bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Management of a catecholamine-secreting tympanicum glomus tumour: case report
Authors: Kouzaki H , Fukui J , Shimizu T 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjective:To report the safe management and treatment of a catecholamine-secreting tympanicum glomus tumour.Case report:A 73-year-old women presented with a catecholamine-producing glomus tympanicum tumour, complaining of hearing impairment and left ear pain. Physical examination revealed a red, pulsating swelling in the left tympanic membrane. Computed tomography demonstrated a soft tissue mass filling the entire middle-ear cavity and a partial osteolytic lesion in the internal carotid artery. Angiographic examination revealed a densely contrasting tumour with feeding vessels from the ascending pharyngeal artery. Concentrations of serum noradrenalin and urine vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) were high. The tumour was completely resected using a potassium titanyl phosphate laser, the feeding vessels having been embolised the previous day. Concentrations of serum noradrenalin and urine VMA normalised following the operation.Conclusion:Pre-operative embolisation is useful in the treatment of catecholamine-secreting tympanicum glomus tumours, not only for preventing a hypertensive crisis but also for reducing bleeding. The potassium titanyl phosphate laser is useful for complete resection of the tumour.
Dawkins' Infinite Regress
Authors: Montague Roger 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins gives, but runs together, two criticisms of the argument from design. One is evolutionary and scientific; the other is a philosophical infinite regress argument. Disentangling them makes Dawkins' views clearer. The regress relies on the premiss that a designer must be more complex than the thing designed. I offer two comments about theists who might accept the regress, citing God's infinity. These comments defend Dawkins: but only by making him, when using his regress argument, an atheist who knows (if his “complexity” premiss holds) that God cannot exist.
Torelli groups, extended Johnson homomorphisms, and new cycles on the moduli space of curves
Authors: MORITA S. , PENNER R. C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractInfinite presentations are given for all of the higher Torelli groups of once-punctured surfaces. In the case of the classical Torelli group, a finite presentation of the corresponding groupoid is also given, and finite presentations of the classical Torelli groups acting trivially on homology modulo N are derived for all N. Furthermore, the first Johnson homomorphism, which is defined from the classical Torelli group to the third exterior power of the homology of the surface, is shown to lift to an explicit canonical 1-cocycle of the Teichmüller space. The main tool for these results is the known mapping class group invariant ideal cell decomposition of the Teichmüller space.This new 1-cocycle is mapping class group equivariant, so various contractions of its powers yield various combinatorial (co)cycles of the moduli space of curves, which are also new. Our combinatorial construction can be related to former works of Kawazumi and the first-named author with the consequence that the algebra generated by the cohomology classes represented by the new cocycles is precisely the tautological algebra of the moduli space.There is finally a discussion of prospects for similarly finding cocycle lifts of the higher Johnson homomorphisms.
In the Loop: Creativity and Constraint in 8-bit Video Game Audio
Authors: COLLINS KAREN 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article explores the sound capabilities of video game consoles of the 8-bit era (c.1975–85) in order to discuss the impact that technological constraints had on shaping aesthetic decisions in the composition of music for the early generation of games. Comparing examples from the Commodore 64 (C64), the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Atari VCS, and the arcade consoles, I examine various approaches and responses (in particular the use of looping) to similar technological problems, and illustrate how these responses are as much a decision made by the composer as a matter of technical necessity.
Uri Caine’s Mahler: Jazz, Tradition, and Identity
Authors: Heile Björn 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAlthough Uri Caine first made his mark as a relatively straight-ahead jazz pianist – ‘roots’ to which he returns regularly – he has, arguably, become most famous with his often controversial versions of works from the ‘classical music’ canon. These recompositions, which often involve a host of other styles from Latin to dub, are usually regarded as examples of postmodern eclecticism. While this view is certainly valid, it needs to be complemented by more detailed analysis of both Caine’s artistic methods and their aesthetic and ideological implications. Among his work on classical composers, Caine’s engagement with Gustav Mahler is the most sustained. The result of this engagement is not an exercise in ‘crossover’ or ‘jazzed-up’ Mahler, but a radical reinterpretation of Mahler’s music that situates it as a Jewish voice within the cultural cross-currents of fin-de-siècle Central Europe. Through this reference to Mahler, Caine constructs a Jewish tradition within jazz that complements but does not compete with jazz’s overwhelmingly African-American heritage. What emerges is a pluralistic subjectivity in which different cultural identities and traditions are negotiated in an equal and open dialogue.
End-of-life care in nursing home settings: Do race or age matter?
Authors: Reynolds Kimberly S. , Hanson Laura C. , Henderson Martha , Steinhauser Karen E. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:One-quarter of all U.S. chronic-disease deaths occur in nursing homes, yet few studies examine palliative care quality in these settings. This study tests whether racial and/or age-based differences in end-of-life care exist in these institutional settings.Methods:We abstracted residents' charts (N = 1133) in 12 nursing homes. Researchers collected data on indicators of palliative care in two domains of care—advance care planning and pain management—and on residents' demographic and health status variables. Analyses tested for differences by race and age.Results:White residents were more likely than minorities to have DNR orders (69.5% vs. 37.3%), living wills (39% vs. 5%), and health care proxies (36.2% vs. 11.8%; p < .001 for each). Advance directives were highly and positively correlated with age. In-depth advance care planning discussions between residents, families, and health care providers were rare for all residents, irrespective of demographic characteristics. Nursing staff considered older residents to have milder and less frequent pain than younger residents. We found no disparities in pain management based on race.Significance of results:To the extent that advance care planning improves care at the end of life, racial minorities in nursing homes are disadvantaged compared to their white fellow residents. Focusing on in-depth discussions of values and goals of care can improve palliative care for all residents and may help to ameliorate racial disparities in end-of-life care. Staff should consider residents of all ages as appropriate recipients of advance care planning efforts and should be cognizant of the fact that individuals of all ages can experience pain. Nursing homes may do a better job than other health care institutions in eliminating racial disparities in pain management.
Bereaved parents' perspectives on their needs
Authors: D'Agostino Norma Mammone , Berlin-Romalis Deborah , Jovcevska Vesna , Barrera Maru 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:The loss of a child can be traumatic for parents, given the profound bond established with the deceased child. Parental bereavement and the need for bereavement services are not well understood. This study examined parental perspectives regarding bereavement services from a pediatric oncology treating center.Methods:A 2-h focus group of seven parents, audiotaped and transcribed verbatim, was conducted by two facilitators using open-ended questions to generate discussion regarding their views of what services were or would be helpful during early bereavement.Results:Parents perceived flexible and continuous bereavement services from the treating hospital as a necessary transition to community services. Talking to other parents with similar experiences and maintaining contact with staff at the treating hospital were considered critical in their healing after the loss.Significance of results:Transitional multimodality bereavement services offered by the treating hospital will improve the quality of life of bereaved families.
Evaluating a bereavement support group
Authors: Maruyama Nancy C. , Atencio Clarisa V. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:To assess the feasibility of an 8-week bereavement support group in a general hospital setting.Methods:We assessed grief and mood before and after an 8-week bereavement support group and compared dropouts to completers. Forty-seven participants filled out mood and grief questionnaires. Scores were compared with norms, then baseline and follow-up scores were analyzed by pairedttests. Fifteen dropouts' scores were compared with completers' baseline scores.Results:Participants' grief improved, as did depression in women but not men. Women dropouts scored significantly higher on Anger, Tension/Anxiety.Significance of results:Findings suggest men and women respond differently to bereavement groups. Bereaved individuals with high anger and tension may require interventions addressing their particular needs, with a focus on acceptance of negative emotions.
Clinical evaluation of the Mood and Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) in a day therapy unit in a palliative support centre in the United Kingdom
Authors: Chapman Elizabeth , Whale Judith , Landy Annette , Hughes David , Saunders Margaret 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:To evaluate the use of the Mood and Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) within a program of structured psychosocial interventions in a Supportive and Palliative Care Center. Palliative care patients have a range of psychological symptoms as well as physical symptoms. Considerable expertise in controlling pain and fear of pain, other physical symptoms, and psychosocial distress has been built up in hospices and palliative care units. This expertise can be used even at late stages in the patient's illness to improve quality of life.Method:We evaluated the usefulness of the MSQ to record patient responses, as an aid to patient/staff discussions, and as a staff-training tool. The questionnaire consisted of visual analog scales completed by the patient with a staff member present. Using the tool increased the opportunities for staff and patients todiscussproblematic psychosocial issues. Where possible, we obtained data at two time points and compared the responses.Results:The MSQ was rapidly accepted as a clinical tool in the day therapy setting by staff and the patients. Theprocessof completing the questionnaire encouraged patients to face and discuss difficult issues. Discussion of the issues raised on the questionnaire had a wider effect, influencing interactions and communications through the unit and facilitating wider discussion of other nonpain symptoms. The medical psychotherapist associated with the unit used the MSQ responses as a training tool to increase staff awareness and knowledge and understanding of psychological issues related to the patients' total pain experience by discussing the questionnaires with them.Significance of results:The use of this tool helped to identify some psychological issues that proved relatively straightforward to address once uncovered. Patients benefited from this opportunity when their remaining time was relatively short. Their quality of life at the end of their lives was improved.
Meaning in adjustment to cancer: A model of care
Authors: Lethborg Carrie , Aranda Sanchia , Kissane David 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjectives:In the clinical setting of cancer, meaning may well have a central role in the life changes the illness experience brings about. As health care professionals working with people with life-threatening illness, we are exposed to one of the major turning points in life and the ways people confront this transition. Meaning can assist coping by offering a framework, perspective, and counterbalance to the challenge of illness. However, the absence of meaning can be a precursor to profound despair.Methods:This article brings together the clinical implications of two studies conducted by the authors that explored the role of meaning in adjustment to cancer, presenting a theoretical understanding of the experience of meaning in cancer and identifying some potential approaches to intervention.Results:Our findings point to some specific goals of care as well as a number of therapeutic modalities aimed to meet these goals. We examine four goals of care—acknowledging suffering, encouraging a search for meaning, strengthening connection with others, and ensuring optimal physical care—as foundational in any clinical approach and then examine the key models of therapy that assist the clinician in pursuing these goals.Significance of results:Our aim is to create an integrated approach to care provision that locates meaning centrally in any patient's adaptation.
Development of a hospice formulary for psychotropic medications
Authors: Barnhorst Amy , Bourgeois James A. , Macmillan Jack 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:The authors describe the concept of hospice formulary as is utilized at the hospice service of a university medical center.Method:A periodic review of hospice formulary, focusing on psychotropic medications and delirium prevention, was accomplished in 2006. This effort represents a multidisciplinary effort among hospice nursing, internal medicine, and psychiatry.Results:An updated formulary adopting contemporary psychopharmacologic best practices was produced and implemented along with targeted in-service training to nurse clinicians.Significance of results:The modern hospice formulary offers opportunities to offer state-of-the-art psychopharmacological care and minimization of delirium through judicious use of psychopharmacological treatments for the psychiatric comorbidities common in terminally ill patients.
New remains and species of the ‘condylarth’ genus Escribania (Mammalia: Didolodontidae) from the Palaeocene of Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Gelfo Javier N. , Ortiz-Jaureguizar Edgardo , Rougier Guillermo W. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTThe Punta Peligro fauna includes some of the oldest Cenozoic South American mammals, and the oldest ones for Patagonia. In addition to frogs, turtles, and crocodiles, an unusual mammalian assemblage is formed by a mixture of Mesozoic lineages of Gondwanan origin and therians (eutherians and metatherians) derived from Laurasian immigrants. This paper describes new remains of the Didolodontidae ‘condylarth’ genusEscribaniaBonaparte, Van Valen &amp; Kramarz, 1993. The new material includes an isolated right lower third molar with talonid morphology different from the homologous structure of the type speciesEscribania chubutensisBonaparte, Van Valen &amp; Kramarz, 1993, justifying the recognition of a new species. The derived nature of the didolodontid ‘condylarths’ from the Banco Negro Inferior, their differences with the Mioclaenidae Kollpaniinae from the early Paleocene of Tiupampa, and the record ofbona fidelitoptherns in the Banco Negro Inferior (BNI) suggest an early radiation of the panameriungulates.
Cytochrome 572 is a conspicuous membrane protein with iron oxidation activity purified directly from a natural acidophilic microbial community
Authors: Jeans Chris , Singer Steven W , Chan Clara S , VerBerkmoes Nathan C , Shah Manesh , Hettich Robert L , Banfield Jillian F , Thelen Michael P 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Recently, there has been intense interest in the role of electron transfer by microbial communities in biogeochemical systems. We examined the process of iron oxidation by microbial biofilms in one of the most extreme environments on earth, where the inhabited water is pH 0.5–1.2 and laden with toxic metals. To approach the mechanism of Fe(II) oxidation as a means of cellular energy acquisition, we isolated proteins from natural samples and found a conspicuous and novel cytochrome, Cyt572, which is unlike any known cytochrome. Both the character of its covalently bound prosthetic heme group and protein sequence are unusual. Extraction of proteins directly from environmental biofilm samples followed by membrane fractionation, detergent solubilization and gel filtration chromatography resulted in the purification of an abundant yellow-red protein. The purified protein has a cytochrome c-type heme binding motif, CxxCH, but a unique spectral signature at 572 nm, and thus is called Cyt572. It readily oxidizes Fe2+ in the physiologically relevant acidic regime, from pH 0.95–3.4. Other physical characteristics are indicative of a membrane-bound multimeric protein. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicates that the protein is largely beta-stranded, and 2D Blue-Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chemical crosslinking independently point to a multi-subunit structure for Cyt572. By analyzing environmental genomic information from biofilms in several distinctly different mine locations, we found multiple genetic variants of Cyt572. MS proteomics of extracts from these biofilms substantiated the prevalence of these variants in the ecosystem. Due to its abundance, cellular location and Fe2+ oxidation activity at very low pH, we propose that Cyt572 provides a critical function for fitness within the ecological niche of these acidophilic microbial communities.
Presence of aquaporin and V‐ATPase on the contractile vacuole of Amoeba proteus
Authors: Nishihara Eri , Yokota Etsuo , Tazaki Akira , Orii Hidefumi , Katsuhara Maki , Kataoka Kensuke , Igarashi Hisako , Moriyama Yoshinori , Shimmen Teruo , Sonobe Seiji 
Published: February 2008

Background information. The results of water permeability measurements suggest the presence of an AQP (aquaporin) in the membrane of the CV (contractile vacuole) in Amoeba proteus [Nishihara, Shimmen and Sonobe (2004) Cell Struct. Funct. 29, 85–90].Results. In the present study, we cloned an AQP gene from A. proteus [ApAQP (A. proteus AQP)] that encodes a 295‐amino‐acid protein. The protein has six putative TMs (transmembrane domains) and two NPA (Asn‐Pro‐Ala) motifs, which are conserved among various AQPs and are thought to be involved in the formation of water channels that span the lipid bilayer. Using Xenopus oocytes, we have demonstrated that the ApAQP protein product can function as a water channel. Immunofluorescence microscopy with anti‐ApAQP antibody revealed that ApAQP is detected on the CV membrane and on the vesicles around the CV. The presence of V‐ATPase (vacuolar H+‐ATPase) on the vesicle membrane around the CV was also detected.Conclusions. Our data on ApAQP allow us to provide the first informed explanation of the high water permeability of the CV membrane in amoeba. Moreover, the results suggest that vesicles possessing V‐ATPase are involved in generating an osmotic gradient. Based on our findings, we propose a new hypothesis for the mechanism of CV function.
Identification and characterization of theArabidopsisgene encoding the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis enzyme uroporphyrinogen III synthase
Authors: Tan Fui-Ching , Cheng Qi , Saha Kaushik , Heinemann Ilka U. , Jahn Martina , Jahn Dieter , Smith Alison G. 
Published: February 2008

UROS (uroporphyrinogen III synthase; EC 4.2.1.75) is the enzyme responsible for the formation of uroporphyrinogen III, the precursor of all cellular tetrapyrroles including haem, chlorophyll and bilins. Although UROS genes have been cloned from many organisms, the level of sequence conservation between them is low, making sequence similarity searches difficult. As an alternative approach to identify the UROS gene from plants, we used functional complementation, since this does not require conservation of primary sequence. A mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was constructed in which the HEM4 gene encoding UROS was deleted. This mutant was transformed with an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA library in a yeast expression vector and two colonies were obtained that could grow in the absence of haem. The rescuing plasmids encoded an ORF (open reading frame) of 321 amino acids which, when subcloned into an Escherichia coli expression vector, was able to complement an E. coli hemD mutant defective in UROS. Final proof that the ORF encoded UROS came from the fact that the recombinant protein expressed with an N-terminal histidine-tag was found to have UROS activity. Comparison of the sequence of AtUROS (A. thaliana UROS) with the human enzyme found that the seven invariant residues previously identified were conserved, including three shown to be important for enzyme activity. Furthermore, a structure-based homology search of the protein database with AtUROS identified the human crystal structure. AtUROS has an N-terminal extension compared with orthologues from other organisms, suggesting that this might act as a targeting sequence. The precursor protein of 34 kDa translated in vitro was imported into isolated chloroplasts and processed to the mature size of 29 kDa. Confocal microscopy of plant cells transiently expressing a fusion protein of AtUROS with GFP (green fluorescent protein) confirmed that AtUROS was targeted exclusively to chloroplasts in vivo.
Localization of PKA phosphorylation site, Ser2030, in the three-dimensional structure of cardiac ryanodine receptor
Authors: Jones Peter P. , Meng Xing , Xiao Bailong , Cai Shitian , Bolstad Jeff , Wagenknecht Terence , Liu Zheng , Chen S. R. Wayne 
Published: February 2008

PKA (protein kinase A)-dependent phosphorylation of the cardiac Ca2+-release channel/RyR2 (type 2 ryanodine receptor) is believed to directly dissociate FKBP12.6 (12.6 kDa FK506-binding protein) from the channel, causing abnormal channel activation and Ca2+ release. To gain insight into the structural basis of the regulation of RyR2 by PKA, we determined the three-dimensional location of the PKA site Ser2030. GFP (green fluorescent protein) was inserted into RyR2-wt (wild-type RyR2) and RyR2 mutant, A4860G, after Thr2023. The resultant GFP–RyR2 fusion proteins, RyR2T2023-GFP and RyR2(A4860G)T2023-GFP, were expressed in HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney) cells and functionally characterized. Ca2+-release assays revealed that both GFP–RyR2 fusion proteins formed caffeine- and ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+-release channels. Further analyses using [3H]ryanodine binding demonstrated that the insertion of GFP into RyR2-wt after Thr2023 reduced the sensitivity of the channel to activation by Ca2+ or caffeine. RyR2(A4860G)T2023-GFP was found to be structurally more stable than RyR2T2023-GFP and was subsequently used as a basis for three-dimensional reconstruction. Cryo-electron microscopy and single particle image processing of the purified RyR2(A4860G)T2023-GFP protein revealed the location of the inserted GFP, and hence the Ser2030 PKA site in domain 4, a region that may be involved in signal transduction between the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. Like the Ser2808 PKA site reported previously, the Ser2030 site is not located close to the FKBP12.6-binding site mapped previously, indicating that neither of these PKA sites is directly involved in FKBP12.6 binding. On the basis of the three-dimensional localizations of a number of residues or regions, a model for the subunit organization in the structure of RyR2 is proposed.