bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of the Oxygen Sensors PHD-1, PHD-2, PHD-3, and FIH Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness in Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors
Authors: Couvelard Anne , Deschamps Lydia , Rebours Vinciane , Sauvanet Alain , Gatter Kevin , Pezzella Francesco , Ruszniewski Philippe , Bedossa Pierre
Published: October 2008

Purpose: Tumor hypoxia is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to treatment. Our aim was to assess the expression of proteins that act as cellular oxygen sensors, directly regulating the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway, i.e., prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHD)-1, PHD-2, PHD-3, and FIH in pancreatic endocrine tumors (PET).

Experimental Design: Immunohistochemical expression of these markers was examined in 109 PET included in tissue microarrays and representing various stages of tumorigenesis. The results were correlated with histoprognostic factors including Ki-67 index, presence of a fibrotic focus, and microvascular density (MVD).

Results: The cytoplasmic and nuclear expressions of the three PHD isoforms were associated, and their expression was significantly higher in aggressive PETS, malignant, with lymph node metastases or with lower MVD. High nuclear expression of the three isoforms highly correlated with HIF-1α nuclear expression (P = 0.02, 0.003, and 0.006, respectively). Moreover, high nuclear PHD-1 or PHD-3 expression was associated with a poorer survival (P = 0.01). Cytoplasmic FIH was significantly higher in malignant PETs (P = 0.05) and in PETs with lymph node metastases (P = 0.02), and its expression correlated positively with those of cytoplasmic PHD isoforms (P < 0001). FIH stromal expression was found in 23% of PETs and correlated with higher FIH nuclear expression (P = 0.0004) and poorer disease-free survival (P = 0.0018).

Conclusion: HIF regulatory proteins are highly expressed in PET and their expression is correlated with tumor metastases, tumor recurrence, and prognosis. These molecules that play an important role in the control of hypoxia-induced genes may have a function in the regulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation during endocrine tumorigenesis.
Phase I Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study of LAQ824, a Hydroxamate Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor with a Heat Shock Protein-90 Inhibitory Profile, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: de Bono Johann S. , Kristeleit Rebecca , Tolcher Anthony , Fong Peter , Pacey Simon , Karavasilis Vasilios , Mita Monica , Shaw Heather , Workman Paul , Kaye Stan , Rowinsky Eric K. , Aherne Wynne , Atadja Peter , Scott Jeffrey W. , Patnaik Amita
Published: October 2008

Purpose: To determine the safety, maximum tolerated dose, and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic profile of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, LAQ824, in patients with advanced malignancy.

Patients and Methods: LAQ824 was administered i.v. as a 3-h infusion on days 1, 2, and 3 every 21 days. Western blot assays of peripheral blood mononuclear cell lysates and tumor biopsies pretherapy and posttherapy evaluated target inhibition and effects on heat shock protein-90 (HSP90) client proteins and HSP72.

Results: Thirty-nine patients (22 male; median age, 53 years; median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1) were treated at seven dose levels (mg/m2): 6 (3 patients), 12 (4 patients), 24 (4 patients), 36 (4 patients), 48 (4 patients), 72 (19 patients), and 100 (1 patient). Dose-escalation used a modified continual reassessment method. Dose-limiting toxicities were transaminitis, fatigue, atrial fibrillation, raised serum creatinine, and hyperbilirubinemia. A patient with pancreatic cancer treated at 100 mg/m2 died on course one at day 18 with grade 3 hyperbilirubinemia and neutropenia, fever, and acute renal failure. The area under the plasma concentration curve increased proportionally with increasing dose; median terminal half-life ranged from 8 to 14 hours. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell lysates showed consistent accumulation of acetylated histones posttherapy from 24 mg/m2; higher doses resulted in increased and longer duration of pharmacodynamic effect. Changes in HSP90 client protein and HSP72 levels consistent with HSP90 inhibition were observed at higher doses. No objective response was documented; 3 patients had stable disease lasting up to 14 months. Based on these data, future efficacy trials should evaluate doses ranging from 24 to 72 mg/m2.

Conclusions: LAQ824 was well tolerated at doses that induced accumulation of histone acetylation, with higher doses inducing changes consistent with HSP90 inhibition.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Overexpression Suppresses Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Human Multiple Myeloma Cells
Authors: Garcia-Bates Tatiana M. , Bernstein Steven H. , Phipps Richard P.
Published: October 2008

Purpose: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a transcription factor that regulates immune and inflammatory responses. Our laboratory has shown that normal and malignant B cells, including multiple myeloma, express PPARγ. Moreover, certain PPARγ ligands can induce apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells. Because PPARγ ligands can also have PPARγ-independent effects, the role of PPARγ in B-cell malignancies remains poorly understood. To further understand the role of PPARγ, we examined the functional consequences of its overexpression in human multiple myeloma.

Experimental Design: In the present work, we developed a lentiviral vector for PPARγ gene delivery. We transduced multiple myeloma cells with a lentivirus-expressing PPARγ and studied the involvement of this receptor on cell growth and viability.

Results: PPARγ overexpression decreased multiple myeloma cell proliferation and induced spontaneous apoptosis even in the absence of exogenous ligand. These PPARγ-overexpressing cells were dramatically more sensitive to PPARγ ligand-induced apoptosis compared with uninfected or LV-empty-infected cells. Apoptosis was associated with the down-regulation of antiapoptotic proteins X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein and myeloid cell leukemia-1 as well as induction of caspase-3 activity. Importantly, PPARγ overexpression-induced cell death was not abrogated by coincubation with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC), which are known to protect multiple myeloma cells from apoptosis. Additionally, PPARγ overexpression in multiple myeloma or BMSC inhibited both basal and multiple myeloma-induced interleukin-6 production by BMSC.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that PPARγ negatively controls multiple myeloma growth and viability in part through inhibition of interleukin-6 production by BMSC. As such, PPARγ is a viable therapeutic target in multiple myeloma.
Derlin-1 Is Overexpressed on the Tumor Cell Surface and Enables Antibody-Mediated Tumor Targeting Therapy
Authors: Ran Yuliang , Hu Hai , Hu Dong , Zhou Zhuan , Sun Yuemin , Yu Long , Sun Lixin , Pan Jian , Liu Jun , Liu Tong , Yang Zhihua
Published: October 2008

Purpose: Tumor targeting therapy is one of the most promising strategies for anticancer treatment. Derlin-1 has been reported to participate in misfolded protein dislocation and integrates into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to survey for such protein aggregates. We elucidate herein that Derlin-1 can leak to the plasmalemma from the ER in tumor cells and may have clinical application as a novel cancer target in the hope of developing a new tumor targeting therapy.

Experimental Design: The cell surface expression of Derlin-1 was shown by immunofluorescence analysis of nonpermeabilized cells and Western blotting of fractional proteins of tumor cells. Derlin-1 expression in cancerous tissues was also shown by immunohistochemistry. Biodistribution analysis and γ-scintigraphic imaging were done using 125I-labeled Derlin-1 targeting antibody in isogenic mice models. Finally, tumor-bearing mice were treated by the anti-Derlin-1 polyclonal antibody and monoclonal antibodies.

Results: Derlin-1 was expressed on various tumor cell surfaces and adopted a homodimer conformation. Robust cytoplasmic and membrane expression of Derlin-1 was detected in various types of human cancers tissues but was not correlated with any clinicopathologic features of pancreatic cancer. Derlin-1 directed antibodies specifically targeted to colon tumors and significantly suppress tumor growth in isogenic mice.

Conclusions: These preclinical data show that Derlin-1 protein is a functional molecular target expressed on the tumor cell surface and is a candidate therapeutic target that may be translated into clinical applications.
Y Chromosome Haplotypes and Prostate Cancer in Sweden
Authors: Lindström Sara , Adami Hans-Olov , Adolfsson Jan , Wiklund Fredrik
Published: October 2008

Purpose: Certain Y-chromosomal lineages have been suggested to predispose individuals to prostate cancer in the Japanese population; in other ethnic groups, however, the importance of the Y chromosome is poorly understood.

Experimental Design: To assess the possible Y-chromosomal contribution to prostate cancer risk and prognosis, we analyzed five binary Y-chromosomal markers in 1,447 prostate cancer cases and 983 population controls from the Swedish population. Together, these five markers capture the vast majority of chromosome Y haplogroup diversity in the Swedish population. Individual lineages were tested for association with both prostate cancer risk and cancer-specific death. We replicated observed associations in an independent Swedish prostate cancer case-control study comprising 1,452 cases and 779 controls.

Results: One rare lineage (I1c) was associated with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer [odds ratio (OR), 2.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-5.8; P = 0.001]. However, confirmatory analysis of this lineage in the independent case-control study revealed no association with prostate cancer risk (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.4-1.2, P = 0.17). We observed no association between chromosome Y variation and prostate cancer–specific death.

Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence against an important role of the Y chromosome in the initiation or outcome of prostate cancer in the Swedish population.
Novel Strategies for Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Treatment of Severe Prolonged Neutropenia Suggested by Mathematical Modeling
Authors: Shochat Eliezer , Rom-Kedar Vered
Published: October 2008

Purpose: To improve the effectiveness of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment in high-risk neutropenic patients.

Experimental Design: We study G-CSF effects on chemotherapy-induced neutropenia by expanding a simple mathematical model of neutrophil dynamics in the blood. The final model is fitted and validated using published clinical data of neutrophil response to chemotherapy and standard s.c. G-CSF protocol (SG; filgrastim 5 μg/kg/d), single pegylated (pegG; pegfilgrastim 100 μg/kg), and continuous infusion (CG; filgrastim 10 μg/kg/d). The interpatient variability is studied by Monte-Carlo simulation of pegG compared with SG and placebo.

Results: The effect G-CSF support on neutropenia depends on the neutrophil count at the nadir. Three distinct neutropenia grades are identified: G1 (300 × 103−500 × 103 cells/mL), G2 (50 × 103−300 × 103 cells/mL), and G3 (≤50 × 103 cells/mL). For many G2 patients, the G-CSF levels required for recovery are not attainable by the standard regimen, whereas the sustained pegG and CG seem to be significantly more effective. For G3 patients, G-CSF support alone is not sufficient and additional clinical approaches should be considered. The results presented here are robust and are only slightly affected by population variability.

Conclusions: The model captures the G-CSF-neutrophil dynamics of severe chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Our results clarify and complement the current American Society of Clinical Oncology recommendations for G-CSF administration in neutropenia: High sustained G-CSF levels are needed to treat severe neutropenia and may be achieved by either CG or pegG. The potential effect of sustained G-CSF on severe neutropenia should be studied within a framework of a prospective randomized clinical trial.
The Desmoplastic Reaction Surrounding Hepatic Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Metastases Aids Tumor Growth and Survival via αv Integrin Ligation
Authors: Conti John A. , Kendall Timothy J. , Bateman Adrian , Armstrong Thomas A. , Papa-Adams Andrew , Xu Qian , Packham Graham , Primrose John N. , Benyon R. Christopher , Iredale John P.
Published: October 2008

Purpose: The treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma represents a major clinical challenge. We investigated the hypothesis that the desmoplastic reaction within the liver elicited by metastatic adenocarcinoma, characterized by collagen I deposition and altered collagen IV distribution, promotes the growth and survival of hepatic colorectal carcinoma metastases.

Experimental Design: Partial hepatectomy specimens for metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma were examined immunohistochemically for differential integrin expression. Human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines HT-29, KM12SM, and KM12c were grown on wild-type collagen I or IV, or cleavage-resistant r/r collagen I, and assessed for their growth, survival, and resistance to 5-fluorouracil. The effect of αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrin blockade by neutralizing antibodies was examined.

Results: Collagen I, in contrast to collagen IV, significantly enhanced the growth, survival, and chemoresistance of colorectal carcinoma cells. Blockade of the αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins significantly reduced colorectal carcinoma cell proliferation on collagen, especially in the cell line with the most metastatic potential. These in vitro findings correlated with the pattern of integrin expression identified within resected hepatic colorectal carcinoma metastases. Using matrix metalloproteinase-resistant r/r collagen I as a dominant negative ligand for αv integrins, we showed a key role for this integrin-ligand interaction in mediating the survival and proliferation of colorectal carcinoma cells.

Conclusions: Desmoplasia has an important role in the development of hepatic colorectal carcinoma metastasis. The interaction between integrin and collagen I is identified as a potential therapeutic target.
Multiplex Reverse Transcription-PCR Screening for EML4-ALK Fusion Transcripts
Authors: Takeuchi Kengo , Choi Young Lim , Soda Manabu , Inamura Kentaro , Togashi Yuki , Hatano Satoko , Enomoto Munehiro , Takada Shuji , Yamashita Yoshihiro , Satoh Yukitoshi , Okumura Sakae , Nakagawa Ken , Ishikawa Yuichi , Mano Hiroyuki
Published: October 2008

Purpose: EML4-ALK is a fusion-type protein tyrosine kinase that is generated by inv(2)(p21p23) in the genome of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To allow sensitive detection of EML4-ALK fusion transcripts, we have now developed a multiplex reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) system that captures all in-frame fusions between the two genes.

Experimental Design: Primers were designed to detect all possible in-frame fusions of EML4 to exon 20 of ALK, and a single-tube multiplex RT-PCR assay was done with total RNA from 656 solid tumors of the lung (n = 364) and 10 other organs.

Results: From consecutive lung adenocarcinoma cases (n = 253), we identified 11 specimens (4.35%) positive for fusion transcripts, 9 of which were positive for the previously identified variants 1, 2, and 3. The remaining two specimens harbored novel transcript isoforms in which exon 14 (variant 4) or exon 2 (variant 5) of EML4 was connected to exon 20 of ALK. No fusion transcripts were detected for other types of lung cancer (n = 111) or for tumors from 10 other organs (n = 292). Genomic rearrangements responsible for the fusion events in NSCLC cells were confirmed by genomic PCR analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The novel isoforms of EML4-ALK manifested marked oncogenic activity, and they yielded a pattern of cytoplasmic staining with fine granular foci in immunohistochemical analysis of NSCLC specimens.

Conclusions: These data reinforce the importance of accurate diagnosis of EML4-ALK–positive tumors for the optimization of treatment strategies.
A New Therapeutic Strategy against Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer: The Preclinical Development of a Dual Aromatase and Sulfatase Inhibitor
Authors: Foster Paul A. , Chander Surinder K. , Newman Simon P. , Woo L.W. Lawrence , Sutcliffe Oliver B. , Bubert Christian , Zhou Dujin , Chen Shiuan , Potter Barry V.L. , Reed Michael J. , Purohit Atul
Published: October 2008

Purpose: The production of E2 is paramount for the growth of estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. Various strategies have been used, including the use of enzyme inhibitors against either aromatase (AROM) or steroid sulfatase (STS), in an attempt to ablate E2 levels. Both these enzymes play a critical role in the formation of estrogenic steroids and their inhibitors are now showing success in the clinic.

Experimental Design: We show here, in a xenograft nude mouse model, that the inhibition of both enzymes using STX681, a dual AROM and STS inhibitor (DASI), is a potential new therapeutic strategy against HDBC. MCF-7 cells stably expressing either AROM cDNA (MCF-7AROM) or STS cDNA (MCF-7STS) were generated. Ovariectomized MF-1 female nude mice receiving s.c. injections of either androstenedione (A4) or E2 sulfate and bearing either MCF-7AROM or MCF-7STS tumors were orally treated with STX64, letrozole, or STX681. Treatment was administered for 28 days. Mice were weighed and tumor measurements were taken weekly.

Results: STX64, a potent STS inhibitor, completely blocked MCF-7STS tumor growth but failed to attenuate MCF-7AROM tumor growth. In contrast, letrozole inhibited MCF-7AROM tumors but had no effect on MCF-7STS tumors. STX681 completely inhibited the growth of both tumors. AROM and STS activity was also completely inhibited by STX681, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in plasma E2 levels.

Conclusions: This study indicates that targeting both the AROM and the STS enzyme with a DASI inhibits HDBC growth and is therefore a potentially novel treatment for this malignancy.
Identification of a Novel Tumor-Associated Antigen, Cadherin 3/P-Cadherin, as a Possible Target for Immunotherapy of Pancreatic, Gastric, and Colorectal Cancers
Authors: Imai Katsunori , Hirata Shinya , Irie Atsushi , Senju Satoru , Ikuta Yoshiaki , Yokomine Kazunori , Harao Michiko , Inoue Mitsuhiro , Tsunoda Takuya , Nakatsuru Shuichi , Nakagawa Hidewaki , Nakamura Yusuke , Baba Hideo , Nishimura Yasuharu
Published: October 2008

Purpose: To establish cancer immunotherapy, it is important to identify the tumor-associated antigens (TAA) that are strongly expressed in the tumor cells but not in the normal cells. In this study, to establish an effective anticancer immunotherapy, we tried to identify the useful TAA of pancreatic cancer.

Experimental Design: Based on a previous genome-wide cDNA microarray analysis of pancreatic cancer, we focused on cadherin 3 (CDH3)/P-cadherin as a novel candidate TAA for anticancer immunotherapy. To identify the HLA-A2 (A*0201)–restricted CTL epitopes of CDH3, we used HLA-A2.1 (HHD) transgenic mice (Tgm). Furthermore, we examined the cytotoxicity against the tumor cells in vitro and in vivo of CTLs specific to CDH3 induced from HLA-A2–positive healthy donors and cancer patients.

Results: CDH3 was overexpressed in the majority of pancreatic cancer and various other malignancies, including gastric and colorectal cancers, but not in their noncancerous counterparts or in many normal adult tissues. In the experiment using HLA-A2.1 Tgm, we found that the CDH3-4655-663 (FILPVLGAV) and CDH3-7757-765 (FIIENLKAA) peptides could induce HLA-A2–restricted CTLs in Tgm. In addition, peptides-reactive CTLs were successfully induced from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by in vitro stimulation with these two peptides in HLA-A2–positive healthy donors and cancer patients, and these CTLs exhibited cytotoxicity specific to cancer cells expressing both CDH3 and HLA-A2. Furthermore, the adoptive transfer of the CDH3-specific CTLs could inhibit the tumor growth of human cancer cells engrafted into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice.

Conclusions: These results suggest that CDH3 is a novel TAA useful for immunotherapy against a broad spectrum of cancers, including pancreatic cancer.
αv Integrins Lead the Way for Colorectal Metastases
Authors: McCarty Joseph H.
Published: October 2008

In this issue of Clinical Cancer Research, Conti et al. identify a crucial cell adhesion and signaling axis that promotes the proliferation, survival, and drug-resistant properties of metastatic colorectal cancer cells in the liver. The components of this pathway may be effective targets for therapeutically treating established metastatic tumors in patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas.
Association of Variation in the Chromosome 9p21 Locus With Myocardial Infarction Versus Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Horne Benjamin D. , Carlquist John F. , Muhlestein Joseph B. , Bair Tami L. , Anderson Jeffrey L.
Published: October 2008

Background—

A chromosome 9p21 locus is associated with coronary heart disease in ≥25 independent populations, but multiple clinically distinct phenotypes have been evaluated. Using angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD) phenotyping, this study evaluated whether 9p21 single-nucleotide polymorphisms predict ischemic events (eg, myocardial infarction [MI]) among CAD patients.

Methods and Results—

Patients undergoing coronary angiography during 1994 to 2007 (population set 1A: n=1748; set 1B: n=1014) were evaluated for association of a 9p21 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs2383206, A 224 G) with incident MI and death events among patients with angiographically significant CAD. Another hypothesis evaluated rs2383206 in 2 additional angiographic sets of both CAD and non-CAD patients (set 2A: n=2122; set 2B: n=1466) for prevalent MI versus CAD/no MI (and for MI versus non-CAD and CAD/no MI versus non-CAD). No association of rs2383206 was found with events in set 1A (odds ratio, 0.95 per G allele;
P
trend=0.48) and set 1B (odds ratio, 0.91 per G allele;
P
trend=0.28) or with MI versus CAD/no MI in set 2A (odds ratio, 0.96 per G allele;
P
trend=0.57) and set 2B (odds ratio, 0.89 per G allele;
P
trend=0.21). In contrast, rs2383206 was associated with CAD/no MI compared with non-CAD (set 2A:
P
trend=0.0001; set 2B:
P
trend=0.0008).

Conclusions—

The chromosome 9p21 locus was not associated with incident events or prevalent MI, although it did predict CAD diagnosis. This contradicts reports of a 9p21 association with MI, likely because of differences in phenotype assignment. This suggests that high-quality phenotyping for CAD and MI is required to dissect the specific contributions of genetic variation to each stage of coronary heart disease pathophysiology.
The Worst of Friends: OPEC and G-77 in the Climate Regime
Authors: Barnett Jon
Published: October 2008

In the climate change negotiations the thirteen countries that are members of OPEC obstruct progress towards reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Although these actions undermine sustainable development in developing countries, the larger Group of 77 (G-77) coalition nevertheless tacitly supports its OPEC members in the climate regime. This article explains the connection between OPEC's interests in oil exports and its inaction on climate change, and the divergence of these interests with those of the G-77. It argues that OPEC's influence within the G-77, and therefore the climate regime, stems from the desire to maintain unity within the G-77. This unity has and is likely to continue to cost the majority of developing countries in the form delayed assistance for adaptation, the possibility of inadequate reduction in emissions under the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, and continued dependence on increasingly expensive oil imports.
Understanding Water Regime Formation—A Research Framework with Lessons from Europe
Authors: Lindemann Stefan
Published: October 2008

International river basins are mostly characterized by upstream-downstream externalities that involve asymmetric incentives to cooperate and, therefore, suggest a high conflict potential between riparian states. However, with more than 400 river basin treaties, cooperation along international rivers by far outweighs water-related conflicts. The abundance of international water cooperation despite the odds is puzzling and has so far received little systematic attention. Against this background, I develop a research framework that draws on international regime theory and combines power, interest, knowledge and contextbased approaches to water regime formation. In a second step, I probe the plausibility of my framework in two case studies on international water cooperation in the Rhine and Elbe river basins. The empirical findings suggest that there is no “one-answer-fits-all” in trying to explain water regime formation. While power-based approaches are of limited explanatory value, a thorough understanding of cooperation along the two international rivers requires the combination of interest, knowledge and context-based arguments.
Conflicts and Coalitions Within and Across the ENGO Community
Authors: Alcock Frank
Published: October 2008

This article examines the diversity of opinions that exists within the ENGO community regarding their diagnoses of environmental problems and their preferred solutions to them. It provides a conceptual framework that consists of two components: values and governance approaches. Different values include ecological sustainability, distributive equity and economic efficiency. Governance approaches target states, international regimes, communities and markets as alternative loci for institutional solutions to environmental problems. The framework is used to illuminate salient patterns of conflict and coalitional behavior and to project future trends in global environmental politics.
Analysis of Thick Rectangular Plates with Symmetric Cross-ply Laminates Based on First-order Shear Deformation Theory
Authors: Civalek Ömer
Published: October 2008

A new numerical technique, the discrete singular convolution (DSC) method, is developed for static analysis of thick symmetric cross-ply laminated composite plates based on the first-order shear deformation theory of Whitney and Pagano [1]. Regularized Shannon's delta (RSD) kernel and Lagrange delta sequence (LDS) kernel are selected as singular convolution to illustrate the present algorithm. In the proposed approach, the derivatives in both the governing equations and the boundary conditions are discretized by the method of DSC. The bending behaviors of symmetric cross-ply laminated plates for different boundary and load conditions are presented. A comparison of the results with those available in literature has been presented. The results obtained by DSC method were compared with those obtained by the other numerical and analytical methods. It is found that both types of kernels give accurate results of plate deflection, but the regularized Shannon's delta (RSD) kernel give better values of stresses than the Lagrange delta sequence (LDS) kernel.
Modeling the Geometry of Satin Weave Fabric Composites
Authors: Rao M.P. , Pantiuk M. , Charalambides P.G.
Published: October 2008

The focus of this study is aimed at characterizing the weave architecture in orthogonally woven polymer and ceramic—matrix composites. Three-dimensional (3D) geometric models of the unit-cells of four harness (4HS), five harness (5HS), and eight harness (8HS) satin weave morphologies are developed. The fiber bundle and matrix architecture in the 4HS, 5HS, and 8HS morphologies is represented via mathematical shape functions within the domain of the repeating unit-cells of the woven fabrics. This work brings together the non-uniform layer methodology of Kuhn and Charalambides [1] and the sub-cell modeling approach developed by Hewitt et al. [2]. In addition, this article introduces the novel concept of a `middle matrix layer' in capturing the ingress of matrix material away from undulating bundle regions, as documented by Morscher [3]. The geometry models developed herein account for a porous polymer matrix deposited over the woven mat via either resin film infusion (RFI) or resin transfer molding (RTM). This modeling also incorporates micro-structural intricacies observed in woven CMCs fabricated using chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) techniques for the deposition of the ceramic—matrix phase. Finally, results on the overall volumetric composite characteristics are reported.
Fiber Alignment in Directed Carbon Fiber Preforms — A Feasibility Study
Authors: Harper L.T. , Turner T.A. , Martin J.R.B. , Warrior N.A.
Published: October 2008

The directed carbon fiber preforming (DCFP) process has the potential to create discontinuous fiber architectures with significant levels of fiber alignment. This article investigates the achievable levels of alignment and identifies the compromises inherent in the production of aligned preforms. The tensile properties of laminates produced from 6 and 24 K filament counts are compared at three different fiber lengths (28, 58, and 115mm). Experimental characterization indicates that up to 94% of fiber bundles can be aligned within ±10° using the current DCFP alignment method. Consequently, tensile stiffness and strength can be increased by 206 and 234%, respectively, over the random fiber case, as a result of the high concentration of aligned fibers in the loading direction. These alignment properties equate to maximum stiffness and strength retention values of 83 and 31% compared to continuous unidirectional material.
(e)Racing Jennifer Harris
Authors: Newhall Kristine E. , Buzuvis Erin E.
Published: October 2008

In 2007 Penn State basketball coach Rene Portland retired shortly after a confidential settlement ended a discrimination lawsuit brought by former player Jennifer Harris against Portland and Penn State. Because of Portland's infamous policy of not allowing lesbians on her team, her departure was celebrated as a victory against homophobia in sports. Yet although Harris's claims of sexual orientation discrimination were validated in the media, her allegations of racial discrimination were ignored or dismissed as implausible. In this article, we examine the omission of race from the discourse surrounding this case and suggest that both legal and cultural factors contribute to society's tendency to ignore the intersecting discrimination in sport and the multiplicity of identity.
Men Like Us, Boys Like Them
Authors: Spaaij Ramón
Published: October 2008

Football (or soccer) hooliganism is a complex, heterogeneous, and dynamic phenomenon that should be studied in its different social and historical contexts. Despite the vital importance of cultural, social, and historical specificity for fully grasping the nature and dynamics of spectator violence at football matches, some striking cross-national and cross-local similarities can be identified. Six fundamental features seem universal to the construction of “hooligan” identities: excitement and pleasurable emotional arousal, hard masculinity, territorial identifications, individual and collective management of reputation, a sense of solidarity and belonging, and representations of sovereignty and autonomy. The search for such commonalities allows researchers to develop an approach that transcends the isolated view of single manifestations of football hooliganism and identifies the features and mechanisms that are central to expressions of football-related violence.
The Effects of External Pressures and Competitiveness on Characteristics of Eating Disorders and Body Dissatisfaction
Authors: Peden Jamie , Stiles Beverly L. , Vandehey Michael , Diekhoff George
Published: October 2008

The authors assessed the relationships between external pressures to excel, competitiveness, eating disorder characteristics, and body dissatisfaction. Participants consisted of 78 male and 85 female undergraduate students at a southwestern university. Participants were split between general and athletic samples. Participants completed the Socially Prescribed Competitiveness Survey. Within the general sample, external pressures and competitiveness were both positively correlated with eating disorder characteristics and body dissatisfaction. Within the athletic sample, competitiveness was positively correlated with body dissatisfaction. For the athletic sample's women, external pressures were positively correlated with eating disorder characteristics. Although the athletic sample received more external pressure, they showed fewer eating disorder characteristics and body dissatisfaction. Differences are explained by considering gender, body mass index, dieting and exercising behaviors, and motivations to exercise and diet.
In Spite of the Times
Authors: Braidotti Rosi
Published: October 2008

This article explores the so-called `postsecular' turn from two different but intersecting angles. The first part of the argument offers a reasoned cartography of the postsecular discourses, both in general and within feminist theory. The former includes the impact of extremism on all monotheistic religions in a global context of neo-conservative politics and perpetual war. The context of international violence has dire consequences for the social space, which is increasingly militarized, but also for academic debates, which become more and more restricted in scope and freedom. The article then shifts to mapping the intersection between feminism and the postsecular condition. The main argument is that the postsecular turn challenges European feminism because it makes manifest the notion that agency, or political subjectivity, can be conveyed through and supported by religious piety, and may even involve significant amounts of spirituality. This statement also implies that political agency need not be critical in the negative sense of oppositional and thus may not be aimed solely or primarily at the production of counter-subjectivities. Subjectivity is rather a process ontology of auto-poiesis or self-styling, which involves complex and continuous negotiations with dominant norms and values, and hence also multiple forms of accountability. The double challenge of linking subjectivity to religious agency, and disengaging both from oppositional consciousness and critique defined as negativity, is one of the main issues this article wants to address. In the conclusion the article raises the issue of the affirmative power of critical theory and the kind of ethical values it may be able to engender.
The Spectre and the Simulacrum
Authors: Abbinnett Ross
Published: October 2008

With the recent deaths of both Jean Baudrillard and Jacques Derrida, it is an opportune moment to consider their respective contributions to social and cultural theory. The purpose of this article is not to establish an unbridgeable gap which allows no communication between Baudrillard and Derrida's thought. Rather, I will argue that there is an underlying assumption which brings them into close proximity: the idea that the dialectical order of the social, and its relationship to human mortality, has been radically altered by the media-technological systems through which `the real' is represented. Baudrillard's concept of simulation attempts to show how the mass media have become the exclusive condition through which the social is staged, and that there is nothing outside of their operational logics (including the performance of political responsibility and the temporality of history). Derrida's conception of the spectre, on the contrary, presents a `quasi-messianic' figure which haunts the system of simulation; it is s/he who arrives through the intensification of social performativity which Baudrillard understands as completely self-referential. My aim is to show that the most political way of approaching Baudrillard is to read him as a kind of `evil genius' of simulation; as a provocation to acknowledge the spectral bodies who hover between life and death within the system of the hyperreal.
Pretty Connected
Authors: Crossley Nick
Published: October 2008

This article describes and analyses the social network of key actors involved in the `inner circle' of the early UK punk movement in London. It is argued that the network and its structural properties are important if we wish to explain both the emergence of the movement and certain key conflicts within it. The article is empirically based and utilizes the methods of formal social network analysis. A further argument of the paper is that the concept of networks and these formal methods for analysing them are both important for a sociological analysis of culture and cultural movements in particular.
Emotional responses to music: experience, expression, and physiology
Authors: Lundqvist Lars-Olov , Carlsson Fredrik , Hilmersson Per , Juslin Patrik N.
Published: October 2008

A crucial issue in research on music and emotion is whether music evokes genuine emotional responses in listeners (the emotivist position) or whether listeners merely perceive emotions expressed by the music (the cognitivist position). To investigate this issue, we measured self-reported emotion, facial muscle activity, and autonomic activity in 32 participants while they listened to popular music composed with either a happy or a sad emotional expression. Results revealed a coherent manifestation in the experiential, expressive, and physiological components of the emotional response system, which supports the emotivist position. Happy music generated more zygomatic facial muscle activity, greater skin conductance, lower finger temperature, more happiness and less sadness than sad music. The finding that the emotion induced in the listener was the same as the emotion expressed in the music is consistent with the notion that music may induce emotions through a process of emotional contagion.
A Descriptive Profile of High-Risk Sex Offenders Under Intensive Supervision in the Province of British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Lussier Patrick , Deslauriers-Varin Nadine , Râtel Tricia
Published: October 2008

This study provides a preliminary descriptive profile of individuals having been issued an 810 recognizance order (i.e., peace bond). This preventive order is issued to individuals in the community considered by the court to be high-risk sex offenders. In total, 88 offenders were issued an 810.1 (at risk of sexual offence against a child) or an 810.2 (at risk of a personal injury offence) recognizance order between April 2006 and February 2008, among whom 59 sex offenders were included. The sociodemographics, risk profiles, and recidivism of offenders under the orders were analyzed. Two risk assessment tools, the Static-99 and the Stable, were used to describe this population. Comparisons were made between sex offenders under 810.1 and 810.2 orders. Preliminary analyses suggest that these men are heterogeneous in terms of their level of risk of reoffending. Only one offender sexually reoffended while under the order. On the other hand, the general recidivism rate was about 30%, with many breaching the conditions of their order. The findings are discussed in light of the community risk management of high-risk sex offenders.
Family Involvement in Inpatient Care in Taiwan
Authors: Tzeng Huey-Ming , Yin Chang-Yi
Published: October 2008

This descriptive, cross-sectional survey study illustrates the roles for and motives of being a family visitor to accompany a hospitalized loved one during hospitalization in a Taiwanese hospital. Family visitors were approached by research assistants on a random basis in acute inpatient units. Among the 1,034 participants, 91% were relatives. About 80.0% of them were present to attend to the patient's physical care, 61.0% to offer psychological support, and 63.5% to express their desire to learn more about the patient's medical condition and illness in time. Their primary motives included fulfilling one of their responsibilities, coming to help voluntarily, showing filial piety for their parent, and being afraid that the patient could not obtain appropriate care. The family involvement culture in Taiwan may have placed pressure on family members to be present at the bedside and contributed to families' psychological and financial burden.
Motivating Public Use of Physician-Level Performance Data
Authors: Ranganathan Meghna , Hibbard Judith , Rodday Angie Mae C. , de Brantes Francois , Conroy Kelly , Rogers William H. , Gelb Safran Dana
Published: October 2008

Despite widening efforts to publicly report health care quality data, patients appear to make little use of these data. Several studies indicate patients' interest in physician-level information, but actual use of physician-level data remains unestablished. Using a randomized experimental design, this study evaluates the extent to which use of a Web site offering physician-level data is affected by three parameters: invitation mode (mail vs. e-mail), employment status (employed vs. retired), and invitation message tone (risk- vs. gain-focused). The results find significantly higher use among those invited by e-mail ( p < .001) and among retired adults ( p < .001). Message tone is not significantly associated with use rates, but a borderline significant result suggests that high-risk message recipients behave differently from those receiving gain-focused messages ( p = .052). The findings emphasize the importance of convenience and process-simplicity in fostering public use of quality data and call for further study of message-tone effects.
The Wedding Dress
Authors: Giorgio Grace
Published: October 2008

The Wedding Dress presents an epiphanous shift in a couple's understanding of exogamy and commitment when confronted with extended family's clannish expectations. Submitting to and then challenging and destroying this power's hold is symbolized in the wedding dress. As an autoethnography, this story resonates with Sophocles's Antigone, in which choices must be made that challenge the law of the father (King Kreon, Jane-family) and demand the law of nature (marriage rights) to prevail. In Antigone, Kreon's son Heron is engaged to Antigone, who challenges the king's unnatural edict to leave a warrior's body unburied. In the end, Heron chooses Antigone over his father and dies with his fiancé in a tomb—thus shattering the laws of humans while upholding the laws of nature. A story of survival, a fight for autonomy, The Wedding Dress captures marital tensions that arise from forced choices and the triumph of facing them truthfully together.
Popular Film as an Instructional Strategy in Qualitative Research Methods Courses
Authors: Saldaña Johnny
Published: October 2008

The purpose of this article is to provide university instructors pedagogical applications for popular film in graduate-level qualitative research methods courses. Media instruction has a longstanding tradition in Grade K-12 classrooms, and the power of “edutainment” in our visually oriented, electronically mediated, and performative culture should not be underestimated or dismissed by university professors for their masters- and doctoral-level classrooms. Excerpts from strategically selected popular films introduce qualitative research topics, illustrate basic principles and techniques of inquiry, generate classroom discussion and reflection, clarify misunderstood constructs, function as referential mnemonics, and teach selected principles more effectively than traditional classroom pedagogy. In these film excerpts, art imitates qualitative life, and art is used to teach the science of naturalistic inquiry.
Exploring School Life From the Lens of a Child Who Does Not Use Speech to Communicate
Authors: Ajodhia-Andrews Amanda , Berman Rachel
Published: October 2008

The “new sociology of childhood” emphasizes listening to the voices of children when conducting research about their lives. In keeping with this framework, the following case study highlights the use of inclusive strategies and the importance of the researcher's orientation in exploring the perspectives of a child who does not use speech to communicate. To gather this child's perspectives about his school life, methodological tools such as a Talking Mat and Story Board Game were used. Approximately 62 picture symbols were created, and responses were documented via digital photographs and observational field notes. Findings from the Talking Mat demonstrate two themes: (a) mixed feelings and emotions regarding school life and (b) interactive social activities. Findings from the Story Board Game support the child's responses in the Talking Mat. This study demonstrates that the child is a capable and competent participant who maintains diverse perspectives pertaining to his life at school.
Self-Esteem and Autonomic Physiology: Parallels Between Self-Esteem and Cardiac Vagal Tone as Buffers of Threat
Authors: Martens Andy , Greenberg Jeff , Allen John J. B.
Published: October 2008

In this article a potential physiological connection to self-esteem is suggested: cardiac vagal tone, the degree of influence on the heart by the vagus, a primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system. This hypothesis emerges from parallels between the two literatures that suggest both self-esteem and cardiac vagal tone function to provide protection from threat responding. This article reviews these literatures and evidence and preliminary findings that suggest in some contexts self-esteem and cardiac vagal tone may exert an influence on each other. Last, the article discusses theoretical and applied health implications of this potential physiological connection to self-esteem.
Derision and Management
Authors: Fay Eric
Published: October 2008

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of the concept of derision as developed by the French Lacanian psychoanalyst Denis Vasse, as a way of understanding why people exposed to—and profoundly affected by—violence through recurrent forms of managerial language, can suffer, become silent and find it difficult to voice their resistance and anger. The structure of derision identified in such a context is twofold: first the false promise that one will be treated as a subject, i.e. a person which otherness, subjective voice and desire are acknowledged (openness), and, second, the disappointment of this expectation with the suffering realization of being treated as an object, a resource or a number (closure). Derision provides a new critical understanding of a whole range of managerial and organizational control mechanisms such as appraisal, job interviews, quality certifications, benchmarking, etc.
Hyper-Organizational Space in the Work of J. G. Ballard
Authors: Zhongyuan Zhang  , Spicer André , Hancock Philip
Published: October 2008

This paper explores three hyper-organizational spaces: the skyscraper, the resort and the office-park. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre's account of the production of space, we consider how these spaces are socially produced, how they materialize relations of power and how inhabitants engage in struggle to change these spaces. Three novels by J. G. Ballard are selected to explore each of these spaces. We argue that in each of these novels, such hyper-organizational environments can be understood as the product of ongoing struggle between centrally planned and practiced space, and peripheral lived space. This both animates these spaces and the lived relations that comprise them, as well as potentially destroying them.
Cognitive functioning in children with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Montiel-Nava C , Peña JA , González-Pernía S , Mora-La Cruz E
Published: October 2008

Objective

To examine the cognitive functioning of children with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

Six children with a diagnosis of clinically definite MS were evaluated using a neuropsychological test battery.

Results

The majority of the children showed deficits in at least two of the administered subtests, with IQ scores within the deficient classification.

Conclusions

Verbal and non-verbal skills were equally impaired, and patients who were older at the moment of the onset of the disease had a better cognitive performance. Cognitive deficits should be regarded as a common occurrence in the course of MS in children.