bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Introduction
Authors: Ihalainen Pasi
Published: May 2009

This thematic section of Contributions to the History of Concepts takes up the necessity – and at the same time the problematic nature – of studying metaphors as a part of conceptual history. As Frank Beck Lassen argues in his article, “Regular, Dependable, Mechanical: J.F. Struensee on the State of Denmark,” not only concepts but also metaphors must be considered by historians of political thought as politically significant figures of speech. Metaphors may constitute condensed political arguments, the applications of which play an important role in the continuous semantic struggle over the definition of political reality.
The Machine of State in Germany
Authors: Nokkala Ere Pertti
Published: May 2009

The aim of this article is to explore the different uses of the state-machine metaphor in Germany during the 1750s and 1760s. It focuses on the debate around the ideal state and especially on the views of one central writer, Johann Heinrich Gottlob von Justi (1717-1771). It has been argued that in this debate the functionality of the state was measured according to the efficiency and simplicity of the machine and that the best form of state was that which provided the fastest and most precise implementation of the final cause (happiness) and encountered the fewest obstacles on its way. At the time, unlimited monarchy arose as the form of government that best fitted this description, with Fredrick II and Justi being usually referred to as the ideologues of this mechanical authoritarian order, often described as “enlightened absolutism.” However, the author argues that Justi's position in this debate must be reconsidered since his writings show that he never denied the possibility of constructing a complex state-machine based on the separation and balance of powers. In fact, he was an admirer of England's mixed government as described by Montesquieu. Ironically, then, the author who most contributed to the dissemination of the state-machine metaphor in Germany was also the one whose usage of it was most exceptional.
Review Essays: Whewell’s Philosophy under Dispute
Authors: Curtis Ron
Published: May 2009

William Whewell tried to explain how scientific knowledge of necessary and certain truth was possible by tracing it to ideas that arose not out of experience but had an independent origin in the mind. Although Whewell has generally been regarded as an a priorist in some sense and as a proponent of hypothetico-deductivism, Snyder tries to show that he can be assimilated to the twentieth-century inductivist mainstream. She fails to make her case, however, in part because she fails to pay sufficient attention to Whewell’s insistence that scientific discovery is beyond the reach of method and always involves happy guesses.
Trends in Marital Happiness by Gender and Race, 1973 to 2006
Authors: Corra Mamadi , Carter Shannon K. , Carter J. Scott , Knox David
Published: May 2009

This article uses data from the 1973-2006 General Social Survey to assess the interactive impact of race and gender on marital happiness over time. Findings indicate independent and significant effects for both variables, with Whites and husbands reporting greater marital happiness than Blacks and wives. Comparing four subgroups (White husbands, White wives, Black husbands, and Black wives), the authors find that White husbands report the highest levels of marital happiness whereas Black wives report the lowest. Assessment of trends from the 1970s to the 2000s reveals a convergence among the groups: Although White husbands consistently report the highest levels of marital happiness, there has been a steady decline in the gap between all four groups. Most notably, Black wives exhibit a significant increase in marital happiness relative to the other groups. Findings are discussed in the context of the changing structure and composition of families in contemporary U.S. society.
Understanding the outcomes of supportive communication: A dual-process approach
Authors: Burleson Brant R.
Published: May 2009

Numerous factors affect the outcomes of supportive interactions, including aspects of the supportive message, the helper, the interaction context, and the recipient. This article proposes that the direct and interactive effects of these factors can be explained through a dual-process theory of supportive communication outcomes, which provides a comprehensive, integrative treatment of when and why collections of variables in supportive interactions generate the effects they do. The article reviews some of factors that influence the outcomes of supportive interactions, explicates the dual-process theory of supportive communication outcomes, illustrates the theory by describing recent studies designed to test it, and discusses aspects of the theory that need attention and directions for future research.
What a lifespan approach might tell us about why distinct measures of social support have differential links to physical health
Authors: Uchino Bert N.
Published: May 2009

Social support has been reliably related to physical health outcomes. However, an examination of mediators of such links has been slowed by the lack of understanding regarding two complex and related questions: what is social support and what phase of the disease process does it impact? In this paper, I argue for the importance of a lifespan perspective that takes into account distinct antecedent processes and mechanisms that are related to measures of support over time. This view makes clear the need to distinguish measures of perceived and received support and its links to more specific aspects of disease (e.g., acute, chronic, disease incidence). The implications of these theoretical arguments for research on social support and physical health are discussed.
Are social relations less health protective in women than in men? Social relations, gender, and cardiovascular health
Authors: Orth-Gomér Kristina
Published: May 2009

Individuals with no or few social contacts have an increased risk of dying prematurely from coronary disease. Social ties generally exert general, but unspecific, health protective effects, however, negative social ties are sometimes harmful for women's cardiac health. In a clinical trial of psychosocial intervention, consecutive female coronary patients received a one year cognitive stress reduction, and support strengthening program. In a nine year follow up, the program reduced mortality by two thirds when compared to women in typical care programs. There is additional evidence from population based studies, from clinical observational studies, and from controlled interventional studies that social support is health (and specifically cardiac) protective and that these effects are generalized in men.
Social support: The movie
Authors: Hobfoll Stevan E.
Published: May 2009

There is continued confusion and controversy about the importance of perception versus actual exchange of social support, that I argue in this paper leads erroneously to the conclusion that it is perception that is key. This paper argues that this confusion follows from the lack of study of the time sequence by which social support, and therefore its perception, is accumulated. Unless people are delusional, social support and its appraisal are created primarily as a product of real events in their lives. Most research comparing “perceived” and “received” social support actually compares perceptions of reality that have accumulated over long spans of time to a micro exchange of received support. Further, I illustrate that when social support does not behave as people expected (i.e., there are misperceptions) then people's belief systems about their support change, but, again, based on the facts. In this way, people are depicted as active operators in the support process, such that they make ongoing adjustments in their beliefs and in their actual social support by creating new relationships and how they interact in these relationships so that perceptions and reality match.
Gaps in social support resources in later life: An adaptational challenge in need of further research
Authors: Rook Karen S.
Published: May 2009

Gaps in social support resources in later life may arise when older adults lose social network members due to illness, death, or residential relocation. Gaps also may arise when social networks remain intact but are not well suited to meet older adults' intensifying support needs, such as needs for extended or highly personal instrumental support. Significant gaps in support resources are likely to require adaptive responses by older adults. This discussion highlights theoretical perspectives and illustrates empirical findings regarding the nature and effectiveness of older adults' responses to gaps in their social support resources. The literature examining these issues is relatively small and, as a result, is ripe for further development. Promising directions for future research are suggested.
Social support: Mapping the construct
Authors: Sarason Irwin G. , Sarason Barbara R.
Published: May 2009

Social support is a construct with multiple dimensions that can be approached at multiple levels. Findings from a variety of disciplines and recognition of its bidirectional nature can help map the construct. Bidirectionality is a process that requires attention to moderators, such as, gender, cultural change, and personal development, together with the relationship between the receiver and the provider of support. Both close personal ties and weaker ones that often are part of community involvement need to be taken into account in order to map the construct comprehensively.
Geographies of identity: landscapes of class
Authors: Dowling Robyn
Published: May 2009

Historically class has been less likely than dimensions such as gender or race to come up in geographical discussions of identity as lived experience. In this progress report I document the novel ways in which social scientists have recently explored the discourses shaping, and lived experiences of, class identities in numerous cities and regions across the globe. Theoretically, the progress report identifies the presence of longstanding theories of class (eg, Marx, Bourdieu) alongside experiential and psychic theories, suggesting that there is a new language of class developing in human geography. Empirically, geographical scholarship on class similarly builds upon conventional interests in the transformation and use of urban spaces as elements of processes of class colonization in the west, but also moves beyond these through consideration of processes in the global south. As a result, new means of forging identity politics are suggested, that recognize the contingent yet ever present position of class in the contemporary era.
Obituaries, war, ‘corporeal remains’, and life: history and philosophy of geography, 2007—2008
Authors: Barnes Trevor J.
Published: May 2009

This progress report reviews contributions made to the history and philosophy of geography for the period 2007—2008. The review is divided into four topical areas: obituaries of geographers; the relation of geography to the Second World War and the Cold War; scientific and social experimentation; and non-representational theory.
Disaster politics: tipping points for change in the adaptation of sociopolitical regimes
Authors: Pelling Mark , Dill Kathleen
Published: May 2009

Calls from the climate change community and a more widespread concern for human security have reawakened the interest of geographers and others in disaster politics. A legacy of geographical research on the political causes and consequences of disaster is reviewed and built on to formulate a framework for the analysis of post-disaster political space. This is constructed around the notion of a contested social contract. The Marmara earthquake, Turkey, is used to illustrate the framework and provide empirical detail on the multiple scales and time phasing of post-disaster political change. Priorities for a future research agenda in disaster politics are proposed.
The Global Securitized Subprime Market Crisis
Authors: O’Hara Phillip Anthony
Published: May 2009

This paper examines the global securitized subprime crisis through the lens of core general principles of political economy. The principle of historical specificity is used to situate the crisis in cycles and historical time. The principle of circular and cumulative causation scrutinizes the role of multiple factors and how they cumulatively impact on the system. The principle of contradiction explores the relationship between finance and industry through deregulation and changing industrial leadership at the global level. The principles of financial innovation and heterogeneous agents link to the intricacies of the different roles of economic agents in the circuit of mortgages and securitization. And finally the principle of risk and uncertainty examines the contradictory role of complex institutions and calculative models of risk in the generation of high systemic uncertainty during booms in the cycle.
The Bush Business Cycle Profit Rate: Support in a Theoretical Debate and Implications for the Future
Authors: Bakir Erdogan , Campbell AL
Published: May 2009

This paper looks at the most recent aggregate profit rate data for the United States. It then makes five arguments. First, the new data reinforce the rejection of “neoliberalism as successful capitalist restructuring that could possibly restore or surpass the pre 1970s rate of profit.” Second, when the new data are viewed together with the rest of the post-WWII data, it reinforces the appearance of the fall in the rate of profit as a one-step fall between an earlier and a later period. Third, this result argues against understanding the fall in the rate of profit in terms of an increasing organic composition of capital. Fourth, the one-step fall understanding is consistent with understanding profit rate dynamics in terms of the change of economic regimes between the “Keynesian compromise” period and the neoliberal period. These first four results are all consistent with, though certainly not broad enough to claim to be a proof of all of, the recently reformulated social structures of accumulation theory by Kotz and Wolfson. Finally, when the new data are considered together with several now widely held general beliefs about the near-term performance of the U.S. economy, this paper makes arguments about some likely characteristics of the behavior of the aggregate profit rate over the next business cycle.
Weirton Revisited: Finance, the Working Class, and Rustbelt Steel Restructuring
Authors: Goldstein Don
Published: May 2009

I met Dave Houston while researching an article on the 1983 employee buyout of Weirton Steel. This contact initiated a journey that led me to a PhD in economics and research on financially driven corporate restructuring in an era of troubled capital accumulation. Dave counseled and practiced a clear-eyed look at the conditions for “acceptable” surplus value extraction when analyzing viable avenues for worker resistance. With a quarter-century’s hindsight, this paper applies that approach to an assessment of what restructuring has meant for the industrial working class in steel and related sectors.
Betwixt and Between: The Spectrum of Formality Revealed in the Labor Market Experiences of Mexican Migrant Workers in the United States
Authors: Cobb Carrie L. , King Mary C. , Rodriguez Leopoldo
Published: May 2009

Interviews with Mexican migrant workers in Portland, Oregon, reveal the inadequacy of the conception of informality to capture the complexity of their labor market experiences in the United States. We propose the term “semi-formal” to describe the large gray area between formal and informal employment, and a spectrum of formality with which to think about the degree of formality present in any particular employment situation.
Principles for Constructing Alternative Socio-economic Organizations: Lessons Learned from Working Outside Institutional Structures
Authors: Barkin David
Published: May 2009

Ecological economics offers ethical and methodological principles for building alternative socio-economic organizations that can contribute to the design of strategies for local project implementation. The participatory design process incorporates normative criteria, including an emphasis on self-sufficiency while also guaranteeing a gradual process of diversification to generate surpluses than can be used for further investment and enrichment of productive, social, political, and environmental infrastructures. The projects in which these principles are being applied involve community networks for producing basic staples as well as new products or modifications of traditional goods that can readily find markets at “fair trade” prices or can contribute to building solidarity economies. The individual projects incorporate traditional and state of the art technologies, minimizing the use of non-renewable resources and contributing to improving the quality of the environment. Organizational concerns assure rotating systems for positions of political and social control and power, without encroaching upon traditional systems of authority that often temper modern paradigms with inherited mechanisms for making decisions and regulating change. This analysis suggests an important set of principles for guiding the future evolution of ecological economics; the sustainable management of regional resources requires: autonomy, self-sufficiency, productive diversification, and sustainable resource management.
Reconsidering Successful Aging
Authors: Dillaway Heather E. , Byrnes Mary
Published: May 2009

Many scholars now critique successful aging terminology. Nonetheless, there is incomplete analysis of the political motivations behind the development of and/or effects of widespread use of these terms. This article suggests that analysis of the people who developed the terms and the settings within which they work parallels an analysis of the terms themselves and illustrates the continuing negative perception of aging. This study fleshes out a more thorough critique of the sociopolitical contexts surrounding the successful aging paradigm so that it can help renew and expand existing critiques. The authors conclude that researchers need to be wary of adopting successful aging terminology without considering and expanding their understanding of the political motivations and results that accompanies it. New, expanded conceptualizations of successful aging are needed so that socially minded researchers and practitioners of gerontology do not contribute to ageism and discrimination against older adults.
Volunteering in “Old” Europe
Authors: Hank Karsten , Erlinghagen Marcel
Published: May 2009

This article aims at providing an overview of patterns, potentials, and limitations of formal volunteering among older Europeans. Based on data from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we first describe cross-national variations in formal voluntary engagement and report on recent research investigating societal determinants of volunteering. We then discuss general issues related to policies and programs promoting older people’s voluntary engagement. This is complemented by some critical remarks on the current “productive aging” debate in Europe. Pointing out limitations of volunteering in the older population, we conclude by suggesting a broad concept of aging, which encompasses both productive and consumptive elements, as an appropriate model for our aging societies.
Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Fiber Tracking to Characterize Diffuse Perinatal White Matter Injury: A Case Report
Authors: Yeatman Jason D. , Ben-Shachar Michal , Bammer Roland , Feldman Heidi M.
Published: May 2009

Prematurity is associated with white matter injury. Diffusion tensor imaging, a new magnetic resonance imaging technique, identifies white matter fiber tracts and quantifies structural properties. We used diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking to compare white matter characteristics in a 12-year-old born prematurely and full-term control. We divided fibers passing through the corpus callosum into 7 segments based on cortical projection zones and analyzed them for fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. We also compared corticospinal and somatosensory tracts in the participant and control. The participant had decreased factional anisotropy in every callosal segment, particularly in superior and posterior parietal projections. Fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal and somatosensory tracts was not lower in the participant than control. Fiber tracking allowed precise localization and visualization of white matter injuries of the corpus callosum associated with prematurity. Quantitative measures suggested myelin deficiencies across the corpus callosum, particularly in parietal projections.
Two stories about biotech patenting from the “silent majority” in Europe
Authors: Andreasen Morten
Published: May 2009

Two decades of intensive policy controversy over the patenting of biotechnological inventions have left largely unexamined what the general public in Europe believes to be at stake. The paper presents the first European interview data with a primary focus on how members of “the silent majority” understand biotech patenting. Group discussions witness a polarization involving contrasting views of the role of patents in society; first, a libertarian view focusing on e.g. rights and merit; second, a communitarian view focusing on e.g. equality and public welfare. I suggest that these positions, which have long historical roots, are expressions of more fundamental ideas about what “Good Society” is.
New Semi-active Multi-modal Vibration Control Using Piezoceramic Components
Authors: Harari S. , Richard C. , Gaudiller L.
Published: May 2009

Active vibration control using piezoelectric elements has been extensively studied due to the requirement for increasingly high performances. Semi-active control, such as Synchronized Switch Damping, is an alternative technique. It consists in switching a piezoelectric element to a specific circuit synchronously with the motion of the structure, unlike active control. This method requires very low power supply, but performances remain poor in the case of broad bandwidth excitation. This article proposes a new method which is a combination of the SSDI semi-active control and technique developed for active control and has low power supply requirements. It extends semi-active control to any type of excitation, while optimizing modal damping on several targeted modes. Experimental measurements carried out on a clamped free beam are presented and a significant damping on targeted modes is demonstrated.
Magnetostrictive Actuation of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites
Authors: Mccombe G.P. , Etches J.A. , Bond I.P. , Mellor P.H.
Published: May 2009

Despite substantial research into smart materials and structures technology, the integration of magnetostrictive materials into fiber-reinforced polymer laminated structures to provide capabilities such as actuation has been limited to date. In this work, magnetostrictive Terfenol-D is inserted into unidirectional glass and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates. The strain developed in the laminates due to the magnetostriction of the Terfenol-D was observed and found to give a maximum of 0.11% normal to the fiber direction for a 3-ply UD carbon fiber laminate with the Terfenol-D recessed within a mid-ply cut-out. This demonstrates the actuation potential of Terfenol-D within a smart structure.
Baseline-free Imaging Method based on New PZT Sensor Arrangements
Authors: Qiang Wang , Shenfang Yuan
Published: May 2009

The Lamb wave-based structural damage detection technique is widely viewed as one of the most encouraging tools for structural health monitoring. However, the propagation of Lamb waves is complicated. Damage-scattering components in the sensing signals may easily be mixed with the waves that come from the source and those reflected from boundaries. Traditionally, damage scattering signals are obtained by comparing test data with a baseline data. However, such a process is affected easily by environmental and operational variability. Major emphases of the research in this article are on developing a baseline-free damage diagnosis technique based on time reversal theory. First, the propagation of the Lamb wave and its time reversal process are discussed. Second, time window functions and improved piezoelectric actuators/sensors array arrangement are developed to separate the scattered signals from the sensing signals. A time reversal imaging method is also adopted to detect and show the damages. This method makes all the scattered signals focus at the corresponding sources so that damages can be revealed. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiment in which a quasi-isotropic composite plate with PZT array is successfully monitored without relying on any past baseline data.
Expanding Possibilities Through Metaphor: Breaking Biases to Improve Crisis Management
Authors: Cirka Carol C. , Corrigall Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2009

In this article, we demonstrate that an exercise using metaphors to overcome cognitive biases helped students to proactively imagine and prepare for an expanded set of potential crises. The exercise complements traditional textbook approaches to crisis management and incorporates creativity skill building in a realistic context. Learning outcomes included an enhanced appreciation of detrimental effects of cognitive biases, improved skill in using metaphor to overcome these biases, an understanding of the benefits of proactive crisis management, and experience in formulating a crisis management plan. We describe the exercise, suggest debriefing questions, and discuss benefits to students.
Color Vision, Cones, and Color-Coding in the Cortex
Authors: Conway Bevil R.
Published: May 2009

Color processing begins with the absorption of light by cone photoreceptors, and progresses through a series of hierarchical stages: Retinal signals carrying color information are transmitted through the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) up to the primary visual cortex (V1). From V1, the signals are processed by the second visual area (V2); then by cells located in subcompartments (“globs”) within the posterior inferior temporal (PIT) cortex, a brain region that encompasses area V4 and brain regions immediately anterior to V4. Color signals are then processed by regions deep within the inferior temporal (IT) cortex including area TE. As a heuristic, one can consider each of these stages to be involved in constructing a distinct aspect of the color percept. The three cone types are the basis for trichromacy; retinal ganglion cells that respond in an opponent fashion to activation of different cone classes are the basis for color opponency (these “cone-opponent” cells increase their firing rate above baseline to activation of one cone class and decrease their firing rate below baseline to activation of a different cone class); double-opponent neurons in the V1 generate local color contrast and are the building blocks for color constancy; glob cells elaborate the perception of hue; and IT integrates color perception in the context of behavior. Finally, though nothing is known, these signals presumably interface with motor programs and emotional centers of the brain to mediate the widely acknowledged emotional salience of color.
The Clinical Nurse Leader: Helping Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses Transform Their Practice
Authors: Seed Mary S. , Torkelson Diane J. , Karshmer Judith F.
Published: May 2009

The national movement to transform the health care delivery systems must include a focus on mental health treatment. To address similar deficits across other practice domains, the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role has been created. The CNL is a master's degree that prepares a nurse to use a systems perspective to improve outcomes for a cohort of patient, deliver care based on best practices, and coordinate care in a multidisciplinary team. Applying the CNL role to mental health care could help psychiatric mental health nursing be at the forefront in the transformation of mental health care delivery.
A Comparison of the Practices of Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners Who Are Certified to Provide Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents
Authors: Weiss Sandra J. , Talley Sandra
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: A task force of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses initiated a survey to identify how advanced practice psychiatric nurses were addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents. OBJECTIVES: Practice patterns of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric—Mental Health Nurses (CACNSs) and Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (FPNPs) were compared. DESIGN: An electronic survey was completed by 234 CACNSs and 170 FPNPs from a national database. Group data were compared using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Both groups spent the greatest percentage of their time in medication management, with depression being the most frequent problem they treated. However, CACNSs treated more school-aged children and provided more psychotherapy. FPNPs frequently merged prescribing and therapy when seeing patients. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate more commonalities than differences in the practices of the two certification groups but suggest the need for standards that will inform educational programs and certification examinations.
Offense-Related Interpretative Bias in Female Child Molesters
Authors: Gannon Theresa A. , Rose Mariamne R.
Published: May 2009

Although female child molesters are hypothesized to hold offense-supportive cognitions that facilitate their sexual offenses, there have been no implicit social-cognitive studies used to investigate this. Using an implicit memory recognition paradigm, it is shown that female child molesters—relative to female offender controls—are more likely to interpret ambiguous information about males in a threatening manner. These results suggest that female child molesters hold a series of beliefs about men's dangerousness and power. The authors discuss these results and explore the possibility that these beliefs about male dangerousness are related to a risk of abusing children.
Accumulation of cortical lesions in MS: relation with cognitive impairment
Authors: Roosendaal SD , Moraal B , Pouwels PJW , Vrenken H , Castelijns JA , Barkhof F , Geurts JJG
Published: May 2009

Background

Gray matter (GM) lesions are frequently found in multiple sclerosis (MS) and their in-vivo detection has been improved using new magnetic resonance imaging sequences, such as double inversion recovery (DIR). However, little is known about progression of GM lesions over time.

Objective

To study the longitudinal behavior of GM lesions and to explore their relation to cognitive impairment in MS.

Methods

DIR images were acquired from 13 MS patients and seven healthy controls at two time points with a median interval of 3 years. At follow-up, all subjects underwent cognitive testing. Lesions were classified as white matter, cortical or hippocampal lesions.

Results

In patients, median cortical lesion number had increased from 18 to 26 at follow-up ( P = 0.01), median white matter (WM) lesion number had increased from 56 to 65 ( P = 0.02), and no significant increase over time was found for hippocampal lesions. Cortical lesion number at follow-up was significantly higher in secondary progressive (SP) than in relapsing-remitting patients. Significant relations were found between cortical and WM lesion number at follow-up on the one hand and visuospatial memory and processing speed on the other hand. Hippocampal lesion number was related to visuospatial memory.

Conclusion

Cortical lesions increase significantly over a 3-year time period, are most frequent in SP patients, and are associated with cognitive impairment.
Occurrence of acute large and edematous callosal lesions in neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Nakamura M , Misu T , Fujihara K , Miyazawa I , Nakashima I , Takahashi T , Watanabe S , Itoyama Y
Published: May 2009

Background

The corpus callosum is commonly involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), but the characteristics of callosal lesions in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are unknown.

Objective

To reveal the features of callosal lesions in NMO in comparison to MS.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and the brain magnetic resonance imaging films of 56 patients with MS and 22 patients with NMO.

Results

In MS, 36 (64.3%) of 56 patients had callosal lesions, but only four patients had acute lesions. All such acute lesions were small, isolated and non-edematous, and the intensity was homotonic. Chronic lesions were observed in 34 patients with MS, and 32 (94%) of them presented small lesions located at the callosal lower margin (“hemi-oval pattern”). Meanwhile, four (18.2%) patients with NMO had callosal lesions, and three of them had acute lesions. Those acute lesions were multiple, large edematous ones with heterogeneous intensity (“marbled pattern”). In the chronic stage, the lesions shrank or disappeared.

Conclusions

Acute large, edematous callosal lesions occasionally occur in NMO. Similar to longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, such callosal lesions may reflect severe edematous inflammation in NMO, and may provide additional evidence that the pathogenesis in NMO is different from that in MS.
Magnetization transfer ratio abnormalities reflect clinically relevant grey matter damage in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Fisniku LK , Altmann DR , Cercignani M , Tozer DJ , Chard DT , Jackson JS , Miszkiel KA , Schmierer K , Thompson AJ , Miller DH
Published: May 2009

Background

In multiple sclerosis, grey matter (GM) damage appears more clinically relevant than either white matter damage or lesion load.

Objective

We investigated if normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and grey matter tissue changes assessed by magnetization transfer ratio were associated with long-term disability.

Methods

Sixty-nine people were assessed 20 years after presentation with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) [28 still CIS, 31 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 10 secondary progressive multiple sclerosis], along with 19 healthy subjects. Mean magnetization transfer ratio, peak height (PH) and peak location of the normalized magnetization transfer ratio histograms were determined in NAWM and grey matter, as well as, white matter and GM Fraction (GMF) and T2-weighted lesion load.

Results

Median expanded disability status scale for multiple sclerosis patients was 2.5 (range 1–8). GM-PH, and less so, NAWM mean and peak location, were lower in multiple sclerosis patients ( P = 0.009) versus controls, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis versus CIS ( P = 0.008) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis versus relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis ( P = 0.002). GM-PH (as well as GMF) correlated with expanded disability status scale ( rs = −0.49; P = 0.001) and multiple sclerosis functional score ( rs = 0.51; P = 0.001). GM-PH independently predicted disability with similar strength to the associations of GMF with clinical measures.

Conclusion

Grey matter damage was related to long-term disability in multiple sclerosis cohort with a relatively low median expanded disability status scale. Markers of intrinsic grey matter damage (magnetization transfer ratio) and tissue loss offer clinically relevant information in multiple sclerosis.
Psychometric Properties of a Korean Translation of the Scales of Independent Behavior—Revised
Authors: Cho Su-Je , Paik Eunhee , Lee Byoung-In , Yi Joonsuk
Published: May 2009

This study explores the psychometric properties of data drawn from the Korean translation of the full Scales of Independent Behavior—Revised (SIB-R). In addition, semantic, content, conceptual, and technical equivalence are examined. The participants include 2,763 typically developing children and 406 children with intellectual disabilities residing in South Korea. The results reveal that data from the Korean SIB-R were reliable and could be used for valid decisions. This study provides empirical evidence that the Korean SIB-R is a useful assessment tool to measure adaptive behavior skills of children in South Korea.
Meeting the Challenge of Doing an RCT Evaluation of Youth Mentoring in Ireland
Authors: Brady Bernadine , O'Regan Connie
Published: May 2009

The youth mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the first social interventions involving youth in Ireland to be evaluated using a randomized controlled trial methodology. This article sets out the design process undertaken, describing how the research team came to adopt a concurrent embedded mixed methods design as a means of balancing ethical, feasibility, and scientific issues associated with the randomized controlled trial method, establishing an epistemological position and integrating data from various methods and multiple sources.
Identifying welding skills for training and assistance with robot
Authors: Erden M. S. , Tomiyama T.
Published: May 2009

This paper aims at identifying the differences between skilled and unskilled welders by analysing the position data obtained with a three-dimensional motion capture system. Using the position data of markers the tip point position of the torch is constructed. The kinematic data of the torch tip obtained from various skilled and unskilled performances is analysed. The analysis reveals that a skilled welder has better control of the torch tip with less variation of the position and speed in the three directions. Six criteria are developed to distinguish the skilled and unskilled performances. First, threshold values are determined for the three position and three speed variations. Then, these threshold values are used to determine alarm levels, which signify the degree of violation of the thresholds. Lastly, the alarm levels are used to construct a degree of skill for each performance. The performance of the six criteria are tested on the training and validation set. The criteria based on the variation of position along the welding line and the height from the welded material are the most successful. In the conclusion the paper discusses how to make use of the results in order to develop a physically interactive welding robot for training and real time assistance purposes.
TCF/β-catenin plays an important role in HCCR-1 oncogene expression
Authors: Cho Goang-Won , Kim Mi-Hwa , Kim Seung Hyun , Ha Seon-Ah , Kim Hyun Kee , Kim Sanghee , Kim Jin W
Published: May 2009

Background

Oncogene HCCR-1 functions as a negative regulator of the p53 and contributes to tumorigenesis of various human tissues. However, it is unknown how HCCR-1 contributes to the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of human tumorigenesis.

Results

In this study, we showed how the expression of HCCR-1 is modulated. The luciferase activity assay indicated that the HCCR-1 5'-flanking region at positions -166 to +30 plays an important role in HCCR-1 promoter activity. Computational analysis of this region identified two consensus sequences for the T-cell factor (TCF) located at -26 to -4 (Tcf1) and -136 to -114 (Tcf2). Mutation at the Tcf1 site led to a dramatic decrease in promoter activity. Mobility shift assays (EMSA) revealed that nuclear proteins bind to the Tcf1 site, but not to the Tcf2 site. LiCl, Wnt signal activator by GSK-3β inhibition, significantly increased reporter activities in wild-type Tcf1-containing constructs, but were without effect in mutant Tcf1-containing constructs in HEK/293 cells. In addition, endogenous HCCR-1 expression was also increased by treatment with GSK-3β inhibitor, LiCl or AR-A014418 in HEK/293 and K562 cells. Finally, we also observed that the transcription factor, TCF, and its cofactor, β-catenin, bound to the Tcf1 site.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the Tcf1 site on the HCCR-1 promoter is a major element regulating HCCR-1 expression and abnormal stimulation of this site may induce various human cancers.
Parental origin of chromosomes influences crossover activity within the Kcnq1 transcriptionally imprinted domain of Mus musculus
Authors: Ng Siemon H , Madeira Rose , Parvanov Emil D , Petros Lorin M , Petkov Petko M , Paigen Kenneth
Published: May 2009

Background

Among the three functions of DNA, mammalian replication and transcription can be subject to epigenetic imprinting specified by the parental origin of chromosomes, and although there is suggestive indication that this is also true for meiotic recombination, no definitive evidence has yet been reported.

Results

We have now obtained such evidence on mouse chromosome 7 by assaying meiotic recombination as it occurs in reciprocal F1 mice. A 166 kb region near the Kcnq1 transcriptionally imprinted domain showed significantly higher recombination activity in the CAST×B6 parental direction (p < 0.03). Characterizing hotspots within this domain revealed a cluster of three hotspots lying within a 100 kb span, among these hotspots, Slc22a18 showed a definitive parent of origin effect on recombination frequency (p < 0.02). Comparing recombination activity in the mouse Kcnq1 and neighboring H19-Igf2 imprinted domains with their human counterparts, we found that elevated recombination activity in these domains is a consequence of their chromosomal position relative to the telomere and not an intrinsic characteristic of transcriptionally imprinted domains as has been previously suggested.

Conclusion

Similar to replication and transcription, we demonstrate that meiotic recombination can be subjected to epigenetic imprinting and hotspot activity can be influenced by the parental origin of chromosomes. Furthermore, transcriptionally imprinted regions exhibiting elevated recombination activity are likely a consequence of their chromosomal location rather than their transcriptional characteristic.
Early raise of BDNF in hippocampus suggests induction of posttranscriptional mechanisms by antidepressants
Authors: Musazzi Laura , Cattaneo Annamaria , Tardito Daniela , Barbon Alessandro , Gennarelli Massimo , Barlati Sergio , Racagni Giorgio , Popoli Maurizio
Published: May 2009

Background

The neurotrophin BDNF has been implicated in the regulation of neuroplasticity, gene expression, and synaptic function in the adult brain, as well as in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and the mechanism of action of antidepressants. Antidepressant treatments have been shown to increase the expression of BDNF mRNA, although the changes measured were found to be different depending on various factors. A few studies only have measured levels of BDNF protein after antidepressant treatments, and poor correlation was found between mRNA and protein changes. We studied the time course of expression of BDNF mRNA and protein during drug treatments, in order to elucidate the temporal profile of regulation of this effector and whether mRNA and protein levels correlate. Rat groups were treated for 1, 2 or 3 weeks with fluoxetine or reboxetine; in additional groups drug treatment was followed by a washout week (3+1). Total BDNF mRNA was measured by Real Time PCR, pro- and mature BDNF proteins were measured by Western blot.

Results

We found that mature BDNF protein is induced more rapidly than mRNA, by both drugs in hippocampus (weeks 1–2) and by reboxetine in prefrontal/frontal cortex (week 1). The temporal profile of BDNF protein expression was largely inconsistent with that of mRNA, which followed the protein induction and reached a peak at week 3.

Conclusion

These results suggest that BDNF protein is rapidly elevated by antidepressant treatments by posttranscriptional mechanisms, and that induction of BDNF mRNA is a slower process.
A systematic approach to performing a comprehensive transesophageal echocardiogram. A call to order
Authors: Kothavale Avinash A , Yeon Susan B , Manning Warren J
Published: May 2009

Background

While the order for a clinical transthoracic examination is fairly standardized, there is considerable variability between laboratories and even among physicians in the same laboratory with regard to the order for transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE). A systematic approach is desirable for more efficient use of physician and patient time, avoidance of inadvertent omission of important views, and to facilitate study review.

Methods

We propose a standardized approach to TEE data acquisition in which cardiac structures are systematically identified and characterized at sequential positions and imaging planes to facilitate organized, efficient and comprehensive assessment.

Results

Our approach to TEE study begins in the mid-esophagus with the imaging plane at 0°. Based on the specific indication for the TEE, a cardiac structure (e.g., mitral valve, left atrial appendage, or interatrial septum) is chosen as the primary focal point for a comprehensive, multiplane analysis. This structure is assessed in 20° – 30° increments as the imaging plane is advanced from 0° to 165°. Using the aortic valve as a reference point, pertinent cardiac structures are then assessed as the imaging plane is reduced to 135°, to 90°, to 40 – 60° and then back to 0°. The probe is then advanced into the stomach to obtain transgastric images at 0°, 90°, and 120°. Finally, the thoracic aorta and pulmonary artery are assessed as the probe is withdrawn from the body. Using this method, an organized and comprehensive TEE can be performed in 10 – 15 minutes.

Conclusion

A standardized and systematic TEE approach is described for efficient and comprehensive TEE study.
Weight change and incident metabolic syndrome in Iranian men and women; a 3 year follow-up study
Authors: Zabetian Azadeh , Hadaegh Farzad , Sarbakhsh Parvin , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: May 2009

Background

Although the association of weight gain and developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been reported in the Western and Asian populations, data on the gender-stratified effects of weight change (including weight loss) on incident MetS and its components in the Middle East Caucasians is still scarce.

Methods

A total of 1431 men and 2036 women aged ≥ 20 years with BMI > 18.5 kg/m2 were followed over 3 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of MetS and its components (the Adult Treatment Panel III definition) associated with gender-stratified quintiles of percent weight change. Subjects with MetS at baseline were excluded for analyzing the RR of MetS.

Results

There was 20.4% (95% CI, 19.6–21.2) age-adjusted incident MetS (18.4% male vs. 23.1% women). In men, mild weight gain (WG) predicted high waist circumference (WC) and high triglyceride; moderate WG predicted MetS (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4–4.3), high WC and high blood pressure (BP); large WG predicted MetS (RR 3.2, 95% CI 1.8–5.7) and its components, except for high fasting plasma glucose. In women, mild WG predicted MetS (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4–4.3), high WC and high BP; moderate WG predicted Mets (RR 4.6, 95% CI 2.7–8.0), high WC and high triglyceride; large WG predicted MetS (RR 6.6, 95% CI 3.8–11.3) and its components except for low HDL-cholesterol. Mild weight loss had protective effect on high WC in both genders and MetS in men (RR 0.5, 95% CI 0.26–0.97, P = 0.04).

Conclusion

Weight change showed different effects on MetS in men and women. In women, mild WG predicted MetS; however, mild weight loss was protective against MetS in men and high WC in both genders.