bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Translational Research Working Group Developmental Pathway for Biospecimen-Based Assessment Modalities
Authors: Srivastava Sudhir , Gray Joe W. , Reid Brian J. , Grad Oren , Greenwood Addison , Hawk Ernest T. ,   for the Translational Research Working Group
Published: September 2008

Abstract
The Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) was created as a national initiative to evaluate the current status of National Cancer Institute's investment in translational research and envision its future. The TRWG conceptualized translational research as a set of six developmental processes or pathways focused on various clinical goals. One of those pathways describes the development of biospecimen-based assays that use biomarkers for the detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of cancer and the assessment of response to cancer treatment. The biospecimen-based assessment modality pathway was conceived not as comprehensive description of the corresponding real-world processes but rather as a tool designed to facilitate movement of a candidate assay through the translational process to the point where it can be handed off for definitive clinical testing. This paper introduces the pathway in the context of prior work and discusses key challenges associated with the biomarker development process in light of the pathway.
Archive Marxism and the Union Bureaucracy: Karl Kautsky on Samuel Gompers and the German Free Trade Unions
Authors: Gaido Daniel 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis work is a companion piece to ‘The American Worker’, Karl Kautsky's reply to Werner Sombart's Why Is There No Socialism in the United States? (1906), first published in English in the November 2003 edition of this journal. In August 1909 Kautsky wrote an article on Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor, on the occasion of the latter's first European tour. The article was not only a criticism of Gompers's anti-socialist ‘pure-and-simple’ unionism but also part of an ongoing battle between the revolutionary wing of German Social Democracy and the German trade-union officials. In this critical English edition we provide the historical background to the document as well as an overview of the issues raised by Gompers' visit to Germany, such as the bureaucratisation and increasing conservatism of the union leadership in both Germany and the United States, the role of the General Commission of Free Trade Unions in the abandonment of Marxism by the German Social-Democratic Party and the socialists' attitude toward institutions promoting class collaboration like the National Civic Federation.
Exploring Secular Spiritual Capital: An Engagement in Religious and Secular Dialogue for a Common Future?
Authors: Baker Chris , Miles-Watson Jonathan 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis article introduces the concept of secular spiritual capital (SSC) as a contribution to new theory and praxis, which the authors believe has potential to serve as an important tool in the increasingly sensitive yet robust task of public theology; namely mapping and negotiating increasingly complex and contested public spaces between religion and secularity. The article starts with the furore caused by a public lecture given by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury in which he argued for allowing aspects of Sharia law to function within the UK's secularized legal frameworks. The article then develops the concept of SSC by synthesizing existing ideas located within sociology, anthropology and practical theology. It refers to recent praxis in key public policy/civil society areas; such as planning, social care and community cohesion, which stress the importance of partnership and dialogue between religious and secular sectors for the sake of the common good. The article concludes that SSC helps create a ‘thicker’ public discourse based on virtues and ethics, as well as rights.
Ibn Hanbal and al-Muhāsibī: A Study of Early Conflicting Scholarly Methodologies
Authors: Picken Gavin 
Published: September 2008

AbstractImam Ahmad b. Hanbal's repudiation of al-Hārit b. Asad al-Muhāsibī has long been noted by a number of contemporary works and of these, the contributions of Smith, van Ess, Abū Ġudda, al-Quwatlī, Melchert and al-Barr have all been productive. Most of these works, however, provide no more than a general overview of this dispute and there is a consensus of sorts—as many classical works would also suggest—that the reason for Ibn Hanbal's rejection of al-Muhāsibī was based on the latter's utilisation of scholastic theology (kalām). Although this appraisal may well be true, the exact nature of Ibn Hanbal's denunciation of al-Muhāsibī is far from straightforward. Indeed, upon a thorough examination of classical Arabic sources a variety of other possibilities emerge. Therefore, it is the goal of this article to examine such works to reconstruct the nature of the debate surrounding the dispute between these two renowned personalities of Islam's formative period and discuss the possible reasons behind the conflict that existed between them, so as to shed further light upon the historical and intellectual development of the early Muslim, scholarly community as a whole.
The Appropriation of Tradition in Selected Works of Contemporary Arab Women Writers
Authors: Suyoufie Fadia 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis study aims at discussing the appropriation of traditional material in selected works of contemporary Arab women writers. While such appropriation is conceived as a subversive strategy of self-empowerment, it also offers a venue of cultural self-critique and re-evaluation of the self. Reclaiming the lost tradition of telling stories, these writers assume the role of Shahrazād to contest male dominance. Whether they simply adopt this role, reinterpret, or undermine it, these writers have got much to say about reacting to tradition in general and to androcentric hegemony in particular.
Gendering the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Literary Representations of Kuwaiti Women's Resilience and Resistance
Authors: Tijani Olatunbosun Ishaq 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis article examines the 1990-1991 Iraq-Kuwait war as a gendered conflict, and Kuwaiti women's varied reactions to the events of the war, as represented in Kuwaiti fiction. In a category of Kuwaiti war narratives—by both male and female writers—there are the stereotypical images and roles of women: they are portrayed as ‘weak’, ‘passive’ and ‘submissive’ mothers/wives/young girls, and as victims of sexual abuse and humiliations during the conflict. In another category, women's images and roles in the conflict are re-constructed. Relying on the information and insights derived from the fictional texts belonging to the second category, this article demonstrates that the Kuwaiti resistance movement was not solely male-dominated, but rather that Kuwaiti women also served as resistant activists.
Clinical Research with Children: The European Legal Framework and its Implementation in French and Italian Law
Authors: Altavilla Annagrazia 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAccording to the International Convention of the Rights of the Child, an improvement of the protection of the rights of children in Europe should be accomplished by inserting the principle of best interests and evolving capacities in the legal framework related to paediatric clinical research. In this article, an overview is given of the European legal framework governing clinical research on minors in a comparative approach. The lack of coordination between different International and European ethical/legal statements and its impact on national legislations is evaluated by analyzing provisions that have been foreseen in Italy and in France as a result of the ratification/implementation process. A presentation of the perspectives of paediatric research in Europe is provided.
Reanalysis of 44 Yr of Climate in the French Alps (1958–2002): Methodology, Model Validation, Climatology, and Trends for Air Temperature and Precipitation
Authors: Durand Yves , Laternser Martin , Giraud Gérald , Etchevers Pierre , Lesaffre Bernard , Mérindol Laurent 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Since the early 1990s, Météo-France has used an automatic system combining three numerical models to simulate meteorological parameters, snow cover stratification, and avalanche risk at various altitudes, aspects, and slopes for a number of mountainous regions in France. Given the lack of sufficient directly observed long-term snow data, this “SAFRAN”–Crocus–“MEPRA” (SCM) model chain, usually applied to operational avalanche forecasting, has been used to carry out and validate retrospective snow and weather climate analyses for the 1958–2002 period. The SAFRAN 2-m air temperature and precipitation climatology shows that the climate of the French Alps is temperate and is mainly determined by atmospheric westerly flow conditions. Vertical profiles of temperature and precipitation averaged over the whole period for altitudes up to 3000 m MSL show a relatively linear variation with altitude for different mountain areas with no constraint of that kind imposed by the analysis scheme itself. Over the observation period 1958–2002, the overall trend corresponds to an increase in the annual near-surface air temperature of about 1°C. However, variations are large at different altitudes and for different seasons and regions. This significantly positive trend is most obvious in the 1500–2000-m MSL altitude range, especially in the northwest regions, and exhibits a significant relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation index over long periods. Precipitation data are diverse, making it hard to identify clear trends within the high year-to-year variability.
Stabilization of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and the Muted Global Hydrological Cycle Response to Global Warming
Authors: Lu Jianhua , Cai Ming 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Both the global precipitation and evaporation in global warming simulations increase at 1%–3% K−1, much smaller than the rate suggested from the Clausius–Clapeyron (C–C) relation (6%–6.5% K−1). However, the reduction of surface sensible heat flux over the global ocean (5.2% K−1) matches the difference between the fractional increase of evaporation and the C–C relation, implying that the fractional decrease of the Bowen ratio over the global ocean follows the C–C relation closely. The analysis suggests that the stabilization of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) in response to global warming is the main factor responsible for the simultaneous reduction of the surface sensible flux and the muted increase in the surface latent heat. Because the stabilization of the ABL causes the same amount of fractional change in both the sensible and latent heat fluxes, the fractional decrease of the Bowen ratio closely follows the C–C relation. The ABL stabilization mechanism for the muted increase in the global hydrological cycle in response to global warming is physically consistent with two other proposed mechanisms, namely, the atmospheric energy constraint and the reduction of convective mass flux.
Dust Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieval over a Desert Surface Using the SEVIRI Window Channels
Authors: De Paepe Bart , Dewitte Steven 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
The authors present a new algorithm to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) over a desert using the window channels centered at 8.7, 10.8, and 12.0 μm of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on board the Meteosat Second Generation satellite. The presence of dust aerosols impacts the longwave outgoing radiation, allowing the aerosols over the desert surfaces to be detected in the thermal infrared (IR) wavelengths. To retrieve the aerosol properties over land, the surface contribution to the satellite radiance measured at the top of the atmosphere has to be taken into account. The surface radiation depends on the surface temperature, which is characterized by a strong diurnal variation over the desert, and the surface emissivity, which is assumed to be constant over a time span of 24 h. The surface emissivity is based on clear-sky observations that are corrected for atmospheric absorption and emission. The clear-sky image is a composite of pixels that is characterized by the highest brightness temperature (BT) of the SEVIRI channel at 10.8 μm, and by a negative BT difference between the channels at 8.7 and 10.8 μm. Because of the lower temperatures of clouds and aerosols compared to clear-sky conditions, the authors assume that the selected pixel values are obtained for a clear-sky day. A forward model is used to simulate the thermal IR radiation transfer in the dust layer. The apparent surface radiation for the three window channels in the presence of aerosols is calculated as a function of the surface emissivity and the surface temperature, the aerosol layer temperature, and the AOD for different aerosol loadings. From these simulations two emissivity ratios, which are stored in lookup tables (LUT), are calculated. The retrieval algorithm consists of processing the clear-sky image and computing the surface emissivity, processing the instantaneous image, and computing the apparent surface radiation for the three window channels. The two emissivity ratios are computed using the radiances at 8.7 and 10.8 μm and at 8.7 and 12.0 μm, respectively. The SEVIRI AOD is obtained by the inversion of these emissivity ratios using the corresponding LUT. The algorithm is applied to a minor dust event over the Sahara between 19 and 22 June 2007. For the validation the SEVIRI AOD is compared with the AOD from the Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) along the satellite track.
Consensus Forecasts of Modeled Wave Parameters
Authors: Durrant Tom H. , Woodcock Frank , Greenslade Diana J. M. 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
The use of numerical guidance has become integral to the process of modern weather forecasting. Using various techniques, postprocessing of numerical model output has been shown to mitigate some of the deficiencies of these models, producing more accurate forecasts. The operational consensus forecast scheme uses past performance to bias-correct and combine numerical forecasts to produce an improved forecast at locations where recent observations are available. This technique was applied to forecasts of significant wave height (Hs), peak period (Tp), and 10-m wind speed (U10) from 10 numerical wave models, at 14 buoy sites located around North America. Results show the best forecast is achieved with a weighted average of bias-corrected components for both Hs and Tp, while a weighted average of linear-corrected components gives the best results for U10. For 24-h forecasts, improvements of 36%, 47%, and 31%, in root-mean-square-error values over the mean raw model components are achieved, or 14%, 22%, and 18% over the best individual model. Similar gains in forecast skill are retained out to 5 days. By reducing the number of models used in the construction of consensus forecasts, it is found that little forecast skill is gained beyond five or six model components, with the independence of these components, as well as individual component’s quality, being important considerations. It is noted that for Hs it is possible to beat the best individual model with a composite forecast of the worst four.
'Restricting choices and limiting independence': social and economic impact of multiple sclerosis upon households by level of disability
Authors: Green G. , Todd J. 
Published: September 2008

Objective: To examine the relationship between the social and economic impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) and levels of MS-related disability upon households in the following domains: household composition, housing modification, employment, standard of living, children, intimate and close relationships, and social life.Methods: A national sample of people with MS (pwMS) ( n = 920), consisting of members of the MS Society and those accessing the MS Society website, completed a cross-sectional survey to generate quantitative and qualitative data.Results: Over three-quarters of the sample reported that MS had impacted on at least some areas of daily life. The reported impact increased significantly in a linear fashion in each domain with increasing disability, as measured by an activities of daily living index, although there was a discernible 'levelling off' in terms of impact in some domains among those at the higher levels of disability and dependency. Analysis of the qualitative data suggests that this impact can be conceptualized as a gradual process of 'restricting choices' and 'limiting independence' for both pwMS and their households.Discussion: MS restricts social and economic opportunities for pwMS and those who they live with. These findings extend the literature to households to illustrate the impact of MS not only on pwMS but also on their partners, children and other family members.
'Normal, but...': living with type 2 diabetes in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Naemiratch Bhensri , Manderson Lenore 
Published: September 2008

Objectives: To explore how people in Bangkok, Thailand make sense of the challenges associated with living with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Ethnographic research was conducted for a period of 18 months, and included participant observation, documentary analysis, and interviews with health providers, family members and 33 adults with type 2 diabetes. Interviews and analyses were iterative, with longitudinal data drawing attention to shifts in meaning in relation to identity construction and the relevance of this to disease management. Results: People drew on cultural notions of social harmony and bodily imperfection, and ideas of the nature of diabetes as 'invisible' while blood sugar levels were controlled, to reconstruct their identity once diagnosed with diabetes. By maintaining their status as 'normal, but...', people could minimize disruptions in their everyday lives and in relation to others, due to both practices of management and their social effects. Their use of a qualification to their health status ( but) explicitly acknowledged certain behavioural and dietary modifications that were necessary to manage their diabetes, but also emphasized their role in self-management. Discussion: The diabetes qualification ('normal, but...') acted as a bridge between health and illness, enabling people to separate their physical health status, perceived as being particularly flawed by having diabetes, from their 'normal' social self. The sustained idea of the normality of the embodied and socially embedded self implied that the disease was under control, ensuring its minimal intrusion into social relationships and practical living.
Gastro-oesophageal acid-related disease, co-morbidity and medical care cost
Authors: Jayadevappa Ravishankar , Chhatre Sumedha , Weiner Mark 
Published: September 2008

Objective: To analyse the incremental medical care cost of gastro-oesophageal acid-related disease (GERD), and its interactive effects with other diagnoses. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Six hundred GERD patients were randomly selected and 600 non-GERD patients were selected, matched by age, gender, prescription pharmaceutical benefits and insurance status. Information on demographics, direct medical care cost (DMC) (inpatient, ambulatory and pharmaceuticals) and health service utilization was obtained from a large, not-for-profit managed-care organization across 3 years (1996—1998). DMCs were compared between GERD and non-GERD groups using the bootstrap method. Random coefficient log linear regression models were used to analyse incremental cost and assess its association with other diagnoses. Results: The mean annual DMC for the GERD group was $4906, as compared to $2054 for the non-GERD group. The increase in the DMC in the GERD group was attributable to increased co-morbidity. Age and gender had no effect on total cost for the GERD population. Among costs of services, the GERD group had a 2.00-fold higher cost associated with outpatient services, a 1.70-fold higher cost associated with inpatient services, and a 2.70-fold higher cost associated with pharmacy. Conclusions: GERD is a chronic disease often associated with other diagnoses that significantly affect total DMC. Although the direct cost of treating GERD is low, patients with GERD had significantly higher total medical care cost than those without GERD. The addition of one more disease to a person's existing group of diseases has an important long-term health cost impact.
Incomplete restoration of Mpl expression in the mpl−/− mouse produces partial correction of the stem cell–repopulating defect and paradoxical thrombocytosis
Authors: Lannutti Brian J. , Epp Angela , Roy Jacqueline , Chen Junmei , Josephson Neil C. 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Expression of Mpl is restricted to hematopoietic cells in the megakaryocyte lineage and to undifferentiated progenitors, where it initiates critical cell survival and proliferation signals after stimulation by its ligand, thrombopoietin (TPO). As a result, a deficiency in Mpl function in patients with congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (CAMT) and in mpl−/− mice produces profound thrombocytopenia and a severe stem cell–repopulating defect. Gene therapy has the potential to correct the hematopoietic defects of CAMT by ectopic gene expression that restores normal Mpl receptor activity. We rescued the mpl−/− mouse with a transgenic vector expressing mpl from the promoter elements of the 2-kb region of DNA just proximal to the natural gene start site. Transgene rescued mice exhibit thrombocytosis but only partial correction of the stem cell defect. Furthermore, they show very low-level expression of Mpl on platelets and megakaryocytes, and the transgene-rescued megakaryocytes exhibit diminished TPO-dependent kinase phosphorylation and reduced platelet production in bone marrow chimeras. Thrombocytosis is an unexpected consequence of reduced Mpl expression and activity. However, impaired TPO homeostasis in the transgene-rescued mice produces elevated plasma TPO levels, which serves as an unchecked stimulus to drive the observed excessive megakaryocytopoiesis.
Embryonic desiccation resistance in Aedes aegypti: presumptive role of the chitinized Serosal Cuticle
Authors: Rezende Gustavo Lazzaro , Martins Ademir Jesus , Gentile Carla , Farnesi Luana Cristina , Pelajo-Machado Marcelo , Peixoto Alexandre Afrânio , Valle Denise 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBackgroundOne of the major problems concerning dengue transmission is that embryos of its main vector, the mosquitoAedes aegypti, resist desiccation, surviving several months under dry conditions. The serosal cuticle (SC) contributes to mosquito egg desiccation resistance, but the kinetics of SC secretion during embryogenesis is unknown. It has been argued that mosquito SC contains chitin as one of its components, however conclusive evidence is still missing.ResultsWe observed an abrupt acquisition of desiccation resistance duringAe. aegyptiembryogenesis associated with serosal cuticle secretion, occurring at complete germ band extension, between 11 and 13 hours after egglaying. After SC formation embryos are viable on dry for at least several days. The presence of chitin as one of the SC constituents was confirmed through Calcofluor and WGA labeling and chitin quantitation. TheAe. aegyptiChitin Synthase A gene (AaCHS1) possesses two alternatively spliced variants,AaCHS1aandAaCHS1b, differentially expressed duringAe. aegyptiembryonic development. It was verified that at the moment of serosal cuticle formation,AaCHS1ais the sole variant specifically expressed.ConclusionIn addition to the peritrophic matrix and exoskeleton, these findings confirm chitin is also present in the mosquito serosal cuticle. They also point to the role of the chitinized SC in the desiccation resistance ofAe. aegyptieggs.AaCHS1aexpression would be responsible for SC chitin synthesis. With this embryological approach we expect to shed new light regarding this important physiological process related to theAe. aegyptilife cycle.