bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tea Polyphenols Decrease Serum Levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Prostate Cancer Patients and Inhibit Production of Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In vitro
Authors: McLarty Jerry , Bigelow Rebecca L.H. , Smith Mylinh , Elmajian Don , Ankem Murali , Cardelli James A. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of short-term supplementation with the active compounds in green tea on serum biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer.
Twenty-six men with positive prostate biopsies and scheduled for radical prostatectomy were given daily doses of Polyphenon E, which contained 800 mg of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and lesser amounts of (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin, and (−)-epicatechin-3-gallate (a total of 1.3 g of tea polyphenols), until time of radical prostatectomy. Serum was collected before initiation of the drug study and on the day of prostatectomy. Serum biomarkers hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were analyzed by ELISA. Toxicity was monitored primarily through liver function enzymes. Changes in serum components were analyzed statistically using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Cancer-associated fibroblasts were treated with EGCG, and HGF and VEGF protein and mRNA levels were measured.
HGF, VEGF, PSA, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio decreased significantly during the study. All of the liver function tests also decreased, five of them significantly: total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and amylase. The decrease in HGF and VEGF was confirmed in prostate cancer–associated fibroblasts in vitro.
Our results show a significant reduction in serum levels of PSA, HGF, and VEGF in men with prostate cancer after brief treatment with EGCG (Polyphenon E), with no elevation of liver enzymes. These findings support a potential role for Polyphenon E in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.
Lower Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women with High Plasma Folate and Sufficient Vitamin B12 in the Post-Folic Acid Fortification Era
Authors: Piyathilake Chandrika J. , Macaluso Maurizio , Alvarez Ronald D. , Bell Walter C. , Heimburger Douglas C. , Partridge Edward E. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of plasma folate and vitamin B12 concentrations on cervical cancer risk in the U.S. after the folic acid fortification era. The study included 376 premenopausal women of childbearing age who tested positive for infections with high-risk (HR) human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and were diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or higher (CIN 2+, cases) or ≤CIN 1 (noncases). CIN 2+ (yes/no) was the dependent variable in logistic regression models that specified plasma folate concentrations combined with plasma B12 concentrations as the independent predictors of primary interest, adjusting for age, race, education, smoking, parity, number of life-time male sexual partners, use of contraceptives, waist circumference, physical activity, healthy eating index, and circulating concentrations of vitamins A, C, tocopherol, and total carotene. Women with supraphysiologic concentrations of plasma folate (&gt;19.8 ng/mL) who also had sufficient plasma vitamin B12 (≥200.6 pg/mL) had 70% lower odds of being diagnosed with CIN 2+ (P = 0.04) when compared with women with plasma folate of ≤19.8 ng/mL and plasma vitamin B12 of &lt;200.6 pg/mL. Our results do not corroborate the concern that supraphysiologic plasma folate concentrations seen in the post-U.S. folic acid fortification era increase the risk of CIN in premenopausal women of childbearing age. In fact, higher folate is associated with significantly lower risk of CIN, especially when vitamin B12 is sufficient, demonstrating the importance of vitamin B12 in the high-folate environment created by the folic acid fortification program.
Beyond the Happy Consensus about Democratic Elitism
Authors: Körösényi András 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA growing number of studies assign elites and leaders a larger role than democratic elitism assumes. Democratic elitism is not a coherent theory because it papers over three quite distinct models of political representation and democratic control: Robert Dahl's mandate model; the accountability model associated chiefly with John Plamenatz; and the authorization model set forth by Adam Przeworski and colleagues. This last model, wherein elites and leaders conceptualize and present voters' choices, best captures elite-voter relations in today's democracies. This authorization model is decidedly pessimistic about controlling elites and leaders in a democracy, but it is nonetheless compatible with a skeptical reading of Schumpeter.
Identity, Unity and Historiography: The Piketberg Ecclesial Narrative Revisted
Authors: Julius Elize 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to develop a critical assessment of the history of the family of Dutch Reformed churches in Piketberg. The purpose of this is to determine a more adequate theological framework for the deconstruction of the traditional ecclesiological and socio-cultural anthropologies as a first step in the process of establishing sound ecclesiological and socio-cultural relations in the ongoing process of being church. Within this ecclesiological exploration, the focus will be on the schism within the once one Reformed congregation of Piketberg into three separate congregations and specifically on the unique understandings of the reasons for the divide along racial lines. The emphasis for this study is on the theological accountability of the church and all her members, with a specific emphasis on theological identity within the Reformed church in South Africa. The case study will thus focus on the stories of one particular place in the hope of raising more general ecclesiological questions of identity, culture and race.
Die Rhetorik der Degeneration in der antisemitischen Literatur Das Bild des ,,entarteten“ jüdischen Künstlers
Authors: Pelloni Gabriella 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis essay analyses the specific rhetoric of degeneration which was observable in the antisemitic polemic discourse of the last decades of 19th century. It provides an overview of the representation of Jewish art und artists as it took shape in the antisemitic literature of the Wilhelminian epoch. The growing emphasis placed by psychiatrists and racial theorists on the pathologies of the ,,Jewish race“, such as hysteria or degeneration, resulted in the tendency to pathologize Jewish art and artists, which were deemed responsible for the alleged decline of German culture. Mere aesthetic categories underwent a process of reduction and ideologization and were finally used for defamatory purposes, as shown in the case of the antisemitic denigration of Heinrich Heine. In order to demonstrate this, the analysis outlines the strict dichotomic logic of these argumentations, as the definition and consolidation of an ideal German essence was usually based on the construction of a degenerated Jewish identity.
Ethnic Identity and the Gospel of Reconciliation
Authors: Pachuau Lalsangkima 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCloser proximity through powerful communication systems seems to have made people more assertive of their identities, especially their cultural or ethnic identities. The consciousness of the cultural self and the cultural other has become one of the most important political tools in the societal life. Ethnic identity assertions have been blamed as the cause of much dissensions and violence. In dealing with ethnic relations, scholars have found that the proximate other is the most difficult other to deal with. Is identity assertion then the enemy of reconciliation? This article argues that it need not be. By arguing that identity is a relational entity formed in the consciousness of the self in relation to the other (non-self), a healthy and respectful way of perceiving the other can be cultivated. A truthful recognition of the otherness of the other leads to what theologian Miroslav Volf calls "double vision" (the ability to view not only "from here" but also "from there") which is the essential step to "embrace" the other. Christian mission is about crossing the boundary between the self and the other, and the challenge is to love the neighbor (proximate other) as oneself. Self-privileging through self-consciousness of being the elect of God withheld the Christian sense of its missionary nature for a long time. The Church's missionary calling of being other-centered rather than being self-centered is the theological foundation for a conciliatory existence.
Missiological Reflections on Difference: Foundations in the Gospel of Luke
Authors: Glanville Elizabeth 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis paper explores missiological reflections on the Gospel of Luke for valuing differences in order to develop an understanding of human identity. Our identity in Jesus Christ supersedes racial, ethnic, and social identity and is based on an understanding of difference that affirms the uniqueness of each individual.A perspective that values human dignity and the dignity of difference, as per Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, stands in sharp contrast to the biblical images of Pharisees who separated themselves from the sinners, tax-collectors, and others. Likewise, Jesus, himself, in the Gospel of Luke, sets his message of the Kingdom of God over against the perspective of differences that established divisions as taught and practiced by the Pharisees. Andrew Walls and Paul Hiebert expound the need to value the contributions of other cultures to the understanding of God which will enrich the entire Body of Christ. Together these perspectives provide a foundation for exploring biblical passages for missiological reflections on difference.Missiological implications of difference that value human dignity are drawn and applied to relationships within the body, crossing cultural barriers with the message of Jesus Christ, and interfaith dialogue.
Mission and Human Identity in the Light of Edinburgh 1910
Authors: Stanley Brian 
Published: June 2009

AbstractChristian theology makes two bold claims relevant to the theme of reconciliation and human identity: first, that the propagation of the gospel of Christ offers the best prospect for reconciliation between human persons; and second, that human beings find their identity most completely by being "in Christ". These two claims are, however, hotly disputed. Both non-Christian writers (such as Jonathan Sacks) and Christian ones (such as S.J. Samartha) regard the Christian missionary project of conversion as a denial of the "dignity of difference", and hence as a serious obstacle to human reconciliation. The second claim is also subject to challenge, not least because of historical evidence from European encounters with the successive New Worlds of the Americas and the South Pacific that Christians have used it to deny that indigenous peoples beyond Christendom deserve to be treated as fully human. Nevertheless, both claims may still be defended by Christians. The Christian idea of reconciliation is distinctive, based on the idea of exchange and the prior initiative of unmerited forgiveness which is at the heart of the doctrine of the atonement. As with the atonement itself, it does not ignore the demands of justice. The experience of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa offers one example of how a distinctively Christian approach to reconciliation can work politically. Equally, the second claim that humanity finds its true identity in Christ is rightly understood as an affirmation that the several (and developing) identities of different cultures all have a crucial contribution to make to the catholicity of the Christian faith: this perception was expounded at the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910 by Bishop Charles Gore.
Human Identity and the Gospel of Reconciliation: Agenda For Mission Studies and Praxis in the 21st Century: An African Reflection
Authors: Mwaura Philomena Njeri 
Published: June 2009

AbstractIn her Presidential address, Philomena Mwaura explores the challenges posed to Christian identity in Africa by ethnocenticism which questions its authenticity despite a century of evangelization and the Church's tremendous growth. Tracing the markers of Christian identity to the New Testament which are characterized by transformation in Christ, love, unity and embrace of the other, she argues that only a people who are secure in their Christian identity can witness authentically to the Gospel and its appealing power. The ministry of reconciliation, as articulated by Paul, is an imperative in diverse contexts characterized by conflicting and competing identities that are ethnic, national and religious among others. The Church requires to equip itself for this ministry by being prophetic, vigilant, intrusive and in solidarity with the marginalized.
Response of ENSO and the Mean State of the Tropical Pacific to Extratropical Cooling and Warming: A Study Using the IAP Coupled Model
Authors: Yu Y. , Sun D-Z. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
The coupled model of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) is used to investigate the effects of extratropical cooling and warming on the tropical Pacific climate. The IAP coupled model is a fully coupled GCM without any flux correction. The model has been used in many aspects of climate modeling, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) climate change and paleoclimate simulations. In this study, the IAP coupled model is subjected to cooling or heating over the extratropical Pacific. As in an earlier study, the cooling and heating is imposed over the extratropical region poleward of 10°N–10°S.
Consistent with earlier findings, an elevated (reduced) level of ENSO activity in response to an increase (decrease) in the cooling over the extratropical region is found. The changes in the time-mean structure of the equatorial upper ocean are also found to be very different between the case in which ocean–atmosphere is coupled over the equatorial region and the case in which the ocean–atmosphere over the equatorial region is decoupled. For example, in the uncoupled run, the thermocline water across the entire equatorial Pacific is cooled in response to an increase in the extratropical cooling. In the corresponding coupled run, the changes in the equatorial upper-ocean temperature in the extratropical cooling resemble a La Niña situation—a deeper thermocline in the western and central Pacific accompanied by a shallower thermocline in the eastern Pacific. Conversely, with coupling, the response of the equatorial upper ocean to extratropical cooling resembles an El Niño situation. These results ascertain the role of extratropical ocean in determining the amplitude of ENSO. The results also underscore the importance of ocean–atmosphere coupling in the interaction between the tropical Pacific and the extratropical Pacific.
Diagnosing the Southern Ocean Overturning from Tracer Fields
Authors: Zika Jan D. , Sloyan Bernadette M. , McDougall Trevor J. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
The strength and structure of the Southern Hemisphere meridional overturning circulation (SMOC) is related to the along-isopycnal and vertical mixing coefficients by analyzing tracer and density fields from a hydrographic climatology. The meridional transport of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is expressed in terms of the along-isopycnal (K) and diapycnal (D) tracer diffusivities and in terms of the along-isopycnal potential vorticity mixing coefficient (KPV). Uniform along-isopycnal (&lt;600 m2 s−1) and low vertical mixing (10−5 m2 s−1) can maintain a southward transport of less than 60 Sv (Sv = 106 m2 s−1) of UCDW across the ACC, which is distributed largely across the South Pacific and east Indian Ocean basins. For vertical mixing rates of O(10−4 m2 s−1) or greater, the inferred transport is significantly enhanced. The transports inferred from both tracer and density distributions suggest a ratio K to D of O(2 × 106) particularly on deeper layers of UCDW. Given the range of observed southward transports of UCDW, it is found that K = 300 ± 150 m2 s−1 and D = 10−4 ± 0.5 × 10−4 m2 s−1 in the Southern Ocean interior. A view of the SMOC is revealed where dense waters are converted to lighter waters not only at the ocean surface, but also on depths below that of the mixed layer with vertical mixing playing an important role.
Toward Improved Convection-Allowing Ensembles: Model Physics Sensitivities and Optimizing Probabilistic Guidance with Small Ensemble Membership
Authors: Schwartz Craig S. , Kain John S. , Weiss Steven J. , Xue Ming , Bright David R. , Kong Fanyou , Thomas Kevin W. , Levit Jason J. , Coniglio Michael C. , Wandishin Matthew S. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
During the 2007 NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Experiment, the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS) at the University of Oklahoma produced a daily 10-member 4-km horizontal resolution ensemble forecast covering approximately three-fourths of the continental United States. Each member used the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model core, which was initialized at 2100 UTC, ran for 33 h, and resolved convection explicitly. Different initial condition (IC), lateral boundary condition (LBC), and physics perturbations were introduced in 4 of the 10 ensemble members, while the remaining 6 members used identical ICs and LBCs, differing only in terms of microphysics (MP) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations. This study focuses on precipitation forecasts from the ensemble.
The ensemble forecasts reveal WRF-ARW sensitivity to MP and PBL schemes. For example, over the 7-week experiment, the Mellor–Yamada–Janjić PBL and Ferrier MP parameterizations were associated with relatively high precipitation totals, while members configured with the Thompson MP or Yonsei University PBL scheme produced comparatively less precipitation. Additionally, different approaches for generating probabilistic ensemble guidance are explored. Specifically, a “neighborhood” approach is described and shown to considerably enhance the skill of probabilistic forecasts for precipitation when combined with a traditional technique of producing ensemble probability fields.
Treatment of Cartilage Defects in the Knee Using Alginate Beads Containing Human Mature Allogenic Chondrocytes
Authors: Almqvist Karl Fredrik , Dhollander Aad A. M. , Verdonk Peter C. M. , Forsyth Ramses , Verdonk René , Verbruggen Gust 
Published: June 2009

Background The repair of osteochondral lesions is imperfect and transient; chondral lesions do not heal in mature cartilage. Attempts have been made to restore cartilage lesions by filling the defects with a temporary artificial biocompatible matrix. Purpose To determine whether the implantation of alginate beads containing human mature allogenic chondrocytes is feasible and safe for the treatment of symptomatic cartilage defects in the knee. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods A biodegradable, alginate-based, biocompatible scaffold containing human mature allogenic chondrocytes was used for the treatment of chondral and osteochondral lesions in the knee. Twenty-one patients were clinically and prospectively evaluated with use of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and a visual analog scale for pain preoperatively and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months of follow-up. Of the 21 patients, 13 consented to having a biopsy sample taken for investigative purposes from the area of implantation at 12 months of follow-up, allowing histologic assessment of the repair tissue. Results A statistically significant clinical improvement became apparent after 6 months, and patients improved during the 24 months of follow-up. Adverse reactions to the alginate/fibrin matrix seeded with the allogenic cartilage cells were not observed. Histologic analysis of the biopsy specimens rated the repair tissue as hyaline-like in 15.3% of the samples, as mixed tissue in 46.2%, as fibrocartilage in 30.8%, and as fibrous in 7.7%. Conclusion The results of this short-term pilot study show that the alginate-based scaffold containing human mature allogenic chondrocytes is feasible and safe for the treatment of symptomatic cartilage defects of the knee. The described technique provides clinical and histologic outcomes that are equal but not superior to those of other cartilage repair techniques.
Baseball Pitching Biomechanics in Relation to Injury Risk and Performance
Authors: Fortenbaugh Dave , Fleisig Glenn S. , Andrews James R. 
Published: June 2009

Context: Baseball pitching kinematics, kinetics, ball velocity, and injuries at the shoulder and elbow are related. Evidence Acquisition: PubMed and Sport Discus were searched for original studies published between 1994 and 2008. Relevant references in these studies were retrieved. Inferential studies that tested relationships between kinematics and kinetics were included, as were studies that tested relationships between kinematics and ball velocity. Descriptive studies that simply quantified kinematics and/or kinetics were excluded. Results: Several kinematic parameters at the instant of foot contact were associated with increased upper extremity kinetics: front foot position, front foot orientation, shoulder abduction, and shoulder horizontal adduction. The timing of shoulder external rotation, pelvis rotation, and upper trunk rotation was associated with increased kinetics and decreased ball velocity. Low braking force of the lead leg and a short stride were associated with decreased ball velocity. Decreased maximum shoulder external rotation, shoulder abduction, knee extension, and trunk tilt were also associated with decreased ball velocity. As pitchers develop, kinematic values remain similar, their variability reduces, and kinetic values gradually increase. Slight kinematic variations were seen among pitch types, although the kinetics of fastballs and curveballs were relatively the same; changeup kinetics were the lowest. As pitchers fatigued, kinetic values remained constant, but increases in arm pain were reported. Conclusions: Several kinematic parameters were related to joint kinetics and ball velocity. To enhance performance and reduce injury risk, pitchers need to learn proper fastball mechanics at an early age. A changeup is recommended as a safe secondary pitch to complement the fastball; the curveball can be added after fastball and changeup mechanics are mastered. Avoiding overuse and pitching while fatigued is necessary to minimize the risk of arm injury.