs. 11.4%) and VPA (5% vs. 4.6% vs. 3.8%) than children in middle and lowest tertiles. Children in the highest tertile of locomotor scores spent significantly less time in sedentary activity than children in other tertiles and significantly more time in MVPA (13.4% vs. 11.6%) and VPA (4.9% vs. 3.8%) than children in the lowest tertile. There were no differences among tertiles for object control scores. Children with poorer motor skill performance were less active than children with better‐developed motor skills. This relationship between motor skill performance and PA could be important to the health of children, particularly in obesity prevention. Clinicians should work with parents to monitor motor skills and to encourage children to engage in activities that promote motor skill performance.
Chromium Alleviates Glucose Intolerance, Insulin Resistance, and Hepatic ER Stress in Obese Mice
Authors: Sreejayan Nair , Dong Feng , Kandadi Machender R. , Yang Xiaoping , Ren Jun
Published: April 2008

Objective: Chromium has gained popularity as a nutritional supplement for diabetic patients. This study evaluated the effect of chronic administration of a chromium complex of d‐phenylalanine (Cr(d‐phe)3) on glucose and insulin tolerance in obese mice. The study tested the hypothesis that Cr(d‐phe)3 suppresses endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and insulin resistance in these animals.

Methods and Procedures: C57BL lean and ob/ob obese mice were randomly divided to orally receive vehicle or Cr(d‐phe)3 (3.8 μg of elemental chromium/kg/day) for 6 months. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Protein levels of phosphorylated pancreatic ER kinase (PERK), α subunit of translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) and inositol‐requiring enzyme‐1 (IRE‐1), p‐c‐Jun, and insulin receptor substrate‐1 (IRS‐1) phosphoserine‐307 were assessed by western blotting. In vitro ER stress was induced by treating cultured muscle cells with thapsigargin in the presence or absence of Cr(d‐phe)3.

Results: ob/ob mice showed poor glucose and insulin tolerance compared to the lean controls, which was attenuated by Cr(d‐phe)3. Markers of insulin resistance (phospho‐c‐Jun and IRS‐1 phosphoserine) and ER stress (p‐PERK, p‐IRE‐1, p‐eIF2α), which were elevated in ob/ob mice, were attenuated following Cr(d‐phe)3 treatment. Chromium treatment was also associated with a reduction in liver triglyceride levels and lipid accumulation. In cultured myotubes, Cr(d‐phe)3 attenuated ER stress induced by thapsigargin.

Discussion: Oral Cr(d‐phe)3 treatment reduces glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and hepatic ER stress in obese, insulin‐resistant mice.
Fractional Hamiltonian monodromy from a Gauss–Manin monodromy
Authors: Sugny D. , Mardešić P. , Pelletier M. , Jebrane A. , Jauslin H. R.
Published: April 2008

Fractional Hamiltonian monodromy is a generalization of the notion of Hamiltonian monodromy, recently introduced by [Nekhoroshev, Sadovskií, and Zhilinskií, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. 1 335, 985 (2002); Nekhoroshev, Sadovskií, and Zhilinskií, Ann. Henri Poincare 7, 1099 (2006)] for energy-momentum maps whose image has a particular type of nonisolated singularities. In this paper, we analyze the notion of fractional Hamiltonian monodromy in terms of the Gauss–Manin monodromy of a Riemann surface constructed from the energy-momentum map and associated with a loop in complex space which bypasses the line of singularities. We also prove some propositions on fractional Hamiltonian monodromy for 1:−n and m:−n resonant systems.
Geometric and electronic structure of lanthanide orthophosphate nanoparticles determined with X-rays
Authors: Suljoti E. , Nagasono M. , Pietzsch A. , Hickmann K. , Trots D. M. , Haase M. , Wurth W. , Föhlisch A.
Published: April 2008

The evolution of the geometric and electronic structures within the entire series of lanthanide orthophosphate nanoparticles (∼2–∼5nm) has been determined experimentally with X-ray diffraction and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. In particular, the interplay between electronic structure, crystal morphology, and crystal phase has been systematically studied. A missing local order in the crystal structure accompanied by multiple ion sites in the nanoparticles was revealed to be due to the small crystal size and large surface contribution. All lanthanide ions were found to be in “3+” configuration and accommodated in three different crystallization states: the larger lanthanide ions (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) in the monoclinic phase, the smaller ones (Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) in the tetragonal phase, and the intermediate lanthanide ions (Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho) in a “mixed phase” between monoclinic and tetragonal phases.
Nonequilibrium solidification in undercooled Ti45Al55 melts
Authors: Hartmann H. , Galenko P. K. , Holland–Moritz D. , Kolbe M. , Herlach D. M. , Shuleshova O.
Published: April 2008

Ti–Al alloys are of high technological interest as light-weight high-performance materials. When produced by solidification from the liquid state, the material properties of as-solidified materials are strongly dependent on the conditions governing the solidification process. Nonequilibrium solidification from the state of an undercooled liquid may result to the formation of metastable solid materials. On the one hand undercooling under special cases may influence the phase selection behavior during solidification, and on the other hand during rapid growth of solid phases in undercooled melts nonequilibrium effects such as solute trapping and disorder trapping may occur. In the present work containerless processing by electromagnetic levitation is used to undercool Ti45Al55 melts deeply below the liquidus temperature. The dendrite growth velocity during the solidification is measured as a function of undercooling by application of a high-speed video camera. In situ diffraction experiments at ESRF in Grenoble and microstructure investigations are performed in order to identify the primary solidified phases. The experimental findings are interpreted within current theoretical models for dendritic growth and solute trapping.
1.55
μ
m
ultrafast photoconductive switches based on ErAs:InGaAs
Authors: Ospald F. , Maryenko D. , von Klitzing K. , Driscoll D. C. , Hanson M. P. , Lu H. , Gossard A. C. , Smet J. H.
Published: April 2008

The electron capture time in superlattice structures consisting of periodically spaced layers of self-assembled ErAs nanoislands and In0.53Ga0.47As is investigated on photoconductive switches as a function of the superlattice period using photocurrent autocorrelation and pulsed laser excitation at 1.55μm. The capture time can be tuned from picoseconds all the way down to 0.2ps by changing the periodicity. Two different Be doping schemes are explored to reduce the dark current. The resulting characteristics indicate that ErAs:InGaAs may serve as a high performance photoconductive material at this wavelength for pulsed terahertz emission and detection.
Reconsidering the Economics Logic of Ecological Modernization
Authors: Korhonen Jouni
Published: April 2008

This paper shows the main limitations and difficulties in the efficiency argument of ecological modernization. Eight limitations in the concept of eco-efficiency are revealed. Recommendations to improve the use of eco-efficiency in ecological modernization policy and management are derived from the critique. Eco-efficiency serves as an important technical tool, practical instrument, or indicator in environmental policy and management, but is not suitable as the overall goal and strategic vision.
Performing the Green Market—Creating Space: Emergence of the Green Consumer in the Russian Woodlands
Authors: Kortelainen Jarmo
Published: April 2008

The paper explores green markets as relational effects. The aim is to show that the green markets of the forest industry did not develop and expand through green consumption behaviour but were performed by a hybrid set of actors including environmental nongovernmental organisations, publishing companies, certification agencies, market researchers, and critical citizens. The spatiality of greening is expressed by showing how spatial relations, territorial spaces, and spatial differences were created and utilised within the process. Empirically, the focus is on the Russian forest sector. By analysing two examples, a conflict over old-growth forests, and a forest certification process, the study indicates how spatial reorientation and the westward export of the forest industry have resulted in greening timber markets in various parts of the Russian forest peripheries.
Modes of Engagement for Urban Research: Enacting a Politics of Possibility
Authors: Fraser Jim , Weninger Csilla
Published: April 2008

Cities are increasingly cast as being shaped by globalization and related neoliberal policies. While these diverse literatures have provided needed theoretical advancement to rethink the city in relation to political–economic change, they also run the risk of conceptualizing, studying, and representing cities without sufficient attention to the spatial copresence of multiple actors. The result is that some treatments of the city reproduce a unified story line that conceals human agency, reads as if there is only one trajectory on which all cities are moving, and does not engage in imagining alternative urban futures. In this paper we suggest that there is a continued need to critically examine the spatial narratives mobilized both by researchers as well as by the other actors they encounter. Drawing on the widespread idea that the stories which researchers tell are intimately linked with the conduct of research itself, we advocate a researcher mode of engagement that permits collaborative critique of projects that aim to transform urban space. We report on our experience with two research practices—grounded interviewing, and the public research memo—to provide empirical examples of our perspective.
The Evolving Design of 20th-Century Apartments in Ankara
Authors: Guney Yasemin Ince , Wineman Jean
Published: April 2008

This study analyzes a longitudinal series of Ankara apartment houses using space syntax methodology to uncover the underlying genotype and its transformation over time. The results indicate that transition-space-centred organization is the underlying spatial structure for 20th-century Ankara apartments. Diachronic examination of the sample in terms of sectoral differentiation—that is, clustering of spaces based on functional and social requirements, and in relation to the exterior— has identified three groups: (a) the houses from the 1920s with no sector differentiation and one entrance; (b) the houses from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s with different sectors and multiple entrances; (c) the houses from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with different sectors and one entrance. Viewing these results in relation to an analysis of the history of domestic culture demonstrates that there exists a schism between the historical periods representing social changes and the spatial periods representing the transformation of the Ankara house genotype.
The Scope and Limits of Enactive Approaches to Visual Experience
Authors: Jacob Pierre
Published: April 2008

I pursue here three related aims. First, I criticise some of the metaphysical claims made on behalf of the so-called ‘enactive’ approach to visual experience. Secondly, I explain why the enactive view of visual experience is hard to square with the evidence in favour of the two-visual-systems model of human vision. Finally, I explore one possible way to develop the ‘pre-emptive perception’ framework and explain why, contrary to first appearances, some of the fundamental discoveries of brain mechanisms, whose function might be to underlie pre-emptive perception, do not really support the enactive approach to visual experience.
Detecting evolutionary relationships across existing fold space, using sequence order-independent profile–profile alignments
Authors: Xie Lei , Bourne Philip E.
Published: April 2008

Here, a scalable, accurate, reliable, and robust protein functional site comparison algorithm is presented. The key components of the algorithm consist of a reduced representation of the protein structure and a sequence order-independent profile–profile alignment (SOIPPA). We show that SOIPPA is able to detect distant evolutionary relationships in cases where both a global sequence and structure relationship remains obscure. Results suggest evolutionary relationships across several previously evolutionary distinct protein structure superfamilies. SOIPPA, along with an increased coverage of protein fold space afforded by the structural genomics initiative, can be used to further test the notion that fold space is continuous rather than discrete.
Molecular links among the causative genes for ocular malformation: Otx2 and Sox2 coregulate
Rax
expression
Authors: Danno Hiroki , Michiue Tatsuo , Hitachi Keisuke , Yukita Akira , Ishiura Shoichi , Asashima Makoto
Published: April 2008

The neural-related genes
Sox2
,
Pax6
,
Otx2
, and
Rax
have been associated with severe ocular malformations such as anophthalmia and microphthalmia, but it remains unclear as to how these genes are linked functionally. We analyzed the upstream signaling of
Xenopus Rax
(also known as
Rx1
) and identified the Otx2 and Sox2 proteins as direct upstream regulators of
Rax
. We revealed that endogenous Otx2 and Sox2 proteins bound to the conserved noncoding sequence (CNS1) located ≈2 kb upstream of the
Rax
promoter. This sequence is conserved among vertebrates and is required for potent transcriptional activity. Reporter assays showed that Otx2 and Sox2 synergistically activated transcription via CNS1. Furthermore, the Otx2 and Sox2 proteins physically interacted with each other, and this interaction was affected by the
Sox2
-missense mutations identified in these ocular disorders. These results demonstrate that the direct interaction and interdependence between the Otx2 and Sox2 proteins coordinate
Rax
expression in eye development, providing molecular linkages among the genes responsible for ocular malformation.
Improvement in Prescribing Habits and Economic Outcomes Associated With the Introduction of a Standardized Approach for Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis
Authors: Hermsen Elizabeth D. , Shull Sara Smith , Puumala Susan E. , Rupp Mark E.
Published: April 2008

A quasi-experimental before-after study was conducted to determine the impact on prescribing habits and economic outcomes of an intervention that required use of an order form for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis. Implementation of this intervention improved compliance with guidelines for prevention of surgical site infections, particularly with respect to choice of antibiotic, duration of use, and dosage, and resulted in decreased cost of surgical prophylaxis.
A Supraphysiological Nuclear Export Signal Is Required for Parvovirus Nuclear Export
Authors: Engelsma Dieuwke , Valle Noelia , Fish Alexander , Salomé Nathalie , Almendral José M. , Fornerod Maarten
Published: April 2008

CRM1 exports proteins that carry a short leucine-rich peptide signal, the nuclear export signal (NES), from the nucleus. Regular NESs must have low affinity for CRM1 to function optimally. We previously generated artificial NESs with higher affinities for CRM1, termed supraphysiological NESs. Here we identify a supraphysiological NES in an endogenous protein, the NS2 protein of parvovirus Minute Virus of Mice (MVM). NS2 interacts with CRM1 without the requirement of RanGTP, whereas addition of RanGTP renders the complex highly stable. Mutation of a single hydrophobic residue that inactivates regular NESs lowers the affinity of the NS2 NES for CRM1 from supraphysiological to regular. Mutant MVM harboring this regular NES is compromised in viral nuclear export and productivity. In virus-infected mouse fibroblasts we observe colocalization of NS2, CRM1 and mature virions, which is dependent on the supraphysiological NS2 NES. We conclude that supraphysiological NESs exist in nature and that the supraphysiological NS2 NES has a critical role in active nuclear export of mature MVM particles before cell lysis.
Support for Cancer Patients
Authors: Simon Chantal
Published: April 2008

A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating for both the patient and his or her family. Cancer can arise out of the blue and often affects people who have been fit and healthy until diagnosis. It may affect young people as well as the elderly. Patients and families have support needs that may vary over time and according to the progress of their disease and treatment. Try to tailor information and advice to the individual's needs and continue to provide support throughout the patient's illness. This article is intended as a broad guide to the types of support available for cancer patients in the UK. It is not intended as a comprehensive reference and cannot include the many excellent local services available in different parts of the UK for such patients.
Principles of Cancer Treatment
Authors: Simon Chantal , Watson Max , Drake Anne , Fenton Audrey , McLoughlin Caroline
Published: April 2008

Mortality is decreasing for most cancers and the overall 5-year survival rate has now reached 50% ( Fig. 1 ). The 5-year survival rate in women (56%) is higher than that in men (43%) and this gender gap is also seen for 10-year survival rates (52% for women versus 39% for men). Figure 2 shows 5-year survival rates for common cancers in the UK. The highest 5-year survival rate for men is for testicular cancer (96%) and for women is for malignant melanoma (87%).
New binary polymorphisms reshape and increase resolution of the human Y chromosomal haplogroup tree
Authors: Karafet Tatiana M. , Mendez Fernando L. , Meilerman Monica B. , Underhill Peter A. , Zegura Stephen L. , Hammer Michael F.
Published: April 2008

Markers on the non-recombining portion of the human Y chromosome continue to have applications in many fields including evolutionary biology, forensics, medical genetics, and genealogical reconstruction. In 2002, the Y Chromosome Consortium published a single parsimony tree showing the relationships among 153 haplogroups based on 243 binary markers and devised a standardized nomenclature system to name lineages nested within this tree. Here we present an extensively revised Y chromosome tree containing 311 distinct haplogroups, including two new major haplogroups (S and T), and incorporating approximately 600 binary markers. We describe major changes in the topology of the parsimony tree and provide names for new and rearranged lineages within the tree following the rules presented by the Y Chromosome Consortium in 2002. Several changes in the tree topology have important implications for studies of human ancestry. We also present demography-independent age estimates for 11 of the major clades in the new Y chromosome tree.
Sustained increase in hippocampal sharp-wave ripple activity during slow-wave sleep after learning
Authors: Eschenko Oxana , Ramadan Wiâm , Mölle Matthias , Born Jan , Sara Susan J.
Published: April 2008

High-frequency oscillations, known as sharp-wave/ripple (SPW-R) complexes occurring in hippocampus during slow-wave sleep (SWS), have been proposed to promote synaptic plasticity necessary for memory consolidation. We recorded sleep for 3 h after rats were trained on an odor-reward association task. Learning resulted in an increased number SPW-Rs during the first hour of post-learning SWS. The magnitude of ripple events and their duration were also elevated for up to 2 h after the newly formed memory. Rats that did not learn the discrimination during the training session did not show any change in SPW-Rs. Successful retrieval from remote memory was likewise accompanied by an increase in SPW-R density and magnitude, relative to the previously recorded baseline, but the effects were much shorter lasting and did not include increases in ripple duration and amplitude. A short-lasting increase of ripple activity was also observed when rats were rewarded for performing a motor component of the task only. There were no increases in ripple activity after habituation to the experimental environment. These experiments show that the characteristics of hippocampal high-frequency oscillations during SWS are affected by prior behavioral experience. Associative learning induces robust and sustained (up to 2 h) changes in several SPW-R characteristics, while after retrieval from remote memory or performance of a well-trained procedural aspect of the task, only transient changes in ripple density were induced.
Contextual memory deficits observed in mice overexpressing small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ type 2 (KCa2.2, SK2) channels are caused by an encoding deficit
Authors: Stackman Robert W. , Bond Chris T. , Adelman John P.
Published: April 2008

Hippocampal-dependent synaptic plasticity and memory are modulated by apamin-sensitive small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels. Transgenic mice overexpressing SK2 channels (SK2+/T mice) exhibit marked deficits in hippocampal memory and synaptic plasticity, as previously reported. Here, we examined whether SK2 overexpression affects the encoding or retention of contextual memory. Compared with wild-type littermates, SK2+/T mice exhibited significantly less context-dependent freezing 10 min and 24 h after conditioning. Interestingly, this contextual memory impairment was eliminated if SK2+/T mice were permitted longer pre-exposure to the conditioning chamber. These data support converging evidence that SK2 channels restrict the encoding of hippocampal memory.
Thyrotoxicosis during sunitinib treatment for renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Grossmann Mathis , Premaratne Erosha , Desai Jayesh , Davis Ian D.
Published: April 2008

Context  Sunitinib malate is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Hypothyroidism has been observed in patients treated with sunitinib, but the mechanism whereby sunitinib induces hypothyroidism is unknown.

Objective  To describe a series of six patients who developed thyrotoxicosis while on sunitinib for metastatic RCC.

Setting  The study was conducted at Austin Health, a tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Results  Two patients developed severe thyrotoxicosis within 10 weeks after commencing sunitinib. In contrast, in the four patients who presented with later onset (16–30 weeks) thyrotoxicosis, the thyrotoxicosis was relatively mild, self‐limiting and rapidly progressed to hypothyroidism. These patients experienced recurrent episodes of thyrotoxicosis in temporal relation to their cyclical sunitinib treatment. One patient had cytological evidence of lymphocytic thyroiditis.

Conclusions  These findings suggest that sunitinib‐induced hypothyroidism may be a consequence of preceding thyroiditis with associated transient thyrotoxicosis. As predictive factors are currently unknown, we suggest regular monitoring of thyroid function in all patients commenced on sunitinib. Clinicians treating patients with sunitinib or other similar kinase inhibitors should to be alerted to thyroid dysfunction as a potential toxicity of these agents.
123I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy for the detection of adrenal and extra‐adrenal phaeochromocytomas: CT and MRI correlation
Authors: Bhatia Kunwar S. S. , Ismail Mohamed M. , Sahdev Anju , Rockall Andrea G. , Hogarth Kieran , Canizales Ana , Avril Norbert , Monson John P. , Grossman Ashley B. , Reznek Rodney H.
Published: April 2008

Context  Evidence regarding the accuracy of [123I] metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging for phaeochromocytoma localization is currently limited to small series.

Objective  We present the largest series of primary phaeochromocytomas in which the performance of [123I]MIBG has been evaluated and correlated with cross‐sectional imaging.

Design  We identified 76 patients with both preoperative [123I]MIBG and cross‐sectional imaging for confirmed primary phaeochromocytoma between 1995 and 2005 at our institution. This comprised 60 adrenal tumours in 55 patients and 33 extra‐adrenal tumours in 23 patients (2 patients had both adrenal and extra‐adrenal tumours). Phaeochromocytoma metastases were not evaluated.

Main outcome measure(s)  [123I]MIBG studies were independently reviewed and correlated with CT and MRI examinations, as well as tumour functional status, to identify features that may predict a false negative [123I]MIBG result.

Results  The overall sensitivity of [123I]MIBG was 75%. Tumour detection was lower for extra‐adrenal (58%) vs. adrenal (85%) phaeochromocytomas (P = 0·005). For extra‐adrenal tumours, [123I]MIBG demonstrated 8 of 14 carotid body, 2 of 2 intrathoracic, 8 of 14 retroperitoneal and 2 of 3 pelvic phaeochromocytomas. Overall, MRI and CT demonstrated 68 of 68 and 72 of 74 primary phaeochromocytomas, respectively. Tumour size correlated with [123I]MIBG uptake for adrenal (P = 0·009) but not extra‐adrenal tumours. When tumours were adjusted for size, no other imaging feature or functional status correlated with [123I]MIBG negativity, although two large [123I]MIBG negative adrenal tumours contained large areas of necrosis or haemorrhage.

Conclusions  Extra‐adrenal and small adrenal phaeochromocytomas are more likely to result in false negatives on [123I]MIBG. Tumoural necrosis or haemorrhage do not consistently relate to [123I]MIBG uptake, although adrenal phaeochromocytomas containing minimal solid tissue due to extensive necrosis may predict a negative [123I]MIBG result.
Augmentation of endogenous cannabinoid tone modulates lipopolysaccharide‐induced alterations in circulating cytokine levels in rats
Authors: Roche Michelle , Kelly John P. , O’Driscoll Maeve , Finn David P.
Published: April 2008

The endogenous cannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating the immune system. Modulation of endogenous cannabinoids represents an attractive alternative for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. This study investigated the effects of URB597, a selective inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the enzyme catalysing degradation of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide, and AM404, an inhibitor of anandamide transport, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced increases in plasma cytokine levels in rats. Both URB597 and AM404 potentiated the LPS‐induced increase in plasma tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) levels. The peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) antagonist, GW9662, attenuated the AM404‐induced augmentation of TNF‐α levels. Furthermore, the selective cannabinoid CB1and CB2receptor antagonists, AM251 and AM630 respectively, and the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor‐1 (TRPV1) antagonist, SB366791, reduced LPS‐induced TNF‐α plasma levels both alone and in combination with AM404. In contrast, AM404 inhibited LPS‐induced increases in circulating interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and IL‐6. AM251 attenuated the immunosuppressive effect of AM404 on IL‐1β. None of the antagonists altered the effect of AM404 on LPS‐induced IL‐6. Moreover, AM251, AM630 and SB366791, administered alone, inhibited LPS‐induced increases in plasma IL‐1β and IL‐6 levels. In conclusion, inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation or transportin vivopotentiates LPS‐induced increases in circulating TNF‐α levels, an effect which may be mediated by PPARγ and is also reduced by pharmacological blockade of CB1, CB2and TRPV1. The immunosuppressive effect of AM404 on IL‐1β levels is mediated by the cannabinoid CB1receptor. Improved understanding of endocannabinoid‐mediated regulation of immune function has fundamental physiological and potential therapeutic significance.