bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diaphragm single-fiber weakness and loss of myosin in congestive heart failure rats
Authors: van Hees Hieronymus W. H. , van der Heijden Henricus F. M. , Ottenheijm Coen A. C. , Heunks Leo M. A. , Pigmans Cindy J. C. , Verheugt Freek W. A. , Brouwer Rene M. H. J. , Dekhuijzen P. N. Richard
Published: April 2007

Diaphragm weakness commonly occurs in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and is an independent predictor of mortality. However, the pathophysiology of diaphragm weakness is poorly understood. We hypothesized that CHF induces diaphragm weakness at the single-fiber level by decreasing myosin content. In addition, we hypothesized that myofibrillar Ca2+sensitivity is decreased and cross-bridge kinetics are slower in CHF diaphragm fibers. Finally, we hypothesized that loss of myosin in CHF diaphragm weakness is associated with increased proteolytic activities of caspase-3 and the proteasome. In skinned diaphragm single fibers of rats with CHF, induced by left coronary artery ligation, maximum force generation was reduced by ∼35% ( P < 0.01) compared with sham-operated animals for slow, 2a, and 2x fibers. In these CHF diaphragm fibers, myosin heavy chain content per half-sarcomere was concomitantly decreased ( P < 0.01). Ca2+sensitivity of force generation and the rate constant of tension redevelopment were significantly reduced in CHF diaphragm fibers compared with sham-operated animals for all fiber types. The cleavage activity of the proteolytic enzyme caspase-3 and the proteasome were ∼30% ( P < 0.05) and ∼60% ( P < 0.05) higher, respectively, in diaphragm homogenates from CHF rats than from sham-operated rats. The present study demonstrates diaphragm weakness at the single-fiber level in a myocardial infarct model of CHF. The reduced maximal force generation can be explained by a loss of myosin content in all fiber types and is associated with activation of caspase-3 and the proteasome. Furthermore, CHF decreases myofibrillar Ca2+sensitivity and slows cross-bridge cycling kinetics in diaphragm fibers.
Genetic and dietary interactions: role of angiotensin AT1a receptors in response to a high-fructose diet
Authors: Farah Vera , Elased Khalid M. , Morris Mariana
Published: April 2007

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated in the cardiovascular complications of diabetes. We showed that a high-fructose diet increases blood pressure and plasma angiotensin and impairs glucose tolerance. We investigated the role of angiotensin AT1a receptors in the development of fructose-induced cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction. Male angiotensin AT1a knockout (AT1aKO) and wild-type (AT1aWT) mice with arterial telemetric catheters were fed a standard diet or one containing 60% fructose. Fructose increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) in AT1aWT but only during the dark phase (8% increase). In AT1aKO mice, fructose unexpectedly decreased MAP, during both light and dark periods (24 and 13% decrease, respectively). Analytical methods were used to measure systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and pulse interval (PI) variability in time and frequency domains. In fructose-fed AT1aWT mice, there was an increase in SAP variance and its low-frequency (LF) domain (11 ± 3 vs. 23 ± 4 mmHg2, variance, and 7 ± 2 vs. 17 ± 3 mmHg2, LF, control vs. fructose, P < 0.004). There were no changes in SAP variance in AT1aKO mice. Depressor responses to α1-adrenergic blockade were augmented in fructose-fed AT1a WT compared with AT1aKO mice. Fructose inhibited glucose tolerance with a greater effect in AT1aWT mice. Fructose increased plasma cholesterol in both groups ( P < 0.01) and reduced ANG II in AT1aKO mice. Results document prominent interactions between genetics and diet with data showing that in the absence of angiotensin AT1a receptors, a fructose diet decreased blood pressure.
Speckle-tracking strain echocardiography for detecting cardiac dyssynchrony in a canine model of dyssynchrony and heart failure
Authors: Arita Takeshi , Sorescu George P. , Schuler Brian T. , Schmarkey Laura S. , Merlino John D. , Vinten-Johansen Jakob , Leon Angel R. , Martin Randolph P. , Sorescu Dan
Published: April 2007

Multiple echocardiographic criteria have been proposed to diagnose mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure without being validated against a model of cardiac dyssynchrony with heart failure. This study examines which of these methods can detect dyssynchrony in a canine model. Adult mongrel dogs underwent His-bundle ablation and right-ventricular pacing for 4 wk at either 110 bpm to induce dyssynchrony without heart failure (D group, n = 12) or 170 bpm to induce dyssynchrony with heart failure (DHF group, n = 9). To induce heart failure with narrow QRS, atria were paced at 190 bpm for 4 wk (HF group, n = 8). Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional echocardiography were performed at baseline and at end of study. Standard deviation of time to peak systolic velocity (color-coded TDI), time to peak S wave on pulse-wave TDI, time to peak radial and circumferential strain by speckle-tracking analysis ( Err and Ecc, respectively), and septal-to-posterior wall motion delay on M mode were obtained. In D group, only Err and Ecc were increased by dyssynchrony. In contrast, all the echocardiographic parameters of dyssynchrony appeared significantly augmented in the DHF group. Receiver-operator curve analysis showed good sensitivity of Err (90%) and Ecc (100%) to detected dyssynchrony without heart failure and excellent sensitivity and specificity of Err and Ecc to detect dyssynchrony with heart failure. Radial strain by speckle tracking is more accurate than TDI velocity to detect cardiac dyssynchrony in a canine model of dyssynchrony with or without heart failure.
17β-Estradiol deficiency reduces potassium excretion in an angiotensin type 1 receptor-dependent manner
Authors: Ji Hong , Zheng Wei , Falconetti Celine , Roesch Darren M. , Mulroney Susan E. , Sandberg Kathryn
Published: April 2007

This study examined the effects of ovariectomy (OVX) and 17β-estradiol (E2) replacement (OVX + E2) on renal function in Sprague-Dawley rats. OVX caused a 40% decrease in the fractional excretion of potassium (FEK+) that was prevented by E2replacement [Sham, 24.2 ± 2.9%; OVX, 14.5 ± 2.1% ( P < 0.05 vs. OVX + E2); and OVX + E2, 26.2 ± 2.7%; n = 7–11] and that corresponded to significant increases in plasma potassium [(in mmol/l): Sham, 3.15 ± 0.087; OVX, 3.42 ± 0.048 ( P < 0.05 vs. OVX + E2); and OVX + E2, 3.19 ± 0.11; n = 7–11]. No effects of OVX were detected on plasma levels of sodium and aldosterone. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) densities in ovariectomized rats were 1.4-fold and 1.3-fold higher in glomerular [maximum binding capacity (Bmax; in fmol/mg protein): Sham, 482 ± 21; OVX, 666 ± 20 ( P < 0.05 vs. OVX + E2); and OVX + E2, 504 ± 26; n = 7–11] and proximal tubular [Bmax(in fmol/mg protein): Sham, 721 ± 16; OVX, 741 ± 24 ( P < 0.05 vs. OVX + E2); and OVX + E2, 569 ± 23; n = 7–11] membranes compared with E2replete animals, respectively. Both the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril and the AT1R antagonist losartan prevented the OVX-induced decrease in the FEK+and the increase in renal AT1R densities, suggesting that E2deficiency reduces potassium excretion in an ANG II/AT1R-dependent manner. These findings may have implications for renal function in postmenopausal women as well as contribute to the reasons underlying the age-induced increase in susceptibility to hypertension-associated disease in women.
Analysis of complex flow and the relationship between blood pressure, wall shear stress, and intima-media thickness in the human carotid artery
Authors: Augst A. D. , Ariff B. , McG. Thom S. A. G. , Xu X. Y. , Hughes A. D.
Published: April 2007

Background: Previous clinical studies have observed relationships between increased intima-media thickness (IMT) in the carotid artery, elevated blood pressure, and low wall shear stress (WSS) calculated from the Poiseuille equation. This study used numerical methods to more accurately determine WSS in the carotid artery and to investigate possible determinants of increased IMT. Methods: IMT [common carotid artery (CCA) and bulb], CCA flow velocity, brachial systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and carotid systolic pressure (cSBP) were measured in 14 healthy subjects (aged 44 ± 16 yr). Flow patterns in the carotid bifurcation were determined by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on three-dimensional ultrasound geometry. Instantaneous and time-averaged wall shear stress (WSSav), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and wall shear stress angle gradients (WSSAG) were calculated. Results: IMT was positively related to SBP, DBP, cSBP, and WSSAG and inversely related to WSSavin the CCA. In the bulb, IMT was positively related to SBP and cSBP but was not significantly related to WSSavor WSSAG. IMT was unrelated to OSI in both the CCA and the bulb. Conclusion: Increased carotid artery IMT in healthy subjects with no evidence of focal plaques is primarily a response to elevated pressure.
Possible usefulness of apocynin, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, for nitrate tolerance: prevention of NO donor-induced endothelial cell abnormalities
Authors: Fukatsu Akiko , Hayashi Toshio , Miyazaki-Akita Asaka , Matsui-Hirai Hisako , Furutate Yukie , Ishitsuka Asako , Hattori Yuichi , Iguchi Akihisa
Published: April 2007

The long-term benefits of nitroglycerin therapy are limited by tolerance development. Understanding the precise nature of mechanisms underlying nitroglycerin-induced endothelial cell dysfunction may provide new strategies to prevent tolerance development. In this line, we tested interventions to prevent endothelial dysfunction in the setting of nitrate tolerance. When bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were continuously treated with nitric oxide (NO) donors, including nitroglycerin, over 2–3 days, basal production of nitrite and nitrate (NOx) was diminished. The diminished basal NOxlevels were mitigated by intermittent treatment allowing an 8-h daily nitrate-free interval during the 2- to 3-day treatment period. Addition of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor apocynin restored the basal levels of NOxthat were decreased by continuous nitroglycerin treatment of BAECs. Apocynin caused significant improvement of increased mRNA and protein levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in BAECs given nitroglycerin continuously over the treatment period. Apocynin also reduced endothelial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after continuous nitroglycerin treatment. These results showed an essential similarity to the effects of a nitrate-free interval. Application of the NOS inhibitor Nω-nitro- l-arginine methyl ester caused a recovery effect on basal NOxand eNOS expression but was without effect on ROS levels in continuously NO donor-treated BAECs. In conclusion, the present study characterized abnormal features and functions of endothelial cells following continuous NO donor application. We suggest that inhibition of NADPH oxidase, by preventing NO donor-induced endothelial dysfunction, may represent a potential therapeutic strategy that confers protection from nitrate tolerance development.
High frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency in asymptomatic individuals homozygous to MTHFR C677T mutation is associated with endothelial dysfunction and homocysteinemia
Authors: Zittan E. , Preis M. , Asmir I. , Cassel A. , Lindenfeld N. , Alroy S. , Halon D. A. , Lewis B. S. , Shiran A. , Schliamser J. E. , Flugelman M. Y.
Published: April 2007

The aim of this study was to examine the association of homozygosity for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation and vitamin B12 deficiency in 360 asymptomatic individuals and to investigate forearm endothelial function in C677T homozygotes. MTHFR C677T mutation and levels of vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine were measured in study participants. Frequency of homozygosity for the C677T mutation was 67/360 (18.6%). Homocysteine levels were elevated in homozygous compared with heterozygous subjects or those without the mutation (20.6 ± 18.8 vs. 9.4 ± 3.2 μmol/l; P < 0.0001). The number of subjects with vitamin B12 deficiency (<150 pmol/l) was significantly higher among the homozygote than the heterozygote subjects or subjects without mutation [20/67 (29.8%) vs. 27/293 (9.2%); P < 0.0001]. Homozygote subjects had 4.2 times higher probability of having B12 deficiency (95% confidence interval = 2.1–8.3). Forearm endothelial function was assessed in 33 homozygote and 12 control subjects. Abnormal endothelial function was observed in homozygous subjects and was worse in homozygote subjects with vitamin B12 deficiency. Endothelial function was normalized after B12 and folic acid treatment. We found that homozygosity for the C677T mutation is strongly associated with B12 deficiency. Coexistence of homozygosity for the C677T mutation and B12 deficiency is associated with endothelial dysfunction and can be corrected with vitamin B12 and folic acid treatment.
Asynchrony of ventricular activation affects magnitude and timing of fiber stretch in late-activated regions of the canine heart
Authors: Coppola Benjamin A. , Covell James W. , McCulloch Andrew D. , Omens Jeffrey H.
Published: April 2007

Abnormal electrical activation of the left ventricle results in mechanical dyssynchrony, which is in part characterized by early stretch of late-activated myofibers. To describe the pattern of deformation during “prestretch” and gain insight into its causes and sequelae, we implanted midwall and transmural arrays of radiopaque markers into the left ventricular anterolateral wall of open-chest, isoflurane-anesthetized, adult mongrel dogs. Biplane cineradiography (125 Hz) was used to determine the time course of two- and three-dimensional strains while pacing from a remote, posterior wall site. Strain maps were generated as a function of time. Electrical activation was assessed with bipolar electrodes. Posterior wall pacing generated prestretch at the measurement site, which peaked 44 ms after local electrical activation. Overall magnitudes and transmural gradients of strain were reduced when compared with passive inflation. Fiber stretch was larger at aortic valve opening compared with end diastole ( P < 0.05). Fiber stretch at aortic valve opening was weakly but significantly correlated with local activation time ( r2 = 0.319, P < 0.001). With a short atrioventricular delay, fiber lengths were not significantly different at the time of aortic valve opening during ventricular pacing compared with atrial pacing. However, ejection strain did significantly increase ( P < 0.05). We conclude that the majority of fiber stretch occurs after local electrical activation and mitral valve closure and is different from passive inflation. The increased shortening of these regions appears to be because of a reduced afterload rather than an effect of length-dependent activation in this preparation.
Diesel exhaust particles induce matrix metalloprotease-1 in human lung epithelial cells via a NADP(H) oxidase/NOX4 redox-dependent mechanism
Authors: Amara Nadia , Bachoual Rafik , Desmard Mathieu , Golda Slawomir , Guichard Cecile , Lanone Sophie , Aubier Michel , Ogier-Denis Eric , Boczkowski Jorge
Published: April 2007

Chronic exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with lung function impairment. To determine the molecular mechanism(s) of this phenomenon, we investigated, in an alveolar human epithelial cell line (A549), whether diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a main component of particulate air pollution, modulates the expression and activity of the matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-1, a collagenase involved in alveolar wall degradation. Interaction of DEPs with cigarette smoke, which also produces structural and functional lung alterations, was also investigated. A noncytotoxic concentration of DEPs induced an increase in MMP-1 mRNA and protein expression and activity in A549 cells without modifying the expression of the MMP inhibitors TIMP-1 and -2. This effect was not potentiated when cells were coexposed to noncytotoxic concentrations of cigarette smoke condensate. DEP-induced MMP-1 was associated with increased ERK 1/2 phosphorylation and upregulation of expression and activity of the NADPH oxidase analog NOX4. Cell transfection with a NOX4 small interfering RNA prevented these phenomena, showing the critical role of a NOX4 ERK 1/2 pathway in DEP-induced MMP-1 expression and activity. Similar results to those observed in A549 cells were obtained in another human lung epithelial cell line, NCI-H292. Furthermore, experiments in mice intratracheally instilled with DEPs confirmed the in vitro findings, showing the induction of NOX4 and MMP-1 protein expression in alveolar epithelial cells. We conclude that alveolar alterations secondary to MMP-1 induction could explain lung function impairment associated with exposure to particulate pollution.
Functional coupling between the Na+/Ca2+exchanger and nonselective cation channels during histamine stimulation in guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle
Authors: Algara-Suárez Paola , Romero-Méndez Catalina , Chrones Tom , Sánchez-Armass Sergio , Meza Ulises , Sims Stephen M. , Espinosa-Tanguma Ricardo
Published: April 2007

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) contracts partly due to an increase in cytosolic Ca2+. In this work, we found that the contraction caused by histamine depends on external Na+, possibly involving nonselective cationic channels (NSCC) and the Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX). We performed various protocols using isometric force measurement of guinea pig tracheal rings stimulated by histamine. We observed that force reached 53 ± 1% of control during external Na+substitution by N-methyl-d-glucamine+, whereas substitution by Li+led to no significant change (91 ± 1%). Preincubation with KB-R7943 decreased the maximal force developed (52.3 ± 5.6%), whereas preincubation with nifedipine did not (89.7 ± 1.8%). Also, application of the nonspecific NCX blocker KB-R7943 and nifedipine on histamine-precontracted tracheal rings reduced force to 1 ± 3%, significantly different from nifedipine alone (49 ± 6%). Moreover, nonspecific NSCC inhibitors SKF-96365 and 2-aminoethyldiphenyl borate reduced force to 1 ± 1% and 19 ± 7%, respectively. Intracellular Ca2+measurements in isolated ASM cells showed that KB-R7943 and SKF-96365 reduced the peak and sustained response to histamine (0.20 ± 0.1 and 0.19 ± 0.09 for KB-R, 0.43 ± 0.16 and 0.47 ± 0.18 for SKF, expressed as mean of differences). Moreover, Na+-free solution only inhibited the sustained response (0.54 ± 0.25). These data support an important role for NSCC and NCX during histamine stimulation. We speculate that histamine induces Na+influx through NSCC that promotes the Ca2+entry mode of NCX and CaV1.2 channel activation, thereby causing contraction.
Minors and Informed Consent: A Comparative Approach
Authors: Stultiëns Loes , Dierickx Kris , Nys Herman , Goffin Tom , Borry Pascal
Published: April 2007

The European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine of the Council of Europe provides in article 6 for special protection of persons who are not able to give free and informed consent to an intervention in the health field, e.g. minors. According to the second paragraph of this article it is up to domestic law to decide whether and under which conditions a minor is capable of taking autonomous decisions in the health field.In the present article an overview is given of the legal regulations in place regarding the position of minors in a health care setting in the EU Member States that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine namely Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. As the overview will show, the legal position of minor patients in a health care setting varies from country to country. This in view of the system they have opted for as well as the age and circumstances under which minors are allowed to take health care decisions autonomously.
Palliative Sedation in The Netherlands: Starting-points and Contents of a National Guideline
Authors: van Wijlick Eric , Verkerk Marian , de Graeff Alexander , Legemaate Johan
Published: April 2007

In December 2005 the first national guideline for palliative sedation in the Netherlands was published. This guideline was developed by a committee of the Royal Dutch Medical Association, at the request of the Dutch government. The guideline defines palliative sedation as 'the intentional lowering of consciousness of a patient in the last phase of his or her life'. According to the guideline the objective of palliative sedation is to relieve suffering, and lowering consciousness is a means to achieve this. It is very important that palliative sedation is given for the right indication, proportionally, and adequately. It is the degree of symptom control, not the level to which consciousness is lowered, which determines the dose and combinations of the sedatives used and duration of treatment. The assessment and decision-making processes must focus on adequate relief of the patient's suffering, so that a peaceful and acceptable situation is created. Palliative sedation is given in the last phase of life, in the imminently dying patient. Palliative sedation raises several legal questions. In this article we describe the structure and contents of the guideline, with special attention for the main legal issues involved, like the distinction between palliative sedation and euthanasia and the process of informed conesnt.
Patient Information on Drug Therapy. A Problem of Medical Malpractice Law: Between Product Safety and User Safety
Authors: Hart Dieter
Published: April 2007

Medicinal products are associated with risks as well as potential therapeutic benefits. This is reflected by the legal requirements for patient information on drug therapy which can be differentiated into general product information, regulated by pharmaceutical (i. e. product safety) law, and individual patient information on the treatment with the product, which is subject to medical malpractice law. The physician's duty to inform the patient comprises therapeutic information as well as information required for informed consent. Therapeutic information intends to empower the patient to comply with the requirements of treatment and to protect him/her against preventable danger and risk; it is part of the medical treatment, aimed at the individual patient and his/her personal situation. Information required for informed consent enables the patient to a self-determined decision on the treatment offered; it can be divided into information on the course of treatment and risk information. Product information and treatment information complement each other; the former should be the basis of individual information on the concrete treatment, provided by the physician in a mandatory oral conversation with the patient. Product information cannot replace the physician's individual information about the treatment.
The Limitations of Neo-Darwinism and Evidence for a Whiteheadian Theory of Evolution
Authors: Cobb John
Published: April 2007

The dominant neo-Darwinian theory of evolution locates the causes of evolutionary change in the random mutation of genes and in the environment. The animal organisms are viewed as passive in this process. However, there is a great deal of evidence that animal activity plays a large role in evolution. Some of this, no doubt, is random or even mechanically determined. However, there are good reasons to think that some of it is purposive and intelligent. Animals repeat successful actions and learn them from other members of the species. These actions may prove beneficial for survival; so genes that facilitate them are naturally selected. Animal action also changes the environment. Including human beings in an evolutionary development that is partly determined by intelligent and purposive behavior does not have the reductionistic and nihilistic implications of currently standard teaching about evolution.
Darwin and Contemporary Theology
Authors: Haught John
Published: April 2007

Darwin's "dangerous idea" challenges religious trust in a providential God, that is, one who influences and eternally cares for the world. Our religious ancestors had no knowledge of biological evolution, although they were certainly aware of the suffering of humans and other living beings. Evolutionary science vastly extends the story of life and life's suffering (and creativity as well) beyond those of traditional theological awareness. In what sense, then, after Darwin, might the doctrine of divine providence still be credible, if at all? Is it perhaps possible that evolutionary portraits of life may open up fresh ways of thinking about divine providence?
Evolving Environmentalism: The Role of Ecotheology in Creation/Evolution Controversies
Authors: Sideris Lisa
Published: April 2007

The impact on ecological theology of green and postmodern critiques of science has led to disturbing parallels between the work of some Christian environmentalists and process theologians on the one hand, and the arguments of Intelligent Design (ID) proponents on the other. At the heart of these critiques is a rejection of mechanistic science and "neo-Darwinism". Both ID proponents and ecotheologians critique the disenchanted and reductionist worldview assumed to be central to neo-Darwinism. Both groups also redefine the traditional boundaries of scientific naturalism, presenting a form of biology that shows matter to be active and valuable, rather than dead and inert. This paper examines these parallels and argues for the possibility of enchanted and theistic interpretations of modern Darwinism without redefining naturalism.
Evolutionary Literacy: A Prerequisite for Theological Education?
Authors: Spencer Daniel
Published: April 2007

Scientific literacy in evolutionary theory and scientific methods should be a required component of graduate theological education in the United States, so that pastors and theologians may participate constructively in contemporary debates about religion and evolution. Four areas of deficiency in theological education that should be addressed include the need to (1) reintegrate scientific literacy back into theological education; (2) integrate the history of science and particularly evolution into Christian and church history courses; (3) engage in serious theological encounter with evolution; (4) integrate science into Christian ethics. I suggest that the following texts provide helpful resources for this project: Eugenie Scott's Evolution and Creationism: An Introduction; Edward Larson's Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory; Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlitt's Evolution from Creation to New Creation: Conflict, Conversation, and Convergence; and the work of the Center for Process Studies and John Cobb, Jr in engaging process theology with evolution.
Kweli ndugu yanga—the Religious Horizons of "Humans Are Primates"
Authors: Waldau Paul
Published: April 2007

The opening Swahili phrase, meaning "Truly my kin", was uttered by Dian Fossey's guide when both encountered their first free-living gorilla. The theme of kinship, often deemed the ultimate in evolutionary connection and a privileged relationship recognized by all ethical systems, can be used to connect our species not only to primates and mammals, but to all life. But examples abound of religious leaders who have resisted this connection, denying that humans really belong in the categories "mammal" or "primate" or, perish the thought, "ape" or "animal". Less well known is that many religious and cultural traditions have recognized these connections in profound ways, thereby providing a religious horizon for the evolutionary point of view.
The Politics of Religion In Samuel Holdheim's Thought
Authors: Koltun-Fromm Ken
Published: April 2007

This paper offers a thorough description and analysis of Samuel Holdheim's distinction between the religious and the political, one that begins to analyze the different meanings of religion, Mosaic religion, Judaism, tradition, and interpretation in his thought. Holdheim erects a protective barrier to thwart religious critique and interpretation. This protective strategy shields religious ideals from the turmoil and complexity of political discourse and action. Yet Holdheim's understanding of the religious is a political interpretation of religion (even according to Holdheim's own view of religious and political discourse). To put this another way, there cannot be religious interpretation in Holdheim's schema. The human interpretive act is always a political one. Holdheim's biblical exegesis reveals a severely constricted view of the religious as a necessary and eternal promise by God to all human beings, and a view of the political as the realm of human free response to this covenantal promise. What many of us might want to label 'religious activity' (the human response to a divine initiative) is not counted as such in Holdheim's thought. Biblical interpretation is always political, in Holdheim's view, and must be to safeguard the timeless purity of religious truth. Even Holdheim plays the game of the politics of religion.
Philosophy of Religion or Political Philosophy? The Debate Between Leo Strauss and Julius Guttmann
Authors: Adorisio Chiara
Published: April 2007

The article reconstructs and examines the debate between Leo Strauss (1899–1973) and Julius Guttmann (1880–1950) on the interpretation of the essence of Jewish medieval philosophy. Is Jewish medieval philosophy characterised by being essentially a philosophy of religion or, as Strauss objected in his critique of Guttmann, is it better understood if we consider that Jewish medieval rationalists conceived the problem of the relationship between philosophy and Judaism primarily as the problem of the relationship between philosophy and the law?Though both Guttmann and Strauss seem to discuss in their works the question of the interpretation of medieval Jewish philosophy in a historical way, their arguments were in fact rooted in a theoretical and philosophical interest. Strauss and Guttmann followed different philosophical methods, had different personal attitudes toward Judaism and faith, but both tried to learn from medieval and ancient philosophy to understand the problems of modern and contemporary rationalism.
A Synoptic Climatology and Composite Analysis of the Alberta Clipper
Authors: Thomas Blaine C. , Martin Jonathan E.
Published: April 2007

Surface and upper-air analyses from the ECMWF Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) dataset are used to construct a climatology of 177 Alberta clippers over 15 boreal cold seasons (October–March) from 1986/87 to 2000/01. The Alberta clipper (hereafter simply clipper) occurs most frequently during December and January and substantially less frequently during October and March. These cyclones generally move southeastward from the lee of the Canadian Rockies toward or just north of Lake Superior before progressing eastward into southeastern Canada or the northeastern United States, with less than 10% of the cases in the climatology tracking south of the Great Lakes. Characteristics of the structure and evolution of clippers during a 36-h period leading up to departure of the cyclone from the lee of the Canadian Rockies and a 60-h period after departure as the cyclone traverses central and eastern North America are examined through composite analyses. Over the course of the predeparture period, a cyclone over the Gulf of Alaska approaches the west coast of North America, and through its interaction with the mountainous terrain of western North America spawns a surface lee trough, characterized by a thermal ridge at 850 hPa, to the east of the Canadian Rockies. This thermal ridge dampens considerably as the composite clipper moves into central North America away from the immediate lee of the Canadian Rockies. The composite clipper system evolves from a lee cyclone with its nonclassical thermal structure to a more classically structured midlatitude cyclone as it moves through central and eastern North America largely as a result of rotation of the low-level thermal gradient and the increasing westward tilt with height of the composite clipper over the last 36 h of the postdeparture period. The thermal gradient rotation is dynamically linked to convergence of the along-isentrope component of the Q vector and thus to the ascent that sustains the clipper and creates some of its characteristic sensible weather elements. Such dynamical forcing is a direct consequence of the persistent westward displacement of the 500-hPa vorticity maximum with respect to the composite clipper sea level pressure minimum that characterizes the postdeparture period.
The Effect of Upstream Convection on Downstream Precipitation
Authors: Mahoney Kelly M. , Lackmann Gary M.
Published: April 2007

Operational forecasters in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States have noted a positive quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) bias in numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forecasts downstream of some organized, cold-season convective systems. Examination of cold-season cases in which model QPF guidance exhibited large errors allowed identification of two representative cases for detailed analysis. The goals of the case study analyses are to (i) identify physical mechanisms through which the upstream convection (UC) alters downstream precipitation amounts, (ii) determine why operational models are challenged to provide accurate guidance in these situations, and (iii) suggest future research directions that would improve model forecasts in these situations and allow forecasters to better anticipate such events. Two primary scenarios are identified during which downstream precipitation is altered in the presence of UC for the study region: (i) a fast-moving convective (FC) scenario in which organized convective systems oriented parallel to the lower-tropospheric flow are progressive relative to the parent synoptic system, and appear to disrupt poleward moisture transport, and (ii) a situation characterized by slower-moving convection (SC) relative to the parent system. Analysis of a representative FC case indicated that moisture consumption, stabilization via convective overturning, and modification of the low-level flow to a more westerly direction in the postconvective environment all appear to contribute to the reduction of downstream precipitation. In the FC case, operational Eta Model forecasts moved the organized UC too slowly, resulting in an overestimate of downstream moisture transport. A 4-km explicit convection model forecast from the Weather Research and Forecasting model produced a faster-moving upstream convective system and improved downstream QPF. In contrast to the FC event, latent heat release in the primary rainband is shown to enhance the low-level jet ahead of the convection in the SC case, thereby increasing moisture transport into the downstream region. A negative model QPF bias was observed in Eta Model forecasts for the SC event. Suggestions are made for precipitation forecasting in UC situations, and implications for NWP model configuration are discussed.
Two Generations of Slovenian Suicidal Adolescent Inpatients
Authors: Radobuljac Maja , Groleger Urban , Ovsenik Nada , Tomori Martina
Published: April 2007

Background: The political and socio-economic situation in Slovenia, a former Yugoslav republic, a country in transition and a country with a high suicide rate, which joined the European Union in 2004, has changed steadily since the beginning of the 1970s. Literature shows constancy in suicide statistics in Slovenia during these times.

Aim: The present study examines whether the suicidal adolescent inpatient population in Slovenia reflects recent social changes and upheavals.

Method: Data on two groups of patients admitted to a specialized adolescent psychiatry department after attempting suicide were collected. The first group (n = 74) were patients admitted from 1975 to 1977, the second group (n = 73) from 2002 to 2004. They were compared on general characteristics, family and living circumstances, risk behaviors, suicide attempts and diagnoses.

Results: The comparison revealed statistically significant differences between groups on educational level, number of siblings, frequency of smoking and psychoactive medication misuse as well as number of previous suicide attempts. No differences were found in other family and living circumstances, methods used in the index suicide attempt, other risk behaviors or diagnoses.

Conclusions: The post-independence suicidal inpatient population in Slovenia shows a tendency towards higher morbidity, but has changed less than expected considering the vast changes in the society. These results suggest a certain constancy in adolescent suicidal behavior.
The Neoliberal Turn in Latin America: The Cycle of Ideas and the Search for an Alternative
Authors: Margheritis Ana , Pereira Anthony W.
Published: April 2007

The role of ideas has been neglected, in comparison with the role of interests and institutions, in the literature on neoliberal reform in Latin America. While ideas were not the primary cause of neoliberal reform, their development, articulation, and dissemination are a significant part of the story of the rise and fall of the “Washington Consensus.” The neoliberalism of the 1980s and 1990s lost credibility and capacity to provide politically feasible policy guidelines because it was based on an elitist, exclusionary pact among small groups of experts and elites representing the interests of transnational capital. Only by understanding the origins and limitations of the ideas behind neoliberal reform can a new, more inclusive economic model for Latin America be created.
Prolegomenon to Neoliberalism: The Political Economy of Populist Argentina, 1943—1976
Authors: Brennan James P.
Published: April 2007

Recent research in economic history recasts the debate on economic policy in postwar Argentina. It demonstrates that the highly partisan writings on recent economic history and neoliberal prescriptions for economic reform have relied on an incomplete and therefore distorted understanding of the policies undertaken in the decades before the neoliberal reforms. An analysis of the inner workings of the country's banking system in these years provides a new historical precision to debates on the relationship between economic variables and political instability in the postwar years.
The Barbecho Crisis, La Plaga del Banco, and International Migration
Authors: Bates Diane C.
Published: April 2007

Structural adjustment policies have had devastating effects on segments of Latin America's population, especially when environmental degradation has added to the squeeze. In Ecuador's Southern Amazonian region, the withdrawal of public subsidies for agricultural loans coincided with productivity declines related to environmental degradation. As oil wealth in the 1960s gave way to financial crisis, interest rates for agricultural loans to colonists were changed from fixed to floating rates, ending a tacit subsidy in an inflationary economy. At the same time soil fertility declines and pests reduced agricultural production. Unable to recover from economic losses through commercial crops, cattle ranching, or access to credit, colonists (especially young men) are leaving the community to seek work in Ecuador's cities or in the United States and Europe.
Defensive Mobilization: Popular Movements against Economic Adjustment Policies in Latin America
Authors: Almeida Paul D.
Published: April 2007

In the current wave of defensive collective action across Latin America in response to neoliberal globalization, working-class groups appear most frequently in the documented protest events. The new wave of popular movement activity emerged in the region in the late 1990s and early twenty-first century and is driven by the erosion of the economic and social benefits previously available to the popular classes during the period of state-led development.
Technical note: An investigation of possible improvements in accuracy of regressions between diffuse and global solar irradiation
Authors: Clarke P. , Munawwar S. , Davidson A. , Muneer T. , Kubie J.
Published: April 2007

Horizontal hourly and sub-hourly diffuse and beam irradiance are required for the estimation of global irradiance on a given tilted surface. This information is used by engineers and architects for various solar energy applications and also to calculate solar heat gain in buildings. Although horizontal global irradiance is a commonly measured parameter for many sites, horizontal diffuse irradiance is not so readily obtainable. For such sites that measure global irradiation alone a simple but reasonably accurate method is required to estimate diffuse irradiance from its global counterpart. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracies of estimation of diffuse irradiance by developing annual, seasonal and monthly regressions between sub-hourly diffuse-ratio and clearness-index. An error analysis has been undertaken to compare these regression models.

Practicalapplications: Diffuse and beam components of global irradiation are required to accurately simulate solar heat gain in buildings. The UK Meteorological office keeps records of diffuse and global irradiances for 9 stations, but there are a further 84 stations that solely record global irradiance. Hence there is a need to estimate diffuse or beam irradiance for these sites. This paper presents an investigation into the uses of annual, seasonal and monthly regressions between diffuse and global horizontal sub-hourly solar irradiation. These regressions have proven to be a simple but reasonably accurate method of estimating diffuse irradiance from its global counterpart.
Evaluation and Management of Patients With Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Authors: George James N.
Published: April 2007

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) describes syndromes with multiple etiologies, some of which are rapidly fatal without plasma exchange treatment. Although there have been advances in understanding the pathogenesis of TTP, evaluation and management remain difficult because there are no specific diagnostic criteria, as TTP can be clinically similar to other acute disorders, such as sepsis, disseminated malignancy, malignant hypertension, and preeclampsia, and because urgent treatment is required. An unexpected observation of anemia and thrombocytopenia should trigger consideration of TTP; evidence that the anemia is due to microangiopathic hemolysis, suggested by the presence of red cell fragmentation on the blood smear, supports the diagnosis. When the diagnostic criteria of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia without an apparent alternative etiology are fulfilled, plasma exchange treatment is appropriate. However, plasma exchange has risks for severe complications and death; therefore, this management decision must be balanced against the confidence in the diagnosis. With plasma exchange treatment, approximately 80% of patients survive, in contrast to only 10% in the era prior to the availability of plasma exchange. The continuing mortality from TTP, the risks of plasma exchange treatment, and the potential for recurrent episodes of TTP are clinical challenges that remain to be solved.
Intelligence-Led Policing As a Framework for Responding to Terrorism
Authors: McGarrell Edmund F. , Freilich Joshua D. , Chermak Steven
Published: April 2007

Leading police associations in the United States and the United Kingdom have advocated that law enforcement adopt an intelligence-led policing model (ILP). Much like the situation with community policing, there does not appear to be a commonly accepted definition of ILP nor of the practical implications for police agencies' mission, structure, and processes. This article presents a model of ILP that builds on community policing, problem solving, and continuous improvement business models that have been adopted by police departments. Examples of these practices are reviewed as a method of illustrating the promise of an ILP approach. A broad conceptualization of ILP is presented under the belief that ILP will be most likely integrated into law enforcement and will have the greatest impact if it is adopted from an “all crimes” perspective. The article concludes with illustrations of the utility of ILP for addressing threats of domestic and international terrorism.
Trials for Terrorists
Authors: Levin Brian
Published: April 2007

In the post—9/11 period, the United States government employed alternate methods to deal with those accused of pursuing terrorism or aiding the nation's enemies. In an effort to thwart terror attacks, officials employed both civilian and military authority to investigate, apprehend, detain, and prosecute terror suspects. At first the Bush administration was granted considerable deference by the public and other branches of government on a wide variety of measures, including detainments. Eventually, both the courts and Congress reasserted themselves to limit the broad authority that the administration initially wielded over suspected terrorists. In particular, the ability of the military to detain American citizens in most circumstances was all but eliminated, and its near complete authority over noncitizens was significantly restricted as well.
A Validation and Reliability Study of the Physical Activity and Healthy Food Efficacy Scale for Children (PAHFE)
Authors: Perry Christina M. , De Ayala R.J. , Lebow Ryan , Hayden Emily
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this study was to obtain validity evidence for the Physical Activity and Healthy Food Efficacy Scale for Children (PAHFE). Construct validity evidence identifies four subscales: Goal-Setting for Physical Activity, Goal-Setting for Healthy Food Choices, Decision-Making for Physical Activity, and Decision-Making for Healthy Food Choices. The scores on each of these subscales show a moderate to high degree of internal consistency (0.59 ≤ α ≤ 0.87). The Decision-Making for Healthy Food Choice subscale and the Decision-Making for Physical Activity subscale scores show significant convergent validity evidence. These results provide support for using this self-efficacy scale to measure children's perceived confidence to make decisions about healthy eating and physical activity. The PAHFE may be considered to be a useful predictor of both physical activity and eating behaviors.
Pride and Prejudice
Authors: Munt Sally R. , O'Donnell Katherine
Published: April 2007

This article discusses the successful legal exclusion of Irish lesbians and gays from the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York and explores the ideologies of nation-space and public space that underpin this exclusion. It argues that the progression through urban space of the marches enforces compulsory heterosexuality, through actual and semiotic exclusion. Irish American nationalism can be read as illustrative of the heterosexualization of nationalism. It was the unquestioned assumption that being homosexual is antithetical to being Irish that provided the fundamental premise from which it was logically and successfully argued in U.S. courts: that the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization is a violent, obscene enemy bent on the destruction of Irish ethnicity and Irish communities. By contrast, the article holds up the parades in Cork and Dublin as designated inclusive and multicultural events, the nation-space of the Irish Republic economically liberated and wishing to communicate modernity to its citizens.