bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment and Prevention of Recurrence of Multinodular Goiter: An Evidence‐based Review of the Literature
Authors: Moalem Jacob , Suh Insoo , Duh Quan‐Yang
Published: February 2008

Background

Reportedly, 10−15% of patients with goiters ultimately require operative intervention, and recurrences of multinodular goiter (MNG) account for up to 12% of all thyroid operations.

Methods

We performed an evidence‐based review of articles published in the English language between January 1987 and October 2007 relevant to the subject.

Results

Medical treatment with T4 appears to be associated with a greater proportion of patients whose nodules decreased in size by more than 50% (22% vs. 10%; range = 14–39% vs. 0–20%). Recurrence rates of benign nodular goiter after total thyroidectomy were essentially nonexistent (range = 0–0.3%) compared with those after subtotal thyroidectomy (range = 2.5–42%) and more limited resections (range = 8–34%). There was no difference between total and less‐than‐total thyroidectomy with respect to temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury (1–10% vs. 0.9–6%, respectively) or permanent RLN palsy (0–1.4%). There was, however, a significantly higher rate of transient hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy than less extensive operations (9–35% vs. 0–18%, respectively). In relation to redo surgery, permanent hypoparathyroidism appeared to be far more common in the redo group (0–22% vs. 0–4%) Moreover; the redo group had more frequent RLN injury, both temporary (0–22% vs. 0.5–18%) and permanent (0–13% vs. 0–4%). About half the studies examined conclude that postoperative TSH suppression is effective in reducing recurrences, while the other half state that it is not.

Conclusion

The definitive management and prevention of recurrence of benign nodular goiter is primarily surgical. Total thyroidectomy essentially eliminates the risk of recurrence without an accompanying increased risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism or RLN injury. Therefore, total thyroidectomy should be considered the procedure of choice for benign multinodular goiter whenever possible, especially considering that reoperations for goiter are significantly more morbid than any initial operation.
Thyroid Incidentaloma: An Evidence‐based Assessment of Management Strategy
Authors: Gough Jenny , Scott‐Coombes David , Fausto Palazzo F.
Published: February 2008

Background

Palpable thyroid nodules are present in 4–7% of the population and their prevalence increases with age. Thyroid incidentalomas—impalpable nodules detected fortuitously during a radiological investigation—may be found in up to 50% of patients. Although numerous guidelines exist that indicate the appropriate management of palpable thyroid nodules, there are no accepted guidelines for the increasingly common thyroid incidentaloma. Presently no level I or II evidence exists on this topic.

Methods

Systematic review of the literature using evidence‐based criteria was performed.

Results

Thyroid incidentalomas are common and are mostly benign lesions. A small proportion is malignant, mainly papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC). Lesions <5 mm in diameter, even if PTMC, exceptionally metastasize and can be safely left. Lesions between 5 mm and 9 mm without sinister radiological features need not be investigated. The appropriate follow‐up is controversial.

Conclusion

It is unlikely that a trial of sufficient power to demonstrate or refute the beneficial effects of presymptomatic investigation of thyroid nodules will take place. We propose a pragmatic approach based on current evidence that balances the benefit of early diagnosis and treatment with the cost to the patient and the healthcare system associated with unnecessary investigations and surgery.
Altered ex vivo cytokine production in zinc-deficient, pair-fed and marginally zinc-deficient growing rats is independent of serum corticosterone concentrations
Authors: Hosea Blewett Heather J. , Rector Edward S. , Taylor Carla G.
Published: February 2008

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of dietary Zn deficiency on the ex vivo cytokine production (IL-2, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-6 and IL-10) of isolated thymocytes and splenocytes after mitogenic stimulation with concavalin A and to explore the role of corticosterone in this regulation. Weanling rats were assigned to one of four dietary treatments for 3 weeks: Zn-deficient ( < 1 mg Zn/kg diet, ad libitum), pair-fed (30 mg Zn/kg diet, limited to amount of feed as consumed by the Zn-deficient group), marginally Zn-deficient (10 mg Zn/kg diet, ad libitum) and control (30 mg Zn/kg diet, ad libitum). Thymocytes and splenocytes were isolated for cytokine stimulation and determination of T-cell phenotypes. Serum corticosterone concentrations were determined by ELISA. The Zn-deficient and pair-fed groups had 14-fold higher serum corticosterone concentrations compared with the marginally Zn-deficient and control groups (P < 0·0001). The proportions of thymocyte subsets were not altered in the Zn-deficient, pair-fed or marginally Zn-deficient groups; however, thymocyte IL-2 and IL-6 production in these groups was 33–54 % lower compared with the control group (P < 0·05). The Zn-deficient group had an 18–28 % lower proportion of new T-cells (TCRαβ+CD90+), but no difference in the proportion of new T-cells that were cytotoxic or helper. The Zn-deficient group had a 49–62 % lower production of Th1 cytokines (IL-2), but no difference in the production of Th2 cytokines (IL-6, IL-10) by stimulated splenocytes compared with the pair-fed, marginally Zn-deficient and control groups (P < 0·01). These results indicate that Zn status is associated with altered cytokine production, while in vivo corticosterone concentrations are not associated with ex vivo cytokine production.
Essential and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status and fatty acid composition of breast milk of lactating adolescents
Authors: Meneses Flávia , Torres Alexandre G. , Trugo Nádia M. F.
Published: February 2008

The aims of the present study were to evaluate essential fatty acids (EFA) and long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) status in lactating adolescents and its association with breast milk composition. Healthy nursing adolescents from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (n 30; 14–19 years; 30–120 d postpartum), exclusively or predominantly breast-feeding, participated in this study. Breast milk and blood samples were collected after overnight fasting. Fatty acid composition of breast milk, erythrocyte membrane (EM) and plasma NEFA were determined by GC. Indices of fatty acid status (mean melting point (MMP); EFA status index; DHA status indices, 22 : 5n-6:22 : 4n-6 and 22 : 6n-3:22 : 5n-6 ratios) were calculated from EM fatty acid composition. Dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids was low when compared with current recommendations for lactating women. MMP was associated with indices of DHA status, some individual fatty acids in EM and years post-menarche and weeks postpartum, suggesting the use of erythrocyte MMP as a possible comprehensive biochemical marker of LCPUFA status in this physiological condition. The DHA status of lactating adolescents and their milk DHA concentrations were similar to the values of Brazilian lactating adults, but lower compared with the values of lactating adults from other countries. Therefore, these lactating adolescents were apparently not disadvantaged, as compared with the Brazilian adults, when EM and breast milk fatty acid composition were considered. In general, PUFA in milk from adolescents presented few associations with their concentrations in plasma NEFA and with maternal status. However, milk DHA was associated with maternal LCPUFA and DHA states.
Bioinformatics analysis of candidate genes and mutations in a congenital sensorineural hearing loss pedigree: detection of 52 genes for the DFNA52 locus
Authors: Qiong Pan , Hu Z , Feng Y , Pan Q , Xia J , Xia K
Published: February 2008

Objective:

Previously, we have mapped the DFNA52 (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) 607683) locus, using an 8.8-cM interval on the human chromosome 5q31.1-q32, in a large, consanguineous Chinese family with congenital sensorineural hearing loss. In order to identify the responsible pathogenic mutation within the DFNA52 locus, we set out to identify candidate disease genes within that region and to sequentially analyse these candidate genes.

Methods:

Using bioinformatics analysis, 52 candidate disease genes were identified based on gene expression data, deafness phenotype, and findings from a mouse model and from the literature (including two mouse deafness genes NEUROG1 and SMAD5). Mutation detection was performed for the 52 candidate genes, in patients from the pedigree.

Results:

In these patients, we found no disease-causing mutations in the coding and splice site regions of these genes, which segregated with the disease. However, 108 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified, of which 15 were novel. Eleven of these 108 single nucleotide polymorphisms altered the encoded amino acid.

Conclusions:

Although we identified a number of nucleotide changes in the affected patients, by analysis of coding and splice site regions of the genes, none of these changes are likely to be pathogenic mutations segregating with the disease. The result implies that the genes studied are unlikely to be a cause of DFNA52-linked sensorineural hearing loss.
Ovarian hormones and binge eating: exploring associations in community samples
Authors: Klump K. L. , Keel P. K. , Culbert K. M. , Edler C.
Published: February 2008

Background

Significant associations between changes in ovarian hormones and binge eating are present across the menstrual cycle in women with bulimia nervosa. However, no study has examined these relationships in a non-clinical sample, despite the need for these data for designing risk-factor studies.

Method

In study 1, we modified several continuous measures of binge eating and identified those that were most sensitive to menstrual-cycle fluctuations in a non-clinical sample of 10 women who completed measures for 35 days. In study 2, we explored associations between ovarian hormones and binge-eating scores in nine women who completed these same measures for 65 days and provided daily saliva samples for assays of estradiol and progesterone concentrations.

Results

In study 1, the Emotional Eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire exhibited superior reliability and was most sensitive to predicted menstrual-cycle changes in binge eating (i.e. increased scores in the mid-luteal/premenstrual compared with follicular/ovulatory phases). In study 2, this scale showed predicted inverse associations with estradiol and positive associations with progesterone across the menstrual cycle that could not be accounted for by changes in negative affect.

Conclusion

Associations between ovarian hormones and binge eating are robust and present in clinical and non-clinical samples. Findings support the ability to examine the role of ovarian hormones as risk factors for binge eating in large-scale prospective studies and twin studies.
The PRI's 2006 Electoral Debacle
Authors: Langston Joy
Published: February 2008

This short article outlines why the Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI), which governed Mexico for the final 71 years of the twentieth
century, not only lost the 2006 presidential election, but posted a
miserable third place finish by taking only 22.7% of the national vote
versus 36.7% for the winner, Felipe Calderón of the center-right
National Action Party (PAN) and 36.1% for the center-left Party of the
Democratic Revolution (PRD). It also explains why, despite its recent
electoral results, the once-hegemonic party will continue to play an
important, but reduced political role: as a coalition partner with the
governing PAN to create majorities in both the Chamber of Deputies and the
Senate.
Elite Polarization Meets Mass Moderation in Mexico's 2006
Elections
Authors: Bruhn Kathleen , Greene Kenneth F.
Published: February 2008

Even before the 2006 presidential election dissolved into a nasty
street battle, it was widely perceived as strongly polarized. The two
leading candidates, Felipe Calderón of the conservative National
Action Party (PAN) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the
leftwing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), staked out starkly
different positions on key economic issues. Calderón promised
continuity with Mexico's free-market reforms, focusing on investment
as the engine of growth. López Obrador, in contrast, argued that
the neoliberal strategy would benefit only a few and he instead promised
to alleviate poverty through state spending on infrastructure and social
welfare. Unlike in prior presidential elections where the PAN and PRD
candidates downplayed their differences to challenge the authoritarian
dominant PRI with broad pro-democracy appeals, in this first
post-transition election, the candidates made their differences clear.
Global Justice as an Empirical Question
Authors: Gerring John
Published: February 2008

The question of global justice is among the most salient and controversial issues of our day. In the popular press it inspires a constant stream of books, articles, and film documentaries. It serves as the calling card for a major new social movement in rich and poor countries throughout the world (sometimes referred to as the “anti-globalization” movement). And it is an increasingly prominent issue in mainstream politics in Europe and the developing world (though not yet in the United States). If present trends continue, debates over global justice may become as ubiquitous in the 21st century as debates over socialism were in the previous century. For comments and suggestions on various versions of this manuscript I thank Wendy Hunter, Jim McGuire, Michael Ross, Strom Thacker, and the anonymous reviewers for this journal. For research assistance I am indebted to Hernan Roman. For financial support, I am grateful to Fred Pardee and the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University.
The Patriot Act's Institutional Story: More Evidence of
Congressional Ambivalence
Authors: Farrier Jasmine
Published: February 2008

In the first year after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress
agreed with President George W. Bush and his administration that the key
to national security at home and abroad was enhancing executive branch
power. To this end, leaders smoothed the legislative process and members
largely consented to the new policies and rapid review pace. By December
2002, Congress passed two major domestic laws related to the new War on
Terrorism and two war resolutions. But beginning in 2003, many members,
largely but not all Democrats, renewed their interest in legislative
powers and prerogatives by mounting small rebellions against these
once-popular policies, especially the Iraq War and the Patriot Act.
Committees and the chamber floors re-emerged as arenas for heated debate
on policy oversight, funding, and implementation and management. While
members critical of the war have had a hard time gaining traction to alter
the nation's course in Iraq, there was a golden opportunity to
recalibrate power and policy on the Patriot Act as 16 of its most
controversial provisions were scheduled to sunset in 2005. Although the
Patriot Act's second legislative round was far more complex than the
first, the result gave even more power to the executive branch.
Congress's ambition subsided, again. My
thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Louisville, for
funding related to this project. A version of this paper was presented at
the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association and I
thank the discussant, Lilly Goren, for her comments and suggestions, as
well as the anonymous reviewers for PS.
Is There Really a Scholar-Practitioner Gap? An Institutional
Analysis
Authors: Wilson Ernest J.
Published: February 2008

The relationship between scholars and practitioners is a continuing
source of concern to both communities. Each side complains about the
insularity of the other and routinely points to gaps that separate them.
Alexander George and other scholars found weak interest and lackluster
capacity on the part of academy-based social scientists to contribute
knowledge deemed useful to the policy community (George 1993; Nincic and Lepgold 2000). For their part, leading policy practitioners
have bitterly complained about what they see as the growing irrelevance of
scholarly work to the design and conduct of statecraft (Newsom
1995–1996).
Walter Eggert Beach
Authors:   APSA Staff
Published: February 2008

With Walter Beach's passing in November 2006, a host of
communities lost a valued and dedicated friend. When Walter was presented
APSA's Frank J. Goodnow Award in 1998 for his sustained contributions
to the discipline, if his political science colleagues who knew him less
well were enormously impressed by the vast extent of his civic
engagements, they had to be mind-boggled by the depth of his
contributions. These contributions went far beyond his 15-year service to
APSA as staff associate, director of the Congressional Fellowship Program,
and, finally, assistant director; they also included his 10-year
engagement at the Brookings Institution, and his 16-year engagement with
Heldref Publications and the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation. It
was as if Walter never met a worthy endeavor for which he would not become
a benefactor—from his life-long commitment to his 1956 alma mater
Dickinson College (along with brother Alan, 1955) from which he was given
the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992, to his service as trustee of the
Hillwood Museum and Gardens Foundation, to his directorship of the
International Eye Foundation, to his endowment of the National Capital
Area Political Science Association, to his vigorous support of the
Southern Political Science Association, to his service on the board of the
Washington Center for Internships, to his fundraising prowess for George
Washington University's Gelman Library and Mount Vernon College,
among others. These will be the focus of a fuller tribute to be published
in the April 2006 issue of PS: Political Science and
Politics.
Deborah J. “Misty” Gerner
Authors: Pevehouse Jon , Schwedler Jillian
Published: February 2008

Professor Deborah J. Gerner, known to colleagues and friends as
“Misty,” died on June 19, 2006, at her home in Vinland,
Kansas, after a long struggle with cancer.
Internationalizing Public Policy Courses
Authors: Cassell Mark
Published: February 2008

Stephen Colbert's provocative claims offer a starting point to
consider whether and how to broaden the international perspective within
undergraduate public policy courses and curriculum. This article discusses
whether an absence of international perspectives within public policy
courses should be a concern, considers an alternative framework for
incorporating a broader international perspective into an introduction to
public policy course, and identifies potential assignments and pedagogical
tools. I wish to thank Karen Mossberger and
Frank Lebo for their help in pulling together information used in this
paper.
Methods of Effectively Leveraging Departmental Assessment
Programs
Authors: Deardorff Michelle D.
Published: February 2008

Our collective experience as academics has led us to fear that
departmental assessment plans will just sit on some anonymous shelf; our
hard work will disappear into the black hole of administrative demands;
and the lack of university response will become one more chip on our
faculty's shoulders as yet another example of wasted effort. The
question thus facing the departmental chair is: How do we ensure that our
work benefits our programs? In other words, how do we make mandated
assessment plans meaningful?
Duane Lockard
Authors: Murphy Walter F. , Kelley Stanley
Published: February 2008

Duane Lockard, professor of politics, emeritus, of Princeton
University, died on June 19, 2006, from complications from
Parkinson's disease. He was born in the poor coal-mining town of
Owings, West Virginia; and, by the time he was eight, the Great Depression
had increased his community's poverty. One of his childhood chores
was to collect lumps of coal that fell from passing ore trains so his
family could have heat in their house. As a teenager, he pumped gas at a
filling station and, for a time, followed his father into the dark depths
of the mines. Although the older men were kind to him, he found it
oppressive to work in pitch blackness, hunched over in the small rooms
carved out by pickaxes. In an effort to escape, he tried to enroll in
Fairmont State Teachers College, planning to live at home and hitchhike
the 18 miles to the school. Alas, when he tried to register, he could
muster only half of the $30 tuition fee. Fortunately for future
generations of scholars and students, a compassionate and perceptive dean
recognized talent and allowed him to matriculate.
Eugene A. Mawhinney
Authors: Cody Howard , Palmer Kenneth
Published: February 2008

Eugene A. Mawhinney, professor emeritus of political science at the
University of Maine, died at Bangor, Maine on June 24, 2006. He was 84
years old. Gene Mawhinney served the department of political science and
the people of Maine for some 35 years as a faculty colleague, as a teacher
of American government and especially of constitutional law, as a mentor
to two generations of Maine's pre-law students, and as a valued and
long-serving advisor to Maine's state government.
The View of the Courts from the Hill: Governance as Dialogue
Authors: Miller Mark C.
Published: February 2008

Scholars who study American political institutions have tended to
specialize in a single body such as the U.S. Congress or the federal
courts. However, a growing movement among judicial scholars argues that
the courts cannot be understood in isolation, but instead must be
understood as a part of the larger system of government. As Neustadt
(1980, 26) has reminded us, in reality the U.S. system of government
features “separated institutions sharing powers.” Alexander
Bickel (1962) was one of the first voices in what one could label the
Governance as Dialogue movement. Bickel said that the courts must engage
in a “continuing colloquy” with the more political branches of
government and with other political actors, refuting the judicial
supremacy approach that was popular at that time. In Constitutional
Dialogues (1988) and in his other writings, Louis Fisher has argued
that the courts, and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, do not have the
sole responsibility of interpreting the U.S. Constitution, but that
constitutional interpretation involves a very complicated dialogue among
various political actors. Others, such as William N. Eskridge (1991a;
1991b), have argued that the interactions between the courts, the
executive, and Congress are a highly complex multiple-player game. Recent
literature on the interactions between courts and Congress has been
growing steadily, and includes, among others, works by Geyh (2006); Devins
and Whittington (2005); Barnes (2004); Pickerill (2004); Miller and Barnes
(2004); and Lovell (2003).
Using an Evidence-Based Methodology to Identify the Competences Required to Deliver Effective Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Disorders
Authors: Roth Anthony D. , Pilling Stephen
Published: February 2008

A number of developments make the formal specification of competences in CBT both timely and relevant, in particular the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, the increasing focus on process and therapist variables in determining outcome, and the increasing diversity of CBT. This paper outlines the development of an evidence-based methodology for determining both a model and a framework for CBT competences, and considers issues related to the implementation of the framework.
Communicative contract analysis: an approach to popular music analysis
Authors: Shave Thomas
Published: February 2008

Communicative contract analysis constructs an analytic methodology, taking musical semiotics as a theoretical basis, to look at the ways in which pieces of popular music define themselves generically, and how they make reference to other genres. By taking the different components of a sound as referential to parent genres or foreign genres, one can tease out these references in hybrid musical forms. The method is then applied to three contemporary works, The Kaiser Chiefs' Ruby, Hadouken!'s That Boy, That Girl and Bjork's Joga, and the pertinent issues raised in these works are discussed.
Contemporary trends in the use of space in electroacoustic music
Authors: Otondo Felipe
Published: February 2008

This paper describes a survey of contemporary approaches towards the use of spatial design in electroacoustic music, focusing on the type of spatial systems used by a sample of composers and the way they conceive the use of space in their music. Comparing the results with information gathered from seventeen articles by composers written on the topic in 1997, it is shown that composers nowadays are more used to working with different types of spatialisation systems than before. There is also a considerable increase in the use of surround 5.1 as well as four- and eight-channel systems and a decrease in the use of stereo. The compared results also show that, in general, composers nowadays seem to be less concerned with performance and interpretation issues as well as technical aspects of spatialisation. Further studies could consider a more detailed investigation of how the new spatialisation tools have shaped the aesthetical character of the music composed in recent years.
The Fertile Fields of Policy? Examining Fertility Decision-Making and Policy Settings
Authors: Maher Jane Maree
Published: February 2008

OECD data suggest a significant gap between desired fertility rates and the total fertility rate achieved in developed industrial nations. In a qualitative study conducted in Australia in 2002 and 2003, people were asked how family policies influenced their decisions to have children. Participants did not clearly associate their fertility choices and prevailing policy settings. But their decision-making was grounded in commonplace accounts of incompatibility in balancing work and family. This article considers how individual choices may be shaped by such social and policy discourses and what implications this has for our understanding of the relationship between fertility choices and policy settings.
Going Full Circle?: Integrating Provision for Young People in the Connexions Service
Authors: Artaraz Kepa
Published: February 2008

Welfare initiatives introduced by New Labour have emphasised the integration of service provision by sponsoring the creation of new professional roles and by promoting closer interagency links. The Connexions service exemplifies these two levels of integration. This article argues that the process of integration in Connexions was limited and it offers two main types of explanations. The first set concentrates on the changes brought to the professional role of Connexions workers. The second uses the example provided by interagency links between schools and the Connexions service in order to explore the role played by power relations to explain limitations to integration. The article concludes with a consideration of some of the effects brought about by Youth Matters and by the introduction of Children's Trusts on the provision of services for young people in the future.
Marginalised or Enabled Voices? ‘User Participation’ in Policy and Practice
Authors: Bochel Catherine , Bochel Hugh , Somerville Peter , Worley Claire
Published: February 2008

The idea of participation has been central to many policy developments in recent years. Both Conservative and Labour governments have used notions of participation and involvement in attempts to justify and implement their social policies. Yet, despite a plethora of initiatives and guidance around ‘participation’ emerging from all levels of government, and a substantial academic literature, there remains a major, and potentially damaging, lack of clarity over many aspects of participation, while the secret of achieving ‘real’ participation appears to continue to remain elusive.
Realising the Potential of Co-production: Negotiating Improvements in Public Services
Authors: Needham Catherine
Published: February 2008

The concept of co-production – also called co-creation – is gaining widespread attention as a way to increase user involvement in service provision in the UK. It is usually taken as self-evident that more co-production will improve services. However, it is necessary to be clear about how far and in what ways co-production can improve public services. This article looks at the purported advantages of co-production, and considers how these can best be accessed. A case study workshop involving social housing users and providers, conducted as part of the National Consumer Council-Unison Shared Solutions project, is used to illustrate the need for collective dialogue and deliberation between co-producers rather than purely transactional forms of co-production.
The Antagonisms of Choice: New Labour and the reform of public services
Authors: Clarke John , Newman Janet , Westmarland Louise
Published: February 2008

Choice has emerged as a key idea for the reform of public services in the UK and internationally. This paper explores three sets of problems in the analysis of choice in public policy. First, at what level should we be studying choice (specific mechanisms, national politics, transnational processes and travelling ideas)? Second, what sorts of tendencies, forces and discourses are being mobilised through the politics of choice? Third, we examine the ‘antagonisms of choice’: exploring the different and possibly divergent political conflicts that surround choice in public policy. We examine three types of antagonism: around inequalities, power and publicness.
Mesopelagic carbon remineralization during the European Iron Fertilization Experiment
Authors: Jacquet S. H. M. , Savoye N. , Dehairs F. , Strass V. H. , Cardinal D.
Published: February 2008

The impact of iron fertilization on mesopelagic carbon (C) remineralization was assessed during the European Iron Fertilization Experiment (EIFEX) in the Southern Ocean by following the temporal change of excess particulate barium (also called biogenic or Baxs) in the mesopelagic waters of a mesoscale eddy. Before the iron infusion the site was already sustaining a significant vertical flux of particles leading to organic remineralization in the mesopelagic. Approximately 35 d after the fertilization, mesopelagic Baxs contents provided evidence of changes in surface particulate export and of enhanced and particularly fast remineralization extending down to 1000 m. At the end of the experiment (day 36) both export and remineralization decreased. Organic carbon remineralization took place mainly in the lower part of the mesopelagic zone (500–1000 m) and increased more than 5‐fold during EIFEX, reaching values up to 92 ± 15 mg C m−2 d−1. However, such remineralization rates are not particularly high when compared to other values reported for the natural Southern Ocean during summer. Though export and remineralization reached peak values around day 34, remineralization integrated over the 150 to 1000 m layer accounted only for 13 ± 1.4% of the export at 150 m, suggesting that a substantial amount of exported carbon reached deeper in the water column. Compared to natural blooms in high‐nutrient low‐chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the Southern Ocean, the Fe‐induced bloom during EIFEX resulted in a lower ratio of remineralized organic carbon over exported carbon, similar to what we recently observed for natural Fe‐replete conditions prevailing above the Kerguelen Plateau. Unexpected similarities and phase lags of profiles in the mesopelagic between casts sampled inside and outside the fertilized patch during EIFEX indicated that eddy dynamics were a determinant in setting particle patterns on a broad spatial scale exceeding the extent of the fertilization, thereby homogenizing the signals of mesopelagic remineralization.
Tropical tape recorder observed in HCN
Authors: Pumphrey H. C. , Boone C. , Walker K. A. , Bernath P. , Livesey N. J.
Published: February 2008

The tropical tape recorder is an effect in which a seasonal cycle in the mixing ratio of a gas is imposed on air entering the stratosphere and is then transported upwards by the Brewer‐Dobson circulation. We report the observation of this effect in the mixing ratio of HCN, as measured by two satellite instruments: MLS on Aura and ACE‐FTS on SCISAT‐1. The cycle does not repeat every year; the data so far suggest that the dominant period is about two years. The reason for this periodicity is not yet fully understood. Comparisons with MODIS fire‐count data suggest that it may be connected to inter‐annual variations in biomass burning in Indonesia and the surrounding region.
Seismic anisotropy in northern and central Gulf of California region, Mexico, from teleseismic receiver functions and new evidence of possible plate capture
Authors: Obrebski Mathias , Castro Raúl R.
Published: February 2008

We present anisotropic models for the shallow lithosphere in the northern and central Gulf of California obtained from receiver function (RF) analysis. This region has undergone intense plate reorganization over the past 25 Ma that led to the transfer of the plate boundary east of the modern Baja California Peninsula posterior to the cease of the subduction of the Farallon plate beneath the North American plate. Our main interest in modeling the seismic anisotropy is to characterize rock fabric inherited from past and recent tectonism and to provide new information for understanding the tectonic processes involved in the evolution of the local plate boundary. We calculate RFs from teleseismic P waves recorded by the Network of Autonomously Recording Seismographs(NARS)‐Baja array, and we stack them in 20° wide back azimuthal bins to enhance coherent information. These RFs yield significant transverse energy whose azimuthal variations are not consistent with that expected for a crust with dipping Moho. Therefore we interpret the conspicuous RFs energy of the transverse component as convincing evidence of anisotropy. We present forward models obtained by fitting the radial and transverse RFs with synthetic seismograms calculated with a reflectivity code. Our analysis suggests substantial variations in the structure of the shallow lithosphere along the Baja California Peninsula and the presence of stalled fragments of the extinct Farallon plate beneath its central part. The results at station NE81 in Sonora are interpreted as frozen crustal anisotropy inherited from Miocene Basin and Range extension, consistent with previous observations of the upper mantle anisotropy beneath this station.
Fine‐scale simulations of aeolian sediment dispersion in a small area in the northern Chihuahuan Desert
Authors: Bowker George E. , Gillette Dale A. , Bergametti Gilles , Marticorena Béatrice , Heist David K.
Published: February 2008

The northern Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico contains mesquite bushes and small coppice dunes as well as open areas lacking vegetation. Sandstorms are common in this area, gradually reshaping the flat grassland into a landscape of mesquite coppice dunes and bare open patches. During storms, complex airflows entrain sediment from the open areas, depositing it around downwind bushes and dunes. Understanding and quantifying these processes could help to clarify the ongoing process of desert formation. Sand flux patterns for eight storms occurring in April 2003 and April 2004 were predicted for a (60 m by 60 m) site on the basis of 297 10‐min average velocity simulations using a semiempirical mass consistent diagnostic wind field model: Quick Urban & Industrial Complex version 3.5 (QUIC) used with a sand flux parameterization. The sand flux patterns were highly heterogeneous, varying with wind direction and differing between storms. Generally, the nonvegetated areas experienced high sand fluxes, while wake areas behind dunes experienced little or no sand flux. Sediment erosion and deposition patterns were calculated by taking the divergence of the sand flux. The open areas were the sources of the sediment, while the windward sides of the mesquite bushes and dunes were the primary deposition areas. The simulated sediment erosion and deposition magnitudes were qualitatively similar to an annual average from 45 years of measurements.
Examining the Tropical Pacific's Response to Global Warming
Authors: Vecchi Gabriel A. , Clement Amy , Soden Brian J.
Published: February 2008

The response of the tropical Pacific to increasing greenhouse gases represents an exciting intersection of theory, modeling, and observations. In this article, we contrast competing theories for the response of the tropical Pacific to global warming, illustrate the utility of models for understanding and reconciling these theories, and highlight the need for improved instrumental and paleoclimatic reconstructions to better evaluate the fidelity of current model projections.

There is a long‐standing debate in the climate community as to how the tropical Pacific will respond to increased greenhouse gases: Will the structure of changes in the ocean surface temperature more closely resemble an El Niño or a La Niña [e.g., Knutson and Manabe, 1995; Clement et al., 1996; Meehl and Washington, 1996; Cane et al., 1997; Cobb et al., 2003; Collins et al., 2005; Vecchi et al., 2006; Zhang and Song, 2006]? This distinction is of profound significance because conditions in the tropical Pacific affect a range of weather phenomena including tropical cyclone activity, global patterns of drought and flood, agricultural productivity, and oceanic biological activity. The debate extends beyond global warming, with El Niño‐ and La Niña‐like responses being invoked as frameworks for interpreting past climate changes on timescales of centuries to millions of years [e.g., Koutavas et al., 2002; Stott et al., 2002; Mann et al., 2005; Wara et al., 2005].
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: February 2008

Timothy S. Brewer, 48, 14 July 2007, Life Member, Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology, 1993

Edward Ching‐Te Chao, 88, 3 February 2008, Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology, 1971
Kinetic and Hydrodynamic Models of the Solar Wind and Polar Wind: A Focus Group of the Solar‐Terrestrial Interactions From Microscale to Global Models (STIMM‐2) Workshop; Sinaia, Romania, 13 and 15 June 2007
Authors: Lemaire J. F. , Echim M.
Published: February 2008

Following the publication of the first hydrodynamic models of the “solar wind” (supersonic neutral outstream of solar charged particles) in 1958, and the “solar breeze” (the evaporation of solar particles with a subsonic mean velocity) in 1960, scientists for decades have debated about which description most accurately models the acceleration of particles leaving the solar corona. This debate tends to pit magnetohydrodynamic oriented scientists against holders of a more kinetic description, particularly regarding the mechanisms by which ions and electrons evaporate from the solar corona. A rather similar controversy started in 1969 about hydrodynamic and kinetic modeling of the “polar wind,” which streams out from the terrestrial polar caps.
Continental Tectonics in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Houseman Greg A. , Horväth Frank
Published: February 2008

The Pannonian Basin is often cited as one of the major continental basins formed by extension of the lithosphere. Twenty‐five years after the classic work in which the subsidence of the basin was quantified using the analytical models developed by D. McKenzie (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1978) and L. Royden et al. (Tectonics, 1983), a workshop entitled Collision and Extension in the Alpine‐Carpathian‐Pannonian System was held in Siófok, Hungary. The workshop, sponsored by The Royal Society, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) project NK60455), and the University of Leeds, elicited contributions from specialists working in a broad range of geophysical, geochemical, and geological disciplines.
Rationale for a Permanent Seismic Network in the U.S. Central Plains Utilizing USArray
Authors: Gao Stephen S. , Niemi Tina M. , Black Ross A. , Liu Kelly H. , Anderson Raymond R. , Joeckel Robert M. , Busby Robert W. , Taber John
Published: February 2008

The eastern two thirds of the coterminous United States (from the Rocky Mountain Front to the east coast) are sparsely equipped with seismic monitoring instruments, with the number of permanent broadband seismic stations per unit area of the order of 5–10% of that in the western U.S. orogenic zone. In this Forum, we use the Central Plains area (CP)—defined here as the four‐state area including Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri—as an example to argue that a greatly densified permanent seismic network in the stable part of the United States could significantly improve our understanding of the processes that led to the formation and four‐dimensional structure of the continental lithosphere. The network would also serve as an excellent facility for long‐term earthquake monitoring and for public education and outreach. This issue is timely because a state‐of‐the‐art, uniform network could be established by simply converting a small portion of the portable stations in the ongoing USArray project into permanent ones without affecting the overall progress of the USArray.
The RhoA‐associated protein Citron‐N controls dendritic spine maintenance by interacting with spine‐associated Golgi compartments
Authors: Camera Paola , Schubert Vanessa , Pellegrino Maurizio , Berto Gaia , Vercelli Alessandro , Muzzi Patrizia , Hirsch Emilio , Altruda Fiorella , Dotti Carlos G , Di Cunto Ferdinando
Published: February 2008

Dendritic spines are highly dynamic protuberances that are thought to be crucial for learning and memory. Although it is well known that actin filaments and membrane dynamics regulate spine plasticity, how these two events are linked locally is less clear. Here, we provide evidence that Citron‐N (CIT‐N), a binding partner of the small GTPase RhoA, is associated with the actin filaments and Golgi compartments of dendritic spines. We also show that CIT‐N is required for recruiting F‐actin and Golgi membranes at spines of in vitro‐grown neurons. Studies in knockout mice show that this protein is essential for the maturation of dendritic spines. We suggest that CIT‐N might function as a scaffold protein in spine organization through its ability to bind to Golgi membranes and by affecting actin remodelling.
'Breathing' of the terrestrial biosphere: lessons learned from a global network of carbon dioxide flux measurement systems
Authors: Baldocchi Dennis
Published: February 2008

Published eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere from a global network are distilled, synthesised and reviewed according to time scale, climate and plant functional types, disturbance and land use. Other topics discussed include history of the network, errors and issues associated with the eddy covariance method, and a synopsis of how these data are being used by ecosystem and climate modellers and the remote-sensing community. Spatial and temporal differences in net annual exchange, FN, result from imbalances in canopy photosynthesis (FA) and ecosystem respiration (FR), which scale closely with one another on annual time scales. Key findings reported include the following: (1) ecosystems with the greatest net carbon uptake have the longest growing season, not the greatest FA; (2) ecosystems losing carbon were recently disturbed; (3) many old-growth forests act as carbon sinks; and (4) year-to-year decreases in FN are attributed to a suite of stresses that decrease FA and FR in tandem. Short-term flux measurements revealed emergent-scale processes including (1) the enhancement of light use efficiency by diffuse light, (2) dynamic pulses in FR following rain and (3) the acclimation FA and FR to temperature. They also quantify how FA and FR respond to droughts and heat spells.
Risk of Infections Associated with Improperly Reprocessed Transrectal Ultrasound–Guided Prostate Biopsy Equipment
Authors: Lessa Fernanda , Tak Sangwoo , DeVader Shannon R. , Goswami Rekha , Anderson Mary , Williams Ian , Gensheimer Kathleen F. , Srinivasan Arjun
Published: February 2008

Objective.

A hospital discovered a lapse in the reprocessing procedures for transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy equipment. An investigation was initiated to assess the risks of transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and bacteria during prostate biopsies.

Methods.

We offered testing for HBV, HCV, and HIV infection to patients who had undergone prostate biopsies from January 30, 2003, through January 27, 2006. We reviewed their medical records and obtained information on the reprocessing procedures that were in use at the time for the prostate biopsy equipment.

Setting.

A healthcare facility in Maine.

Results.

Of the 528 patients exposed to improperly reprocessed prostate biopsy equipment, none tested positive for HIV or HCV. Sixteen patients (3%) tested positive for past HBV infection but had no prebiopsy HBV serologic test results available (ie, transmission from improperly reprocessed biopsy equipment was possible), and 11 (2%) had evidence of postbiopsy bacterial infections. The number of cases of HBV and bacterial infections were within reported ranges for this population and were not clustered in time. Review of the reprocessing procedures in use at the time revealed that the manufacturer-recommended brushes for cleaning the reusable biopsy needle guide were never used. Brushes did not come with the equipment and had to be ordered separately.

Conclusions.

Despite the lack of evidence of pathogen transmission in this investigation, it is critical to review the manufacturer's reprocessing recommendations and to establish appropriate procedures to avert potential pathogen transmission and subsequent patient concerns. This investigation provides a better understanding of the risks associated with improperly reprocessed transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy equipment and serves as a methodologic tool for future investigations.
Particle deposition and optical response of ITER motional Stark effect diagnostic first mirrors
Authors: Brooks J.N. , Allain J.P.
Published: February 2008

Particle deposition and erosion can affect mirrors used in plasma diagnostics and this is a major concern for future fusion reactors. This subject is analysed for the first and second mirrors of the proposed motional Stark effect edge plasma current diagnostic for ITER. Particle fluxes to the diagnostic module aperture are given by edge plasma/impurity-transport solutions for convective plasma flow for full-power fusion conditions. The MC-Mirror code with input of TRIM-SP results is used to compute in-module direct, reflected and sputtered particle transport. Particles analysed are D–T and He atoms/ions from the plasma, and Fe, Be and W from first wall sputtering and/or in-module sputtering. Many of the results are encouraging for optical diagnostic use in ITER and possibly for post-ITER high duty-factor reactors. The LLNL-4B module design analysed works well in minimizing particle flux to the mirrors, with a factor of ∼200–400 reduction in aperture-to-first-mirror flux. Sputtering erosion/degradation of Mo or Rh coated mirrors by incident D, T and He is negligible. IMD optical effects code analysis shows probably tolerable changes in light reflection and polarization due to mirror beryllium deposition. Tungsten flux to the mirrors is very low. Based on available but limited data, however, there is major concern about the effect of the predicted helium flux on mirror optical properties.