bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A high-throughput method for quantifying alleles and haplotypes of the malaria vaccine candidate Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1 19 kDa
Authors: Takala Shannon L , Smith David L , Stine O Colin , Coulibaly Drissa , Thera Mahamadou A , Doumbo Ogobara K , Plowe Christopher V
Published: April 2006

Background

Malaria vaccine efficacy may be compromised if the frequency of non-target alleles increases following vaccination with a genetically polymorphic target. Methods are needed to monitor genetic diversity in polymorphic vaccine antigens, but determining which genetic variants of such antigens are present in infected individuals is complicated by the frequent occurrence of mixed infections.

Methods

Pyrosequencing was used to determine allele frequencies at each of six single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage vaccine antigen merozoite surface protein 1 19 kDa (MSP-119) in field samples from a vaccine-testing site in Mali. Mixtures of MSP-119 clones were created to validate a haplotype-estimating algorithm that uses maximum likelihood methods to determine the most probable combination of haplotypes given the allele frequencies for an infection and the haplotypes known to be circulating in the population.

Results

Fourteen unique MSP-119 haplotypes were identified among 351 genotyped infections. After adjustment to a standard curve, Pyrosequencing provided accurate and precise estimates of allele frequencies in mixed infections. The haplotype-estimating algorithm provided accurate estimates of haplotypes in mixed infections containing up to three haplotypes. Based on the MSP-119 locus, approximately 90% of the 351 infections contained two or fewer haplotypes.

Conclusion

Pyrosequencing in conjunction with a haplotype-estimating algorithm provides accurate estimates of haplotypes present in infections with up to 3 haplotypes, and can be used to monitor genetic diversity in parasite populations prior to and following introduction of MSP-1-based malaria vaccines.
Current trends in the management of extra-abdominal desmoid tumours
Authors: Papagelopoulos Panayiotis J , Mavrogenis Andreas F , Mitsiokapa Evanthia A , Papaparaskeva Kleo Th , Galanis Evanthia C , Soucacos Panayotis N
Published: April 2006

Extra-abdominal desmoid tumours are slow-growing, histologically benign tumours of fibroblastic origin with variable biologic behaviour. They are locally aggressive and invasive to surrounding anatomic structures. Magnetic resonance imaging is the modality of choice for the diagnosis and the evaluation of the tumours. Current management of desmoids involves a multidisciplinary approach. Wide margin surgical resection remains the main treatment modality for local control of the tumour. Amputation should not be the initial treatment, and function-preserving procedures should be the primary treatment goal. Adjuvant radiation therapy is recommended both for primary and recurrent lesions. Chemotherapy may be used for recurrent or unresectable disease. Overall local recurrence rates vary and depend on patient's age, tumour location and margins at resection.
Consumer Preferences and Product-Line Pricing Strategies: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Draganska Michaela , Jain Dipak C.
Published: April 2006

Firms often differentiate their product lines vertically to capture consumers’ differential willingness to pay for quality. Additionally, many firms offer products varying not in quality but in characteristics such as scent, color, or flavor, that relate to horizontal differentiation. For example, in the yogurt category, each manufacturer carries several product lines differing in quality and price, but within each line there is an assortment of flavors that is uniformly priced.

To better understand these product-line pricing strategies, we address two key issues. First, how do consumers perceive product-line and flavor attributes? Second, given consumers’ preferences, is the current strategy of pricing product lines differently, but offering all flavors within a product line at the same price, optimal?

We find that consumers value line attributes more than flavor attributes. Our analysis reveals that firms exploit these differences in consumer preferences by using product lines as a price discrimination tool. However, firms’ profits would not significantly increase if they were to price flavors within a product line differently. Therefore, the current pricing policy of setting different prices for product lines, but uniform prices for all flavors within a line, appears to be on target.
Genetic Interactions Among scribbler, Atrophin and groucho in Drosophila Uncover Links in Transcriptional Repression
Authors: Wehn Amy , Campbell Gerard
Published: April 2006

In eukaryotes, the ability of DNA-binding proteins to act as transcriptional repressors often requires that they recruit accessory proteins, known as corepressors, which provide the activity responsible for silencing transcription. Several of these factors have been identified, including the Groucho (Gro) and Atrophin (Atro) proteins in Drosophila. Here we demonstrate strong genetic interactions between gro and Atro and also with mutations in a third gene, scribbler (sbb), which encodes a nuclear protein of unknown function. We show that mutations in Atro and Sbb have similar phenotypes, including upregulation of the same genes in imaginal discs, which suggests that Sbb cooperates with Atro to provide repressive activity. Comparison of gro and Atro/sbb mutant phenotypes suggests that they do not function together, but instead that they may interact with the same transcription factors, including Engrailed and C15, to provide these proteins with maximal repressive activity.
Soils and Soil Fertility, Sixth edition
Authors: Hansen Neil C.
Published: April 2006

Frederick R. Troeh and Louis M. Thompson. Blackwell Publishing, 2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014. 2005. 489p. $89.99. ISBN number: 0‐8138‐0995‐X.
A Contemporary List of Hariot References
Authors: Quinn David B. , Shirley John W.
Published: April 2006

Sometime about 1603, Thomas Hariot (1560-1621) reflected on fame and reputation and on references and allusions that had been made to him personally by contemporary authors. On the back of the final folio of his nearly finished work ‘The Doctrine of Nauticall Triangles Compendious,’ Hariot jotted down a series of references to books which, on examination, seem surely to refer to Hariot or his beliefs. Such a list could have been compiled from curiosity or vanity or for use in conversations with his friends. But it may have had a more specific purpose, since Hariot was a controversial figure frequently called on to account for his ideas or his associations. The making of such a list could therefore have been to forearm himself against the kind of evidence which might be adduced against him from printed sources.
Marlowe's Debasement of Bajazet: Foxe's Actes and Monuments and Tamburlaine, Part I
Authors: Brown William J.
Published: April 2006

One interesting facet of Tamburlaine, Part I is Marlowe's dramatic characterization of Bajazet. The Great Turk's defeat and humiliation by Tamburlaine are standard features of Marlowe's acknowledged sources: his captivity in an iron cage, his being fed like a dog from Tamburlaine's table scraps, his use as Tamburlaine's footstool, and his final desperate suicide by braining against the bars of his cage. But Marlowe's debasement of Bajazet is more radical and all-encompassing. From his first appearance (III.i), the Ottoman emperor is portrayed as pompous, tyrannical, and prone to flattery. His confrontation with Tamburlaine (III.iii) is farcical rather than heroic. In short, Marlowe's Bajazet totally lacks the dignity and bravery accorded the Bajazet of his historical authorities.
Erasmus’ Prescription for Henry VIII: Logotherapy
Authors: O'Rourke Boyle Marjorie
Published: April 2006

An encounter at Eltham palace between a wandering scholar and a prince prompted an engaging gift of verse from the visitor. ‘For the present I have dedicated these small gifts to you as toys for your boyish age, intending to bring richer offerings when virtuous manhood, increasing with your years, shall furnish me with richer themes for my verse.’ So wrote Erasmus of Rotterdam, anticipating that eight-year-old Henry would illuminate good literature with his distinction, protect it with his royal authority, and encourage it with his generosity. A quarter of a century later Erasmus was to reminisce about this visit with the royal child: how Thomas More had embarrassed and angered him by offering a composition to the prince while he lagged empty-handed; how the boy had passed him a note during dinner, challenging something from his pen; how he had promised to send a token and had hastened back to Lord Mountjoy's estate to compose one hundred fifty lines of verse in three harried days.
Machiavelli and the Medici: The Lessons of Florentine History
Authors: Najemy John M.
Published: April 2006

Some years ago, Felix Gilbert observed that alone among Machiavelli's writings the Florentine Histories had not yet found a defined place in the interpretations of their author's intellectual development. This is less true today than it was then, owing in part to the work of Gilbert himself but also to that of other interpreters of Machiavelli storico, such as Carlo Dionisotti, Marina Marietti, Gian Mario Anselmi, and still others. Whereas Gilbert then rightly claimed that “the case of the Istorie Fiorentine is peculiar because the judgments about this work vary so fundamentally that they cannot even be narrowed down to issues on which a dispute could focus,” the very paper in which this observation was made proceeded admirably to identify several important issues on which future discussions of the Florentine Histories would have to turn.
The Sempster's Wares: Merchandising and Marrying in The Fair Maid of the Exchange (1607)*
Authors: Green Juana
Published: April 2006

This essay demonstrates how handkerchiefs in The Fair Maid map out the cultural anxieties about courtship and marriage practices that were mobilized by women's participation in early modern England's expanding market economy. It locates handkerchiefs within the material culture of the period, examining the status of handkerchiefs as commodities as well as women's relationships to these commodities, and it considers how handkerchiefs are transformed into love tokens when women personalize them with embroidery. Contextualizing the play's use of handkerchiefs with historical evidence from matrimonial cases, the essay shows how handkerchiefs embody the social contradictions embedded within early modern marriage practices.
Solvent and temperature gradients in separation of synthetic oxyethylene‐oxypropylene block (co)polymers using high‐temperature liquid chromatography
Authors: Welerowicz Tomasz , Jandera Pavel , Novotná Kateřina , Buszewski Boguslaw
Published: April 2006

Chromatographic behavior of synthetic block (co)oligomer samples (EO)n(PO)m(EO)n and (PO)n(EO)m(PO)n with different distribution of propylene oxide (PO) and ethylene oxide (EO) monomer units was investigated on three types of stationary phases on zirconium dioxide support: Zr‐PS (polystyrene), Zr‐carbon, and Zr‐carbon C18. The effects of the distribution and sequence of the oxyethylene and oxypropylene monomer units on the chromatographic retention depend on the type of the stationary phase, but are strongly affected by the organic modifier (methanol or ACN) in aqueous–organic mobile phase. Special attention was focused on the influence of the mobile‐phase composition on the separation according to the EO and PO distribution. Zirconia‐based columns are stable at elevated temperatures and can be used in high‐temperature LC (HTLC); hence, we investigated the temperature effects on the chromatographic behavior up to 90°C. The applications of solvent and temperature gradients were compared on the zirconia stationary phases in the RP mode.
Perceived benefits of word prediction intervention on written productivity in children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus
Authors: Tam Cynthia , Reid Denise , Naumann Stephen , O'Keefe Bernard
Published: April 2006

Word prediction has been commonly used as a tool to enhance written productivity. However, the effectiveness of word prediction as a strategy to meet this targeted outcome has not been established. Using a single‐subject alternating treatments design, this study evaluated the effect of word prediction on written productivity from the users' perspectives. Three girls and one boy aged 10–12 with spina bifida and hydrocephalus participated in the study over a period of 20 days. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to measure changes in perception of written productivity. Analysis of individual participant data showed that participants perceived word prediction to have the potential to influence written productivity on some writing tasks. Quantitative analysis using a randomization test did not reveal any significant changes in COPM scores after using word prediction. The varied abilities of the participants in the study and the small sample size may be the reasons why statistical analysis did not show any changes. The limitations of this study included use of a copy task, lack of a supporting measure to COPM and limited generalizability. Further studies with a larger sample are necessary to explore the skills required for successful use of word prediction and the impact of word prediction on specific tasks. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Outcomes after head injury: level of agreement between subjects and their informants
Authors: Ocampo S. , Dawson D. , Colantonio Angela
Published: April 2006

This study examined the extent and nature of agreement between the responses of 42 young adults with traumatic brain injury and their informants (family members or friends) on selected outcome measures. A telephone interview was conducted approximately five years post injury with items measuring quality of life, impairment, disability and handicap. Levels of agreement were analysed using kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients. In general, agreement was higher on objective, observable items from all outcome measures such as physical function and productivity. However, there was some disagreement on these items as well as more substantial disagreement on subjective items, so clinicians are cautioned against substituting informant responses for those of TBI clients. These results were similar for mild, more moderate and severely injured clients. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
How routine facilitates wellbeing in older women
Authors: Ludwig Ferol Menks
Published: April 2006

A qualitative research design using grounded theory methodology was employed to explore how seven Caucasian women, free of major functional impairments, used routine to influence their wellbeing. Of particular interest was the meaning and purpose of routine to them. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews, autobiography, observations, and researcher generated memos. Data analysis was concurrent and reflexive with data collection and comprised concept development, modification, and integration. A theoretical model was developed that describes the primary conditions and processes through which routine was used to maximize wellbeing in these participants. Routines were linked with the following nine adaptive outcomes for these participants: to meet obligations; maintain activity level; maintain health; anticipate or look forward to things; maintain control; balance work, rest and play; accomplish and achieve; feel good about self; and provide continuity. Findings underscore the importance of helping older adults to continue to thread past themes of meaning into their current life contexts and occupations. Routine had the benefit of providing a time anchor for these participants that increased their likelihood of doing an occupation especially if others were and remained involved in the routine. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Clinical efficacy of low power laser therapy in osteoarthritis
Authors: Marks Ray , De Palma Frank
Published: April 2006

Background and Purpose

Of the various physical interventions used to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA), a common degenerative joint disease causing considerable pain and disability, low power laser therapy has been reported to be extremely successful in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Method

Although the overall number of studies was small, this literature review and analysis highlights the relevant controlled clinical trials and related basic research in English‐language publications. This review indicates that, despite their shortcomings, the six studies analysed did report post‐treatment improvements in a variety of osteoarthritic problems, including pain, mobility, tenderness and function, with few adverse effects. Possible mechanisms documented for the observed results included peripheral nerve stimulation, resolution of inflammation, enhanced chondrocyte proliferation and increased matrix synthesis.

Conclusion

Not all studies were affirmative and few detailed how reliable their measurements were. Clearly, much more work is needed in this area. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
The role of education in biostatistical consulting
Authors: Deutsch Reena , Hurwitz Shelley , Janosky Janine , Oster Robert
Published: April 2006

Medical students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty commonly consult with biostatistical experts about study design and data analysis when conducting clinical research. The role of biostatistical training during these consultations is examined, and characterizations of the connections between biostatistical consultation and education are reviewed. The presence and kinds of teaching efforts during biostatistical consults at four academic research institutions over various periods of time between 1999 and 2005 (237 consultations in total) were recorded and are described. By site, 67, 70, 78, and 100 per cent of the consulting sessions included biostatistical training, with an overall 78 per cent (95 per cent CI: 73–83 per cent) of consultations including an educational component when all consultations were combined. Training covered a wide range of biostatistical topics. Seventy‐five per cent of the consultations with faculty (120/161), 79 per cent with fellows and residents (31/39), and 100 per cent with medical students (10/10) included some degree of instruction in study design or statistical analysis topics. Results show that both the need and the opportunity exist for specialized biostatistical instruction during one‐on‐one sessions between a consulting biostatistician and physicians, medical students, and research staff. Academic researchers are ideally positioned to absorb this kind of training when they initiate a request for assistance with their own research project. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abdominal Visceral Lesions in von Hippel‐Lindau Disease: Incidence and Clinical Behavior of Pancreatic and Adrenal Lesions at a Single Center
Authors: Delman Keith A. , Shapiro Suzanne E. , Jonasch Eric W. , Lee Jeffrey E. , Curley Steven A. , Evans Douglas B. , Perrier Nancy D.
Published: April 2006

Introduction

Von Hippel‐Lindau disease (VHL) is a dominantly inherited multi‐system syndrome. Although pheochromocytoma is the hallmark endocrine neoplasm, pancreatic lesions occur frequently, and their management can be complex. This report describes 26 patients from a single institution with pancreatic or adrenal lesions (or both) in the background of VHL.

Methods

We reviewed records for all patients treated for adrenal (type 2 VHL) or pancreatic manifestations of VHL at our institution from 1990 to 2004.

Results

Forty patients with VHL were identified from 24 pedigrees; 26 (65%) had adrenal or pancreatic involvement (or both). Seven patients had isolated pheochromocytomas, 16 had isolated pancreatic lesions, and 3 had both. Of the 10 patients with pheochromocytomas, 4 had bilateral adrenal involvement. All but three pheochromocytomas were diagnosed in patients aged 40 years or younger. Of the 19 patients with pancreatic lesions, 8 had cystic lesions, 8 had neuroendocrine tumors, and 3 had both. Of 11 patients with neuroendocrine tumors, 4 had metastases (3 hepatic, 1 nodal). No patient with cystic pancreatic lesions developed carcinoma.

Conclusions

VHL should be familiar to the endocrine surgeon because of the high incidence (65% in our series) of visceral endocrine lesions (pancreas 40%, adrenal gland 18%, both 7%). As seen in other hereditary endocrinopathy syndromes, pheochromocytomas are frequently bilateral; therefore,close follow‐up of the contralateral gland in young patients with a unilateral lesion is critical. Cystic lesions of the pancreas may be closely monitored, whereas neuroendocrine tumors should be removed because of the risk of metastasis. Pancreatic pathology is not uncommon in VHL patients with pheochromocytoma and should be sought during the preoperative assessment.
Laparoscopic and Retroperitoneoscopic Treatment of Pheochromocytomas and Retroperitoneal Paragangliomas: Results of 161 Tumors in 126 Patients
Authors: Walz Martin K. , Alesina Piero F. , Wenger Frank A. , Koch J. Albrecht , Neumann Hartmut P. H. , Petersenn Stephan , Schmid Kurt W. , Mann Klaus
Published: April 2006

Background

Laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic excisions of pheochromocytomas and retroperitoneal paragangliomas are challenging surgical procedures because of extensive intraoperative catecholamine release, extreme vascularization, and demanding localization.

Materials

In a prospective clinical study 161 chromaffine neoplasias (134 pheochromocytomas, 27 paragangliomas) were removed endoscopically in 126 patients (67 males, 59 females, age 41.7 ± 16.4 years; 130 operations). Six patients showed multiple (2–5) tumors. Tumor size ranged from 0.5 to 12 cm (mean 3.5 ± 1.9 cm). Forty‐two patients suffered from hereditary diseases. Twenty‐four patients had bilateral adrenal diseases; in 14 patients pheochromocytomas were removed on both sides synchroneously. Ten neoplasias were local or loco‐regional recurrences (7 pheochromocytomas, 3 paragangliomas). The laparoscopic route was chosen in 16 operations; the retroperitoneoscopic technique was performed in 128 others. Partial adrenalectomies were performed in 57 operations (in all but one of the patients with bilateral disease). High‐dosage α‐blockade with phenoxybenzamine was routinely used.

Results and Discussion

Conversion to open surgery occurred once. Perioperative complications were minor (17%); mortality was zero. Operating time for unilateral retroperitoneoscopically removed primary pheochromocytomas (n = 113) was 82 ± 49 minutes (range: 20–300 minutes) and depended on tumor size (< 3 cm vs. ≥ 3 cm; P < 0.05) and gender (P < 0.001), but not on extent of resection (partial vs. total, P = 0.266). Operating time for paragangliomas ranged from 55 to 600 minutes. Median blood loss was 20 ml. Median duration of postoperative hospitalization was 4 days. In 22 of 24 patients with bilateral disease, complete preservation of cortical function was achieved. Locoregional and/or distant metastatic recurrence were found in 5 patients.

Conclusions

Endoscopic removal of solitary, bilateral, multiple, and recurrent pheochromocytomas and retroperitoneal paragangliomas is feasible and safe, but surgeons need extensive experience in minimally invasive techniques, as well as in endocrine surgery.
The infaunal community in experimentally seeded low and high density Manila clam (Tapes philippinarum) beds in a Po River Delta lagoon (Italy)
Authors: Mantovani S. , Castaldelli G. , Rossi R. , Fano E.A.
Published: April 2006

The Sacca di Goro is a shallow, brackish, eutrophic coastal lagoon in the southernmost part of the Po River Delta (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy). It is heavily exploited for rearing the Manila clam (Tapes philippinarum), mean annual production since 1986 being 10 000 t. Commercial cultivation of bivalves can exert severe impact on a local environment, especially on the invertebrate community, reducing species richness and abundance. An in situ experiment was conducted from March 2003 to February 2004 to examine the effect of clam cultivation on the macrobenthic community. Replicated sites within an area licensed for clam farming were seeded with low (500 m−2) and high (1500 m−2) clam densities; the surrounding unseeded areas were used as a control. There were only weak effects of clam presence and density on macrobenthic community abundance and functional group composition. The main determinants regulating the macrobenthic community were seasonal variations in other biota, particularly proliferation of the invasive mussel, Musculista senhousia, in August, which in turn caused a significant increase in the biomass of surface deposit-feeders and the subsequent development of Ulva rigida beds in September.
Potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia in identical twins
Authors: Gatz Margaret , Mortimer James A. , Fratiglioni Laura , Johansson Boo , Berg Stig , Reynolds Chandra A. , Pedersen Nancy L.
Published: April 2006

Background

The purpose of this study was to test nongenetic factors that might explain discordance for dementia in monozygotic twin pairs. Risk factors included education, engaged lifestyle in midlife, and early life circumstances indexed by tooth loss, short adult height, and parental social class.

Methods

Data are from the HARMONY study, including members of the Swedish Twin Registry age 65 and older and alive in 1998, who were screened and assessed clinically for dementia. Analyses included a case‐control design to evaluate the risk factors and a co‐twin control design that permits testing nongenetic risk factors while controlling for genetic influences. Case‐control analyses included 310 dementia cases and 3,063 nondemented controls. There were 106 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for dementia. Risk factors were assessed independently by the Swedish Twin Registry three decades previously.

Results

Case‐control findings showed that history of tooth loss before age 35 and low educational attainment were significant risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, with short adult height also contributing to risk for total dementia. In co‐twin control analyses, only history of tooth loss before age 35 was a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, whereas low educational attainment also contributed to risk for total dementia and lack of physical exercise to risk for non‐Alzheimer's dementias.

Conclusions

Potentially modifiable risk factors from early and midlife, with a cumulative detrimental effect on the brain, contribute to risk of dementia. Based on the association with tooth loss, further investigation of inflammatory load as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is warranted.
Do cholinergic therapies have disease‐modifying effects in Alzheimer's disease?
Authors: Sabbagh Marwan N. , Farlow Martin R. , Relkin Normal , Beach Thomas G.
Published: April 2006

The most widely studied and used therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are based on improving cholinergic function in the central nervous system. The acetylcholine‐esterase inhibitors (ChEIs) tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine are all approved, and the latter three are widely used for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderate AD. Recent research has found that these drugs may act by a variety of other mechanisms including inhibition of butylcholinesterase, regulation of nicotinic receptors, decreasing amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Aβ production, and regulation of tau phosphorylation that may influence disease progression. There is also emerging evidence from clinical trials that the ChEIs may delay cognitive and functional progression. Other cholinergic drugs such as muscarinic agonists have been explored, and although they are not approved, there is robust preclinical evidence for a beneficial, perhaps disease‐modifying effect. This review summarizes evidence suggesting that these drugs may do more than improve symptoms; they may delay biological progression of the disease.
Statin use and the risk of Alzheimer's disease: The MIRAGE Study
Authors: Green Robert C. , McNagny Sally E. , Jayakumar Parimala , Cupples L. Adrienne , Benke Kelly , Farrer Lindsay A. ,   MIRAGE Study Group
Published: April 2006

Background

The aim of this study was to examine the association between statin use before the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms and risk of having AD, and to explore the potential impact of APOE genotype and race on this association.

Methods

Data were collected through standardized, validated questionnaires from 895 subjects with probable or definite AD by research criteria, and 1,483 of their nondemented relatives in this family‐based, case‐control study of AD patients and their relatives enrolled at 15 research centers from 1996 through 2002. To minimize temporal and prescription biases, exposure to statin use within each family was ignored in the one year before the first appearance of AD symptoms in that family's affected member. Associations were estimated using generalized estimating equations for a logistic model, adjusting for age, sex, race, education, history of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, smoking and APOE genotype.

Results

Statin use was associated with lowered odds of having AD (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38 to 0.98). Nonstatin cholesterol‐lowering medications were not associated significantly with lowered odds of having had AD (adjusted OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.61 to 5.0).

Conclusions

Statin medications were associated with lowered risk of AD in this population. Neither African‐American race, nor the presence of the APOE ϵ4 allele modified the statin‐AD association.
Utility of the telephone interview for cognitive status for enrollment in clinical trials
Authors: Yaari Roy , Fleisher Adam S. , Gamst Anthony C. , Bagwell Victor P. , Thal Leon J.
Published: April 2006

Background

The modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS‐m) assesses cognitive status via the telephone and has been used to recruit for clinical trials by screening for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The utility of screening for aMCI has not been validated, and it is unknown which questions best predict aMCI.

Methods

The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) used the TICS‐m to recruit for an aMCI clinical trial. If telephone respondents screened positive for aMCI on the TICS‐m, they were referred to a clinical site where they were assessed for the operational criteria of aMCI. Univariate analyses identified the TICS‐m questions that best predicted aMCI, creating a final model using forward stepwise logistic regression.

Results

Of 52,722 calls, 16,312 were screened for trial entry. Of these, 4,883 received the TICS‐m. The 2,431 that screened positive for aMCI were referred to a clinic, and 527 arrived for clinical assessment. Of these, 266 met operational criteria for aMCI. The positive predictive value of the TICS‐m in this population is 50.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 46.2% to 54.8%). The final model included 5 variables: (1) 10‐word list delayed recall (p < 0.001), (2) day of month (p = 0.002), (3) season (p = 0.009), (4) last name of current president (p = 0.020), and (5) month (p = 0.036). This model has a predictive accuracy of 0.61 (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.71) which is similar to the entire TICS‐m. The predictive accuracy of the 10‐word list delayed recall alone was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.72).

Conclusion

The TICS‐m is not optimally efficient for recruitment of subjects for aMCI clinical trials. The 10‐word delayed recall has a predictive accuracy similar to that of the entire TICS‐m.
Should older adults be screened for dementia?
Authors: Ashford J. Wesson , Borson Soo , O'Hara Ruth , Dash Paul , Frank Lori , Robert Philippe , Shankle William R. , Tierney Mary C. , Brodaty Henry , Schmitt Frederick A. , Kraemer Helena C. , Buschke Herman
Published: April 2006

The question of whether to screen for dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been discussed in many forums throughout the world. Generally, medical advisory groups and policy‐making groups have recognized the importance of early diagnosis but have uniformly avoided making recommendations to screen at‐risk populations. This presentation reflects the support for reconsidering the importance of screening individuals at risk or above a certain age. In this statement, the majority of the authors support the consideration of dementia risk factors in individuals at age 50, with routine yearly screening after 75. Other authors remain concerned that the benefits of treatments of early disease do not yet support a general screening recommendation. These statements are made to encourage progress toward the development of a consensus regarding the widespread institution of screening policy. Accordingly, members of the worldwide scientific community are invited to add their perspective by contributing short commentaries (1500 words) on this subject.
FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF RAPE
Authors: Rumney Philip N.S.
Published: April 2006

THERE can be little doubt that the spectre of false rape allegations has significantly influenced the development of legal doctrine and its enforcement. The fear of false allegations has been used to justify evidential rules in cases involving sexual offences such as the corroboration warning, the retention of the marital rape immunity and continues to influence police and prosecutorial decision-making.
The effective long-time diffusivity for a passive scalar in a Gaussian model fluid flow
Authors: Phythian R. , Curtis W. D.
Published: April 2006

The problem considered is the diffusion of a passive scalar in a ‘fluid’ in random motion when the fluid velocity field is Gaussian and statistically homogeneous, isotropic and stationary. A self-consistent expansion for the effective long-time diffusivity is obtained and the approximations derived from this series by retaining up to three terms are explicitly calculated for simple idealized forms of the velocity correlation function for which numerical simulations are available for comparison for zero molecular diffusivity. The dependence of the effective diffusivity on the molecular diffusivity is determined within this idealization. The results support Saffman's contention that the molecular and turbulent diffusion processes interfere destructively, in the sense that the total effective diffusivity about a fixed point is less than that which would be obtained if the two diffusion processes acted independently.
Buoyancy-induced flows in water under conditions in which density extrema may arise
Authors: Gebhart Benjamin , Mollendorf Joseph C.
Published: April 2006

The temperature dependence of the density of both pure and saline water, even to very high salinity and pressure levels, decreases at decreasing temperature toward an extremum. The nature of this variation precludes approximating the buoyancy-force density difference linearly with a temperature difference. This peculiar density variation of water has very significant effects, even at environmental temperature levels. A new equation has appeared which relates density to temperature, salinity and pressure with very high accuracy. Its form is especially suited to the analysis of convective motions. We consider here vertical boundary-layer flows. Analysis of flows arising from thermal buoyancy and from combined buoyancy effects shows the simplicity of the formulation. Relatively few new parameters arise. Extensive calculations for thermally buoyant flows show the large magnitude of the effects of the complicated density variation on transport. Buoyancy-force reversals and convective inversions are predicted. The latter are in close agreement with past experiments. A new Grashof number arises which is an accurate indication of the actual local flow vigour. The effects of specific temperature conditions are given in detail. The appreciable effect of the Prandtl number is calculated. Transport parameters are given for salinities and pressures up to 40 p.p.t. and 1000 bars, respectively.
Propagation of hydromagnetic waves in a perfectly conducting non-isothermal atmosphere in the presence of rotation and a variable magnetic field
Authors: Rudraiah N. , Venkatachalappa M.
Published: April 2006

The propagation of internal Alfvén-inertio-acoustic gravity waves in a perfectly electrically conducting, stratified, inviscid, non-isothermal, rotating atmosphere permeated by a non-uniform magnetic field is investigated. These waves exhibit singular properties at the critical levels at which the magnetic field and the sound velocity are such that
\[
(\omega^2 - S^2)\{(c^2+V^2)\omega^2-c^2S^2\}-(c^2+V^2)\overline{R}^2=0,
\]
where ω is the frequency of the waves, $S = kV_x + lV_y,\overline{R} = 2\Omega_z\omega$, Vx and Vy are the x and y components of the Alfvén velocity, k and l are the corresponding wavenumbers and c is the sonic velocity. These levels act like valves which permit waves to penetrate them from one side only and absorb them when they propagate from the other side. In contrast to the incompressible results of Acheson (1972), we show that the valve effect in compressible flow no longer requires the presence of non-zero components of rotation in the plane normal to the direction in which the medium varies. We find that the compressibility increases the probability of a valve effect and so increases the capacity of a hydromagnetic wave to propagate across a field line, rather than being absorbed at some critical level.
Development of the flow field of a point force in an infinite fluid
Authors: Sozou C.
Published: April 2006

By means of similarity principles an analytical solution is constructed for the development of the linear flow field due to the instantaneous application of a constant point force in an infinite liquid. If the force is applied at the origin O and if ν denotes distance from O, ν denotes the coefficient of kinematic viscosity of the fluid and t the time from the application of the force, the solution constructed exhibits the following features. Initially the flow field set up has a dipole structure with centre at O and axis along the direction of the impressed force. At a station r this dipole structure persists so long as 4νt [Lt ] r2. In an axial cross-section the field lines form two sets of closed loops about two stagnation points in the equatorial plane. The stagnation points occur at r = 1.76(νt)½ and thus propagate to infinity with speed 0.88(ν/t)½. The steady state is reached algebraically.
The generation of feeding currents by flagellar motions
Authors: Higdon J. J. L.
Published: April 2006

The use of flagella by sessile organisms to generate feeding currents is analysed. The organism consists of a spherical cell body (radius A) to which a smooth flagellum (radius a, length L) is attached radially. The cell body is a height H above the plane substrate to which it is rigidly attached via a stalk. The organism propagates plane sinusoidal waves (amplitude α, wavenumber k) from base to tip. The flagellum is represented by distributions of stokeslets and dipoles along its centre-line. The cell body and substrate are modelled by employing an approximate form of the Green's function for the sphere in the half space. The error terms in the model are O(a/L) and O(A2/H2). The analysis and method of solution are adapted from Higdon (1979).

The mean flow rate and power consumption are calculated for a wide range of parameters. Optimal motions are determined with the criterion of minimizing the power required to achieve a given flow rate. The optimum wave has maximum slope in the range 2 < αk < 2·5 (compared to the optimum value αk = 1 for swimming). The optimum number of waves Nλ increases linearly with flagellar length for L/A > 10 and is approximately constant, Nλ = 1, for shorter flagella. The optimum flagellar length is in the range 5 < L/A < 10. There is no optimum flagellar radius a/A. For optimal efficiency, the height H should be greater than or equal to the length of the flagellum.

The optimum values of the parameters are compared to the values for the choano-flagellates described by Lapage (1925) and Sleigh (1964). Excellent agreement is found between the predicted optima and the observed values. The calculated velocity field closely resembles the flow described by Sleigh and Lapage.
Local isotropy and large structures in a heated turbulent jet
Authors: Sreenivasan K. R. , Antonia R. A. , Britz D.
Published: April 2006

Recent measurements of the skewness of the derivative of the temperature fluctuation θ, implying the breakdown of local isotropy even in high Reynolds number shear flows, are examined. Using the temperature signal in a slightly heated axisymmetric jet, a detailed quantitative analysis is made of the suggestion that the observed presence of a well-defined large-scale pattern of the temperature signal in these flows is responsible for this breakdown. A selective ensemble averaging technique is used for separating this pattern from fluctuations superposed on it. The technique is extended to extract the large-scale patterns in simultaneously measured axial (u), radial (v) velocity fluctuations, and the productsuv,uθandvθ, so that it is possible to separate contributions of these patterns from those of the superposed fluctuations to several important turbulent quantities. The mean shape of the patterns, their degree of anisotropy and correlation, and their contribution to turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stress are obtained. Probability densities and spectra of these quasi-homogeneous superposed fluctuations are also obtained. Results show that the fluctuations are consistent with local isotropy and make the dominant contribution to the turbulence intensities, that the large-scale patterns are responsible for the observed skewness values of the derivative ofv, and that the fluctuations may be responsible for a significant part of the turbulent momentum and heat transport, especially in the region of the jet where the turbulent energy production is substantial.
Reflexion of water waves by a permeable barrier
Authors: Macaskill C.
Published: April 2006

The linearized problem of water-wave reflexion by a thin barrier of arbitrary permeability is considered with the restriction that the flow be two-dimensional. The formulation includes the special case of transmission through one or more gaps in an otherwise impermeable barrier. The general problem is reduced to a set of integral equations using standard techniques. These equations are then solved using a special decomposition of the finite depth source potential which allows accurate solutions to be obtained economically. A representative range of solutions is obtained numerically for both finite and infinite depth problems.
Algebraic disturbances in stratified shear flows
Authors: Chimonas G.
Published: April 2006

Algebraic disturbances, a non-modal component of the linear perturbation fields, are shown to be an essential feature of stratified shear flows. We find that they must be included even in situations where the modes form a complete set, for such completeness does not extend to the space of these ill-behaved functions.

If the Richardson number Ri is less than ¼ anywhere in the flow, the algebraic disturbances are very generally instabilities of the system, growing without limit as time t → ∞.

Both of these results are in direct contradiction with the currently accepted viewpoint. We examine the previous research in this field to locate the source of this discrepancy.

The algebraic instabilities are not form preserving, and display extreme distortion as they evolve. In the asymptotic limit they appear as quasi-horizontal flow fields, with a vertical ‘wavelength’ that tends to zero. As such, they must be expected to induce secondary shear instabilities and cascade into motions of smaller (horizontal) scale.
Flow structure of the free round turbulent jet in the initial region
Authors: Bogusławski L. , Popiel Cz. O.
Published: April 2006

This note presents measurements of radial and axial distributions of mean velocity, turbulent intensities and kinetic energy as well as radial distributions of the turbulent shear stress in the initial region of a turbulent air jet issuing from a long round pipe into still air. The pipe flow is transformed relatively smoothly into a jet flow. In the core subregion the mean centre-line velocity decreases slightly. The highest turbulence occurs at an axial distance of about 6d and radius of (0·7 to 0·8)d. On the axis the highest turbulent kinetic energy appears at a distance of (7·5 to 8·5)d. Normalized distributions of the turbulent quantities are in good agreement with known data on the developed region of jets issuing from short nozzles.
Linear stability of Poiseuille flow in a circular pipe
Authors: Salwen Harold , Cotton Fredrick W. , Grosch Chester E.
Published: April 2006

Correction of an error in the matrix elements used by Salwen & Grosch (1972) has brought the results of the matrix-eigenvalue calculation of the linear stability of Hagen–Poiseuille flow into complete agreement with the numerical integration results of Lessen, Sadler & Liu (1968) for azimuthal index n = 1. The n = 0 results were unaffected by the error and the effect of the error for n > 1 is smaller than for n = 1. The new calculations confirm the conclusion that the flow is stable to infinitesimal disturbances.

Further calculations have led to the discovery of a degeneracy at Reynolds number R = 61·452 ± 0·003 and wavenumber α = 0·9874 ± 0·0001, where the second and third eigenmodes have equal complex wave speeds. The variation of wave speed for these two modes has been studied in the vicinity of the degeneracy and shows similarities to the behaviour near the degeneracies found by Cotton and Salwen (see Cotton 1977) for rotating Hagen-Poiseuille flow. Finally, new results are given for n = 10 and 30; the n = 1 results are extended to R = 106; and new results are presented for the variation of the wave speed with αR at high Reynolds number. The high-R results confirm both Burridge & Drazin's (1969) slow-mode approximation and more recent fast-mode results of Burridge.
A parametrical model for the vertical structure of the induced atmospheric pressure field above a spectrum of surface gravity waves
Authors: Long Robert Bryan
Published: April 2006

A useful parametrical model for the vertical structure of the pressure field induced by wind blowing over a field of surface gravity waves is proposed. The model is a linear expansion in a set of empirical orthogonal functions, derived from a set of 110 complex pressure profiles computed according to the theory of Miles (1957), and provides a compact, quantitative description of those profiles. The model has been used as an element in the analysis of a body of experimental data on wave-induced atmospheric pressure fluctuations obtained by Snyderet al.(1980).
A three-dimensional boundary-layer separation
Authors: Smith F. T.
Published: April 2006

A nonlinear three-dimensional boundary-layer problem governing the flow upstream of a particular disturbance (e.g. a shallow obstacle) at the wall is considered. The upstream response, a free interaction, takes place under zero displacement of the boundary layer, and the solution is found numerically using Fourier series truncation and varying the number of terms kept in the series. In one part of the flow field regular separation is encountered, beyond which the motion becomes strongly attached to the wall elsewhere in the flow field. Analytically, local structural investigations then suggest that the attached part of the upstream response terminates at a line singularity, while the separated part can continue indefinitely far downstream. The former structure leads to a new set of similarity solutions of the three-dimensional boundary-layer equations, while the latter develops a vortex sheet formation. The three-dimensional flow problem has most relevance to pipe flows, but some connexion also with external flows, and the implications for these are discussed.