bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Human Atherosclerotic Plaques by Intravascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Larose Eric , Yeghiazarians Yerem , Libby Peter , Yucel E.Kent , Aikawa Masanori , Kacher Daniel F. , Aikawa Elena , Kinlay Scott , Schoen Frederick J. , Selwyn Andrew P. , Ganz Peter
Published: October 2005

Background—

Development and validation of novel imaging modalities to assess the composition of human atherosclerotic plaques will improve the understanding of atheroma evolution and could facilitate evaluation of therapeutic strategies for plaque modification. Surface MRI can characterize tissue content of carotid but not deeper arteries. This study evaluated the usefulness of intravascular MRI (IVMRI) to discern the composition of human iliac arteries in vivo.

Methods and Results—

Initial studies validated IVMRI against histopathology of human atherosclerotic arteries ex vivo. A 0.030-inch-diameter IVMRI detector coil was advanced into isolated human aortoiliac arteries and coupled to a 1.5-T scanner. Information from combined T1-, moderate T2-, and proton-density–weighted images differentiated lipid, fibrous, and calcified components with favorable sensitivity and specificity and allowed accurate quantification of plaque size. The validated approach was then applied to image iliac arteries of 25 human subjects in vivo, and results were compared with those of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). IVMRI readily visualized inner and outer plaque boundaries in all arteries, even those with extensive calcification that precluded IVUS interpretation. It also revealed the expected heterogeneity of atherosclerotic plaque content that was noted during ex vivo validation. Again, IVUS did not disclose this heterogeneity. The level of interobserver and intraobserver agreement in the interpretation of plaque composition was high for IVMRI but poor for IVUS.

Conclusions—

IVMRI can reliably identify plaque composition and size in arteries deep within the body. Identification of plaque components by IVMRI in vivo has important implications for the understanding and modification of human atherosclerosis.
Age- and Gender-Related Ventricular-Vascular Stiffening
Authors: Redfield Margaret M. , Jacobsen Steven J. , Borlaug Barry A. , Rodeheffer Richard J. , Kass David A.
Published: October 2005

Background—

Increases in vascular (Ea), ventricular systolic (Ees), and ventricular diastolic (Ed) elastance (stiffness) may contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFnlEF). The prevalence of HFnlEF increases strikingly with age, particularly in women. We hypothesized that ventricular-vascular stiffening may occur with age and be more pronounced in women in the general community.

Methods and Results—

In a cross-sectional sample of Olmsted County, Minn, residents ≥45 years old (n=2042), clinical data, Doppler echocardiography, and blood pressure (BP) measurements were obtained. Ea was calculated from stroke volume and systolic BP and indexed to body size (EaI). Ees was calculated by a modified single-beat method using systolic and diastolic BP, stroke volume, ejection fraction, timing intervals, and an estimated normalized ventricular elastance at arterial end diastole. Operant Ed was calculated from Doppler indices reflective of atrial pressures and the diastolic filling volume. EaI, Ees, and Ed all increased with age in men and in women (
P
<0.0001 for all). Ees increased more steeply with age in women (
P
=0.002). Adjusted for age, EaI, Ees, and Ed were higher in women than in men (
P
<0.0001 for all). Findings were similar in those without known or suspected cardiovascular disease (n=623).

Conclusions—

In the community, advancing age and female gender are associated with increases in vascular and ventricular systolic and diastolic stiffness even in the absence of cardiovascular disease. We speculate that this combined ventricular-vascular stiffening may contribute to the increased prevalence of HFnlEF in elderly persons and particularly in elderly women.
Defining Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease for American Indians
Authors: Harwell Todd S. , Oser Carrie S. , Okon Nicholas J. , Fogle Crystelle C. , Helgerson Steven D. , Gohdes Dorothy
Published: October 2005

Background—

Disparities in stroke and heart disease have been well defined in many populations in the United States. Relatively few studies, however, have assessed current disparities in cardiovascular disease in American Indian populations and compared trends with other regions of the United States.

Methods and Results—

Using mortality data, age-adjusted all-cause, heart disease, and stroke mortality rates (per 100 000) were calculated for American Indians and whites from 1991 to 1995 and 1996 to 2000. The all-cause mortality rate was strikingly higher for American Indians than for whites. For example, during 1996 to 2000, the all-cause mortality rate for American Indians (1317, ±61) was more than half again greater than that for whites (831, ±8). Heart disease mortality declined significantly in whites (237 to 216 per 100 000) in Montana over the past decade and declined, although not significantly, in American Indians (326 to 283 per 100 000). Stroke mortality also declined significantly in whites (64 to 60 per 100 000) but not in American Indians (80 to 81 per 100 000) during this time period. The proportion of deaths before age 65 years for heart disease and stroke was considerably higher in Indian men (45% and 36%) and Indian women (29% and 28%) compared with white men (21% and 11%) and white women (8% and 7%).

Conclusions—

The disparity in heart disease and stroke mortality exists between American Indians and whites in Montana. Regional or state-level surveillance data will be needed to describe the changing patterns of heart disease and stroke mortality and cardiovascular risk factors in many native communities in the United States and Canada.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (L band) and Optical Vegetation Indices for Discriminating the Brazilian Savanna Physiognomies: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Sano Edson E. , Ferreira Laerte G. , Huete Alfredo R.
Published: October 2005

The all-weather capability, signal independence to the solar illumination angle, and response to 3D vegetation structures are the highlights of active radar systems for natural vegetation mapping and monitoring. However, they may present significant soil background effects. This study addresses a comparative analysis of the performance of L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and optical vegetation indices (VIs) for discriminating the Brazilian cerrado physiognomies. The study area was the Brasilia National Park, Brazil, one of the test sites of the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere (LBA) experiment in Amazonia. Seasonal Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) SAR backscatter coefficients (σ°) were compared with two vegetation indices [normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI)] over the five most dominant cerrados’ physiognomies plus gallery forest. In contrast to the VIs, σ° from dry and wet seasons did not change significantly, indicating primary response to vegetation structures. Discriminant analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed an overall higher performance of radar data. However, when both SAR and VIs are combined, the discrimination capability increased significantly, indicating that the fusion of the optical and radar backscatter observations provides overall improved classifications of the cerrado types. In addition, VIs showed good performance for monitoring the cerrado dynamics.
Observations of Small-Scale Processes Associated with the Internal Tide Encountering an Island
Authors: Stevens Craig L. , Abraham Edward R. , Moore C. Mark , Boyd Philip W. , Sharples Jonathan
Published: October 2005

Current-meter, temperature, and microstructure observations of the large-amplitude internal tide shoaling on the continental shelf of the east coast of northern New Zealand show the complexity of the internal kinematics and mixing. The propagation speed of the main internal wave was around 0.3 m s−1, and nonstationary time series analysis was used to locate the trailing short-wavelength internal waves in frequency (periods of around 40 min) and tidal-phase space. The average energy dissipation rate (5 × 10−8 m2 s−3) was an order of magnitude smaller than that observed on the open shelf in other studies, but peaks in dissipation rate were measured to be much greater. The vertical diffusivity of heat was around 10−4 m2 s−1, comparable to, or greater than, other studies. Examples of the scale and sporadic nature of larger mixing events were observed. The behavior was complicated by the nearby steeply shoaling coast of the Poor Knight Islands. Consistent reflected wave energy was not apparent.
Finite-Amplitude Evolution of Instabilities Associated with the Coastal Upwelling Front
Authors: Durski Scott M. , Allen J. S.
Published: October 2005

A primitive equation model is used to study the finite-amplitude evolution of instabilities associated with the coastal upwelling front. Simulations of increasing complexity are examined that represent idealizations of summer conditions off the Oregon coast, including cases with steady and with time-variable wind in a domain with alongshore-uniform bathymetry and with time-variable wind in a domain with realistic Oregon coast bathymetry. The numerical results indicate that the fastest-growing mode in this system has approximately an 8–10-km alongshore wavelength but that, once the disturbances grow to finite amplitude, the predominant alongfront scale increases rapidly because of nonlinear effects. Separation of the total kinetic energy into contributions from the alongshore average flow and perturbation about that average shows that the initial growth of the perturbation kinetic energy is due to potential energy conversion, but transfer of energy from the kinetic energy of the alongshore average flow becomes important once the disturbances reach large amplitude. The time-variable wind simulations again show initial growth of small-scale instabilities followed by evolution to larger scales. In this case, however, even after larger-scale disturbances have developed on the upwelling front, smaller-scale patterns amplify along the front in response to each upwelling-favorable wind event. Realistic coastal bathymetry introduces additional alongshore topographic scales into the problem, but the formation of instabilities on small scales and evolution to larger scales are still ubiquitous. Where instabilities encounter strong curvature in the upwelling front produced by bathymetric effects, the upwelling front becomes highly contorted and horizontal variability is significantly enhanced.
Direct Evidence of an Oceanic Inverse Kinetic Energy Cascade from Satellite Altimetry
Authors: Scott Robert B. , Wang Faming
Published: October 2005

Sea surface height measurements from satellites reveal the turbulent properties of the South Pacific Ocean surface geostrophic circulation, both supporting and challenging different aspects of geostrophic turbulence theory. A near-universal shape of the spectral kinetic energy flux is found and provides direct evidence of a source of kinetic energy near to or smaller than the deformation radius, consistent with linear instability theory. The spectral kinetic energy flux also reveals a net inverse cascade (i.e., a cascade to larger spatial scale), consistent with two-dimensional turbulence phenomenology. However, stratified geostrophic turbulence theory predicts an inverse cascade for the barotropic mode only; energy in the large-scale baroclinic modes undergoes a direct cascade toward the first-mode deformation scale. Thus if the surface geostrophic flow is predominately the first baroclinic mode, as expected for oceanic stratification profiles, then the observed inverse cascade contradicts geostrophic turbulence theory. The latter interpretation is argued for. Furthermore, and consistent with this interpretation, the inverse cascade arrest scale does not follow the Rhines arrest scale, as one would expect for the barotropic mode. A tentative revision of theory is proposed that would resolve the conflicts; however, further observations and idealized modeling experiments are needed to confirm, or refute, the revision. It is noted that no inertial range was found for the inverse cascade range of the spectrum, implying inertial range scaling, such as the established K−5/3 slope in the spectral kinetic energy density plot, is not applicable to the surface geostrophic flow.
Two-Layer Rotating Exchange Flow between Two Deep Basins: Theory and Application to the Strait of Gibraltar
Authors: Timmermans M-L. E. , Pratt L. J.
Published: October 2005

Rotating two-layer exchange flow over a sill in a strait separating two relatively deep and wide basins is analyzed. Upstream of the sill in the deep upstream basin, the infinitely deep dense lower layer is assumed to be inactive, while the relatively thin upper layer flowing away from the sill forms a detached boundary current in the upstream basin. This analysis emphasizes the importance of this upstream boundary current, incorporating its width as a key parameter in a formalism for deducing the volume exchange rate and discriminating between maximal and submaximal states. Hence, even for narrow straits in which rotation does not dominate the dynamics within the strait, the importance of rotation in the wide upstream basin can be exploited. It is shown that the maximal allowable exchange transport through straits wider than 1½ Rossby deformation radii increases as rotation increases, unlike for smaller rotations, where the exchange decreases as rotation increases. The theory is applied to the exchange flow through the Strait of Gibraltar. This application illustrates how images of the oceans taken from space showing the width of the upstream flow, in this case a space shuttle photograph, might be used to determine the exchange transport through a strait. Maximal exchange conditions in the Strait of Gibraltar are predicted to apply at the time the space shuttle photograph was taken.
Propagation of Tracer Signals in Boundary Currents
Authors: Waugh Darryn W. , Hall Timothy M.
Published: October 2005

The propagation of a range of tracer signals in a simple model of the deep western boundary current is examined. Analytical expressions are derived in certain limits for the transit-time distributions and the propagation times (tracer ages) of tracers with exponentially growing or periodic concentration histories at the boundary current’s origin. If mixing between the boundary current and the surrounding ocean is either very slow or very rapid, then all tracer signals propagate at the same rate. In contrast, for intermediate mixing rates tracer ages generally depend on the history of the tracer variations at the origin and range from the advective time along the current to the much larger mean age. Close agreement of the model with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and tritium observations in the North Atlantic deep western boundary current (DWBC) is obtained when the model is in the intermediate mixing regime, with current speed around 5 cm s−1 and mixing time scale around 1 yr. In this regime anomalies in temperature and salinity of decadal or shorter period will propagate downstream at roughly the current speed, which is much faster than the spreading rate inferred from CFC or tritium–helium ages (approximately 5 cm s−1 as compared with 2 cm s−1). This rapid propagation of anomalies is consistent with observations in the subpolar DWBC, but is at odds with inferences from measurements in the tropical DWBC. This suggests that observed tropical temperature and salinity anomalies are not simply propagated signals from the north. The sensitivity of the tracer spreading rates to tracer and mixing time scales in the model suggests that tight constraints on the flow and transport in real DWBCs may be obtained from simultaneous measurements of several different tracers—in particular, hydrographic anomalies and steadily increasing transient tracers.
CORRIGENDUM
Authors: Gregg M. C. , Carter G. S. , Kunze E.
Published: October 2005

Corrected numbers and figures for mixing rates are given for two papers by the authors about Monterey submarine canyon.
The Role of Parliamentary Committees in Coalition Governments
Authors: Kim Dong-Hun , Loewenberg Gerhard
Published: October 2005

The coexistence of strong parties and strong committees in the U.S. Congress has been interpreted in a principal-agent framework with committees regarded as agents of the congressional parties. In a parliamentary system having coalition governments, the coexistence of strong parties and strong committees has a comparable rationale. With data during a 40-year period, the authors showthat the coalition parties in the German parliament distribute committee chair positions so that coalition parties can monitor each other’s cabinet ministers. Such monitoring is an alternative at the legislative level to intracoalition monitoring through the use of junior ministers at the executive level and is a means of enforcing coalition treaties.
What Are the Political Consequences of Trust?
Authors: Mishler William , Rose Richard
Published: October 2005

Trust in political institutions and in other people is hypothesized by cultural theories to be essential for making democracieswork. Trust is equated with diffuse support and linked to the stability and effective functioning of democratic regimes. Institutional theories, in contrast, question the importance of trust for democratic support and emphasize institutional performance instead. A structural equation model using New Russia Barometer survey data tests cultural and institutional theories of regime support. The results confirm cultural arguments that institutional trust encourages political involvement and contributes to public support for democratic ideals, whereas they contradict the hypothesis that trust is critical for political support. Much stronger support exists for institutional theory’s claims about the importance of economic and political performance. Cultural influences, however, appear somewhat larger than institutional theories allow and may become larger still during the longer term, suggesting the need to integrate cultural and institutional theories.
Violent Victimization and Women's Mental and Physical Health: Evidence from a National Sample
Authors: Demaris Alfred , Kaukinen Catherine
Published: October 2005

This study employs a sample of 7,700 women drawn from the Survey of Violence and Threats of Violence AgainstWomen and Men in the United States 1994 to 1996 to test hypotheses regarding the effects of violent victimization on women's mental and physical health. Violent victimization consisted of physical and sexual assaults, the lifecourse stage in which victimization first occurred, and the nature of the victimoffender relationship. Outcome variables were depressive symptomatology, concern for current safety, self-assessed health, and the occurrence of heavy episodic drinking. Findings suggested that physical and sexual-assault victimization had only modest effects on health outcomes, with the severity of physical assault having the most consistent association with poor health. The victim-offender relationship appeared most important for depressive symptomatology, with more symptoms being reported when the offender was someone known to the victim. No evidence was found that assaults first occurring in, say, childhood or adolescence, were more consequential for health than those first occurring in adulthood. The experience of child maltreatment appeared to be as important as other forms of victimization in presaging poor health outcomes.
Citizens' Perceptions of Distributive and Procedural Injustice During Traffic Stops with Police
Authors: Engel Robin Shepard
Published: October 2005

This article examines the hypothesis that citizens' perceptions of injustice are based on normative factors (i.e., perceptions of equity and fairness) rather than instrumental factors (i.e., the outcomes received) by examining citizens'perceptions of injustice after traffic stops by police. The factors that predict citizens'perceptions of injustice are assessed using data collected for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)–sponsored Police-Public Contact Survey, a national survey of citizens regarding their contacts with police, collected in 1999. Using multinomial logistic regression, the influences of the normative and instrumental perspectives are examined while controlling for citizens' characteristics and race-interaction terms, along with legal, situational, and other control variables. The findings support Tyler's proposition that citizens are concerned with issues of fairness in addition to the actual outcomes they receive from criminal-justice officials. The findings also show significant differences in citizens' perceptions of distributive and procedural injustice by race. The implications for policy and future research are explored.
Controlled Evaluation of an Educational Intervention Used to Modify Peer Attitudes and Behavior Toward Persons With Tourette’s Syndrome
Authors: Woods Douglas W. , Marcks Brook A.
Published: October 2005

Individuals who exhibit motor and vocal tics are viewed as less socially acceptable than persons who do not exhibit tics. Efforts have been made to alter the negative perceptions through the use of education. However, the effectiveness of peer education and whether it need be Tourette syndrome (TS) specific remains unclear. One hundred and seventy college students were randomly assigned to view either an educational video about TS, a video about depression, or no educational video, before providing attitudinal and behavioral data on social acceptance of either an actor or actress engaging in motor and vocal tics. Those viewing the TS-specific educational video held more positive attitudes toward persons with tics than those receiving the other two interventions; however, the effect on social behavior intentions and actual social behavior was unclear. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Tic-Related School Problems: Impact on Functioning, Accommodations, and Interventions
Authors: Packer Leslie E.
Published: October 2005

Children with Tourette’s syndrome (TS) are statistically overrepresented in special education classes; however, the extent to which tics contribute to such placement is unclear. In this article, the results of a survey of parents or guardians of 71 children and adolescents with TS are described within the broader context of discussing the impact of tics and educational practices. One half of the respondents reported moderate to significant tic-related academic impact, and 48% reported moderate to significant tic-related peer problems. Peer education and in-school counseling were generally not offered nor provided. In the minority of cases where behavioral interventions for tics were reported, contingent aversive consequences were reported to be ineffective or counterproductive, while positive reinforcement for modifying tics reportedly produced some successful results. The identification of research-validated academic accommodations and increased involvement of school psychologists are suggested as necessary and potentially helpful supports for students with TS and their teachers.
Capacity-to-Consent in Psychiatric Research: Development and Preliminary Testing of a Screening Tool
Authors: Zayas Luis H. , Cabassa Leopoldo J. , Perez M. Carmela
Published: October 2005

Objective: Assuring research participants’capacity to provide informed consent has become increasingly important in health and mental health research, and each study faces unique capacity-assessment challenges, possibly requiring its own screening tool. This article describes the development and preliminary testing of a capacity-to-consent tool constructed for a study of psychiatric diagnosing in a community clinic. Method: A 10-item screening device based on four legal standards for demonstrating capacity (understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and voluntarism) was created and tested with 68 adult patients entering the study. Results: Only five participants (7%) failed the screen, 61 (93%) passed. No participants who passed at entry were later found in psychiatric evaluations to lack capacity. Conclusion: The tool was effective in identifying persons who could not demonstrate consent capacity, thereby protecting prospective participants.
Investigating the Effectiveness of Behavioral Parent Training With Involuntary Clients in Child Welfare Settings
Authors: Smagner John P. , Sullivan Meredith H.
Published: October 2005

Objective: Whether parents could be taught to use behavior-analytic child-management skills. Method: Eleven parents typically labeled as difficult to train participated in one of two experimental parent-training programs at child-welfare agencies within the city of Chicago. Four classes of desirable parenting skills were recorded by observers during parent-child interactions in diverse settings, and the data were analyzed in single-subject designs. Results: Training produced improvements in the parenting skills observed. Follow-up observations occurring up to 6 months after training revealed that the parents continued to use these skills, sometimes at levels better than during their training. Conclusions: Behavioral parent training is an effective strategy for teaching parents with deficient parenting skills. Recommendations for conducting parent training with this population are discussed.
Reducing the Digital Divide for Children in Foster Care: First-Year Evaluation of the Building Skills-Building Futures Program
Authors: Finn Jerry , Kerman Ben , LeCornec Juliette
Published: October 2005

Objective: This article describes the first-year evaluation outcomes of a program developed to increase information technology access and skills among foster children and families within the context of a long-term foster care environment. Method: A sample of 34 foster families who received computers, Internet connection, and supportive services was compared with 30 foster families not in the program using survey methods and a posttest only design. Results: The results indicated after a year in the program, foster families increased their frequency of computer use, confidence in using computers and the Internet, and frequency of e-mail with social workers. Parents and foster children perceived the program to be useful in improving children’s technology skills, homework, grades, and interest in technology-related careers. Conclusion: The program appears to be successful in spite of lack of full implementation of the program model. Implications for future digital divide programs are discussed.
Some Pragmatics in the Valid and Reliable Recording of Directly Observed Behavior
Authors: Baer Donald M. , Harrison Richard , Fradenburg Linda , Petersen Dan , Milla Susan
Published: October 2005

This article examines issues in developing valid and reliable direct observation of behavior. Suggestions are made to minimize the problems that threaten validity and reliability. The discussion is concluded by an examination of costs and benefits of direct observation and who pays them and who benefits from them.
A Comparative Study of Dementia Care in England and the Netherlands Using Neo-Institutionalist Perspectives
Authors: Kümpers Susanne , Mur Ingrid , Maarse Hans , van Raak Arno
Published: October 2005

In this article, the authors compare dementia care in England and the Netherlands. They used qualitative methods to explore recommended standards of service provision and perceived achievements in mainstream care. They found some similarities in recommended standards and in major shortcomings in mainstream services: notably, weaknesses of generic services in supporting patients and carers, and failure to achieve integrated care. Priorities regarding service provision differed. Whereas in England, a social model of care was used to encourage empowerment of both the person with dementia and the carer, Dutch care professionals focused more on “warm care concepts” and on support of the carer rather than the patient. The balance between community care and institutional care also differed. The authors used neo-institutionalist concepts to explore these similarities and differences as embedded in the (historically developed) structural and cultural contexts of the respective health and social care systems.
Breast Cancer Detection Among Older Latinas: Is It Worth the Risk?
Authors: Borrayo Evelinn A. , Buki Lydia P. , Feigal Benjamin M.
Published: October 2005

Fifty-eight Latinas participated in focus group interviews to assess their perceptions about screening to detect breast cancer (BC). Grounded theory methods helped uncover a cultural explanatory model that explained how cultural and psychosocial dynamics influence BC screening decisions. According to this model, Latinas generally perceived BC screening as a risky behavior. Three themes emerged that influenced the amount and type of perceived risks: feeling healthy (i.e., perceptions about the etiology of the illness and its nature), feeling indecent (i.e., the behaviors involved in screening), and feeling threatened (i.e., the anticipated consequences of BC detection). Screening was perceived as risky because of many personal and interpersonal consequences associated with detecting BC. Latinas’ subjective assessment that detecting BC is too risky might influence their participation in screening procedures. Health education programs should aim at helping Latinas perceive that the early detection of BC is a life-saving benefit that outweighs its perceived risks.
“If We Have to Die, We Just Die”: Challenges and Opportunities for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care in Northern Thailand
Authors: Ngamvithayapong-Yanai Jintana , Winkvist Anna , Luangjina Sarmwai , Diwan Vinod
Published: October 2005

In this study, the authors identify opportunities for and challenges in reducing the risks of tuberculosi (TB) and HIV/AIDS transmission in Thailand. They carried out more than six repeated in-depth interviews with each of 13 participants who have been newly diagnosed with TB, 7 of whom were HIV positive, and their caregivers, until the patient recovered from TB or died. They performed extensive observations during relevant private and public activities and analyzed the data using grounded theory, focusing on behaviors affecting risk of transmission. Out of strong virtue, many caregivers felt a responsibility to care for their ill loved ones, thus putting themselves at risk of transmission. For the older generation, this was unimportant, as they had already completed their life cycle (“let it be”). However, strong human bonds encouraged the patients to complete TB treatment until cured or deceased. The authors discuss strategies to build on appropriate behaviors.
On integrity in inquiry... of the investigated, not the investigator
Authors: Schegloff Emanuel A.
Published: October 2005

The article begins with a sketch of the relation of interaction to language and to culture, and of the students of interaction to the students of language and of culture. A 10-second segment of recorded interaction at a family dinner is then examined in a fashion meant to preserve the integrity1 of what is being done interactionally while incorporating attention to the deployment of various facets of the language that is used, and its relationship to simultaneously ongoing bodily doings. An interactional practice – whining – from that episode is then juxtaposed with the same practice in several other segments of interaction in the interests of developing a more formal, transsituational account. The viability of research focused on phenomena in an analytically distinct domain of events while preserving the integrity of the occasions in which instances of the phenomenon occurred is then reviewed, using a case study of the conjoint use of phonetic analysis and conversation analysis. The article concludes with a reply to Levinson's article in this special issue of the journal, and uses the occasion to sketch the relationship between interaction and so-called ‘macro’ social and cultural formations such as kinship.
Producing the superior self
Authors: Sherman Rachel
Published: October 2005

In the luxury hotel, unequal entitlements between workers and guests - both to human attention and labor and to social and material resources generally - are prominent. Participant observation in two hotels shows that one of the myriad ways interactive workers respond to their subordinate position is to establish themselves as superior to others. They use comparative strategies of self to situate themselves as privileged on a range of symbolic hierarchies, including those of competence, authority, status, need, morality, intelligence, and cultural capital. Comparative ethnographic data on these judgments shows that they are not fixed categories in people’s heads but rather contradictory, context-dependent orientations. The article further argues that even as they establish workers as symbolically superior, these strategies also constitute some people as legitimately entitled to workers’ labor, thereby normalizing inequality between workers and guests.
Voices of freedom
Authors: Skuse Andrew
Published: October 2005

This article examines the creative labour of a group of Afghan radio soap opera writers scripting a popular social realist BBC World Service radio drama for broadcast in Afghanistan. Analysis centres on struggles over the political representation of the Taliban within the soap opera between 1996-8, a period in which they dominated politically and militarily. A tension is revealed in analysis between the individual political beliefs of writers and the simultaneous need to ‘realistically’ represent Afghan social and political lives. Production accommodations resulted in the active portrayal of a nostalgic and traditional vision of Afghanistan. It is suggested that these representations ultimately denied a conservative Taliban presence within the soap opera, the portrayal of tradition kept alive for these writers an acceptable sense of a future that held more liberal possibilities than Taliban alternatives.
Polycentricity and interactional regimes in ‘global neighborhoods’
Authors: Blommaert Jan , Collins James , Slembrouck Stef
Published: October 2005

Focusing on multilingualism in late-modern urban environments, this article argues for the neighborhood as a unit of practice mapped by field-specific relations. We show how language use and multilingualism are given social form by conditions of polycentricity and regimes of interactional practice. We present a preliminary typology of different places in an immigrant neighborhood in Ghent (Belgium) that organize different patterns of language use and language assessment. Streets, shops, public health centers, schools, and bars all function as ‘centers’ in the neighborhood, but each one of them allows for or invites different interactional regimes, including perceptions of what counts as an acceptable set of (enacted) language resources from its users. Such densely layered patterns of multilingualism allow us to analyse the production of locality in the globalized era in which old and new forms of transnational movement and intra-national response intermingle.
Competitive Balance in the Aftermath of the 1994 Players’ Strike
Authors: Hadley Lawrence , Ciecka James , Krautmann Anthony C.
Published: October 2005

A new interseasonal measure of competitive balance in a sports league is presented. It is based on a Markov model of a team’s probability of qualifying for postseason play given the performance of the team in the previous season. Transitional probabilities are estimated for Major League Baseball teams before and after the 1994 players’ strike. The results indicate that there has been a significant deterioration in competitive balance for the seasons following the strike. Probability density functions for the prestrike and poststrike eras are also presented.
Revenue Sharing, Conjectures, and Scarce Talent in a Sports League Model
Authors: Easton Stephen T. , Rockerbie Duane W.
Published: October 2005

This article develops a model of a representative professional sports club operating in a league that has the option of adopting one of two different forms of revenue sharing: traditional revenue sharing or central-pool-type revenue sharing. To adopt either form of revenue sharing, the league requires tehat a majority of clubs increase their profit with adoption of the plan. We derive necessary conditions for either plan to garner enough support for a majority vote. The likelihood of forming a majority depends on the distribution of team revenues and the conjectures on acquiring talent that clubs possess. Competitive conjectures make the adoption of revenue sharing more likely, whereas cartel conjectures make its adoption less likely. This may partly explain why salary caps and revenue sharing tend to be used together in some leagues.
Rematches in Boxing and Other Sporting Events
Authors: Amegashie J. Atsu , Kutsoati Edward
Published: October 2005

The authors study the incentive effects of rematches in sports with an emphasis on professional boxing. If the difference between the boxers’ abilities is sufficiently small, the authors find that a clause that stipulates that the winner of the fight is obliged to give the loser a rematch (i.e., a mandatory rematch clause) results in a higher aggregate effort compared to aggregate effort when the probability of a rematch depends on effort. This result sheds some light on the practice of offering mandatory rematch clauses to elite boxers. The authors also argue that their results apply to rivalries and rematches in other sporting events and contests.
In vitrostudies of lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Authors: Black J. L. , Ge Q. , Boustany S. , Johnson P. R. A. , Poniris M. H. , Glanville A. R. , Oliver B. G. G. , Moir L. M. , Burgess J. K.
Published: October 2005

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is associated with abnormal airway smooth muscle that leads to the characteristic pathology of lung nodule formation and destruction of lung tissue. The current authors have previously identified abnormal behaviour of airway smooth muscle cells from patients with asthma.

In this study, cells and tissue sections derived from patients with LAM (n = 7), asthma (n = 8), and nonasthmatic controls (n = 9) were compared. The presence of the antigen human melanosome (HM)B-45 was investigated, along with the proliferation and release of extracellular matrix proteins, release of endogenous prostaglandin E2(PGE2), vascular endothelial growth factor and connective tissue growth factor, and the expression of integrins.

Positive HMB-45 staining was found in all LAM patients and no controls. Proliferation of LAM cells was not different from control cells nor was its inhibition by β-agonists, corticosteroids, rapamycin or PGE2. However, endogenous PGE2levels were markedly decreased in LAM cells, and this was associated with decreased expression of the inducible form of cyclooxygenase (COX-2). The increased levels of connective tissue growth factor seen in asthma cells were not observed in LAM. Elastin mRNA in response to transforming growth factor-β stimulation was markedly lower in LAM cells than either asthma or control cells.

In conclusion, lymphangioleiomyomatosis cells exhibit abnormal propertiesin vitrothat may contribute to pathophysiology and symptomatology in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.
Tumour necrosis factor gene polymorphisms and childhood wheezing
Authors: Bilolikar H. , Nam A. R. , Rosenthal M. , Davies J. C. , Henderson D. C. , Balfour-Lynn I. M.
Published: October 2005

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α is associated with childhood wheezing. A genetic predisposition to increased TNF-α production, influenced by single nucleotide gene polymorphisms, may be important.

Frequencies of TNF-α-308G/A and lymphotoxin (LT)-α+252G/A polymorphisms were compared in 115 asthmatic children, 55 wheezy infants and 156 control school children from the UK. Genotype frequencies for the TNF-α-308 and LT-α+252 polymorphisms were significantly different from controls.

Haplotype analysis showed that TNF-α-308G, LT-α+252A/TNF-α-308A, LT-α+252A was associated with a markedly increased risk for both asthma and infant wheezing. The TNF-α-308G, LT-α+252G/TNF-α-308G, LT-α+252A combination was protective for asthma and infant wheezing. These findings were confirmed by analysis of Caucasian data. Nasal TNF-α levels were measured in the infants during acute wheezing episodes and higher, but nonsignificant levels were produced in those with one or two LT-α+252A alleles. Unexpectedly, significantly lower nasal TNF-α levels were found in the presence of one or two TNF-α-308A alleles. TNF-α-308/LT-α+252 genotype combinations had a significant influence on nasal TNF-α levels.

In conclusion, these findings may have implications for future early intervention studies by helping to identify infants at increased risk for wheezing and childhood asthma.
Factors associated with infection byPseudomonas aeruginosain adult cystic fibrosis
Authors: Chambers D. , Scott F. , Bangur R. , Davies R. , Lim A. , Walters S. , Smith G. , Pitt T. , Stableforth D. , Honeybourne D.
Published: October 2005

Cross-infection withPseudomonas aeruginosais an emerging issue in the care of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study sought to determine the extent of, and patient factors associated with, cross-infection in a tertiary referral adult CF centre.

P. aeruginosaisolates were genotyped into two groups between November 2001 and February 2003, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after DNA digestion by theSpeI endonuclease, and identified as clustered if there was >80% homology in the macrorestriction profiles. Patient factors and measures of disease severity were identifieda priori.

In total, 157 out of 227 patients had aP. aeruginosaisolate genotyped. Of these, 94 patients (60%) were infected with clustered genotypes and 47 (30%) were infected with the newly described “Midlands 1” (Md1) genotype. A further 18 patients were infected with the previously identified “Liverpool” genotype and two with the “Manchester” genotype. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the predominant predictor of infection with Md1 was age at the time of referral to the centre, suggesting that infection may have occurred prior to referral in some patients. Md1 demonstrated a relatively benign anti-biogram and did not appear to be associated with more severe disease.

In conclusion, the present study provides further evidence of the emerging importance ofPseudomonas aeruginosacross-infection in cystic fibrosis.
Tumour necrosis factor-α (−308) gene polymorphism in obstructive sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome
Authors: Riha R. L. , Brander P. , Vennelle M. , McArdle N. , Kerr S. M. , Anderson N. H. , Douglas N. J.
Published: October 2005

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) have elevated circulating levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The hypothesis in this study was that OSAHS might be associated with the TNF-α (−308A) gene polymorphism, which results in increased TNF-α production. This hypothesis was examined in OSAHS patients, their siblings and population controls.

A total of 206 subjects were recruited. All underwent sleep studies and clinical review, and were subsequently classified as having OSAHS or not depending on apnoea–hypopnoea frequency, sex, age and symptoms. All subjects had blood collected and genotyping was performed on DNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes. Some 192 random UK blood donors were used as population controls.

The results demonstrated a significant association for TNF-α (−308A) allele carriage with OSAHS (OR = 1.8; 95% Confidence interval: 1.18–2.75) when compared with population controls. Siblings with OSAHS were significantly more likely to carry the TNF-α (−308A) allele. In addition, 21 pairs of male siblings discordant for carriage of the −308A allele showed a significant level of discordance for the OSAHS phenotype.

In conclusion, this study demonstrates an association of tumour necrosis factor-α (−308A) carriage with obstructive sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome, suggesting that inflammation may be implicated in the pathogenesis of this condition.
Exacerbations of COPD: quantifying the patient's perspective using discrete choice modelling
Authors: Haughney J. , Partridge M. R. , Vogelmeier C. , Larsson T. , Kessler R. , Ståhl E. , Brice R. , Löfdahl C-G.
Published: October 2005

Patient-centred care is the current vogue in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but it is only recently that robust techniques have become available to determine patients' values and preferences. In this international cross-sectional study, patients' concerns and expectations regarding COPD exacerbations were explored using discrete choice modelling.

A fractional factorial design was used to develop scenarios comprising a combination of levels for nine different attributes. In face-to-face interviews, patients were presented with paired scenarios and asked to choose the least preferable. Multinomial logit (with hierarchical Bayes) methods were used to estimate utilities. A total of 125 patients (82 males; mean age 66 yrs; 4.6 mean exacerbations·yr−1) were recruited.

The attributes of exacerbations considered most important were impact on everyday life (20%), need for medical care (16%), number of future attacks (12%) and breathlessness (11%). The next most important attributes were speed of recovery, productive cough and social impact (all 9%), followed by sleep disturbance and impact on mood (both 7%). Importantly, analysis of utility shifts showed that patients most feared being hospitalised, housebound or bedridden. These issues were more important than symptom improvement.

Strategies for the clinical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should clearly address patients' concerns and focus on preventing and treating exacerbations to avoid these feared outcomes.
Sepsis induces early phrenic nerve neuropathy in rats
Authors: Nayci A. , Atis S. , Comelekoglu U. , Ozge A. , Ogenler O. , Coskun B. , Zorludemir S.
Published: October 2005

The aim of the present study was to investigate the electrophysiology of the phrenic nerve and the diaphragm muscle during sepsis.

In total, 26 rats underwent either sham laparotomy or caecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Electrophysiology was evaluatedviaa phrenic nerve conduction study and needle electromyography of the diaphragm, prior to CLP, 6 and 24 h post-CLP and on day 7. The histopathology of the diaphragm muscle and phrenic nerve was also examined on day 7.

In the sepsis group, the phrenic nerve conduction study showed decreased amplitude of compound action potential (CMAP), and prolongation in the duration and the latency of CMAP. The diaphragmatic needle electromyography showed decreased amplitude and frequency of the motor unit action potential (MUP), and prolongation in the duration of MUP, at all time points, compared with the pre-CLP values. The electrophysiological abnormalities were consistent with axonal and demyelinating phrenic nerve neuropathy. Electrophysiological abnormalities were present at 6 h with worsening at 24 h and on day 7. Histopathological examination showed normal muscular fibres and focally slight myelin degenerations of the phrenic nerve fibres.

In conclusion, sepsis induced phrenic nerve neuropathy as early as the 6th h in rats.