bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gemcitabine sensitivity-related mRNA expression in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of unresectable pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ashida Reiko , Nakata Bunzo , Shigekawa Minoru , Mizuno Nobumasa , Sawaki Akira , Hirakawa Kosei , Arakawa Tetsuo , Yamao Kenji
Published: June 2009

Background

The aim of this study was to determine a predictive indicator of gemcitabine (GEM) efficacy in unresectable pancreatic cancer using tissue obtained by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA).

Methods

mRNAs extracted from 35 pancreatic tubular adenocarcinoma tissues obtained by EUS-FNA before GEM-treatment were studied. mRNAs were amplified and applied to a Focused DNA Array, which was restricted to well-known genes, including GEM sensitivity-related genes, deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), hENT2, dCMP deaminase, cytidine deaminase, 5'-nucleotidase, ribonucleotide reductase 1 (RRM1) and RRM2. mRNA levels were classified into high and low expression based on a cut-off value defined as the average expression of 35 samples. These 35 patients were divided into the following two groups. Patients with partial response and those with stable disease whose tumor markers decreased by 50% or more were classified as the effective group. The rest of patients were classified as the non-effective group. The relationship between GEM efficacy and mRNA expression was then examined by chi-squared test.

Results

Among these GEM sensitivity-related genes, dCK alone showed a significant correlation with GEM efficacy. Eight of 12 patients in the effective group had high dCK expression, whereas 16 of 23 patients in non-effective group had low dCK expressions (P = 0.0398).

Conclusion

dCK mRNA expression is a candidate indicator for GEM efficacy in unresectable pancreatic cancer. Quantitative mRNA measurements of dCK using EUS-FNA samples are necessary for definitive conclusions.
A hidden reservoir of integrative elements is the major source of recently acquired foreign genes and ORFans in archaeal and bacterial genomes
Authors: Cortez Diego , Forterre Patrick , Gribaldo Simonetta
Published: June 2009

Background

Archaeal and bacterial genomes contain a number of genes of foreign origin that arose from recent horizontal gene transfer, but the role of integrative elements (IEs), such as viruses, plasmids, and transposable elements, in this process has not been extensively quantified. Moreover, it is not known whether IEs play an important role in the origin of ORFans (open reading frames without matches in current sequence databases), whose proportion remains stable despite the growing number of complete sequenced genomes.

Results

We have performed a large-scale survey of potential recently acquired IEs in 119 archaeal and bacterial genomes. We developed an accuratein silicoMarkov model-based strategy to identify clusters of genes that show atypical sequence composition (clusters of atypical genes or CAGs) and are thus likely to be recently integrated foreign elements, including IEs. Our method identified a high number of new CAGs. Probabilistic analysis of gene content indicates that 56% of these new CAGs are likely IEs, whereas only 7% likely originated via horizontal gene transfer from distant cellular sources. Thirty-four percent of CAGs remain unassigned, what may reflect a still poor sampling of IEs associated with bacterial and archaeal diversity. Moreover, our study contributes to the issue of the origin of ORFans, because 39% of these are found inside CAGs, many of which likely represent recently acquired IEs.

Conclusions

Our results strongly indicate that archaeal and bacterial genomes contain an impressive proportion of recently acquired foreign genes (including ORFans) coming from a still largely unexplored reservoir of IEs.
Global expression analysis of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus (Phaeophyceae) reveals large-scale reprogramming of the transcriptome in response to abiotic stress
Authors: Dittami Simon M , Scornet Delphine , Petit Jean-Louis , Ségurens Béatrice , Da Silva Corinne , Corre Erwan , Dondrup Michael , Glatting Karl-Heinz , König Rainer , Sterck Lieven , Rouzé Pierre , Van de Peer Yves , Cock J Mark , Boyen Catherine , Tonon Thierry
Published: June 2009

Background

Brown algae (Phaeophyceae) are phylogenetically distant from red and green algae and an important component of the coastal ecosystem. They have developed unique mechanisms that allow them to inhabit the intertidal zone, an environment with high levels of abiotic stress. Ectocarpus siliculosus is being established as a genetic and genomic model for the brown algal lineage, but little is known about its response to abiotic stress.

Results

Here we examine the transcriptomic changes that occur during the short-term acclimation of E. siliculosus to three different abiotic stress conditions (hyposaline, hypersaline and oxidative stress). Our results show that almost 70% of the expressed genes are regulated in response to at least one of these stressors. Although there are several common elements with terrestrial plants, such as repression of growth-related genes, switching from primary production to protein and nutrient recycling processes, and induction of genes involved in vesicular trafficking, many of the stress-regulated genes are either not known to respond to stress in other organisms or are have been found exclusively in E. siliculosus.

Conclusions

This first large-scale transcriptomic study of a brown alga demonstrates that, unlike terrestrial plants, E. siliculosus undergoes extensive reprogramming of its transcriptome during the acclimation to mild abiotic stress. We identify several new genes and pathways with a putative function in the stress response and thus pave the way for more detailed investigations of the mechanisms underlying the stress tolerance ofbrown algae.
Plasma Selenium, Manganese Superoxide Dismutase, and Intermediate- or High-Risk Prostate Cancer
Authors: Chan June M. , Oh William K. , Xie Wanling , Regan Meredith M. , Stampfer Meir J. , King Irena B. , Abe Miyako , Kantoff Philip W.
Published: June 2009

Purpose

In vitro, in vivo, and epidemiologic studies support a role for selenium in reducing the risk of prostate cancer. Our group previously demonstrated a strong interaction between plasma selenium and the manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) gene and incident prostate cancer risk. We now hypothesized that SOD2 modifies the association between selenium level and risk of aggressive prostate cancer at diagnosis.

Patients and Methods

We assessed SOD2 variants and plasma selenium in 489 patients with localized/locally advanced prostate cancer from an ongoing retrospective cohort. Cross-sectional associations with aggressive prostate cancer (ie, stage T2b-3, prostate-specific antigen > 10 ng/mL, or biopsy Gleason score ≥ 7) were evaluated using the χ2test, Cochran-Armitage test for trend, and estimations of relative risk (RR) and 95% CIs.

Results

SOD2 genotype alone was not associated with disease aggressiveness, whereas higher versus lower selenium levels were associated with a slightly increased likelihood of presenting with aggressive disease (RR = 1.35; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.84). There was evidence of an interaction between SOD2 and selenium levels such that among men with the AA genotype, higher selenium levels were associated with a reduced risk of presenting with aggressive disease (RR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.32 to 1.12), whereas among men with a V allele, higher selenium levels were associated with an increased risk of aggressive disease (for VV or VA men, RR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.61; P for interaction = .007).

Conclusion

These data suggest that the relationship between circulating selenium levels at diagnosis and prognostic risk of prostate cancer is modified by SOD2 genotype and indicate caution against broad use of selenium supplementation for men with prostate cancer.
Multicenter Study of Decitabine Administered Daily for 5 Days Every 4 Weeks to Adults With Myelodysplastic Syndromes: The Alternative Dosing for Outpatient Treatment (ADOPT) Trial
Authors: Steensma David P. , Baer Maria R. , Slack James L. , Buckstein Rena , Godley Lucy A. , Garcia-Manero Guillermo , Albitar Maher , Larsen Julie S. , Arora Sujata , Cullen Michael T. , Kantarjian Hagop
Published: June 2009

Purpose

Decitabine, a DNA-targeted hypomethylating agent, is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) on a schedule of 15 mg/m2 administered via intravenous (IV) infusion every 8 hours for 3 days. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of an alternative dosing regimen administered on an outpatient basis in academic and community-based practices.

Patients and Methods

Patients were treated with decitabine 20 mg/m2 by IV infusion daily for 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks. Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years of age and had MDS (de novo or secondary) of any French-American-British (FAB) subtype and an International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) score ≥ 0.5. The primary end point was the overall response rate (ORR) by International Working Group (IWG 2006) criteria; secondary end points included cytogenetic responses, hematologic improvement (HI), response duration, survival, and safety.

Results

Ninety-nine patients were enrolled; the ORR was 32% (17 complete responses [CR] plus 15 marrow CRs [mCRs]), and the overall improvement rate was 51%, which included 18% HI. Similar response rates were observed in all FAB subtypes and IPSS risk categories. Among patients who improved, 82% demonstrated responses by the end of cycle 2. Among 33 patients assessable for a cytogenetic response, 17 (52%) experienced cytogenetic CR (n = 11) or partial response (n = 6).

Conclusion

Decitabine given on a 5-day schedule provided meaningful clinical benefit for patients with MDS, with more than half demonstrating improvement. This suggests that decitabine can be administered in an outpatient setting with comparable efficacy and safety to the United States Food and Drug Administration–approved inpatient regimen.
Macrophage Markers in Serum and Tumor Have Prognostic Impact in American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage I/II Melanoma
Authors: Jensen Trine O. , Schmidt Henrik , Møller Holger Jon , Høyer Morten , Maniecki Maciej Bogdan , Sjoegren Pia , Christensen Ib Jarle , Steiniche Torben
Published: June 2009

Purpose

To evaluate the prognostic role of soluble CD163 (sCD163) in serum and macrophage infiltration in primary melanomas from patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I/II melanoma. The scavenger receptor CD163 is associated with anti-inflammatory macrophages, and it is shed from their surface.

Patients and Methods

Serum samples from 227 patients with stage I/II melanoma obtained before definitive surgery (baseline) and during 5 years of follow-up were analyzed for sCD163 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Excised formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary melanomas from 190 patients were available for immunohistochemical analyzes of CD163+ and CD68+ macrophage infiltration. They were estimated semiquantitatively in three different tumor compartments: tumor nests, tumor stroma, and at the invasive front of the tumor.

Results

Serum sCD163 treated as an updated continuous covariate as well as the baseline value were analyzed together with the covariate's ulceration and thickness in a Cox proportional hazards model. sCD163 was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (baseline, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.7; P = .01; and updated, HR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.8; P = .003). Melanomas with dense CD163+ macrophage infiltration in tumor stroma and CD68+ macrophage infiltration at the invasive front were associated with poor overall survival (CD163, HR = 2.7; 95% CI, 0.8 to 9.3; P = .11; and CD68, HR = 2.8; 95% CI, 1.2 to 6.8; P = .02) independent (borderline for CD163) of thickness and ulceration.

Conclusion

Both serum levels of sCD163 and the presence of CD68+ macrophage infiltration at the tumor invasive front are independent predictors of survival in AJCC stage I/II melanoma. CD163+ cell infiltration in tumor stroma may be predictive of survival.
A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of structured patient interactions on pharmacy students' counselling behaviours and attitudes
Authors: Guirguis Lisa M , Chewning Betty A , Kieser Mara A
Published: June 2009

Objectives

To determine whether pharmacy students who performed Diabetes Checks with patients have greater improvements in attitudes and behaviour regarding monitoring than students who performed a control activity. The Diabetes Check is a brief structured interaction that was designed to facilitate patient-pharmacist conversations about monitoring A1c, blood pressure and cholesterol (diabetes ABCs).

Methods

A randomized controlled trial was conducted where students in the intervention group performed five to ten Diabetes Checks. In the control group, students performed two drug-profile reviews for patients with diabetes. Students completed a pre- and post-assessment of the frequency of monitoring behaviour and attitudes, including self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, role beliefs (counselling role orientation and monitoring role orientation) and mattering. Improvements in behaviours and attitudes were assessed with bivariate and multiple linear regression. The study setting was University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and its affiliated Ambulatory Pharmaceutical Care Clerkship community pharmacies. Key findings Of 130 students, 119 (92%) completed surveys at both time points. Students who completed the Diabetes Check intervention had greater improvements in the frequency of monitoring patients' A1c values and in their counselling role orientation than control group students.

Conclusions

The Diabetes Check improved pharmacy students' monitoring behaviour and general counselling beliefs. The Diabetes Check is a practical intervention to get patients and pharmacy students working together to monitor diabetes and potentially improve patient health.
Nonenzymatic Regioselective Acylation of Carbohydrates
Authors: Kawabata Takeo , Furuta Takumi
Published: June 2009

A nonenzymatic one-step procedure for the chemo- and regioselective acylation of carbohydrates has been developed. With 1 mol % of an organocatalyst, acylation of octyl β-d-glucopyranoside took place preferentially on the secondary hydroxy group at C(4) among four hydroxy groups including the primary hydroxy group at C(6) in 99% selectivity and in 98% yield. This could be alternatively achieved by a conventional protection/deprotection procedure via five steps and in 46% overall yield. Thus, development of the present process is expected to contribute to extremely shorten synthetic steps of carbohydrates.
Oxygen Evolution from Water Catalyzed by Mononuclear Ruthenium Complexes with a Triazamacrocyclic Ligand in a Facial Fashion
Authors: Yoshida Masaki , Masaoka Shigeyuki , Sakai Ken
Published: June 2009

[Ru(tmtacn)(R2bpy)(OH2)]2+ (tmtacn = 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane; R2bpy = 4,4′-disubstituted-2,2′-bipyridines, R=H, Me, and OMe) with tmtacn ligated in a facial fashion is found to be active as O2-evolving catalysts. It is also found that the stronger electron-donating character of R2bpy gives rise to the higher O2-evolving activity.
Mutual Chiral Discrimination between Tricationic and Trianionic Sulfur-bridged Tricobalt(III) Complexes
Authors: Yuan Hou Qun , Igashira-Kamiyama Asako , Tsuge Kiyoshi , Konno Takumi
Published: June 2009

Treatment of the racemic (Δ)2⁄(Λ)2 isomer of the tricationic complex, [Co3(aet)6]3+ ([1]3+), with the optically active (ΛLLL)2 isomer of the trianionic complex, [Co3(l-cys-N,S)6]3− ([2]3−), afforded only the (Δ)2(ΛLLL)2 isomer of the complex salt, [Co3(aet)6][Co3(l-cys-N,S)6] (3), the structure of which was determined by X-ray crystallography. The selective formation of this isomer was also observed when the racemic isomer of [1]3+ was treated with a 1:1 mixture of the (ΔLLL)2 and (ΛLLL)2 isomers of [2]3−.
Syntheses and Physicochemical Properties of New Ionic Liquids Based on the Hexafluorouranate Anion
Authors: Kanatani Takatsugu , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Hagiwara Rika
Published: June 2009

The first syntheses of a series of ionic liquids based on the hexafluorouranate(V) anion are described along with their physicochemical and electrochemical properties. The green room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorouranate (EMImUF6), exhibits a conductivity of 7.9 mS cm−1, viscosity of 59 cP, and electrochemical window of 2.3 V at 298 K.
Free Vibration of Perforated Plates
Authors: Hota Sasank Sekhar , Padhi Payodhar , Rout Mrutyunjay
Published: June 2009

A subparametric triangular plate bending element of first order shear deformation has been combined for the first time with the approach of constraints that helps maintain uniform mesh size and shape even while dealing with cutouts of arbitrary shapes. This is a distinct improvement over the existing practices of cutout modeling. Further the formulation being based on the subparametric element offers the scope of achieving matching modes, which enables the model to remain free from problems of locking and spurious zero energy modes while solving problems of very thin plates. Benchmark examples on free vibration of rectangular plates with cutouts have been solved to test the accuracy of the model. The author's own problems are also presented on mode shapes.
Use of Noise Barriers for Helicopter Noise Mitigation
Authors: Menounou Penelope , Papaefthymiou Evangelos
Published: June 2009

The possibility of using noise barriers for helicopter noise mitigation is numerically investigated. The noise field produced by an isolated main rotor in the presence of a barrier on the ground is predicted by employing and appropriately modifying existing diffraction and reflection models. It is shown that noise barriers can provide substantial shielding from helicopter noise and conclusions are drawn regarding barrier configuration and helicopter operations.
Go (Con)figure: Subgroups, Imbalance, and Isolates in Geographically Dispersed Teams
Authors: O'Leary Michael Boyer , Mortensen Mark
Published: June 2009

Research regarding geographically dispersed teams (GDTs) is increasingly common and has yielded many insights regarding the effects of spatio-temporal and socio-demographic factors on GDT functioning and performance. Largely missing, however, is research on the effects of the basic geographic configuration of GDTs. In this study, we explore the impact of GDT configuration (i.e., the relative number of team members at different sites, independent of the characteristics of those members or the spatial and temporal distances among them) on individual, subgroup, and team-level dynamics. In a quasi-experimental setting, we examine the effects of configuration using a sample of 62 six-person teams in four different one- and two-site configurations. As predicted based on social categorization, we find that configuration significantly affects team dynamics—independent of spatio-temporal distance and socio-demographic factors. More specifically, we find that the social categorization in teams with geographically based subgroups (defined as two or more members per site) triggers significantly weaker identification with the team, less effective transactive memory, more conflict, and more coordination problems. Furthermore, imbalance in the size of subgroups (i.e., the uneven distribution of members across sites) invokes a competitive, coalitional mentality that exacerbates these effects; subgroups with a numerical minority of team members report significantly poorer scores on identification, transactive memory, conflict, and coordination problems. In contrast, teams with geographically isolated members (i.e., members who have no teammates at their site) have better scores on these same four outcomes than both balanced and imbalanced configurations.
Organizational Learning from Extreme Performance Experience: The Impact of Success and Recovery Experience
Authors: Kim June-Young , Kim Ji-Yub (Jay) , Miner Anne S.
Published: June 2009

This paper argues that two different types of a firm's own extreme performance experiences—success and recovery—and their interactions can generate survival-enhancing learning. Although these types of experience often represent valuable sources of useful learning, several important learning challenges arise when a firm has extremely limited prior experience of the same type. Thus, we theorize that a certain threshold of a given type of experience is required before each type of experience becomes valuable, with low levels of experience harming the organization. Furthermore, we propose that success and recovery experience will interact to enhance each other's value. These conditions can help overcome learning challenges such as superstitious learning or learning from small samples. We investigate our ideas using a sample of the U.S. commercial banks founded between 1984 and 1998. Our results indicate that both success and recovery experience of a firm generate survival-enhancing learning, but only after a certain level of experience is reached. Furthermore, success and recovery experience enhance each other's learning value, consistent with the theories that emphasize the importance of richer and contrasting experience in providing useful knowledge. Our framework advances organizational learning theory by presenting a contingent model of the impact of success and recovery experience and their interaction.
Random‐effects meta‐analysis of correlations: Monte Carlo evaluation of mean estimators
Authors: Hafdahl Adam R.
Published: June 2009

Several authors have cautioned against using Fisher'sz‐transformation in random‐effects meta‐analysis of correlations, which seems to perform poorly in some situations, especially with substantial inter‐study heterogeneity. Attributing this performance largely to the directz‐to‐rtransformation (DZRT) of Fisherzresults (e.g. point estimate of mean correlation), in a previous paperHafdahl (2009)proposed point and interval estimators of the mean Pearsonrcorrelation that instead use an integralz‐to‐rtransformation (IZRT). The present Monte Carlo study of these IZRT Fisherzestimators includes comparisons with their DZRT counterparts and with estimators based on Pearsonrcorrelations. The IZRT point estimator was usually more accurate and efficient than its DZRT counterpart and comparable to the two Pearsonrpoint estimators – better in some conditions but worse in others. Coverage probability for the IZRT confidence intervals (CIs) was often near nominal, much better than for the DZRT CIs, and comparable to coverage for the PearsonrCIs; every approach's CI fell markedly below nominal in some conditions. The IZRT estimators contradict warnings about Fisherzestimators' poor performance. Recommendations for practising research synthesists are offered, and anAppendixprovides computing code to implement the IZRT as in the real‐data example.
Do psychologically‐minded clients expect more from counselling?
Authors: Beitel Mark , Hutz Aida , Sheffield Kristin M. , Gunn Chris , Cecero John J. , Barry Declan T.
Published: June 2009

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological mindedness and clients' expectations about counselling.

Design. A cross‐sectional design was employed to assess correlations among study variables.

Methods. Participants were 104 counselling‐centre clients at a mid‐size, Southwestern US university. Participant volunteers filled out the Psychological Mindedness Scale, life orientation test‐revised (LOT‐R), and the expectations‐about‐counselling questionnaire.

Results. Clients who reported higher levels of psychological mindedness (PM) reported greater expectations of self‐involvement in counselling and greater expectations of positive outcome. In contrast, PM was not significantly related to clients' expectations about their counsellors' in‐session behaviour or to expectations about their counsellors' general personality style. Dispositional optimism (LOT‐R) did not play a major role in the relationship between PM and expectations about counselling.

Conclusions. High PM clients do seem to expect more from counselling than low PM clients, particularly in terms of self‐involvement in the process and with respect to positive outcome. Consequently, therapists should consider assessing clients' PM, expectations, and the relationship between PM and expectations.
Picture Revolution: Transnationalism, American Studies, and the Politics of Contemporary Native Culture
Authors: Huhndorf Shari M.
Published: June 2009

Since the 1980s, political shifts within Native America, including the transnational indigenous peoples movement, have increasingly emphasized connections among indigenous communities, illuminated the place of Native America in global imperialism, and reshaped indigenous cultural production. Indigenous transnationalism, this essay argues, carries particular weight for feminism and other contemporary anti-colonial strategies as it also draws Native studies into a closer but frequently vexed relationship with postnationalist American studies. Parallel transnational tendencies in American studies and Native American studies have heretofore worked at cross-purposes: as pan-tribal alliances draw attention to U.S. internal colonialism and its connections to global imperialism, postnationalist American studies has largely neglected the ongoing colonization of Native America. Through an analysis of Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Almanac of the Dead and Shelley Niro’s multimedia installation “The Border,” this essay addresses this neglect by considering what happens to postnationalist American studies when you put Native studies at the center.
"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet": Beloved , the American Chain Gang, and the Middle Passage Remix
Authors: Childs Dennis
Published: June 2009

This article offers a reassessment of Toni Morrison’s most acclaimed novel, Beloved , a text that has been consistently described by critics as a “neo-slave narrative.” This generic tag denotes a set of modern—usually latter twentieth century—novels that offer retrospective narrations of chattel slavery from a “post” slavery context. I challenge this prevailing view of the novel by describing it as a narrative of neoslavery , a term that I use to describe texts in which the institutional, legal, and spatial survivals of chattel slavery after de jure emancipation are thrown into relief. I offer analysis of Morrison’s graphic depiction of three of the most horrific penal architectures in US history—the slave ship, the plantation, and the chain gang camp—contending that Beloved is as concerned with “future” racial traumas, i.e. those occurring after the Civil War, as it is on those of the chattel slavery past. When read in relation to Morrison ’s portrait of the Middle Passage, the chain gang scene focalizes the intimate connections of ante- and postbellum formations of racial and spatial terrorismsystems of abjection that have culminated in the modern prison industrial complex which currently encages well over 2.3 million people. The living entombment of Paul D and 45 other black men in a chain gang “box” in Alfred, Georgia, represents a forward haunting intrusion of a postbellum spatial formation of penal terror into the action of a novel ostensibly fixated on the antebellum past. I consequently read the chain gang scene—and Beloved as a whole—as a narrative articulation of what I describe as the Middle Passage carceral model , a system of racial and spatial terrorism that belies liberal notions of historical progress while bringing into focus the long-standing criminality of the racial capitalist state.
"Is It Ridiculous for me to Say I Want to Write?": Domestic Humor and Redefining the 1950s Housewife Writer in Fan Mail to Shirley Jackson
Authors: Neuhaus Jessamyn
Published: June 2009

Letters to author Shirley Jackson from fans of her domestic-humor literature offer important new evidence about the complexities and contradictions of gender norms in the post-World War II era. They bolster scholarship that acknowledges the power of postwar domestic and gender ideology, but also locates the sites where women, however tentatively, questioned the limitations of Betty Friedan's feminine mystique. This article demonstrates that women read such domestic-humor literature as Jackson's in contradictory ways. On the one hand, these letters support, at least in part, Friedan's assertion that the so-called housewife writer and domestic-humor literature reinforced domestic gender norms. On the other hand, these letters also demonstrate that the figure of the housewife writer represented a very specific strategic response to the rigid gender norms of the feminine mystique. The housewife writer blurred and subverted the line between the work of the "housewife" and that of the writer.
Eye and I: Negotiating Distance in Eyewitness Narrative
Authors: Eakin Paul John
Published: June 2009

Eyewitness narratives promise immediacy, the authority of you-are-there witness to the events of the past. Such narratives, however, whether those by comparatively removed witness-observers or those by more directly involved witness-participants, pose difficult problems of distance. How do the limits and possibilities of eyewitness experience contribute to working through the identity concerns that autobiographies typically engage? Revisiting history in their relational autobiographies, Passage to Ararat and Maus , Michael Arlen and Art Spiegelman look to eyewitness narrative to bridge the gap that separates them from their fathers. In her Holocaust memoir, Still Alive , by contrast, Ruth Kluger takes a darker view, exposing the manifold registers of distance -- linguistic, psychological, epistemological -- that complicate her own and any quest to stand at the eyewitness ground zero of biographical and historical knowledge.
The 3x + 1 Conjugacy Map over a Sturmian Word
Authors: López Josefina , Stoll Peter
Published: June 2009

The 3
The Interrelations of Agency, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation Among Older Adults
Authors: Hobbs Mitchell , McLaren Suzanne
Published: June 2009

The high rates of suicide among older men are cause for concern, and have prompted the investigation of factors that might explain these elevated rates. The current research examined whether the gender role construct agency was associated with depression and suicidal ideation among older adults. The results, based on self‐report data from a sample of older Australian men (n = 69) and women (n = 90), indicated that depression mediated the relation between agency and suicidal ideation. In addition, for older men only, agency moderated the depression‐suicidal ideation relation. The results suggest that older adults, and particularly men, with low levels of agency should be the targets for interventions aimed at increasing levels of agency and improving mental health.
Legal Bans on Pro‐Suicide Web Sites: An Early Retrospective from Australia
Authors: Pirkis Jane , Neal Luke , Dare Andrew , Blood R. Warwick , Studdert David
Published: June 2009

There are worldwide concerns that pro‐suicide web sites may trigger suicidal behaviors among vulnerable individuals. In 2006, A ustralia became the first country to criminalize such sites, sparking heated debate. Concerns were expressed that the law casts the criminal net too widely; inappropriately interferes with the autonomy of those who wish to die; and has jurisdictional limitations, with off‐shore web sites remaining largely immune. Conversely, proponents point out that the law may limit access to domestic pro‐suicide web sites, raise awareness of Internet‐related suicide, mobilize community efforts to combat it, and serve as a powerful expression of societal norms about the promotion of suicidal behavior.
Age and Gender Differences in the Use of Various Poisoning Methods for Deliberate Parasuicide Cases Admitted to Loghman Hospital in Tehran (2000–2004)
Authors: Ghazinour Mehdi , Emami Habib , Richter Jorg , Abdollahi Mohammad , Pazhumand Abdolkarim
Published: June 2009

Different methods of poisoning used by individuals with the diagnosis of parasuicide admitted to the Loghman Hospital, Tehran, from 2000 to 2004 were investigated, with particular focus on gender and age differences. Drugs, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals (women: 12.7%, men: 9%) were the most commonly used methods. In males, the percentage of use of drugs increased with age, but the frequency of pesticides use decreased with age. In females, drugs were most often used in the youngest age group, whereas the use of pesticides was lowest in the youngest age category. Females outnumbered males, especially in the youngest age group of 10 to 19 years olds. Drugs and pesticides were the substances used most often for parasuicide in each age group regardless of gender.
Choreia and Aesthetics in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo: The Performance of the Delian Maidens (Lines 156–64)
Authors: Peponi Anastasia-Erasmia
Published: June 2009

This article focuses on a set of problems involving a controversial portion of the HHA (lines 156–64) that describes the performance of the Delian chorus in a rare instance of early performance criticism. First, the two variants for a key noun in line 162, bambaliastus and krembaliastus, are discussed. Skepticism is expressed about the applicability to this scene of the first variant (favored by numerous scholars). On the contrary, krembaliastus—the suitability of which has not been discussed in detail, even by scholars who seem to have favored it—can make good sense. Literary and iconographic evidence makes it plausible that krembaliastus denotes the act of generating through percussion devices called krembala (similar or identical to krotala) rhythmic patterns meant to govern stylized movement, what the Greeks called schêmata. The marked term krembaliastus was probably employed to evoke a characteristic trait of the highly skilled Deliades. Furthermore, as vocal and kinetic activities were inextricably linked in choral practices, they are ultimately conceptualized as part of the same unified expressive mechanism (here denoted as φθέγγεσθαι 164). The author also questions the conventional interpretation of mimeisthai (163) as “mimicking,” instead reading it as “representation,” involving the evocation of the essence of an entity but not necessarily exact reproduction of its formal details. Finally the essay argues that the Delian chorus' art of “knowing how to represent the voices and the rhythmic patterns of all people” designates the perfection of choral performance, as an all-inclusive enactment that forms a powerful trans-local bond.
Diverting Demons: Ritual, Poetic Mockery and the Odysseus-Iros Encounter
Authors: Steiner Deborah
Published: June 2009

This article treats the verbal and physical altercation between the disguised Odysseus and the local beggar Iros at the start of Odyssey 18 and explores the overlapping ritual and generic aspects of the encounter so as to account for many of its otherwise puzzling features. Beginning with the detailed characterization of Iros at the book's start, I demonstrate how the poet assigns to the parasite properties and modes of behavior that have close analogues in later descriptions of pharmakoi and of famine demons expelled from communities in rites that are documented from different parts of the Greek world from the archaic period on; so too the account of Iros' ejection from the house and of his subsequent fate conforms to the patterns observable in these rituals. The second part of the discussion examines the ways in which the beggars' quarrel anticipates the enmities that the Ionian iambographers would construct with those whom they cast as their echthroi and rivals, and suggests that we see in the Homeric scene an early instance of an iambic-style confrontation presented in poetic form for performance at the symposium. The iambographers' own deployment of the scapegoat and famine demon paradigms for the vilification of their targets promotes the overlap between the epic and iambic material. In both portions of the argument, the discussion observes how the several frames informing the episode in Book 18 coincide with and promote the Odyssey's larger themes.
Temporal and spatial variation in landscape connectivity for a freshwater turtle in a temporally dynamic wetland system
Authors: Roe John H. , Brinton Alicia C. , Georges Arthur
Published: June 2009

Inter‐wetland connectivity, defined here as the movement of biota among discrete water bodies, can have important population‐ and community‐level consequences in aquatic systems. We examined inter‐wetland connectivity in a southeastern Australian national park by intensively monitoring the movements of freshwater turtles (Chelodina longicollis) via capture–mark–recapture over a three‐year period, and more sporadically for 25 years. A high percentage (33%) of turtles moved between wetlands, suggesting that single wetlands should not represent the minimum habitat unit harboring a C. longicollis population. Distance was the only structural landscape metric correlated with inter‐patch transition probability, with probability declining as inter‐wetland distance increased. Movements also appear to be strongly influenced by shifting resource quality gradients between temporary wetlands and permanent lakes according to drought and flood cycles, a pattern more consistent with migration between critical resource patches than occasional interpopulational dispersal. Rare dispersal events of up to 5.2 km were known to occur. Captures at a terrestrial drift fence suggest that small and immature turtles moved between wetlands more frequently than our aquatic sampling indicated. We caution that measures of actual (or functional) connectivity can be biased by sampling methods and the temporal scale of sampling and must also be interpreted in the context of factors that motivate animal movements. This requires some understanding of spatial and temporal variation in intra‐patch processes (e.g., quality and extent) and the expected movement responses of animals (e.g., habitat selection) over extended time frames, information that can potentially yield more important insight on connectivity than measures of landscape structural features alone.
Structured decision making as a conceptual framework to identify thresholds for conservation and management
Authors: Martin Julien , Runge Michael C. , Nichols James D. , Lubow Bruce C. , Kendall William L.
Published: June 2009

Thresholds and their relevance to conservation have become a major topic of discussion in the ecological literature. Unfortunately, in many cases the lack of a clear conceptual framework for thinking about thresholds may have led to confusion in attempts to apply the concept of thresholds to conservation decisions. Here, we advocate a framework for thinking about thresholds in terms of a structured decision making process. The purpose of this framework is to promote a logical and transparent process for making informed decisions for conservation.

Specification of such a framework leads naturally to consideration of definitions and roles of different kinds of thresholds in the process. We distinguish among three categories of thresholds. Ecological thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes bring about substantial changes in system dynamics. Utility thresholds are components of management objectives (determined by human values) and are values of state or performance variables at which small changes yield substantial changes in the value of the management outcome. Decision thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes prompt changes in management actions in order to reach specified management objectives. The approach that we present focuses directly on the objectives of management, with an aim to providing decisions that are optimal with respect to those objectives. This approach clearly distinguishes the components of the decision process that are inherently subjective (management objectives, potential management actions) from those that are more objective (system models, estimates of system state). Optimization based on these components then leads to decision matrices specifying optimal actions to be taken at various values of system state variables. Values of state variables separating different actions in such matrices are viewed as decision thresholds. Utility thresholds are included in the objectives component, and ecological thresholds may be embedded in models projecting consequences of management actions. Decision thresholds are determined by the above‐listed components of a structured decision process. These components may themselves vary over time, inducing variation in the decision thresholds inherited from them. These dynamic decision thresholds can then be determined using adaptive management. We provide numerical examples (that are based on patch occupancy models) of structured decision processes that include all three kinds of thresholds.
Marbled Murrelet nest predation risk in managed forest landscapes: dynamic fragmentation effects at multiple scales
Authors: Malt Joshua M. , Lank David B.
Published: June 2009

The effects of forest fragmentation on bird populations have been studied primarily as static phenomena. Yet when forests are allowed to regenerate, local edge contrast and landscape matrix composition change with time, and we would expect fragmentation effects to change accordingly. Describing this process is critical for the conservation of avian species sensitive to forest fragmentation, including the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), a seabird threatened by ongoing harvest of old‐growth forest nesting habitat. We experimentally assessed potential murrelet nest predation probability in four regions of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. We compared the fates of 448 simulated murrelet nests at paired edge and interior treatments, at sites with “hard” edges (recent clearcuts), “soft” edges (regenerating forest), and natural edges (i.e., riparian areas). Motion‐sensitive digital nest cameras enabled us to focus on known predators of real nests, and patterns of nest fates did not differ between real and simulated nests. Using information‐theoretic model selection (AIC) with the combined data set (116 sites), we assessed effects at patch (∼13 ha), landscape (∼1700 ha), and regional (∼96 000 ha) scales. Nest disturbance probability at hard edges was 2.5 times that of interior sites, but soft edges had less than half the disturbance probability of interiors. There was no edge effect at natural edges. At the landscape scale, overall avian disturbance risk declined by as much as 50% with increasing amounts of regenerating forest in the surrounding matrix. These results indicate that initially negative fragmentation effects decrease as forests regenerate, at both patch and landscape scales. There was no evidence that these patterns differed between regions. Predator surveys suggested that Steller's Jays drive patterns of nest predation risk at the regional scale. Assuming that corvids are the most important predators, larger reserves of habitat will lessen negative hard‐edge effects. Smaller reserves should be embedded in a protective matrix of regenerating forest to reduce predation risk at both patch and landscape scales. Our results suggest that dynamic fragmentation effects are generalizable across widespread regions and can be broadly applied to both murrelet management and the conservation of old‐growth forest‐breeding birds in general.
Historical fire and multidecadal drought as context for piñon–juniper woodland restoration in western Colorado
Authors: Shinneman Douglas J. , Baker William L.
Published: June 2009

Fire is known to structure tree populations, but the role of broad‐scale climate variability is less clear. For example, the influence of climatic “teleconnections” (the relationship between oceanic–atmospheric fluctuations and anomalous weather patterns across broad scales) on forest age structure is relatively unexplored. We sampled semiarid piñon–juniper (Pinus edulis–Juniperus osteosperma) woodlands in western Colorado, USA, to test the hypothesis that woodland age structures are shaped by climate, including links to oceanic–atmospheric fluctuations, and by past fires and livestock grazing. Low‐severity surface fire was lacking, as fire scars were absent, and did not influence woodland densities, but stand‐replacing fires served as long‐rotation (>400–600 years), stand‐initiating events. Old‐growth stands (>300 years old) were found in 75% of plots, consistent with a long fire rotation. Juniper and piñon age structures suggest contrasting responses during the past several centuries to dry and wet episodes linked to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Juniper density increased slightly during periods of drought, positive (warm) AMO (after ∼10‐year lag), and negative (cool) PDO. In contrast, piñon populations may still be recovering from a long, drought‐filled period (AD 1620–1820), with pulses of recovery favored during cool AMO, warm PDO, and above‐average moisture periods. Analysis of 20th‐century tree establishment and instrumental climate data corroborate the long‐term relationships between age structure and climate. After Euro–American settlement (AD 1881), livestock grazing reduced understory grasses and forbs, reducing competition with tree seedlings and facilitating climate‐induced increases in piñons. Thus tree populations in these woodlands are in flux, affected by drought and wet periods linked to oceanic–atmospheric variability, Euro–American livestock grazing, and long‐rotation, high‐severity fires. Reductions in livestock grazing levels may aid ecological restoration efforts. However, given long‐term fluctuations in tree density and composition, and expected further drought, thinning or burning to reduce tree populations may be misdirected.