bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Application of Peptidoglycan from Staphylococcus aureus Induces Mast Cell Development in Mouse Spleen
Authors: Matsui K. , Nishikawa A.
Published: February 2006

Background: Previously, we found that percutaneous application of peptidoglycan (PEG) from Staphylococcus aureus increased the number of mast cells in the dermis, as seen in patients with atopic dermatitis. However, the origin of the mast cells infiltrating the dermis was not known. Our aim was to determine the origin of the skin mast cells induced by the percutaneous PEG application in mice. Methods: PEG was applied to barrier-disrupted abdominal skin of mice every 5 days. Twenty days after the first application, mast cells were detected in the spleen cells by alcian blue-safranin staining. Expression of mast cell proteases and cytokines in the skin or spleen was investigated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Percutaneous application of PEG increased the numbers of alcian blue-positive and safranin-negative mast cells in the spleen. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of the spleen showed that these mast cells expressed mouse mast cell protease (MMCP)-1, MMCP-4, MMCP-5, and mast cell carboxypeptidase, suggesting that they were immature cells positioned developmentally between mucosal mast cells and connective tissue mast cells. In vitro long-term culture of spleen cells in the presence of PEG induced mast cell development. The features of these mast cells were coincident with those seen in the spleens of PEG-applied mice. Furthermore, when mice were intradermally injected, their skin showed increased levels of expression of mRNAs of MMCP-4, MMCP-5, and mast cell carboxypeptidase, but not MMCP-1. Similar mRNA expression was observed in the skin of PEG-applied mice. Conclusions: Percutaneous application of PEG may lead to the development of mast cells in the spleens of mice and contribute to an increase in mast cell numbers in the dermis, as seen in the skin lesions of atopic dermatitis patients.
Traffic-Related Air Pollutants Induce the Release of Allergen-Containing Cytoplasmic Granules from Grass Pollen
Authors: Motta A.C. , Marliere M. , Peltre G. , Sterenberg P.A. , Lacroix G.
Published: February 2006

Background/Aim: Pollen cytoplasmic granules (PCG) are loaded with allergens. They are released from grass pollen grains following contact with water and can form a respirable allergenic aerosol. On the other hand, the traffic-related air pollutants NO2 and O3 are known to be involved in the current increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases via their adjuvant effects. Our objective was to determine the effects of air pollutants on the release of PCG from Phleum pratense (timothy grass) pollen. Methods:P. pratense pollen was exposed to several concentrations of NO2 and O3. The induced morphological damages were observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy, and the amount of PCG released from the pollen upon contact with water was measured. Results: The percentages of damaged grain were 6.4% in air-treated controls, 15% after treatment with the highest NO2 dose (50 ppm) and 13.5% after exposure to 0.5 ppm O3. In treated samples, a fraction of the grains spontaneously released their PCG. Upon subsequent contact with water, the remaining intact grains released more PCG than pollen exposed to air only. Conclusions: Traffic-related pollutants can trigger the release of allergen-containing granules from grass pollen, and increase the bioavailability of airborne pollen allergens. This is a new mechanism by which air pollution concurs with the current increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases.
L-Arginine Supplementation Prevents the Development of Endothelial Dysfunction in Hyperglycaemia
Authors: Kabat Armin , Dhein Stefan
Published: February 2006

Diabetes mellitus leads to the development of endothelial dysfunction which finally contributes to diabetic angiopathy. We investigated the effects of hyperglycaemia on nitric oxide (NO) liberation and a possible influence of L-arginine supplementation. Porcine endothelial aortic cells (PAEC) were cultured in Medium 199 containing 0.33 mmol/l L-arginine. During the entire third culture passage (= 4 days) cells were either exposed to 5 or 20 mmol/l D-glucose with or without additional 3 mmol/l L-arginine. For osmotic control, cells were exposed to 15 mmol/l mannitol. NO liberation was measured under basal conditions and after stimulation with 1 mmol/l ATP using the spectrophotometrical methemoglobin assay. Cells released 35 ± 8 pmol NO/1 × 106 cells/10 min under basal conditions while hyperglycaemia led to a significant reduction in NO release to 16 ± 6 pmol/1 × 106 cells/10 min. In osmotic control, NO release was unchanged (37 ± 10 pmol/1 × 106 cells/10 min). Stimulation with 1 mmol/l ATP led to a significant increase in NO release to 103 ± 11 pmol/1 × 106 cells/10 min (normoglycaemia) which was unchanged in osmotic controls. Under normoglycaemic conditions, additional L-arginine supplementation did not influence NO release from PAEC. In hyperglycaemia (0.33 mmol/l L-arginine) ATP stimulated NO release was reduced (48 ± 8 pmol/1 × 106 cells/10 min, p < 0.05), which was completely prevented by 3 mmol/l L-arginine treatment (98 ± 15 pmol/ 1 × 106 cells/10 min). Hyperglycaemia (but not enhanced osmotic pressure) leads to endothelial dysfunction with reduced NO release which is completely prevented by L-arginine. L-Arginine utilisation may be impaired in hyperglycaemia and L-arginine supplementation might be an interesting additional therapeutic tool in diabetic patients.
Endothelium-Derived Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids and Vascular Function
Authors: Fleming Ingrid , Busse Rudi
Published: February 2006

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are epoxides of arachidonic acid generated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases. The activation of CYP epoxygenases in endothelial cells is an important step in the NO and prostacyclin-independent vasodilatation of several vascular beds, and EETs have been identified as an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor. However, EETs also exert membrane potential-independent effects and modulate several signaling cascades that affect endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. This review summarizes the role of CYP-derived EETs in endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor–mediated responses and highlights the evidence indicating that EETs are important second messengers involved in endothelial cell signaling pathways related to angiogenesis.
Troponin I as a Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in 70-Year-Old Men
Authors: Zethelius Björn , Johnston Nina , Venge Per
Published: February 2006

Background—

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a standard for detection of myocardial damage, has recently been reported to predict acute myocardial infarction or death in patients with unstable coronary heart disease (CHD). Cardiac TnI concentrations increase with age in subjects free from clinical signs of CHD, suggesting silent myocardial damage. We investigated the association between cTnI and future CHD and mortality in a community-based cohort of men.

Methods and Results—

A community-based study was conducted from August 1991 to May 1995 among 1203 men in Uppsala, Sweden, aged 70 years at baseline with a follow-up of up to 10.4 years with the use of registry data (National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden). CHD was defined with the use of data taken from the Cause of Death Registry or from first-time hospitalization for CHD as recorded in the Hospital Discharge Registry. Cardiac TnI concentrations were measured blinded for outcome, in frozen baseline plasma samples, with the use of the AccuTnI from Beckman Coulter, Inc. Hazard ratios (HRs) from Cox proportional hazards are presented with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for a 1-SD increase. In men free from cardiovascular disease (CVD), cTnI predicted death (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.46;
P
=0.003) or first CHD event (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.54;
P
=0.001) after adjustment for conventional risk factors: total and HDL cholesterol, plasma glucose, body mass index, smoking, and systolic blood pressure.

Conclusions—

In this first longitudinal report, cTnI was shown to predict death and first CHD event in men free from CVD at baseline, indicating the importance of silent cardiac damage in the development of CHD and mortality.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided Balloon Angioplasty of Coarctation of the Aorta
Authors: Krueger Julia J. , Ewert Peter , Yilmaz Sevim , Gelernter Dinah , Peters Björn , Pietzner Klaus , Bornstedt Axel , Schnackenburg Bernhard , Abdul-Khaliq Hashim , Fleck Eckart , Nagel Eike , Berger Felix , Kuehne Titus
Published: February 2006

Background—

MRI guidance of percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA) of aortic coarctation (CoA) would be desirable for continuous visualization of anatomy and to eliminate x-ray exposure. The aim of this study was (1) to determine the suitability of MRI-controlled PTA using the iron oxide–based contrast medium Resovist (ferucarbotran) for catheter visualization and (2) to subsequently apply this technique in a pilot study with patients with CoA.

Methods and Results—

The MRI contrast-to-noise ratio and artifact behavior of Resovist-treated balloon catheters was optimized in in vitro and animal experiments (pigs). In 5 patients, anatomy of the CoA was evaluated before and after intervention with high-resolution respiratory-navigated 3D MRI and multiphase cine MRI. Position monitoring of Resovist-treated catheters was realized with interactive real-time MRI. Aortic pressures were continuously recorded. Conventional catheterization was performed before and after MRI to confirm interventional success. During MRI, catheters filled with 25 μmol of iron particles per milliliter of Resovist produced good signal contrast between catheters and their background anatomy but no image distortion due to susceptibility artifacts. All MRI procedures were performed successfully in the patient study. There was excellent agreement between the diameters of CoA and pressure gradients as measured during MRI and conventional catheterization. In 4 patients, PTA resulted in substantial widening of the CoA and a decrease in pressure gradients. In 1 patient, PTA was ineffective.

Conclusions—

The MRI method described represents a potential alternative to conventional x-ray fluoroscopy for catheter-based treatment of patients with CoA.
Impact of Renal Dysfunction on Outcomes of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Authors: Cooper William A. , O’Brien Sean M. , Thourani Vinod H. , Guyton Robert A. , Bridges Charles R. , Szczech Lynda A. , Petersen Rebecca , Peterson Eric D.
Published: February 2006

Background—

Although patients with end-stage renal disease are known to be at high risk for mortality after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, the impact of lesser degrees of renal impairment has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes in patients undergoing CABG with a range from normal renal function to dependence on dialysis.

Methods and Results—

We reviewed 483 914 patients receiving isolated CABG from July 2000 to December 2003, using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Cardiac Database. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated for patients with the use of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study formula. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association of GFR with operative mortality and morbidities (stroke, reoperation, deep sternal infection, ventilation >48 hours, postoperative stay >2 weeks) after adjustment for 27 other known clinical risk factors. Preoperative renal dysfunction (RD) was common among CABG patients, with 51% having mild RD (GFR 60 to 90 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
, excludes dialysis), 24% moderate RD (GFR 30 to 59 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
, excludes dialysis), 2% severe RD (GFR <30 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
, excludes dialysis), and 1.5% requiring dialysis. Operative mortality rose inversely with declining renal function, from 1.3% for those with normal renal function to 9.3% for patients with severe RD not on dialysis and 9.0% for those who were dialysis dependent. After adjustment for other covariates, preoperative GFR was one of the most powerful predictors of operative mortality and morbidities.

Conclusions—

Preoperative RD is common in the CABG population and carries important prognostic importance. Assessment of preoperative renal function should be incorporated into clinical risk assessment and prediction models.
Real-Time Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided Endovascular Recanalization of Chronic Total Arterial Occlusion in a Swine Model
Authors: Raval Amish N. , Karmarkar Parag V. , Guttman Michael A. , Ozturk Cengizhan , Sampath Smita , DeSilva Ranil , Aviles Ronnier J. , Xu Minnan , Wright Victor J. , Schenke William H. , Kocaturk Ozgur , Dick Alexander J. , Raman Venkatesh K. , Atalar Ergin , McVeigh Elliot R. , Lederman Robert J.
Published: February 2006

Background—

Endovascular recanalization (guidewire traversal) of peripheral artery chronic total occlusion (CTO) can be challenging. X-ray angiography resolves CTO poorly. Virtually “blind” device advancement during x-ray–guided interventions can lead to procedure failure, perforation, and hemorrhage. Alternatively, MRI may delineate the artery within the occluded segment to enhance procedural safety and success. We hypothesized that real-time MRI (rtMRI)–guided CTO recanalization can be accomplished in an animal model.

Methods and Results—

Carotid artery CTO was created by balloon injury in 19 lipid-overfed swine. After 6 to 8 weeks, 2 underwent direct necropsy analysis for histology, 3 underwent primary x-ray–guided CTO recanalization attempts, and the remaining 14 underwent rtMRI-guided recanalization attempts in a 1.5-T interventional MRI system. Real-time MRI intervention used custom CTO catheters and guidewires that incorporated MRI receiver antennae to enhance device visibility. The mean length of the occluded segments was 13.3±1.6 cm. The rtMRI-guided CTO recanalization was successful in 11 of 14 swine and in only 1 of 3 swine with the use of x-ray alone. After unsuccessful rtMRI (n=3), x-ray–guided attempts were also unsuccessful.

Conclusions—

Recanalization of long CTO is entirely feasible with the use of rtMRI guidance. Low-profile clinical-grade devices will be required to translate this experience to humans.
Statins and Mortality Among Elderly Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure
Authors: Foody JoAnne Micale , Shah Rahman , Galusha Deron , Masoudi Frederick A. , Havranek Edward P. , Krumholz Harlan M.
Published: February 2006

Background—

Small studies suggest that statins may improve mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). Whether these results are generalizable to a broader group of patients with HF remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the association between statin use and survival among a national sample of elderly patients hospitalized with HF.

Methods and Results—

A nationwide sample of 61 939 eligible Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years of age who were hospitalized with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF between April 1998 and March 1999 or July 2000 and June 2001 was evaluated. The analysis was restricted to patients with no contraindications to statins (n=54 960). Of these patients, only 16.7% received statins on discharge. Older patients were less likely to receive a statin at discharge. Patients with hyperlipidemia and those cared for by a cardiologist or cared for in a teaching hospital were more likely to receive a statin at discharge. In a Cox proportional hazards model that took into account demographic, clinical characteristics, treatments, physician specialty, and hospital characteristics, discharge statin therapy was associated with significant improvements in 1- and 3-year mortality (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.84; and hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.85, respectively). Regardless of total cholesterol level or coronary artery disease status, statin therapy was associated with significant differences in mortality.

Conclusions—

Our data demonstrate that statin therapy is associated with better long-term mortality in older patients with HF. This study suggests a potential role for statins as an adjunct to current HF therapy. Randomized clinical trials are required to determine the role of these agents in improving outcomes in the large and growing group of patients with HF.
Renal Function and Outcome From Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Authors: Hillis Graham S. , Croal Bernie L. , Buchan Keith G. , El-Shafei Hussein , Gibson George , Jeffrey Robert R. , Millar Colin G.M. , Prescott Gordon J. , Cuthbertson Brian H.
Published: February 2006

Background—Severe renal dysfunction is associated with a worse outcome after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Less is known about the effects of milder degrees of renal impairment, and previous studies have relied on levels of serum creatinine, an insensitive indicator of renal function. Recent studies have suggested that estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a more discriminatory measure. However, data on the utility of eGFR in predicting outcome from CABG are limited.

Methods and Results—We studied 2067 consecutive patients undergoing CABG. Demographic and clinical data were collected preoperatively, and patients were followed up a median of 2.3 years after surgery. Estimated GFR was calculated from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Mean±SD eGFR was 57.9±17.6 mL/min per 1.73 m2in the 158 patients who died during follow-up compared with 64.7±13.8 mL/min per 1.73 m2in survivors (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 per 10 mL/min per 1.73 m2; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.80;P<0.001). Estimated GFR was an independent predictor of mortality in both models with other individual univariable predictors (HR, 0.80 per 10 mL/min per 1.73 m2; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.89;P<0.001) and the European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (HR, 0.88 per 10 mL/min per 1.73 m2; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.98;P=0.02).

Conclusions—Estimated GFR is a powerful and independent predictor of mortality after CABG.
Correlates and Long-Term Outcomes of Angiographically Proven Stent Thrombosis With Sirolimus- and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents
Authors: Kuchulakanti Pramod K. , Chu William W. , Torguson Rebecca , Ohlmann Patrick , Rha Seung-Woon , Clavijo Leonardo C. , Kim Sang-Wook , Bui Ahn , Gevorkian Natalie , Xue Zhenyi , Smith Kimberly , Fournadjieva Jana , Suddath William O. , Satler Lowell F. , Pichard Augusto D. , Kent Kenneth M. , Waksman Ron
Published: February 2006

Background—

Stent thrombosis (ST) is a serious complication of drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation regardless of the timing (acute, subacute, or late). The correlates of ST with DES are not yet completely elucidated.

Methods and Results—

From a total cohort of 2974 consecutive patients treated with DES since April 2003, we identified 38 patients who presented with angiographic evidence of ST (1.27%). The ST occurred acutely in 5 patients, subacutely (≤30 days) in 25 patients, and late (>30 days) in 8 patients. The clinical, angiographic, and procedural variables of these patients were compared with the remaining 2936 consecutive patients who underwent DES implantation and did not experience ST during a follow-up of 12 months. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlates of ST. Compared with patients without ST, patients with ST had a higher frequency of diabetes, acute postprocedural renal failure, and chronic renal failure. There were more bifurcation lesions, type C lesions, and a trend for smaller-diameter stents. Discontinuation of clopidogrel was higher in these patients (36.8% versus 10.7%;
P
<0.0001). The mean duration to ST from the stent implantation was 8.9±8.5 days in subacute and 152.7±100.4 days in late thrombosis cases. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with ST compared with those without ST at 6 months (31% versus 3%;
P
<0.001). Multivariate analysis detected cessation of clopidogrel therapy, renal failure, bifurcation lesions, and in-stent restenosis as significant correlates of ST (
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—

ST continues to be a serious complication of contemporary DES use. Careful management is warranted in patients with renal failure and in those undergoing treatment for in-stent restenosis and bifurcations. Special focus on clopidogrel compliance may minimize the incidence of ST after DES implantation.
Exploring the Sensitivity of the Australian Climate to Regional Land-Cover-Change Scenarios under Increasing CO2 Concentrations and Warmer Temperatures
Authors: Narisma G. T. , Pitman A. J.
Published: February 2006

The potential role of the impacts of land-cover changes (LCCs) in the Australian climate is investigated within the context of increasing CO2 concentrations and temperature. Specifically, it is explored if possible scenarios for LCC can moderate or amplify CO2-induced changes in climate over Australia. The January climate of Australia is simulated under three different land-cover-change scenarios using a high-resolution regional climate model. The land-cover-change scenarios include a steady-state land cover that is equivalent to current land cover, a low-reforestation scenario that recovers approximately 25% of the trees replaced by grasslands within the last 200 yr, and a high-reforestation scenario that recovers at least 75% of the deforested regions. The model was driven by boundary conditions taken from transitory climate simulations from a general circulation model that included two climate scenarios based on two projected scenarios of CO2 concentration increase. The results show that reforestation has the potential to reduce the projected increase in Australian temperatures in 2050 and 2100 by as much as 40% and 20%, respectively. This cooling effect, however, is highly localized and occurs only in regions of reforestation. The results therefore hint that the potential of reforestation to moderate the impact of global warming may be significantly limited by the spatial scale of reforestation. In terms of deforestation, results show that any future land clearing can exacerbate the projected warming in certain regions of Australia. Carbon-related variables are also analyzed and results show that changes in net CO2 flux may be influenced more by soil respiration than by photosynthesis. The results herein encourage studies on the inclusion of land-cover-change scenarios in future climate change projection simulations of the Australian climate.
Marrying Someone from an Outside Group
Authors: Tsay Ruey-ming , Wu Li-hsueh
Published: February 2006

Marrying someone from an outside group deserves more sociological attention since it may lead to an unstable or even conflicting relationship for the prospective couple. In spite of such a risk, many people still choose to marry someone from an outside group. Traditionally, scholars in the area of social stratification have considered homogamy to be an indicator of social closure. Sociologists have also focused on the status resemblance of marriage partners in that it indicates the extent of social rigidity. However, instead of focusing on status homogamy, this study examines the heterogamy of marriage patterns, which is an alternative way of revealing the degree of social openness. Heterogamy is a more powerful indicator of social openness than homogamy because certain types of heterogamy have to defy the expectations of and/or opposition from the marriage partner’s family, community or society, and such instances can be conceptually interpreted as crossing the strongest social boundaries between social groups. Marriages crossing the boundaries of age, education, social origin and ethnicity have been regarded as the four major types of heterogamy. This study uses binary logistic and multinomial logistic models to explore the relative effect of the factors that contribute to cross-boundary marriages. Using data from the Taiwan Social Change Survey, this study demonstrates that certain factors, such as achieved status (education), contextual characteristics (timing of marriage, setting of contacts) and ways of making acquaintances with the prospective spouse have contributed to cross-boundary marriages. Although achieved status and personal traits both have strong effects on the likelihood of heterogamy, social backgrounds and the process of meeting/courting also have a substantial impact on the formation of cross-boundary marriages in Taiwan.
Overlapping Social Networks
Authors: Hsung Ray-may , Yi Chin-chun , Fu Yang-chih
Published: February 2006

This study uses Burt’s theory of structural holes and Lin, Fu and Hsung’s theory of position-generated networks to examine a hypothesis about the overlap of couples’ social networks and the degree of joint behaviour in conjugal role relationships. The authors devised five overlap types of couples’ networks based on two-dimensional network characteristics: the diversity of ego’s kin ties and the degree of cross-linkages through spouse’s contacts. They measured the conjugal role by how couples manage their day-to-day expenditure and classified them into three categories: mainly managed by wife, mainly managed by husband and joint management. This study used the 2001 Taiwan Social Change Survey to test the hypothesis on the couples’ networks and conjugal roles. After controlling for all other variables, the overlap types of the couples’ social networks still had significant effects on their management of family expenditure. Specifically, the couples with high diversity of ego’s kin ties and high cross-linkages through spouse practised the joint conjugal role pattern of family expenditure. The reason is that the high diversity of ego’s kin ties provides plural patterns of conjugal roles to be identified and the high cross-linkages through the spouse provide the bargaining power from the spouse.
Does Conjugal Disparity Affect Marital Relations?
Authors: Yi Chin-chun , Chien Wen-yin
Published: February 2006

Using corresponding couple data from Taiwan, Shanghai and Hong Kong, the main goal of this article is (1) to explore the conjugal consistency or disparity in marital values and in perceptions of marital relations among three Chinese societies; (2) to compare the relative importance of conjugal disparity vs personal factors in the explanation of marital relations reported; (3) to delineate the effect of demographic pairing in contrast with the effect of value discrepancy of couples in the perceptions of marital relations. Findings indicate that despite the high consistency percentage of perceptions of marital relations on the aggregate level, there exists a substantial amount of inconsistency among Chinese conjugal pairs. Taiwan couples are relatively more consistent than their counterparts, and Shanghai couples have the lowest estimated consistency value. Marital value is examined by conjugal priority and gender-role values. The cross-society comparison shows that Shanghai couples have more westernized values in both indices, Taiwan couples reveal the most traditional pattern of conjugal priority, while Hong Kong couples have more traditional gender-role values, particularly relating to the mother’s role. Taiwan couples also enjoy higher consistency measures. To answer whether conjugal disparity affects perceptions of marital relations - especially whether disparity in the background or in values makes a significant difference, the results generally support the expected negative relation, but vary depending on the context examined. Both personal and pairing factors are important in the account of subjective perceptions of marital relations. With regard to conjugal disparity, it is found that discrepancy in demographic background seems to be more significant than value disparity. In fact, the expected relation between value disparity and unsatisfying marital relations only receives support among Taiwanese wives. The article concludes the importance of the conjugal unit in the study of marital relations. Future studies are suggested to include both objective and subjective indicators of conjugal disparity. Specification of different patterns in each Chinese society is encouraged.
Changing Attitudes towards Elderly Dependence in Postwar Japan
Authors: Yamato Reiko
Published: February 2006

There is a stereotypical view that East Asian cultures value familism and filial piety, regarding elderly dependence on children as morally desirable. The present study, examining postwar Japan as a case, shows that the social changes this country has undergone have transformed people’s attitudes such that more and more people are seeing elderly dependence on children as less desirable. It is suggested that in order to understand attitudinal changes towards intergenerational relationships in postwar Japan, two research frameworks are necessary: one that takes public welfare systems into consideration as a context where such relationships are placed, and another that distinguishes financial dependence from dependence for personal care. Examining surveys conducted in the last four decades, it is argued that attitudes towards finance changed far earlier than those towards personal care did, and that these attitudinal changes are closely related to the extent to which public welfare systems have developed.
Intergenerational Relationships and Elderly Care in China
Authors: Sheng Xuewen , Settles Barbara H.
Published: February 2006

Based on a review of recent research literature, major value-practice conflicts toward elderly care in China are explored, some commonalities and differentiations of real practices with traditional values are presented, the emerging new values in intergenerational relationships are discussed, and the theoretical underpinnings of interdependency are examined. Some sociologists had predicted a continuing decrease in family interdependence and caregiving. In the current globalization of economic development and concurrent trends in demography, family formation and life course, families interact and support each other over extremely long periods of time. Intergenerational relationships reflect both values and practice. There have been remarkable differences between values of people in different societies and yet some similarities of practice. Examples from the People’s Republic of China are given to illustrate the dynamics of expectation, interaction and assessment of interdependence. Implications for future programs based on global trends tend to be similar although societies are quite different.
Counselor Confounds in Evaluations of Vocational Rehabilitation Methods in Substance Dependency Treatment
Authors: Staines Graham L. , Cleland Charles M. , Blankertz Laura
Published: February 2006

Evaluation research on vocational counseling in substance dependency treatment should distinguish between the effects of counselors and counseling methods on clients' employment outcomes. Three experimental designs permit investigation of possible confounds between these types of effects: (a) nested designs (each counselor delivers one counseling method so counselors are nested under methods), (b) crossed designs (each counselor delivers all counseling methods so counselors are crossed with methods), and (c) no-treatment control group designs (experimental group's counselors all deliver the same method). Each design is optimal for one stage of evaluation research. No-treatment control group designs are best for exploratory evaluations of new types of vocational counseling. Nested designs are best for outcome evaluations of different types of interventions. Crossed designs are best for (causal) process evaluations of counseling methods of demonstrated efficacy. Despite the importance of methodological issues and problems, vocational rehabilitation in substance dependency treatment has a greater need for stronger interventions than better evaluation designs.
Evaluation and Communication
Authors: Hogard Elaine , Ellis Roger
Published: February 2006

This article identifies a surprising dearth of studies that explicitly link communication and evaluation at substantive, theoretical, and methodological levels. A three-fold typology of evaluation studies referring to communication is proposed and examples given. The importance of organizational communication in program delivery is stressed and illustrative studies reviewed. It is proposed that organizational communication should be considered in all program evaluations and that this should be approached through communication audit. Communication audits are described with particular reference to established survey questionnaire instruments. Two case studies exemplify the use of such instruments in the evaluation of educational and social programs.
Predictors of Retention in an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention Study
Authors: Zand Debra , Thomson Nicole Renick , Dugan Mary , Braun James A. , Holterman-Hommes Pat , Hunter Patricia L.
Published: February 2006

This article explored retention patterns, as well as factors that predicted these patterns, in the evaluation of a relationship-based substance abuse prevention intervention study that targeted inner-city African American youth. A total of 851 contacts were made to retain 82% (n = 104) of the baseline sample (N = 127) in the evaluation. Results from multinomial regression analyses indicated that participantswho were retained in the evaluation were more likely to perceive alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use as less risky and were more likely to report higher levels of family supervision than were evaluation attrits. Those who were easy to retain reported lower family conflict and fewer family relocations during the past year than those who were difficult to retain. Implications of these findings for developing retention strategies, as well as future research, are discussed.
Europe-Topics in Europe's Media
Authors: Machill Marcel , Beiler Markus , Fischer Corinna
Published: February 2006

The existence of a European public sphere is often disputed –not only in communication and media science. A common thesis in research is that a European public sphere can be constituted via the Europeanization of reporting in the national media. On the basis of a qualitatively oriented meta-analysis, this article aims to answer the question whether such Europeanization is taking place in European countries. With reference to 17 studies analysing media content from several European countries, the empirical research carried out in German, English and French since the beginning of the 1990s is systematically evaluated. All of the studies examined compare European topics being reported in the media in different European countries. The meta-analysis shows that in the 15 member states of the European Union prior to the 2004 enlargement, developmental tendencies of differing degrees towards a Europeanization of the national public spheres are discernible. Overall, EU topics account for an extremely small proportion of the reporting in the particular national media. Players at EU level only feature in minor roles. It can be concluded that the public spheres of the EU states continue to exhibit a strong national orientation. Keeping in mind that there has been little empirical research in this field so far, the results of this analysis are a first step towards a systematization of the existing research –at a time when the debate about a European public sphere becomes even more important against the background of the ongoing expansion of the EU.
Research Note: Cypriot Television, Dialect Productions and Demotic Culture
Authors: Roussou Nayia
Published: February 2006

This article examines the television programme preferences in Cyprus over the last 10 years or so, from the English-language programmes popular during the public broadcasting monopoly period and up to the mid-1990s, to the imported Greek productions, in the Panhellenic demotic, after the pluralism of the 1990s and up to more recent times, when productions in the Cypriot dialect have become very popular on all Cypriot television channels. The significance of language in the expression of a people's culture is discussed, but at the same time, some of the content of the dialect programme offering is also described, to indicate the transition from rural to urban themes and modalities in dialect programmes. Today, Cypriots live in a changing, fragmented world. Could this phenomenal turn to dialect productions (with their satirical selfderision) be a voice of (modernized) demotic expression or is it a type of autochthonous cultural resistance to the embraces of Europeanization and globalization?
‘Fraught with Implications’, or Turner’s Back-burner
Authors: Sangren Steve
Published: February 2006

This article argues that the works of Terence Turner constitute an important advancement in understanding the object of anthropology’s disciplinary concern - culture. Inspired by the dialectical template that unites Turner’s approach, the article also argues for an extension of similar methods toward a synthetic accommodation of Marxian and psychoanalytic thought. Such a synthesis, it is argued, promises illumination of the philosophical-cum-theoretical logjam among contemporary intellectuals centering around the problem of ‘agency’. In addition, for anthropology in particular, the concept of culture is best conceived with reference to production - that is, production in the broad terms Turner has proposed. And, by the same token, desire, too, must be figured into our understanding of both culture and productive processes.
Anthropology as Reality Show and as Co-production
Authors: Turner Terry
Published: February 2006

A conjunction of forces associated with globalization has contributed to changes in the world studied by anthropology as well as changes in anthropology itself. Both critical theoretical analysis and pragmatic activism are called for to address these changes and support the struggles of those with whom anthropologists work for rights, economic progress and social and cultural autonomy. Activism in this context has important contributions to make to theoretical understanding, just as critical theoretical understanding can clarify the sources and relationships of new ideological formations within anthropology with the real world they seek to explain.
Turner’s Anthropology of Media and Its Legacies
Authors: Boyer Dominic
Published: February 2006

In the 1990s, Terry Turner produced some of the most conceptually and ethnographically important research anywhere in the anthropology of media, apparently without having intended to do so. This article reviews the impact of his collaboration on the Kayapo Video Project both in terms of its effects in Kayapo communities and in terms of the debates it catalyzed in anthropology over the relationship of human productive powers with representation and social mediation in its broadest sense. Turner’s anthropology of media (and indeed his anthropology more generally) emphasizes that human production always contains a historical excess within itself, which is the potential to transcend and to transform fundamentally the dominant social relations of production and reproduction in a given time and place. As such, Turner’s work challenges what I describe as more ‘Hegelian’ theories of media that emphasize the inaccessibility of social mediation to human agency. In conclusion, I celebrate Turner’s own historical excess and his vehement rejection of the pure/applied split in anthropological knowledge and praxis.
Optimization of Liquid Molding Cycle for a Phenylethynyl Terminated Polyimide Composite
Authors: Kejian Wang , Ogasawara Toshio , Ishida Yuichi
Published: February 2006

This article presents a robust resin transfer molding (RTM) process window of a phenylethynyl terminated imide (PETI) oligomer with melt viscosity lower than 1 Pa s over 15 min and 10 Pa s for 2 h at 280 C. Curing occurs rapidly only above 350 C. Curing should be over 30 min at 370 C. Molding optimization reduces the melt viscosity. The oligomer is heated rapidly from 265 to 280 C for the minimum viscosity being lower. The melt is further heated for easier flow in injection and early permeation. The mechanical properties of the prepared composite remain almost constant up to 280 C, facilitating the fabrication of large, complex, high-quality aerospace parts.
Theoretical Approach to Wind Elbow Structure
Authors: Abdel-Hady Faissal
Published: February 2006

A mathematical solution for the problem of winding one of the most commonly produced structures in piping, that is elbow fitting, is presented in this article. Fiber stable path is generated over the elbow geometry using either a geodesic or a nongeodesic path. The feed-eye movement of the filament-winding machine is calculated. A numerical example is given for geodesic and nongeodesic windings to clarify the solution. Two criteria are applied: (1) fixed plane for the feed-eye motion, and (2) constant fiber length from the feed-eye to the mandrel surface. In nonaxisymetric structure, there is no one general solution to the problem. Each nonaxisymetric structure has to be studied separately using the same approach presented in this study.
Culture and Cultural Worldviews: Do Verbal Descriptions about Culture Reflect Anything Other Than Verbal Descriptions of Culture?
Authors: Matsumoto David
Published: February 2006

In this paper I delineate the difference between cultural worldviews, cultural practices and actual behaviors, and suggest that verbal descriptions and narratives that are used to extract cultural worldviews and folk theories may not describe actual cultural practices or behaviors that occur in real life. I discuss five types of evidence to support this claim: (1) limitations in the use of selectively chosen verbal statements and (2) some kinds of culture-related literature; (3) the large variability in individual within-culture variance relative to between-culture differences, and the limitations of attitude-based measures to predict actual behaviors; (4) the fact that cultural differences in individual-level measures of psychological culture may not exist when socially appropriate responding is statistically controlled for; and (5) the boundaries of knowledge that can be gleaned from cultural studies of emotion based on verbal descriptions and narratives. Culture researchers who use individual-level measures of culture or other verbal descriptions of culture need to be aware of the theoretical and empirical differences between verbally reported consensual cultural worldview ideologies and real-life behaviors. The former may not be reflective of the latter.
Culture and Media: A Dynamic Constitution
Authors: Slunecko Thomas , Hengl Sophie
Published: February 2006

Like any other scientific endeavor, cultural psychology, in its diverse manifestations, has been molded into an epistemological frame of reference, which has been unfolding for the last 2,500 years. However, it should be among the main methodological issues of any field concerned with culture to make this frame visible and to assess its impact on the discipline's theory and research practice. We believe media theory to hold a particular potential for this self-reflexive process. Despite its strong epistemological relation to many of the socio-genetic and socio-cultural concepts conveyed in this journal, media theory has gone largely, and surprisingly, unnoticed. In this paper, we recall media theory's main tenets and unfold them in an illustrative reflection on the co-evolution of writing systems and mentalities. While so doing, some of the theoretical and methodological formats inherited by Western science, and thus also by psychology, emerge: its strong tendency towards abstraction, unilinear causal chains and the separation of subject and object, among others.
Picturizing science
Authors: van Dijck Josè
Published: February 2006

At the turn of the millennium, science documentaries show a particular penchant for the abundant use of animated visuals, obviously facilitated by new digital television techniques such as videographic animation and computer animatronics. Analyzing two recent science documentary series ( Walking with Dinosaurs and The Elegant Universe) this article discusses how scientists and television producers deploy digital animation to convince viewers of the plausibility of scientific theories in the fields of paleontology and physics. The question guiding these analyses is how the use of digital animation is grounded in ambiguous epistemological and ontological claims. Rather than lamenting the advancing pictorial effect and the demise of realism in ‘postmodern' science documentaries, it is argued that the multimedia mix of words, sounds and images both reflects and transforms our claims to knowledge. In fact, science documentaries do not illustrate but enablescientific claims; they visualize knowledge while substantiating hypotheses.
Autoptic vision and the necrophilic imaginary in CSI
Authors: Tait Sue
Published: February 2006

CSI changes the way television drama looks in the multiple sense of its high production values, its novel autoptic and anatomic imagery and the gazes it configures for the viewer. In these ways CSI showcases the performance of forensic science, trades on an appetite for CG effects and, through its graphic depiction of ruined corpses, draws imagery from Gothic horror. This article examines the role of the corpse within CSI. How are the viewer's access to the corpse, and violent death, mediated through the gazes of the CSI's and the special effects used by the show's producers? How might this rendering of science and death contribute to a broader public imaginary? I theorize pedagogic and necrophilic gazes upon the gendered, raced and predominantly youthful corpse and elucidate that which is effaced by them.
New media – new pleasures?
Authors: Kerr Aphra , Kücklich Julian , Brereton Pat
Published: February 2006

The promotional and academic discourse surrounding new media suggests that they offer more fun and more pleasure than existing or traditional media. However, academic work within media and cultural studies has failed to interrogate these claims empirically. This article critically assesses the conceptualization of pleasure as it is deployed in media audience research and attempts to update these conceptualizations by drawing upon game design theory and key concepts from new media theory. The article goes on to evaluate these concepts through an empirical examination of the varied experience of digital games, DVDs and digital television in a variety of households in Dublin, Ireland. Central to the findings is that while pleasure and displeasure are largely undertheorized, these terms, when deployed empirically, afford a useful entry point into evaluating media experiences. The article identifies key differences between the experience of online and offline new media and calls for more research into the pleasures of play and control in relation to both new and more established media use.
Common culture, commodity fetishism and the cultural contradictions of sport
Authors: Free Marcus , Hughson John
Published: February 2006

This article examines the implications of Paul Willis’s conceptualizations of ‘common culture’ and the cultural commodity for understanding sport as a popular cultural form. It argues that Willis's Ethnographic Imagination(2000) successfully addresses accusations of ‘cultural populism’ against his earlier Common Culture(1990) by acknowledging the tensions between creative cultural consumption and the political economy of cultural production. Hence his conceptualization of the ‘doubly half-formed’ cultural commodity, its usages and meanings neither determined by cultural industries nor entailing unfettered consumer ‘symbolic creativity’. Arguing that sport exemplifies this contradiction, the article examines two contradictory aspects of commoditized sport as popular culture. First is the ways supporters' financial, emotional, symbolic and intellectual investments in sport constitute a material contribution to the sport commodity itself and enable an acute sense of ‘authenticity’ which may challenge sport's (as a cultural industry) political economy. Second is the ways supporters' ‘de-fetishizing’ of the sport commodity may combine with the commoditizing of athletes' labour power as workers to limit their capitalizing on the symbolic fruits of their own labour.