bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An experimental investigation into the interaction between a sound field and its boundaries
Authors: Jie Pan , Bies David Alan
Published: October 2005

The traditional description of the sound field in an enclosure begins with the assumption that the walls are locally reactive and that they may be characterized by local normal acoustic impedance. This assumption allows the introduction of sound absorption coefficients and a formalism that is supposed to adequately predict the acoustic response of an enclosure. The assumption of locally reactive walls and the concepts that follow from it have been applied to architectural acoustics, apparently without question, for several decades. However, it is known that this method is useless when applied to enclosures such as the interiors of aircraft and motor vehicles. Experimental work carried out in a reverberation room indicates that the walls are not locally reactive and the coupling between wall structural modes and room acoustic modes affects the reverberation time. This article will review the experimental evidence in support of these conclusions.
Latency of auditory brain-stem responses and otoacoustic emissions using tone-burst stimuli
Authors: Neely S. T. , Norton S. J. , Gorga M. P. , Jesteadt W.
Published: October 2005

A comparison of the latency of auditory brain-stem responses (ABR) and evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) has led to an interpretation for the travel of transients in the peripheral auditory system that is consistent with both sets of data. The ‘‘cochlear echo’’ theory for the origin of the EOAE indicates that the latency of a particular frequency component back to the ear canal should be twice the forward latency of its characteristic place in the cochlea. The latency of wave V of the ABR to tone-burst stimuli can be described as the sum of two components: (1) a component that varies with intensity and frequency in an orderly and predictable manner and (2) a component that is independent of both intensity and frequency. Because the EOAE data can be predicted by taking twice the value of component (1) of the ABR latency, this component is interpreted to be due to mechanical travel through the cochlea. A consequence of this interpretation is that the remaining neural component of the ABR latency must be relatively independent of frequency and intensity.
OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY: Interplay Between the Immune System and Bone Metabolism
Authors: Walsh Matthew C. , Kim Nacksung , Kadono Yuho , Rho Jaerang , Lee Soo Young , Lorenzo Joseph , Choi Yongwon
Published: October 2005

Studies of bone and the immune system have converged in recent years under the banner of osteoimmunology. The immune system is spawned in the bone marrow reservoir, and investigators now recognize that important niches also exist there for memory lymphocytes. At the same time, various factors produced during immune responses are capable of profoundly affecting regulation of bone. Mechanisms have evolved to prevent excessive interference by the immune system with bone homeostasis, yet pathologic bone loss is a common sequela associated with autoimmunity and cancer. There are also developmental links, or parallels, between bone and the immune system. Cells that regulate bone turnover share a common precursor with inflammatory immune cells and may restrict themselves anatomically, in part by utilizing a signaling network analogous to lymphocyte costimulation. Efforts are currently under way to further characterize how these two organ systems overlap and to develop therapeutic strategies that benefit from this understanding.
Glucocorticoids differentially regulate expression of duodenal and renal calbindin-D9k through glucocorticoid receptor-mediated pathway in mouse model
Authors: Lee Geun-Shik , Choi Kyung-Chul , Jeung Eui-Bae
Published: October 2005

Dexmethasone (Dex) is a member of the glucocorticoids (GCs), and is broadly used as an anti-inflammatory medication. Continuous administration with GCs induces adverse effects and suffering in humans (i.e., osteoporosis) due to negative calcium balance derived from low re- and absorption in the duodenum and kidney. A cytosolic calcium-binding protein, calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k), is dominantly expressed in the renal and intestinal tissues involved in calcium re- and absorption and plays an active role in calcium transport. In the present study, we employed adrenalectomized (ADX) and sham-treated (Sham) male mice to examine the effect of Dex on CaBP-9k gene expression in the duodenum and kidney. Dex significantly reduced the levels of duodenal CaBP-9k mRNA and protein, and it restored ADX-induced decrease in renal CaBP-9k protein compared with the level of Sham control. Dex treatment increased calcium and phosphate levels in the sera of both Sham and ADX mice. In a time course experiment, Dex significantly decreased duodenal CaBP-9k at the transcriptional and translational levels at 3 days, whereas it temporarily increased CaBP-9k mRNA and protein levels at 12 and 24 h. Altered CaBP-9k expression by Dex was completely reversed by mifepristone, an antagonist for the GC receptor (GR). In addition, duodenal CaBP-9k and GR were colocalized on the enterocyte (duodenocyte), supporting a role for GR in regulating CaBP-9k. In ovariectomized (OVX) and ADX female mice daily treated with Dex for 3 days, duodenal CaBP-9k was expressed at the same level as in male mice. Also, no cross-activity of progesterone and Dex on their receptors was observed. Taken together, these results indicate that mouse CaBP-9k gene may be regulated by Dex in a tissue-specific manner, and reduced duodenal CaBP-9k via the GR pathway may take part in negative calcium absorption of GC-induced osteoporosis, whereas renal CaBP-9k may not be involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis.
Energy state of the liver during short-term and exhaustive exercise in C57BL/6J mice
Authors: Camacho Raul C. , Donahue E. Patrick , James Freyja D. , Berglund Eric D. , Wasserman David H.
Published: October 2005

A portal venous 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside infusion that results in hepatic 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribosyl-5-monophosphate (ZMP) concentrations of ∼4 μmol/g liver increases hepatic glycogenolysis and glucose output. ZMP is an AMP analog that mimics the regulatory actions of this nucleotide. The aim of this study was to measure hepatic AMP concentrations in response to increasing energy requirements to test the hypothesis that AMP achieves concentrations during exercise, consistent with a role in stimulation of hepatic glucose metabolism. Male C57BL/6J mice (27.4 ± 0.4 g) were subjected to 35 min of rest [sedentary (SED), n = 8], underwent short-term (ST, 35 min) moderate (20 m/min, 5% grade) exercise ( n = 8), or underwent treadmill exercise under similar conditions but until exhaustion (EXH, n = 8). Hepatic AMP concentrations were 0.82 ± 0.05, 1.17 ± 0.11, and 2.52 ± 0.16 μmol/g liver in SED, ST, and EXH mice, respectively ( P < 0.05). Hepatic energy charge was 0.66 ± 0.01, 0.58 ± 0.02, and 0.33 ± 0.22 in SED, ST, and EXH mice, respectively ( P < 0.05). Hepatic glycogen was 11.6 ± 1.0, 8.8 ± 2.2, and 0.0 ± 0.1 mg/g liver in SED, ST, and EXH mice, respectively ( P < 0.05). Hepatic AMPK (Thr172) phosphorylation was 1.00 ± 0.14, 1.96 ± 0.16, and 7.44 ± 0.63 arbitrary units in SED, ST, and EXH mice, respectively ( P < 0.05). Thus exercise increases hepatic AMP concentrations. These data suggest that the liver is highly sensitive to metabolic demands, as evidenced by dramatic changes in cellular energy indicators (AMP) and sensors thereof (AMP-activated protein kinase). In conclusion, AMP is sensitively regulated, consistent with it having an important role in hepatic metabolism.
Myofibrillar protein synthesis in myostatin-deficient mice
Authors: Welle Stephen , Bhatt Kirti , Pinkert Carl A.
Published: October 2005

Either increased protein synthesis or prolonged protein half-life is necessary to support the excessive muscle growth and maintenance of enlarged muscles in myostatin-deficient mice. This issue was addressed by determining in vivo rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis in mice with constitutive myostatin deficiency (MstnΔE3/ΔE3) or normal myostatin expression (Mstn+/+) by measuring tracer incorporation after a systemic flooding dose of l-[ ring-2H5]phenylalanine. At 5–6 wk of age, MstnΔE3/ΔE3 mice had increased muscle mass (40%), fractional rates of myofibrillar synthesis (14%), and protein synthesis per whole muscle (60%) relative to Mstn+/+ mice. With maturation, fractional rates of synthesis declined >50% in parallel with decreased DNA and RNA [total, 28S rRNA, and poly(A) RNA] concentrations in muscle. At 6 mo of age, MstnΔE3/ΔE3 mice had even greater increases in muscle mass (90%) and myofibrillar synthesis per muscle (85%) relative to Mstn+/+ mice, but the fractional rate of synthesis was normal. Estimated myofibrillar protein half-life was not affected by myostatin deficiency. Muscle DNA concentrations were reduced in both young and mature MstnΔE3/ΔE3 mice, whereas RNA concentrations were normal, so the ratio of RNA to DNA was ∼30% greater than normal in MstnΔE3/ΔE3 mice. Thus the increased protein synthesis and RNA content per muscle in myostatin-deficient mice cannot be explained entirely by an increased number of myonuclei.
Acute hypoxia decreases plasma VEGF concentration in healthy humans
Authors: Oltmanns Kerstin M. , Gehring Hartmut , Rudolf Sebastian , Schultes Bernd , Hackenberg Claudia , Schweiger Ulrich , Born Jan , Fehm Horst L. , Peters Achim
Published: October 2005

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be upregulated by hypoxia in vitro. However, in vivo data about VEGF regulation in chronic hypoxic diseases are conflicting. We investigated the effects of hypoxia on plasma VEGF concentration in healthy subjects. To control known confounders, such as insulin, glucose concentrations, or exercise, hypoxic effects on VEGF were studied during experimentally clamping glucose concentrations at rest. In a double-blind crossover study design, we induced hypoxia for 30 min by decreasing oxygen saturation to 75% (vs. normoxic control) in 14 healthy men. Plasma VEGF concentration was determined at baseline, immediately after hypoxia had ended, and after a further 150 min. Levels of its soluble (s)Flt-1 receptor were assessed at baseline and at the end of the clamp. In parallel, catecholamine and cortisol levels were monitored. To investigate potential effects of glucose administration on the release of VEGF, we performed a third session, reducing glucose infusion for 30 min while serum insulin was held stable thereby inducing hypoglycemia. Hypoxia decreased VEGF levels compared with the normoxic control ( P < 0.05). VEGF concentrations increased during hypoglycemia ( P < 0.02) but were comparable to the normoglycemic control at the end of the clamp ( P > 0.80). sFlt-1 receptor concentration remained unchanged during hypoxia and hypoglycemia compared with control (both P > 0.4). Epinephrine concentration ( P < 0.01) increased upon hypoxia, whereas norepinephrine and cortisol did not change. Contrary to in vitro studies, in healthy humans hypoxia decreases plasma VEGF concentration, suggesting that systemic VEGF concentration may be differently regulated than the expression on cellular basis.
Melanocortin-4 receptor mRNA is expressed in sympathetic nervous system outflow neurons to white adipose tissue
Authors: Song C. Kay , Jackson Raven M. , Harris Ruth B. S. , Richard Denis , Bartness Timothy J.
Published: October 2005

Energy balance results from the coordination of multiple pathways affecting energy expenditure and food intake. Candidate neuropeptides involved in energy balance are the melanocortins. Several species, including Siberian hamsters studied here, decrease and increase food intake in response to stimulation and blockade of the melanocortin 4-receptor (MC4-R). In addition, central application of the MC3/4-R agonist melanotan-II decreases body fat (increases lipolysis) beyond that accounted for by its ability to decrease food intake. Because an increase in the sympathetic nervous system drive to white adipose tissue (WAT) is the principal initiator of lipolysis, we tested whether the sympathetic outflow circuitry from brain to WAT contained MC4-R mRNA expressing cells. This was accomplished by labeling the sympathetic outflow to inguinal WAT using the pseudorabies virus (PRV), a transneuronal retrograde viral tract tracer, and then processing the brain for colocalization of PRV immunoreactivity with MC4-R mRNA, the latter assessed by in situ hybridization. MC4-R mRNA was impressively colocalized in PRV-labeled cells (approximately greater than 60%) in many brain areas across the neuroaxis, including those typically implicated in lipid mobilization (e.g., hypothalamic paraventricular, suprachiasmatic, arcuate and dorsomedial nuclei, lateral hypothalamic area), as well as those not traditionally identified with lipolysis (e.g., preoptic area, subzona incerta of the lateral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, solitary nucleus). These data provide compelling neuroanatomical evidence that could underlie a direct central modulation of the sympathetic outflow to WAT by the melanocortins through the MC4-Rs resulting in changes in lipid mobilization and adiposity.
Interactions between TGF-dependent and myogenic oscillations in tubular pressure and whole kidney blood flow in both SDR and SHR
Authors: Raghavan Ramakrishna , Chen Xinnian , Yip Kay-Pong , Marsh Donald J. , Chon Ki H.
Published: October 2005

We previously showed that nonlinear interactions between the two renal autoregulatory mechanics (tubuloglomerular feedback and the myogenic mechanism) were observed in the stop flow pressure (SFP) and whole kidney blood flow data from Sprague-Dawley rats (SDR) using time-invariant bispectrum analysis ( 3 , 4 ). No such nonlinear interactions were observed in either SFP or whole kidney blood flow data obtained from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). We speculated that the failure to detect nonlinear interactions in the SHR data may be related to our observation that these interactions were not continuous and therefore had time-varying characteristics. Thus the absence of such nonlinear interactions may be due to an inappropriate time-invariant method being applied to data that are especially time varying in nature. We examine this possibility in this paper by using a time-varying bispectrum approach, which we developed for this purpose. Indeed, we found significant nonlinear interactions in SHR ( n = 18 for SFP; n = 12 for whole kidney blood flow). Moreover, the duration of nonlinear coupling is found statistically to be longer ( P = 0.001) in SFP data from either SDR or SHR than it is in whole kidney data from either type of rat. We conclude that nonlinear coupling is present at both the single nephron as well as the whole kidney level for SDR and SHR. In addition, SHR data at the whole kidney level exhibit the most transient nonlinear coupling phenomena.
Slow Oscillatory Firing: A Major Firing Pattern of Dopamine Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area
Authors: Shi Wei-Xing
Published: October 2005

Using spectral analysis and in vivo single-unit recording in rats, the present study revealed a pronounced slow oscillation (SO) in the firing activity of about half the dopamine (DA) neurons recorded in the ventral tegmental area. DA neurons in this group tended to fire repetitive spike clusters, making them appear to be rhythmic bursting cells. However, only some of these burst-like events met the traditional “80/160 ms” burst criteria entirely. The observation that the SO could be found in nonbursting DA cells, occurred at frequencies different from those of bursts, and persisted after bursts were digitally removed from spike trains further supports the suggestion that the SO is different from the traditionally defined bursting. Interspike intervals (ISIs) had been thought to be bimodally distributed in bursting DA neurons. This study found that some nonbursting DA cells also had a bimodal ISI distribution and a significant number of bursting cells did not. In the majority of cells where less than half the spikes occurred in bursts, a bimodal ISI distribution was highly predictive of the presence of the SO. Results further showed that the generation of the SO required forebrain inputs to DA neurons but not the adrenergic α1 receptor activation responsible for psychostimulant-induced increases in the SO. Taken together, these results suggest that the SO is distinct from the traditionally defined bursting and represents a major firing pattern of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area.
Is There a Little Pro? Evidence from Finnish
Authors: Holmberg Anders
Published: October 2005

The traditional view of the null subject as pro identified by Agr (the φ-features of I) cannot be maintained in a theory where Agr is uninterpretable. Two hypotheses are compared with regard to the predictions they make for Finnish null subject constructions: (A) Agr is interpretable in null subject languages, and pro is therefore redundant; (B) null subjects are specified but unpronounced pronouns that assign values to the uninterpretable features of Agr. Since Finnish observes the Extended Projection Principle and has an expletive pronoun, Hypothesis A predicts that null subjects should cooccur with expletives. The prediction is false, favoring B over A. A typology of null subjects is proposed: Null bound pronouns and null generic pronouns in partial null subject languages, including Finnish, are D-less φ, and so are null subjects in consistent null subject languages with Agr, such as Spanish and Greek. Null 1st and 2nd person subjects in Finnish are DPs that are deleted. Null pronouns in languages without Agr, such as Chinese and Japanese, are the only true instances of pro, a minimally specified null noun.
On the Nature of Merge: External Merge, Internal Merge, and Parallel Merge
Authors: Citko Barbara
Published: October 2005

This article argues in favor of a new type of Merge, Parallel Merge, which combines the properties of External Merge and Internal Merge. Parallel Merge creates symmetric, multidominant structures, which become antisymmetric in the course of the derivation.The main empirical goal of the article is to revive a multidominance approach to across-the-board wh-questions and to show that a number of otherwise puzzling properties of across-the-board questions follow naturally from such an account.
Korean (and Japanese) Morphology from a Syntactic Perspective
Authors: Koopman Hilda
Published: October 2005

This article concentrates on Sells's (1995) arguments against the syntactic view that words are built in the syntax, and it develops a syntactic account that yields a parsimonious account of the properties of “morphological units.” Inflected words in Korean (and Japanese) are derived syntactically from head-initial structures by phrasal movement. Properties of words follow from regular syntactic principles and phonological properties of affixes. Agreement can be triggered under piedpiping. Word structure interacts with scope (Lee 2004, 2005), arguing for the presence of case affixes in the narrow syntax.
Phase Edge and Extraction: A Tagalog Case Study
Authors: Rackowski Andrea , Richards Norvin
Published: October 2005

In this article, we examine evidence for the phase theory of movement (Chomsky 2000, 2001) in the context of Tagalog, arguing in particular that Tagalog has overt morphology that signals movement of arguments to checkan EPP-feature on the head of the vP phase. We show that this morphology interacts with extraction in ways Chomsky's theory leads us to expect, and we develop a theory of the Tagalog facts that also accounts for the effects of Huang's (1982) Condition on Extraction Domain.
Detection Strategies for Malingering
Authors: Rogers Richard , Jackson Rebecca L. , Sewell Kenneth W. , Salekin Karen L.
Published: October 2005

The clinical assessment of malingering requires the systematic application of empirically validated detection strategies. Prior investigations of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 have not fully addressed whether individual scales represent well-defined dimensions. The first phase of this study reexamined the original SIRS normative sample via maximum-likelihood factor analysis with promax rotation and subjected the resulting two-factor model to confirmatory factor analysis. The second phase was a cross-validation of the two-factor model on combined data from correctional-mental health and forensic settings. With one modification, the two-factor model was confirmed. The two dimensions (Spurious Presentation and Plausible Presentation) are theoretically relevant to the assessment of malingering.
A Comparison of Factor Models on the PCL-R With Mentally Disordered Offenders
Authors: Vitacco Michael J. , Rogers Richard , Neumann Craig S. , Harrison Kimberly S. , Vincent Gina
Published: October 2005

For more than a decade, researchers and practitioners have generally accepted a two-factor model for the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) composed of core personality features and an antisocial lifestyle. Very recently, Cooke and Michie (2001) proposed a three-factor solution that divided the core personality features into two dimensions while eliminating antisocial behavior. This study of male, mentally disordered offenders ( N = 96) directly compared factor models via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). When using testlets to combine theoretically similar items into single ratings, the nested three-factor model was an excellent fit. Of importance, the development of a four-factor model with the inclusion of antisocial items also produced an excellent fit. Combined with recent research, these findings have important ramifications for the construct validity of the PCL-R.
Factor Structure of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) With Mentally Ill Male Prisoners
Authors: Diamond Pamela M. , Wang Eugene W. , Buffington-Vollum Jacqueline
Published: October 2005

Because of the rising frequency and severity of violence in prison populations, quick and accurate screening of aggressiveness is vital. The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) is a 29-item self-report measure of aggression. Bryant and Smith proposed a refined 12-item, four-factor version with superior psychometric qualities; however, Williams, Boyd, Cascardi, and Poythress found a different factor structure among jail detainees than is usually found with nonoffenders. The current study used confirmatory factor analyses with data from mentally ill male offenders in a state prison to examine several previously proposed models for the BPAQ. Results confirmed the four-factor structure, the factorial invariance across populations, and supported the use of a modified 12-item refined BPAQ with this prison population.
Complexity, Ecology and the Materiality of Information
Authors: Smith John , Jenks Chris
Published: October 2005

This article contributes to understanding the effect of complexity theory on the social sciences. It analyses the relationships between complex processes of self-organization and the environment or ecology in which these dynamics take place. Two factors are prioritized: the role of information in the formation of complex structure and the development of ‘landscapes’ or topologies of possibility (and impossibility). The authors argue for an ontology that founds both material and informational structures, and for a radical continuity between the general thermodynamics of emergent complex orders, cognitive theory and the complex structures of human thought and culture.
Complexity, Configurations and Cases
Authors: Byrne David
Published: October 2005

How can we make complexity work as part of a programme of engaged social science? This article attempts to answer that question by arguing that one way to do this is through a reconstruction of a central tool of a distinctively social science – the comparative method – understood as a procedure for elucidating the complex and multiple systems of causation that generate particular trajectories towards a desired future from the multiple sets of available futures. The article distinguishes between ‘simplistic complexity’ and ‘complex complexity’. ‘Simplistic complexity’ seeks to explain emergence in complex systems as the product of simple rules and defines complex science as the process of establishing such rules. It can and does serve as the basis of technocratic social engineering in the interest of the powerful. In contrast ‘complex complexity’ recognizes the significance of social structure and willed social agency and does not reduce emergence to the mere working out of a restricted set of rules. Research programmes informed by this second approach must necessarily engage with social actors in context – they must be dialogical. This opens up the possibility of ‘complex complexity’ as a frame of reference for action-research directed towards the transformation of complex social systems. Comparative methods, and in particular Ragin’s qualitative comparative analysis approach, when deployed as part of such a programme, can provide meaningful information about the range of possible futures and the different configurations of causes which might generate particular desired social outcomes.
Ex-orbitant Globality
Authors: Clark Nigel
Published: October 2005

Social theorists, drawing on the study of complex dynamical systems to address global processes, tend to evoke an immanent globality devoid of a constitutive otherness or outside. However, as well as dealing with the internal dynamics of systems, complexity studies point to the mutual implication of systems and their surroundings: a concern that resonates with the interest in the convolutions of the inside–outside relationship prominent in post-structural philosophies. This article, looking at theories about the dynamical characteristics of the solar system, galaxy and universe, develops the idea of an ex-orbitant globality that treats the earth as a system in active and ongoing interchange with its cosmic environment. A sense of the inevitable excess and unpredictability that attends this openness to the cosmos and to further other-than-human influences, it is suggested, has repercussions for the way we respond to environmental change injecting an element of abyssal undecidability into all our deliberations.
Complex Global Microstructures
Authors: Cetina Karin Knorr
Published: October 2005

The new terrorism is a major exemplifying case for complexity theory – for example, it exemplifies major disproportionalities between cause and effect, unpredictable outcomes, and self-organizing, emergent structures. It also illustrates, I argue in this article, the emergence of global microstructures: of forms of connectivity and coordination that combine global reach with microstructural mechanisms that instantiate self-organizing principles and patterns. Global systems based on microstructural principles do not exhibit institutional complexity but rather the asymmetries, unpredictabilities and playfulness of complex (and dispersed) interaction patterns. The analysis of complex global microstructures helps to collect and assess empirical evidence for the architecture of the global structural forms of a world society. It also suggests a theory of microglobalization – the view that the texture of a global world becomes articulated through microstructural patterns that develop in the shadow of (but liberated from) national and local institutional patterns.
The Complexities of the Global
Authors: Urry John
Published: October 2005

‘Complexity theory’ seems to provide some metaphors, concepts and theories essential for examining the intractable disorderliness of the contemporary world. Relations across that world are complex, rich and non-linear, involving multiple negative and, more significantly, positive feedback loops. This article shows how globalization should be conceptualized as a series of adapting and co-evolving global systems, each characterized by unpredictability, irreversibility and co-evolution. Such systems lack finalized ‘equilibrium’ or ‘order’; and the many pools of order heighten overall disorder. They do not exhibit and sustain unchanging structural stability. Complexity elaborates how there is order and disorder within these various global systems. The global order is a complex world, unpredictable and irreversible, disorderly but not anarchic.
Complexity, Deconstruction and Relativism
Authors: Cilliers Paul
Published: October 2005

The acknowledgement that something is complex, it is argued, implies that our knowledge of it will always be limited. We cannot make complete, absolute or final claims about complex systems. Post-structuralism, and specifically deconstruction, make similar claims about knowledge in general. Arguments against deconstruction can, therefore, also be held against a critical form of complexity thinking and a defence of the view from complexity (as presented here) should take account of them. Three of these arguments are investigated: that deconstruction and complexity-thinking lead to relativism, that they are subject to the performative contradiction and that their claims are vague. It is shown that these critiques are not really effective and it is suggested that a responsible approach to complexity has to be provisional, i.e. modest, without being vague or relativistic.
Relational and Physical Aggression, Prosocial Behavior, and Peer Relations
Authors: Zimmer-Gembeck Melanie J. , Geiger Tasha C. , Crick Nicki R.
Published: October 2005

In this 3-year prospective study (N = 458) spanning a transition to middle school, bidirectional associations between children’s relations with schoolmates (social preference andimpact)and behaviors (physical and relational aggression, prosocial behavior) were examined using structural equation modeling. Gender moderation of all estimated paths was examined. There was no gender difference in relational aggression in Grade 3; girls were more relationally aggressive than boys in Grade 6. Males were more physically aggressive than females; females were more prosocial and preferred by peers. Longitudinal and bidirectional associations between relations with peers and behaviors were found. Compared to one-group models of social preference and impact, gender moderation models improved model fit significantly. With regard to social preference and children’s behaviors, gender moderated concurrent, but not longitudinal, associations. With regards to social impact and children’s behaviors, gender moderated both concurrent and longitudinal associations. There was moderate stability of behaviors, including relational aggression.
Achilles Tendon and Paratendon Microcirculation in Midportion and Insertional Tendinopathy in Athletes
Authors: Knobloch Karsten , Kraemer Robert , Lichtenberg Artur , Jagodzinski Michael , Gossling Thomas , Richter Martinus , Zeichen Johannes , Hufner Tobias , Krettek Christian
Published: October 2005

Background

Neovascularisation can be detected qualitatively by Power Doppler in Achilles tendinopathy. Quantitative data regarding tendon microcirculation have not been established and may be substantial.

Purpose

To assess the microcirculation of the Achilles tendon and the paratendon in healthy volunteers as well as in athletes with either midportion or insertional tendinopathy.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

In 66 physically active volunteers, parameters of Achilles tendon and paratendon microcirculation, such as tissue oxygen saturation, relative postcapillary venous filling pressures, and microcirculatory blood flow, were determined at rest at 2-mm and 8-mm tissue depths. Forty-one patients never had Achilles pain (25 men, 27 ± 8 years), 14 patients had insertional pain (7 men, 29 ± 8 years), and 11 patients had midportion tendinopathy (7 men, 38 ± 13 years, not significant).

Results

Achilles tendon diameter 2 cm and 6 cm proximal to the insertion was increased in symptomatic tendons. Compared with the uninvolved opposite tendon, deep microcirculatory blood flow was significantly elevated at insertional (160 ± 79 vs 132 ± 42, P<. 05) as well as in midportion tendinopathy (150 ± 74 vs 119 ± 34, P<. 05). The microcirculation in the uninvolved opposite tendon and the normal athlete controls were not significantly different from each other (132 ± 42 insertional asymptomatic vs 119 ± 34 mid-portion vs 120 ± 48 healthy tendon). Insertional paratendon deep microcirculatory flow was elevated in all groups, whereas tissue oxygen saturation and relative postcapillary venous filling pressures were not significantly different.

Conclusion

Microcirculatory blood flow is significantly elevated at the point of pain in insertional and midportion tendinopathy. Postcapillary venous filling pressures are increased at both the midportion Achilles tendon and the midportion paratendon, whereas tissue oxygen saturation is not different among the studied groups. We found no evidence of an abnormal microcirculation of the asymptomatic limb in Achilles tendinopathy.
The International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form
Authors: Anderson Allen F. , Irrgang James J. , Kocher Mininder S. , Mann Barton J. , Harrast John J. ,   Members of the International Knee Documentation Committee
Published: October 2005

Background

The International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form may be used to measure symptoms, function, and sports activity for people with a variety of knee disorders, including ligamentous and meniscal injuries, osteoarthritis, and patellofemoral dysfunction. To date, normative data have not been established for this valid, reliable, and responsive outcomes instrument.

Purpose

To provide clinicians and researchers with normative data to facilitate the interpretation of results on the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form.

Study Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Methods

The Subjective Knee Evaluation Form was mailed to 600 people in each of 8 age/gender categories (18-24 years, 25-34 years, 35-50 years, and 51-65 years for both male subjects and female subjects). Participants were drawn from a panel of 550 000 households (1 300 000 subjects) representative of noninstitutionalized persons in the United States and were matched to data from the United States Census Bureau on geographical region, market size, income, and household size.

Results

Complete data were available for 5246 knees. Twenty-eight percent of respondents reported an injury, weakness, or other problem with one or both knees. Normative data were determined for respondents as a whole and for the subset of respondents with no history of knee problems. Mean scores were determined for men aged 18 to 24 years (89 ± 18), 25 to 34 years (89 ± 16), 35 to 50 years (85 ± 19), and 51 to 55 years (77 ± 23); mean scores were also determined for women aged 18 to 24 years (86 ± 19), 25 to 34 years (86 ± 19), 35 to 50 years (80 ± 23), and 51 to 65 years (71 ± 26). Scores were higher for the subset of respondents with no history of current or prior knee problems.

Conclusion

Scores on the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form vary by age, gender, and history of knee problems. The normative data collected in this article will allow clinicians to interpret how patients with knee injuries are functioning relative to their age-and gender-matched peers and will enable researchers to determine the clinical outcomes of treatment.
Thinking Through Cancer Risk: Characterizing Smokers' Process of Risk Determination
Authors: Hay Jennifer , Shuk Elyse , Cruz Gustavo , Ostroff Jamie
Published: October 2005

The perception of cancer risk motivates cancer risk reduction behaviors. However, common measurement strategies for cancer risk perceptions, which involve numerical likelihood estimates, do not adequately capture individuals' thoughts and feelings about cancer risk. To guide the development of novel measurement strategies, the authors used semistructured interviews to examine the thought processes used by smokers (N = 15) as they considered their cancer risk. They used grounded theory to guide systematic data coding and develop a heuristic model describing smokers' risk perception process that includes a cognitive, primarily rational process whereby salient personal risk factors for cancer are considered and combined, and an affective/attitudinal process, which shifts risk perceptions either up or down. The model provides a tentative explanation concerning how people hold cancer risk perceptions that diverge from rational assessment of their risks and will be useful in guiding the development of non-numerical measurements strategies for cancer risk perceptions.
Land Mines in the Field: A Modest Proposal for Improving the Craft of Qualitative Health Research
Authors: Thorne Sally , Darbyshire Philip
Published: October 2005

In this commentary, the authors encourage a renewed enthusiasm for attention to quality criteria in qualitative health research by poking fun at what they understand to be patterns and themes emerging from data collected in their respective extensive “fieldwork” experiences within the genre. Conceptualizing some of the particularly problematic interpretive turns as land mines in the field (or, alternatively, missteps in the dance, cracks in the pottery, wrong turns in the journey, weeds in the garden, or dropped stitches in the quilt), they challenge researchers’ collective relationship to both factual and metaphoric empirical claims. With a warning to those unaccustomed to self-deprecating humor, the authors challenge all to pay serious heed to what does and does not constitute rigorous, high-quality, empirical science within the qualitative tradition.
Theoretical and Practical Reflections on Sharing Transcripts With Participants
Authors: Forbat Liz , Henderson Jeanette
Published: October 2005

This article is a critical reflection on the process of creating transcripts and sharing them with interviewees. It relates to two elements of the research process: first, sharing transcripts with research participants and, second, participants’ seeing extracts from transcripts in academic writing. The authors explore participants’ experiences of revisiting the interview in written form by reflecting on the interconnections between social research methods and epistemology. They also consider the ethical implications of this process. They consider the relationship between the transcript and the representation (re-presentation) of what participants believe to have occurred within the interview. This leads to a discussion of the importance of developing reflexivity with respect to the practice and processes of sharing transcripts.
The Experience of Stroke for Men in Retirement Transition
Authors: Lobeck Margarita , Thompson Andrew R. , Shankland Marie Claire
Published: October 2005

In this study, the authors aimed to explore how men manage when two significant life events, stroke and retirement, occur within a close time proximity. They selected 7 men purposively who were either in the process of planning to retire or had just retired when they had suffered a stroke, and used interpretive phenomenological analysis to guide data collection and to analyze the resulting transcripts. The authors derived three interrelated processes with eight subthemes. The three themes were associated with ambivalence about retirement, the impact of the stroke, and healing and adjustment. The themes suggested that significant interplay existed between the meanings made of the two life events. The emergent themes implied that stroke had a profound impact on the men’s lives and affected them on a number of levels. The experience of suffering a stroke also led to some positive reframing of life.
Nurse Assistant Mental Models, Sensemaking, Care Actions, and Consequences for Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Anderson Ruth A. , Ammarell Natalie , Bailey Donald , Colón-Emeric Cathleen , Corazzini Kirsten N. , Lillie Melissa , Piven Mary Lynn Scotton , Utley-Smith Queen , McDaniel Reuben R.
Published: October 2005

In a nursing home case study using observation and interview data, the authors described two mental models that guided certified nurse assistants (CNAs) in resident care. The Golden Rule guided CNAs to respond to residents as they would want someone to do for them. Mother wit guided CNAs to treat residents as they would treat their own children. These mental models engendered self-control and affection but also led to actions such as infantilization and misinterpretations about potentially undiagnosed conditions such as depression or pain. Furthermore, the authors found that CNAs were isolated from clinicians; little resident information was exchanged. They suggest ways to alter CNA mental models to give them a better basis for action and strategies for connecting CNAs and clinical professionals to improve information flow about residents. Study results highlight a critical need for registered nurses (RNs) to be involved in frontline care.
Ethos, Ethics, and Endeavors: New Horizons in Family Nursing
Authors: Burchard Dorothee J. H. O’Sullivan
Published: October 2005

This article is an invitation to contemplation and dialogue about the purpose of family nursing. The shared ethos of family nursing is explored as a common ground for endeavours in practice and research. Acomparison of ethical principles relating to research, family nursing practice, and Foucault’s meta-ethical framework is offered. Such examination would suggest a remarkable congruence between family nursing values and Foucault’s meta-ethical framework. The implications of such theoretical deliberations are outlined within the context of contemporary issues at a global level. Further support for the relevance of the implications at national level is presented by drawing on examples of challenges for nursing work with families in primary care in the United Kingdom. This article also raises new questions based on a number of suppositions such as family nursing being conceptualized as relational practice with an integrated approach, unifying ethos, and potential of a new paradigm of care.
Nursing Science and Chronic Illness: Articulating Suffering and Possibility in Family Life
Authors: Chesla Catherine A.
Published: October 2005

Families living with a member who has a chronic illness vacillate between hope and despair, suffering and possibility. How this living “between” evolves in families and how family relations are affected has received insufficient attention. As nurses we can learn families’ experiences of suffering and situated possibility through family narratives about and reflections on the everyday. Articulating this experience in thick, alive, complex, and practical texts promises to enhance our understanding, our practice with families, and our own lived possibilities.
Are State Governments Prepared for Fiscal Crises? A Look at Revenue Diversification during the 1990s
Authors: Carroll Deborah A.
Published: October 2005

The financial condition of state and local governments has long been held as a prominent topic of discussion among government administrators, public economists, and political scholars. This article addresses the competing hypotheses of revenue diversification and revenue complexity and offers an empirical analysis of the various factors that affect state tax revenue diversification. The findings suggest that although political and demographic factors influence the level of state tax revenue diversification, economic factors and whether a state utilizes an income or sales tax to generate revenue represent the greatest determinants of state tax structures. As a result, this article serves as a foundation to initiate the development of a comprehensive theory of the determinants of state tax structures.
The Effects of Public Investment on Private Investment in Developing Economies
Authors: Erden Lutfi , Holcombe Randall G.
Published: October 2005

The literature on the impact of public investment in developing economies gives inconsistent results on whether it complements or crowds out private investment. Applying several pooled specifications of a standard investment model to a panel of developing economies for 1980 to 1997, this study finds that public investment complements private investment, and that, on average, a 10 percent increase in public investment is associated with a 2 percent increase in private investment. The results also indicate that private investment is constrained by the availability of bank credit in developing economies. The same empirical models are run on a panel of developed economies. In contrast to developing economies, public investment crowds out private investment in developed economies. The results show that in a number of important ways, private investment in developed economies is influenced by different factors than private investment in developing economies.
The Long-Run Effects of Pay-as-You-Go Medicare on Savings and Consumer Welfare
Authors: Hau Arthur
Published: October 2005

This article extends earlier results on the short-run effects of a change in insurance coverage on savings and consumer welfare to the case of the long-run effects of a change in pay-as-you-go Medicare coverage on savings and consumer welfare in an overlappinggenerations economy. The notion of steady-state actuarial fairness is introduced. It is found that under some nonrestrictive assumptions, a rise in Medicare coverage reduces steady-state per capita capital and savings, provided that individuals are risk averse and prudent. Moreover, risk aversion and prudence guarantee that a rise in Medicare coverage raises steady-state welfare when Medicare is steady-state actuarial fair or favorable. Simulation results reinforce these findings. Moreover, they show that steady-state actuarial unfavorableness may or may not reverse the last conclusion.
Income Reporting and the Phaseout of Exemptions
Authors: Enis Charles R.
Published: October 2005

This study investigates taxpayer behavior in response to the phaseout of exemptions. This provision implicitly creates fifty $2,500 intervals based on the adjusted gross income (AGI) of high-income taxpayers. Certain individuals can save taxes by adjusting AGI to fall near the top of the previous interval. Thus, the distribution of their reported AGI is hypothesized to be disproportionately greater near the top of these intervals. This study uses tax return data with univariate tests to detect this “bunching effect” and logit models to profile taxpayer attributes that are associated with this behavior. Revenue and efficiency estimates are also addressed. Understanding responses to phaseouts is important as the tax system uses such to unobtrusively raise revenues and target incentives. This bunching effect was observed for the third and fourth years following enactment.However, no bunching was observed for the first two years or for the fifth year following enactment.
Why Executive Power Centralizes Government
Authors: Baker Samuel H.
Published: October 2005

This article examines the effects of political parties, executive power, and efficiency on federal structure. It proposes and tests a model of federalism in which different levels of veto power can lead to varying degrees of centralization in the provision of central and local governmental services when executive and legislative branches have disparate preferences over which level should provide services. Results for the United States (1982-1992) find state and local spending centralizes with increased veto power because, absent offsetting political party advocacy for decentralization, central government spending interests dominate local government spending interests.