bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On a family of finite moving‐average trend filters for the ends of series
Authors: Gray Alistair G. , Thomson Peter J.
Published: August 2002

A family of finite end filters is constructed using a minimum revisions criterion and based on a local dynamic model operating within the span of a given finite central filter. These end filters are equivalent to evaluating the central filter with unavailable future observations replaced by constrained optimal linear predictions. Two prediction methods are considered: best linear unbiased prediction and best linear biased prediction where the bias is time invariant. The properties of these end filters are determined. In particular, they are compared to X‐11 end filters and to the case where the central filter is evaluated with unavailable future observations predicted by global ARIMA models as in X‐11‐ARIMA or X‐12‐ARIMA. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genome‐wide analysis of sixteen chordomas by comparative genomic hybridization and cytogenetics of the first human chordoma cell line, U‐CH1
Authors: Scheil Stefanie , Brüderlein Silke , Liehr Thomas , Starke Heike , Herms Jochen , Schulte Michael , Möller Peter
Published: August 2002

Cytogenetic information on chordomas is rudimentary and restricted to GTG‐banding analysis of 26 cases worldwide. In this study, we present the chromosomal imbalances detected in a series of 16 chordomas (10 sacrococcyeal, five sphenooccipital, and one spinal) from 13 patients using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). On average, 3.2 losses and 4.2 gains were detected per tumor. The most common DNA copy number alterations were losses on chromosomal arms 3p (50%) and 1p (44%). Losses of 3p were detected in five of seven primary chordomas. Therefore, the loss of 3p might be an early event in chordoma genesis. The most common gains involved 7q (69%), 20 (50%), 5q (38%), and 12q (38%). Additionally, we raised the first human chordoma cell line, U‐CH1, from a recurrence of a sacral chordoma. U‐CH1 and its parent tumor had almost the same CGH profile. According to GTG‐banding and multicolor FISH, U‐CH1 has the following clonal chromosomal abnormalities: der(1)t(1;22), del(4), +del(5), +del(6), +7, del(9), del(10), +der(20)t(10;20), +21. Thus, the novel permanent human chordoma cell line U‐CH1 has chordoma‐typical cytogenetic aberrations. Our data suggest that tumor suppressor genes or mismatch repair genes (located at 1p31 and 3p14) and oncogenes (located in 7q36) might be involved in chordoma genesis. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assay for the detection of 3q21 rearrangements in myeloid malignancies
Authors: Wieser Rotraud , Schreiner Ulrike , Pirc‐Danoewinata Hendrati , Aytekin Metin , Schmidt Helmut H. , Rieder Harald , Fonatsch Christa
Published: August 2002

In myeloid malignancies, chromosome rearrangements involving band 3q21 are associated with a particularly poor prognosis of the disease. Their sensitive and unequivocal detection is therefore of great clinical importance. In this report, we describe the establishment of an interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay that complements classical cytogenetic analysis in the diagnosis of such aberrations. PACs that map centromeric and telomeric of known 3q21 breakpoints were labeled with different fluorescent dyes, and the separation of the normally colocalizing signals was used as an indicator of the presence of a 3q21 rearrangement. Two cell lines and 10 primary samples from myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with 3q21 rearrangements were investigated using the newly established method. The rate of false positivity was determined in 27 control samples from patients with various types of myeloid malignancies. In addition to providing a sensitive and rapid test for the detection of 3q21 aberrations, the interphase FISH assay yields preliminary information about the localization of individual breakpoints. Six of the 10 breakpoints in the patient samples map to an only recently described breakpoint cluster region (BCR) 60 kb centromeric of the originally reported 3q21 BCR. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the molecular basis of the clinical features associated with 3q21 rearrangements. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Geoarchaeology at Gilman Falls: An Archaic quarry and manufacturing site in central Maine, U.S.A.
Authors: Sanger David , Kelley Alice R. , Berry Henry N.
Published: August 2002

Interdisciplinary investigations at the Milford Reservoir, central Maine, resulted in excavation and analysis of a Middle Archaic quarry and manufacturing site at Gilman Falls, dated to between 7300 and 6300 yr B.P. Lithological analysis indicates that the majority of the artifacts came from very local outcrops, providing low‐grade metamorphic rocks. Native Americans used a specialized technique to reduce the granofels and other rocks to long rods, artifacts commonly placed in local cemeteries. The Gilman Falls site was largely abandoned once these artifacts were no longer in vogue. Therefore, access to particular bedrock outcrops seems to have played an important role in site selection. Gilman Falls and other early to middle Holocene sites are preserved where bedrock sill dams ponded water that deposited fine sand. Early site sedimentation history is paralleled by a drainage change in the headwaters of the Penobscot River. Evidence for lower mid‐Holocene lake levels and a period of higher temperatures and lower precipitation may correlate with the sedimentation history. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Spatial and compositional variations within finely laminated mineral crusts at Carpenter's Gap, an archaeological site in tropical Australia
Authors: Watchman Alan , Ward Ingrid , Jones Rhys , O'Connor Susan
Published: August 2002

Mineralogical and geochemical variations in ten rock surface crusts are described from a large rock shelter known as Carpenter's Gap 1 in the southern Kimberley, formed at the junction between a sandstone floor and an overlying limestone roof. The finely laminated crusts, containing quartz, clays, oxalate and phosphate minerals, and sulfate salts (bassanite, gypsum, epsomite), formed over quartz‐rich sandstones. Mineralogical analyses of crusts, determined by X‐ray diffraction, and major element geochemical trends, in the form of element maps of cross sections, show a complex distribution of hemi‐, mono‐, and dihydrated sulfate and oxalate minerals vertically and laterally within the shelter. These mineralogical changes have occurred under fluctuating moisture and temperature regimes, which follow a general drying trend spatially with distance from the back wall and temporally over a period of about 20,000 years. Documenting these mineralogical changes is a first step in understanding the nature of microclimatic controls on the formation of rock surface coatings in shelters and their implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and for dating engravings covered by these crusts. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Drosophila rab GDI mutants disrupt development but have normal rab membrane extraction
Authors: Ricard Cynthia S. , Jakubowski Janelle M. , Verbsky John W. , Barbieri M. Alejandro , Lewis William M. , Fernandez G. Esteban , Vogel Marion , Tsou Christina , Prasad Vinoy , Stahl Philip D. , Waksman Gabriel , Cheney Clarissa M.
Published: August 2002

Summary: Rab GTPases are essential for vesicular transport. Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI) binds to GDP‐bound rabs, removes rabs from acceptor membranes and delivers rabs to donor membranes. We isolated lethal GDI mutations in Drosophila and analyzed their developmental phenotypes. To learn how these mutations affect GDI structure, the crystal structure of Drosophila GDI was determined by molecular replacement to a resolution of 3.0 Å. Two hypomorphic, missense mutations are located in domain II of GDI at highly conserved positions, but not in previously identified sequence conserved regions. The mutant GDIs were tested for ability to extract rabs from membranes and showed wild‐type levels of rab membrane extraction. The two missense alleles showed intragenic complementation, indicating that domain II of GDI may have two separable functions. This study indicates that GDI function is essential for development of a complex, multicellular organism and that puparium formation and pole cell formation are especially dependent on GDI function. genesis 31:17–29, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of immunological reagents for use in the study of freshwater planarians by means of whole‐mount immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy
Authors: Robb Sofia M.C. , Alvarado Alejandro Sánchez
Published: August 2002

Summary: In recent years, interest in planarians as a model system for the study of metazoan regeneration, adult stem cell biology, and the evolution of metazoan body plans has been growing steadily. The availability of RNA interference (RNAi), BrdU‐labeling of planarian stem cells, and thousands of planarian cDNA sequences soon to be released into public databases has opened planarians to molecular dissection. However, the successful application of large‐scale RNAi‐based screens, for example, will depend in part on the availability of markers to characterize the resulting phenotypes. Given the paucity of antibodies available for the study of planarian biology, we have screened various public and commercial antibody resources to identify immunoreagents capable of cross‐reacting with planarian tissues. Here we report the identification and characterization of 33 such antibodies recognizing a wide variety of tissues in freshwater planarians. genesis 32:293–298, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Concurrent expression of recombination activating genes 1 and 2 in zebrafish olfactory sensory neurons
Authors: Jessen Jason R. , Jessen Tammy N. , Vogel Steven S. , Lin Shuo
Published: August 2002

Each olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) expresses a single odorant receptor (OR) from a large repertoire of clustered OR genes. It has been hypothesized that OR gene regulation may involve stochastic DNA rearrangement, which in lymphocytes requires the recombination activating genes, rag1 and rag2. We have recently demonstrated that rag1 is expressed in zebrafish OSNs. Here we report that rag2, the obligate partner for rag1 function, is also expressed in OSNs and that its expression pattern mimics that of rag1. The onset of rag1 and rag2 expression preceded that of known zebrafish ORs and the number of rag1‐positive OSNs corresponded with the number expressing the olfactory cyclic nucleotide‐gated cation channel, an OSN marker. Zebrafish OSNs are the first example of concurrent rag expression in a nonlymphoid tissue. The expression of rag1 and rag2 in OSNs adds to the list of similarities between the olfactory and immune systems that includes monoallelic and mutually exclusive gene expression. genesis 29:156–162, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Truncation of the MLL gene in exon 5 by gene targeting leads to early preimplantation lethality of homozygous embryos
Authors: Ayton Paul , Sneddon Sharon F. , Palmer Donald B. , Rosewell Ian R. , Owen Michael J. , Young Bryan , Presley Robert , Subramanian Vasanta
Published: August 2002

Summary: The mixed lineage leukemia gene (MLL) was originally identified through its involvement in reciprocal translocations in leukemias. MLL codes for a large multidomain protein and bears homology to the Drosophila developmental control gene trithorax in two small domains in the amino terminal region, the central zinc finger domain and the carboxy SET domain. Like the Drosophila trx, MLL has also been shown to be a positive regulator of Hox gene expression. We have targeted Mll (the murine homologue of MLL) in exon 5 causing expression of three truncated in‐frame Mll transcripts. These transcripts retain all or some of the AT hook motifs and the DMT domain. This mutant allele causes early in vivo preimplantation lethality of homozygous embryos prior to the 2‐cell stage. Embryos cultured in vitro progress to the 2‐cell stage, but further development is arrested. The heterozygotes exhibit mild skeletal defects as well as defects in some neuroectodermal derivatives. genesis 30:201–212, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiple sclerosis recurrence risk for siblings in an isolated population of Central Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Montomoli Cristina , Prokopenko Inga , Caria Antonella , Ferrai Raffaela , Mander Adrian , Seaman Shaun , Musu Luigina , Piras Maria L. , Ticca Anna F. , Murgia Salvatore B. , Bernardinelli Luisa
Published: August 2002

Studies of twins, adoptees, half siblings, and familial recurrence risk have shown that genetic and non‐genetic factors are involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology. Age at onset, gender, and parental MS status seem to influence sibling risk. We studied the recurrence risk in siblings of MS patients in an isolated population of Sardinia, Italy, which is genetically homogeneous, inbred, and very stable, with a high MS frequency. The Aalen‐Nelson estimate of the recurrence risk in siblings is 4.7%, and the risk ratio compared with the general population is 31. Proportional hazards models were used to investigate the effect of sibling sex, sex, and age at onset of the proband, and number of affected relatives on a sibling’s predicted MS risk. Sib’s risk is influenced by age at onset (P = 0.02), and possibly by sex of the proband (P = 0.08). There is also a borderline significant interaction (P = 0.05) between the sex and age at onset of the proband: early age at onset influences sib’s risk only if the proband is female. The number of affected relatives in the family is not found to influence sibling risk, but the power is lacking (95% CI 0.50–2.62). This result is consistent with a single dominant gene with an extremely low penetrance, a model that has not yet been disproved as a possible inheritance model for MS. Genet. Epidemiol. 22:265–271, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Testing candidate genes for non‐syndromic oral clefts using a case‐parent trio design
Authors: Beaty T.H. , Hetmanski J.B. , Zeiger J.S. , Fan Y.T. , Liang K.Y. , VanderKolk C.A. , McIntosh I.
Published: August 2002

Markers in five candidate genes were examined on 269 case‐parent trios ascertained through a child with an isolated, non‐syndromic oral cleft (cleft lip, CL; cleft palate, CP; or cleft lip and palate, CLP). Cases and their parents were ascertained through treatment centers in Maryland. Markers at two of the five candidate genes, transforming growth factor β3 (TGFβ3) and MSX1, showed consistent evidence of linkage and disequilibrium due to linkage using several statistical tests (e.g., the global chi‐square for TGFβ3 was 21.1 with 12 df, P = 0.03; that for MSX1 was 8.7 with 3 df, P = 0.03). There was little evidence of heterogeneity in the role of TGFβ3 between different types of oral clefts, but MSX1 did yield marginal evidence for such heterogeneity. MSX1 also showed evidence for interaction between infant’s genotype and maternal smoking, giving a likelihood ratio test for heterogeneity between smoker and non‐smoker mothers of 7.16 (2 df, P = 0.03). Using a conditional logistic model to test for gene‐gene interaction showed no evidence of interaction between TGFβ3 and MSX1, with both seeming to contribute independently to risk of isolated, non‐syndromic oral clefts. Genet. Epidemiol. 22:1–11, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Linkage disequilibrium mapping with genotype data
Authors: Zhang Shuanglin , Zhao Hongyu
Published: August 2002

Linkage disequilibrium mapping has proven a powerful tool for locating disease genes. Although all existing linkage disequilibrium mapping methods implicitly assume that individual haplotypes can be inferred, only genotypes are directly observable in practice, and haplotypes cannot always be uniquely resolved based on genotype data. In this article, we propose a likelihood‐based linkage disequilibrium mapping approach to analyzing multilocus genotype data arising from case‐control studies. Results from extensive simulation studies suggest that this approach may be a useful tool to fine map disease genes using case‐control data. Genet. Epidemiol. 22:66–77, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rodingite formation from diorite in the Samothraki ophiolite, NE Aegean, Greece
Authors: Hatzipanagiotou K. , Tsikouras B.
Published: August 2002

A metasomatic episode in the Samothraki ophiolite involved the formation of rodingites hosted in a diorite, which evolved by the interaction of an H2O‐rich fluid phase. A pair of samples, which are in close spatial association, was used as an example to investigate this event. It is suggested that this process is characterized by the addition of Ca and the removal of Si and some large ion lithophile elements, under relatively oxidizing conditions where rare earth elements were fairly immobile. The Samothraki rodingites show common geochemical characteristics with similar lithologies elsewhere. A suggested T–XCO2 path involves a prograde reaction series, which occurred below 550°C and slightly enriched the fluid phase in CO2. A late infiltration of a highly hydrous fluid drove the fluid phase composition towards low CO2 potential and led to the formation of late‐stage diopside and vesuvianite. Alternatively, if the fluid had been continuously controlled by an external source, only heating at temperatures below 500°C could have developed the whole process. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of myelination in the developing zebrafish
Authors: Brösamle Christian , Halpern Marnie E.
Published: August 2002

Myelination, the process by which glial cells ensheath and electrically insulate axons, has been investigated intensely. Nevertheless, knowledge of how myelination is regulated or how myelinating cells communicate with neurons is still incomplete. As a prelude to genetic analyses of these processes, we have identified zebrafish orthologues of genes encoding major myelin proteins and have characterized myelination in the larval zebrafish. Expression of genes corresponding to proteolipid protein (PLP/DM20), myelin protein zero (P0), and myelin basic protein (MBP) is detected at 2 days postfertilization (dpf), first in the ventral hindbrain, close to the midline. During the next 8 days, expression spreads rostrally to the midbrain and optic nerve, and caudally to the spinal cord. DM20 is expressed in the CNS only, while MBP transcripts are detected both in the CNS and in Schwann cells of the lateral line, cranial nerves, and spinal motor nerves. Unlike its closest homologue, trout IP1, zebrafish P0 transcripts were restricted to the CNS. Ultrastructurally, the expression of myelin genes correlated well with myelination, although myelination showed a temporal lag. Myelinated axons were first detected at 4 dpf in the ventral hindbrain, where they were loosely wrapped by processes of glia cells. By 7 dpf, bundles of heavily myelinated axons were observed in the same region. Axons in the lateral line and optic nerves were also surrounded by compact myelin. Conservation in gene expression patterns and the early appearance of myelinated axons, support using the zebrafish to dissect the process of myelination by a genetic approach. GLIA 39:47–57, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rapid astrocyte death induced by transient hypoxia, acidosis, and extracellular ion shifts
Authors: Bondarenko Alexander , Chesler Mitchell
Published: August 2002

Death of astrocytes requires hours to days in injury models that use hypoxia, acidosis, or calcium paradox protocols. These methods do not incorporate the shifts in extracellular K+, Na+, Cl−, and Ca2+ that accompany acute brain insults. We studied astrocyte survival after exposure to hypoxic, acidic, ion‐shifted Ringer (HAIR), with respective [Ca2+], [K+], [Na+], [Cl−], and [HCO] of 0.13, 65, 51, 75, and 13 mM (15% CO2/85% N2, pH 6.6). Intracellular pH (pHi) was monitored with the fluorescent dye BCECF. Cell death was indicated by a steep fall in the pH‐insensitive, 440‐nm‐induced fluorescence (F440) and was confirmed by propidium iodide staining. After 15–40‐min HAIR exposure, reperfusion with standard Ringer caused death of most cultured (and acutely dissociated) astrocytes within 20 min. Cell death was not prevented if low Ca2+ was maintained during reperfusion. Survival fell with increased HAIR duration, elevated temperature, or absence of external glucose. Comparable durations of hypoxia, acidosis, or ion shifts alone did not lead to acute cell death, while modest loss was noted when acidosis was paired with either hypoxia or ion shifts. Severe cell loss required the triad of hypoxia, acidosis, and ion shifts. Intracellular pH was significantly higher in HAIR media, compared with solutions of low pH alone or with low pH plus hypoxia. These results indicate that astrocytes can be killed rapidly by changes in the extracellular microenvironment that occur in settings of traumatic and ischemic brain injury. GLIA 34:134–142, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Verbal aggression in Alzheimer's disease. Clinical, functional and neuropsychological correlates
Authors: Eustace A. , Kidd N. , Greene E. , Fallon C. , Bhrain S. Ni , Cunningham C. , Coen R. , Walsh J. B. , Coakley D. , Lawlor B. A.
Published: August 2002

Objectives

To determine the clinical, functional and neuropsychological correlates of verbal aggression in Alzheimer's disease in a group of consecutive first attendees to a memory clinic.

Methods

150 people were evaluated and diagnosed as suffering with probable Alzheimer's disease. These people were tested using the Behave‐AD for the presence of verbal aggression, delusions, depression and agitation. They were also assessed with cognitive, functional and neuropsychological scales.

Results

Twenty‐eight per cent of this group of Alzheimer patients had exhibited some verbal aggression in the preceding month. Male gender (p = 0.022), the presence of paranoid and delusional ideation (p = 0.003) and agitation (p = 0.042) were significantly associated with verbal aggression in a stepwise backward logistic regression analysis.

Conclusion

The presence of verbal aggression should prompt the clinician to search for delusional ideation, which may respond to phamacotherapy. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lithium use in octogenarians
Authors: Fahy Sabina , Lawlor Brian A.
Published: August 2002

Objectives

To assess the tolerability and side‐effect profile of lithium use in a group of octogenarians attending a specialized lithium clinic.

Methods

This is a cross‐sectional study looking at all patients of eighty years and over attending a lithium clinic. Charts were examined to assess renal function, thyroid function and level of side‐effects during their course of lithium treatment in order to assess the tolerability of this medication in octogenarians.

Results

Twelve patients of 80 years and over (with an average age of 83.6 years) were taking lithium for an average period of 53.7 months. They had a mean serum level of 0.42 mmol/l. No patient had to discontinue lithium therapy because of side‐effects, even though some patients did develop transient abnormalities of renal function. One patient developed diabetes insipidus. One female patient developed hypothyroidism.

Conclusions

Lithium was well tolerated and was administered safely to this cohort of octogenarians. Monitoring of serum lithium levels and kidney and thyroid function should preferably be done in the setting of a specialized lithium clinic. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A functional MRI study on the neural substrates for writing
Authors: Katanoda Kota , Yoshikawa Kohki , Sugishita Morihiro
Published: August 2002

Functional neuroanatomy of writing is relatively unknown compared to that of other linguistic processes. This study aimed at identifying brain regions crucial to the process of writing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), brain hemodynamic activity was examined during three conditions that differentially engaged visual, linguistic, and/or motor functions: (1) writing names of pictures with the right index finger, (2) naming pictures silently, and (3) visually cued finger tapping. A writing minus naming comparison and a writing minus tapping comparison were performed, and brain regions commonly activated in these two contrasts were detected. Our main finding was that such common activation was observed in the anterior part of the left superior parietal lobule, the posterior part of the middle and superior frontal gyri, and the right cerebellum. The parietal and frontal regions were considered to subserve the process of writing as separated from that of naming and finger movements, which is consistent with the classical notion mainly proposed by studies of selective writing deficits called pure agraphia. The right cerebellar activation, on the other hand, was interpreted as the reflection of the execution of complex finger movements required for writing. Hum. Brain Mapping 13:34–42, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis and visualization of single‐trial event‐related potentials
Authors: Jung Tzyy‐Ping , Makeig Scott , Westerfield Marissa , Townsend Jeanne , Courchesne Eric , Sejnowski Terrence J.
Published: August 2002

In this study, a linear decomposition technique, independent component analysis (ICA), is applied to single‐trial multichannel EEG data from event‐related potential (ERP) experiments. Spatial filters derived by ICA blindly separate the input data into a sum of temporally independent and spatially fixed components arising from distinct or overlapping brain or extra‐brain sources. Both the data and their decomposition are displayed using a new visualization tool, the “ERP image,” that can clearly characterize single‐trial variations in the amplitudes and latencies of evoked responses, particularly when sorted by a relevant behavioral or physiological variable. These tools were used to analyze data from a visual selective attention experiment on 28 control subjects plus 22 neurological patients whose EEG records were heavily contaminated with blink and other eye‐movement artifacts. Results show that ICA can separate artifactual, stimulus‐locked, response‐locked, and non‐event‐related background EEG activities into separate components, a taxonomy not obtained from conventional signal averaging approaches. This method allows: (1) removal of pervasive artifacts of all types from single‐trial EEG records, (2) identification and segregation of stimulus‐ and response‐locked EEG components, (3) examination of differences in single‐trial responses, and (4) separation of temporally distinct but spatially overlapping EEG oscillatory activities with distinct relationships to task events. The proposed methods also allow the interaction between ERPs and the ongoing EEG to be investigated directly. We studied the between‐subject component stability of ICA decomposition of single‐trial EEG epochs by clustering components with similar scalp maps and activation power spectra. Components accounting for blinks, eye movements, temporal muscle activity, event‐related potentials, and event‐modulated alpha activities were largely replicated across subjects. Applying ICA and ERP image visualization to the analysis of sets of single trials from event‐related EEG (or MEG) experiments can increase the information available from ERP (or ERF) data. Hum. Brain Mapping 14:166–185, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Conversion of bis(o‐nitrophenyl)disulfides to heterocycles containing sulfur and nitrogen by the action of samarium diiodide
Authors: Zhong Weihui , Chen Xiaoyuan , Zhang Yongmin
Published: August 2002

Treatment of bis(o‐nitrophenyl)disulfides 1 with SmI2 led to simultaneous reduction of nitro groups and reductive cleavage of S–S bonds as well as the formation of the active intermediates 2. The intermediates 2 reacted smoothly with aldehydes or ketones, acid chlorides or anhydrides, α‐bromoketones, and α,β‐unsaturated ketones at room temperature to afford the desired benzothiazolines 3, benzothiazoles 4, 2H‐1,4‐benzothiazines 5, and 2,3‐dihydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepines 6, respectively, in moderate to high yields under mild and neutral conditions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:156–160, 2001
The impact of including future medical care costs when estimating the costs attributable to a disease: a colorectal cancer case study
Authors: Etzioni Ruth , Ramsey Scott D. , Berry Kristin , Brown Martin
Published: August 2002

A source of controversy in the economic literature concerns whether to include or exclude future medical care costs when computing attributable costs for lifesaving interventions. Although it is hypothesized that including future medical care costs will offset the cost savings achieved through prevention, the magnitude of the effect is not known.

The objectives of the present study are to develop a methodology for estimating the excess costs of care among colorectal cancer patients, including and excluding future costs of care, and comparing these results with previous studies that do not include costs in added years of life.

Subjects in the study included those identified with colorectal cancer drawn from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)–Medicare database and an age‐ and gender‐matched control group drawn from the general Medicare population. Using the Kaplan‐Meier Sample Average estimator, we directly estimate expected 11‐year costs, and then, with the addition of some simple extrapolating assumptions, determine expected 25‐year costs. The latter time horizon captures lifetime costs for over 90% of the cohort.

Males results for discounted, stage‐specific 11‐ versus 25‐year excess costs: in situ, $22 411 versus $23 494; Stage 1, $29 365 versus $32 510; Stage 2, $28 114 versus $25 263; Stage 3, $27 397 versus $19 647; Stage 4, $3006 versus $7837. Trends were similar for females.

It can be concluded that adding costs of care in future years for those whose colorectal cancer is prevented owing to screening greatly alters the estimate of lifetime excess costs for colorectal cancer patients, and can produce negative results for advanced stage disease. The results emphasize the need to adopt a standard approach for dealing with future costs when evaluating lifesaving interventions for cost‐effectiveness analyses. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost‐effectiveness analysis with risk aversion
Authors: Zivin Joshua Graff
Published: August 2002

This paper discusses why, in a medical context, the standard assumption of a risk‐neutral social planner is inappropriate and develops a framework for conducting cost‐effectiveness (CE) analysis when social planners are risk‐averse. This framework demonstrates that if new medical interventions are variance increasing (decreasing), the risk‐neutral approach will approve (reject) projects that should be rejected (accepted). This methodology is applied to two medical interventions that have been previously evaluated and considered cost‐effective in the published literature. Since both conclusions assumed risk neutrality we determine the level of societal risk‐aversion that would be necessary to reject these new interventions and compare these levels to previous estimates of risk‐aversion in the economics literature. We find that for reasonable values of the risk‐aversion parameter, only one of the two interventions should be approved. It is our recommendation that the cut‐off risk aversion parameter (the level of risk‐aversion above which a project would be rejected) should become a standard reported figure in future CE studies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential expression of c‐jun and c‐fos mRNAs in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Associations with uPA, gelatinase B, and matrilysin mRNAs
Authors: Pacheco Mercia Medeiros , Kowalski Luis Paulo , Nishimoto Ines Nobuko , Brentani Maria Mitzi
Published: August 2002

Background

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are known for their invasive behavior. The invasiveness of these tumors requires proteases, some of which as urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA), gelatinase B and matrilysin are regulated through AP‐1 dependent transcriptional mechanisms. AP‐1 consists of several proteins, including those encoded by the proto‐oncogenes c‐jun and c‐fos. The aim of this study was to: first, evaluate the expression levels of matrix metalloproteases (matrilysin and gelatinase B) and uPA mRNAs; second, examine whether these genes might be associated with c‐jun and c‐fos expression; third, examine the relationship between the expression of these genes and HNSCC clinico‐pathological features.

Methods

We have analyzed 38 HNSCC primary tumors and matched mucosa tissues for uPA, gelatinase B, matrilysin, c‐fos, and c‐jun by Northern‐blot analysis.

Results

uPA, gelatinase B, matrilysin, and c‐jun mean levels were statistically higher in the tumors than in the normal adjacent mucosa, whereas no difference was found when c‐fos mRNA values were compared, c‐jun mRNA expression correlated directly with gelatinase B and matrilysin mRNA levels, but no association with uPA mRNA was observed, c‐fos mRNA levels were not associated with the tested proteases, but low levels were determined in tumors from older patients who subsequently developed a 2nd tumor. No evidence of correlation between expression of uPA, matrilysin, and c‐jun in tumors and clinico‐pathological features was found. Gelatinase B mRNA high levels were associated to presence of cervical recurrences.

Conclusion

Expression of c‐jun seems to be involved in the regulation of gelatinase B and matrilysin being not related to uPA. Lack of association with c‐fos may indicate that other fos family members might play a role in the transcriptional activity of the analyzed proteases in HNSCC tumors. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 24: 24–32, 2002.
Response to paclitaxel and carboplatin in metastatic salivary gland cancer: A case report
Authors: Ruzich Janet C. , Ciesla Marlyn C. , Clark Joseph I.
Published: August 2002

Background

Malignant tumors of the salivary gland are rare entities that are treated primarily by surgical resection. For patients with recurrent or unresectable disease, options include radiation therapy or chemotherapy; however, responses are few and of short duration. Patients with metastatic disease have been treated with chemotherapy, but, again, response rates have been low and of short duration.

Methods

A 52‐year‐old man was seen with a mass on his tongue. A biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of a minor salivary gland. Ten months after surgical resection, neck dissection, and radiation therapy, the patient was found to have metastatic disease to the lung. Chemotherapy was initiated with carboplatin and paclitaxel.

Results

The patient obtained a complete response after six cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel.

Conclusions

The use of carboplatin and paclitaxel in the setting of metastatic salivary gland cancer is a viable option. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 24: 406–410, 2002
Risk assessment: A regulatory strategy for stimulating working environment activities?
Authors: Jensen Per Langaa
Published: August 2002

This article analyzes the Danish approach to workplace assessment (WPA) following European requirements to establish legislation on occupational health and safety. Quantitative studies show that WPA can be interpreted as a success within the larger Danish firms. However, data from qualitative studies modify this picture by showing how attention has been focused on physical working environment problems while wider psychosocial problems have been ignored. The article claims there is no evidence from either the quantitative or the qualitative studies that WPA—even though positively evaluated—has become a recurrent activity within firms. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
HRD as an emergent and negotiated evolution: An ethnographic case study in the British National Health Service
Authors: Sambrook Sally
Published: August 2002

Based on research conducted in the British National Health Service, this article describes how HRD is "becoming." One way of theorizing this evolution is to look for distinct periods in which training and development and HRD are talked about and practiced in different ways, and then to explore how the changes were negotiated. A contingency framework is presented as an analytical tool. It is suggested that the evolution to date has three distinct stages accompanied by three discourses: tell, sell, and gel. The framework helps analyze both the current state of HRD and how future roles and practice might evolve.
In search of “best practices” in international human resource management: research design and methodology
Authors: Geringer J. Michael , Frayne Colette A. , Milliman John F.
Published: August 2002

The goal of this article is to describe and examine the research design and methodology that were employed by
the Best International Human Resource Management Practices Project. The article briefly addresses the origins and
goal of the project, including the research questions that the study was attempting to address. The methodology
used for collecting the project's data is then presented, including the design and dissemination of the
questionnaire and related data collection issues. Implications of the project's research design for
interpretation of results, and for influencing the design and management of effective international human resource
management practices, are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Benchmarking training and development practices: a multi‐country comparative analysis
Authors: Drost Ellen A. , Frayne Colette A. , Lowe Kevin B. , Geringer J. Michael
Published: August 2002

This study compares training and development practices within and across nine countries and one region, and addresses whether there are universal training and development practices. After a brief review of the literature on training and development for the countries and region examined, the study identifies country‐specific and region‐specific training and development practices. The results are descriptive in nature and discussed as benchmarks of current and desired levels of training and development practices within and across countries. While the results do not indicate any universal practices across all countries studied, they do indicate significant similarities in practices within country clusters. The common practices found within these clusters are believed to be influenced by cultural values and industry trends. The study emphasizes the importance of context and provides practitioners with guidelines in designing training and development practices across countries and researchers with insight into future research questions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An American Woman in Turkey: Adventures Unexpected and Knowledge Unplanned1
Authors: Taylor Sully , Napier Nancy K.
Published: August 2002

What is it like for foreign women professionals to work in a country like Turkey—managing subordinates,
working with clients and supervisors? What kind of social life do they have? In this article, the
authors answer these questions and more, drawing on interviews with foreign women professionals working in Turkey.
Using an unusual narrative approach to present their research results, they reveal unexpected insights and identify
key success factors such as the importance of foreign education over gender and the influence economic development
of the host country may exert on women's success. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Destabilization of film boiling and pressure change in vapor film when an external pressure wave is supplied
Authors: Takashima Takeo , Iida Yoshihiro
Published: August 2002

The destabilization process of a vapor film formed around a hemispherical heated surface made of a copper or stainless‐steel rod 30 mm in diameter and immersed in R‐113 is investigated experimentally. The vapor film is destabilized by an external pressure wave, which is produced by a magnetic hammer, and photographs of the behavior are taken. The pressure change in the vapor film when the external pressure wave is supplied is measured by a small pressure transducer set at the stagnation point of the copper rod. The induced pressure change in the film is analyzed theoretically and is shown to be in good agreement with measured data. A sharp pressure pulse in the vapor film, which has a higher peak value than that of the supplied external wave, is confirmed. The maximum pressure in the vapor film is proportional to the 1.6 power of that of the external pressure wave. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(8): 689–701, 2001
Glucocorticoids and cognitive function: from physiology to pathophysiology
Authors: Jameison Karen , Dinan Timothy G.
Published: August 2002

This paper reviews the literature on the relationship between glucocorticoids and cognitive functioning, including memory and selective attention. The main body of evidence suggests that hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction or a state of hypercortisolaemia can be correlated with cognitive deficits specific to the medial temporal lobe declarative memory system. These impairments are discussed in relation to patients with HPA abnormalities, as seen in a significant number of patients with major depression or Cushing's syndrome, and also in relation to healthy volunteers after administration of glucocorticoids. It remains to be seen whether there are differential effects on acquisition, consolidation or retrieval processes. However, it would seem that glucocorticoids have a preferential effect on recall of information as opposed to recognition, possibly because recognition is more automatic.

Type 2 glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), which are occupied by cortisol in humans in times of stress, are thought to be responsible for the glucocorticoid‐induced memory impairment. GRs alter the feedback of the HPA axis, which in turn disrupts hippocampal functioning. While this can be reversible, animal studies suggest that chronic elevation of glucocorticoid levels can lead to the loss of hippocampal neurons and irreversible decline in declarative memory. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Environmental isotope study on hydrodynamics of Lake Naini, Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Saravana Kumar U. , Jacob Noble , Navada S. V. , Rao S. M. , Nachiappan Rm. P. , Kumar Bhishm , Murthy J. S. R.
Published: August 2002

Environmental isotopes (δ18O, δD and3H) were used to understand the hydrodynamics of Lake Naini in the State of Uttar Pradesh, India. The data was correlated with the in situ physico‐chemical parameters, namely temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen. The analysis of the data shows that Lake Naini is a warm monomictic lake [i.e. in a year, the lake is stratified during the summer months (March/April to October/November) and well mixed during the remaining months]. The presence of a centrally submerged ridge inhibits the mixing of deeper waters of the lake's two sub‐basins, and they exhibit differential behaviour. The rates of change of isotopic composition of hypolimnion and epilimnion waters of the lake indicate that the water retention time of the lake is very short, and the two have independent inflow components. A few groundwater inflow points to the lake are inferred along the existing fractures, fault planes and dykes. In addition to poor vertical mixing of the lake due to the temperature‐induced seasonal stratification, the lake also shows poor horizontal mixing at certain locations of the lake. The lake–groundwater system appears to be a flow‐through type.

Also, a tritium and water‐balance model was developed to estimate the water retention time of well‐mixed and hydrologically steady state lakes. The model assumes a piston flow of groundwater contributing to the lake. The developed model was verified for (a) Finger Lakes, New York; (b) Lake Neusiedlersee, Austria; and (c) Blue Lake, Australia based on literature data. The predicted water retention times of the lakes were close to those reported or calculated from the hydrological parameters given in the references. On application of this model to Lake Naini, a water retention time of ∼2 years and age of groundwater contributing to the lake ∼14 years is obtained. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Macrofauna and nutrient cycling in the Swan River Estuary, Western Australia: experimental results
Authors: Pennifold Melita , Davis Jenny
Published: August 2002

This study investigated the effect of benthic macrofauna on nutrient fluxes. The influence of the macrofauna on nutrients released from the sediments was investigated experimentally in the laboratory using sediment cores from the Swan–Canning Estuary. Excretion rates of common benthic species were also measured to quantify the role of the macrofauna in estuarine nutrient cycling.

The presence of macrofauna increased the release of phosphate and ammonium into the water column but decreased the release, or resulted in uptake, of nitrate by the sediments. There were no significant differences in porewater concentrations of ammonium, nitrate or phosphate between treatments with and without macrofauna. The macrofauna clearly had an important role in nutrient fluxes, as nutrient release differed between cores with and without fauna, and nutrient fluxes were significantly correlated with increased faunal biomass.

Other factors, such as season and dissolved oxygen concentrations, influenced the concentration of nutrients released. Ammonium was released into the overlying water column at higher rates in winter than summer, while nitrate was released at higher rates in summer than winter. Aeration did not have a significant effect on nutrient fluxes, however there was a significant increase in filterable reactive phosphorus, and decrease in nitrate, in the porewater of cores which were not aerated.

Benthic species excreted phosphate, nitrate and ammonium, with ammonium present in the largest amounts. Comparison of excretion rates to the amount of nutrients released into the water column in the core experiments revealed that excretion could account for 30% of the phosphate and >200% of the ammonium measured in the water column.

Clearly the benthic macrofauna have a significant role with respect to benthic nutrient fluxes within the Swan–Canning Estuary, with benthic regeneration of nutrients estimated to equal external loading of nutrients. However, further work is required to more precisely define the influence of seasonality, dissolved oxygen, microbial activity and sediment characteristics on nutrient fluxes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.