bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pattern of Ophthalmological Diseases in the Patients of Shree Birendra Hospital
Authors: Rajkarnikar S , Gurung A , Bist RR , Shrestha R , Shrestha SM
Published: July 2011

Introduction: Blindness is one of the most tragic yet often avoidable disabilities in the developing world. The pattern of ocular diseases varies in different parts of Nepal due to differences in socioeconomic and geographic factors. This retrospective study likely reflects the pattern of ocular diseases in Kathmandu Valley. Aim: To assess the patterns of ocular disease in the patients attending the outpatient department of Ophthalmology from 14th April 2009 to 13th April 2010 at the Army Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective study and all the new cases which attended the department of Ophthalmology of Shree Birendra Hospital in the year 2066 were included. The diseases were divided into 11 groups i.e. lid & adenexal disorder, disease of conjunctiva & sclera, corneal diseases, lens associated disorders, diseases of uveal tract, refractive error, glaucoma & its associations, posterior segment diseases, ocular & systemic neoplastic disorders, Nekebadi (annual medical check up) and others. Result: The total number of patients recorded in the department of Ophthalmology is 16709. Among them 4473 were regular serving army personnel and 12236 were ex-army and army families. Conclusion: The pattern of eye disease varies in different age groups. In younger age group conjunctival, scleral disease and refractive error were commonly seen whereas in elder age group lens disorder was frequently seen. The number of blind patients was more in females than in male patients. Key words: Conjunctivitis; Cataract; Blindness. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v9i2.5023 Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital Vol.9(2) 2010: 30-37
Surgical Experience with Pediatric Pulmonary Hydatid Cysts
Authors: Rajbhandary GL
Published: July 2011

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v9i2.5027Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital Vol.9(2) 2010: 47-48
Detachment as a corporate ethic
Authors: Cross Jamie
Published: July 2011

This article examines efforts by De Beers, the world’s largest supplier of
rough diamonds, to better regulate the conditions under which its stones are cut
and polished across a global network of buyers, contractors, and subcontractors.
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at an offshore processing unit in South India
that was built to service De Beers’ buyers, this article explores how ethical accounting
regimes are materialized on the floor of a global factory and how they
are grounded in an industrial bureaucracy. In a global supply chain like this one,
I argue, codes of practice and audit checklists demand to be understood as material
technologies that afford companies and individuals new purchase on an ethic
of detachment.
Engineering responsibility
Authors: Li Fabiana
Published: July 2011

Focusing on a controversial gold mining project in Chile, this article examines
how engineers and other mining professionals perceive and help shape
Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Compensation agreements, environmental
management, and community relations programs rest on what I call a logic
of equivalence that makes the environmental consequences of mining activity
commensurate with the mining companies’ mitigation plans. For example, legal
codes enable engineers to measure, compare, and reconcile the costs and benefits
of a project. However, the law is neither fixed nor uncontestable, and companies
must respond to increased public scrutiny and the growing demands of communities,
governments, and international actors. In Chile, campaigns against mining
focused on the presence of glaciers at the mine site and the project’s possible effects
on water availability. By introducing new moral dimensions to debates over
corporate responsibility, these campaigns challenged established strategies of
commensuration and existing ethical guideposts.
Building the future
Authors: Laszczkowski Mateusz
Published: July 2011

This article focuses ethnographically on the built environment of the socalled
“Left Bank” area in Astana, Kazakhstan. Previously merely a provincial administrative
center, the city became the country’s capital in 1997; soon a new
quarter of monumental, futuristic, and stylistically extravagant administrative,
residential, and commercial buildings emerged. I argue that the construction effort
produces complicity by mobilizing and channeling citizens’ agency. Against
the background of recent history, it offers a sense of restored progress-directed
collectivity within which individual citizens can seek to engage, pursuing more
meaningful and materially satisfying lives. A selective vision of the city is propagandized
widely, producing a hyperreal space that captures imaginations, set in
opposition to more “ordinary” social space. The contrast between that vision and
the lived realities of Astana causes disillusionment, but emic criticism of the political
economy fails to transcend the logic of modernization narratives that the ideology
of Astana’s construction rests upon.
Staging "small, small incidents"
Authors: van der Molen Thomas , Bal Ellen
Published: July 2011

In this article, we reflect on the gendered contours of young Kashmiris’
dissident practices against the Indian military occupation of the Kashmir Valley.
It is largely based on ethnographic research that coincided with the launch of an
ongoing, predominantly nonviolent people’s movement in which youth have
played a prominent role. The article shows how university students’ and young
professionals’ “small activism” is entangled in the gendered dynamics of militarization
and dissent, while underlining the threat posed by “security forces” to
women’s “honor” and “dignity.” In the context of widespread societal anxiety about
“dishonor,” young Kashmiris’ urge to reclaim dignity at once motivates them to
practice dissent and narrows the scope for female dissidents’ capacity to act upon
this drive overtly. The present case suggests that recent anthropological interest in
global youth cultural practices may be supplemented with a recognition of local
constraints on young people’s public opposition that arise in circumstances of
(gendered) state oppression.
It's a Material World: Trends in Material Extraction in China, India, Indonesia, and Japan
Authors: York Richard , Ergas Christina , Rosa Eugene A. , Dietz Thomas
Published: July 2011

We examine trends since 1980 in material extraction in China, India, Indonesia, and Japan—which together contain over 40% of the world's population—to assess the environmental consequences of modernization. Economic and population growth has driven rapid expansion of material extraction in China, India, and Indonesia since 1980. China and India exhibit patterns consistent with the Jevons paradox, where the economic intensity of extraction (extraction/GDP) has steadily declined while total extraction grew. In Indonesia, extraction intensity grew along with total extraction. In Japan, total extraction remained roughly constant, increasing somewhat in the 1980s and then slowly declining after 1990, while extraction intensity declined throughout the entire period. These different patterns can be understood to some degree by drawing on political-economic and world-systems perspectives. Japan is an affluent, core nation that can afford to import materials from other nations, thereby avoiding escalation of material extraction within its borders. China and India are rapidly industrializing nations that, although increasingly drawing on resources from beyond their borders, still rely on their own natural resources for growth. Indonesia, an extraction economy with less global power than the other nations examined here, exports its own natural resources, often unprocessed, to spur economic growth. The trends highlighted here suggest that in order to avert environmental crisis, alternative forms of development, which do not involve traditional economic growth, may need to be adopted by nations around the world.
Cultural Botany: Toward a Model of Transdisciplinary, Embodied, and Poetic Research into Plants
Authors: Ryan John C.
Published: July 2011

Since the eighteenth century, the study of plants has reflected an increasingly mechanized and technological view of the natural world that divides the humanities and the natual sciences. In broad terms, this article proposes a context for research into flora through an interrogation of existing literature addressing a rapprochement between ways to knowledge. The natureculture dichotomy, and more specifically the plant-to-human sensory disjunction, follows a parallel course of resolution to the schism between objective (technical, scientific, reductionistic, visual) and subjective (emotive, artistic, relational, multi-sensory) forms of knowledge. The foundations of taxonomic botany, as well as the allied fields of environmental studies, ethnobotany and economic botany, are undergirded by universalizing, sensorylimited visual structuring of the natural world. As the study of everyday embodied interactions of humans with flora, expanding upon the lens of cultural ecology, "cultural botany" provides a transdisciplinary research approach. Alternate embodied cultural engagements with flora emerge through a syncretic fusion of diverse methodologies.
Regulating Nature: Public Understanding and Moral Reasoning
Authors: Lidskog Rolf
Published: July 2011

This paper analyzes public understanding and moral reasoning with regard to regulating nature, specifically, societal efforts to control an insect population. It presents a study of a Swedish case in which a biological insecticide has been used to fight mosquitoes to reduce the nuisance to the local population. This case involves conflicting values regarding environmental protection. People's right to outdoor life is placed in opposition to long-term risks to biodiversity. Through interviews with local residents, their deliberations on the spraying are analyzed, particularly concerning to what extent and how they describe the situation in moral terms, but also how they acknowledge and use scientific findings in their argumentation.
Spiritual Beliefs and Ecological Traditions in Indigenous Communities in India: Enhancing Community-Based Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: Torri Maria Costanza , Herrmann Thora Martina
Published: July 2011

From time immemorial, local and indigenous communities in India have developed traditions, representations, and beliefs about the forest and biodiversity. The cultural practices and beliefs of a community play a significant role in enhancing community-based initiatives, particularly in achieving sustainability in the long term. Nevertheless, too often conservation policies do not take into consideration the link between the culture of local communities and their environment. A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between cultural traditions and practices related to biodiversity and their current status and manifestations is crucial to the concept of effective and sustainable conservation policy. This article examines the traditional practices of the communities in the Sariska region (Rajasthan, India) as well as their beliefs and their values, underlining the special relationship that these tribal and indigenous communities maintain with the forest and their usefulness in community-based conservation. Some conclusive remarks on the importance of adapting conservation approaches to local cultural representations of the environment will be drawn.
Darwin, Meaning and Value
Authors: Attfield Robin
Published: July 2011

In response to Alan Holland's ‘Darwin and the meaning in life’ ( Environmental Values 18: 503–518) I argue that there can be room in a Darwinian world for talk of value, in the sense of interpersonal reasons to promote, preserve or cherish some of the states of that world, or to be glad about those states. Darwinian theorists can recognise a range of intrinsically valuable states of affairs, from the pleasure or the happiness of creatures to their flourishing, and need not discard axiology in general. The context of the passage criticised by Holland is explained to show that I was attempting to supply a vocabulary (such as ‘reasons to be glad') usable by religious sceptics as well as believers, for comparing worlds with parasitism and predation and worlds without them; the shape of such comparisons is further delineated. Reasons for being tentative about trans-world comparisons are also supplied.
What Do We Do about Bleakness?
Authors: Holland Alan
Published: July 2011

In response to Robin Attfield, I am inclined, still, (a) to claim that the concept of value cannot do the kind of comparative work that he asks it to do; (b) to doubt that the value of our world can be founded on the flourishing to be found there; and (c) to believe that there is enough in the world to be glad about even if it does not contain a preponderance of value. In response to John Cottingham, (a) I wonder whether denying the contingency of our moral impulses is compatible with the acceptance of Darwinian theory; (b) I distinguish between the primacy and the objectivity of moral truth; and (c) I draw attention to an apparently worrying implication of the belief that moral truth is ‘objective’.
Towards a Multidimensional, Environmentalist Ethic
Authors: Carter Alan
Published: July 2011

There has been a process of moral extensionism within environmental ethics from anthropocentrism, through zoocentrism, to ecocentrism. This article maps key elements of that process, and concludes that each of these ethical positions fails as a fully adequate, environmentalist ethic, and does so because of an implicit assumption that is common within normative theory. This notwithstanding, each position may well contribute a value. The problem that then arises is how to trade off those values against each other when they conflict. The solution here proposed is to employ multidimensional isovalue-contours along with a multidimensional practicability-frontier. This would result in a rich, value-pluralist environmentalist ethic that enjoined different outcomes to those enjoined by purely anthropocentric, zoocentric or ecocentric ethics.
Gaining Legitimacy and Losing Trust: Stakeholder Participation in Ecological Risk Assessment for Marine Protected Area Management
Authors: Treffny Raphael , Beilin Ruth
Published: July 2011

This study examines the application of a qualitative Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) tool to initiate management planning and community engagement in newly legislated Marine Protected Areas. Scientists and the agency expected the participatory element to increase the legitimacy of management by achieving consensus about management priorities as well as to engender trust in science and agency procedures. We point to the complex nature of participatory engagement when expert and lay knowledge are combined while an agency's claim to legitimacy rests on scientific judgements. While community engagement offered agency staff an additional way to claim legitimacy it also challenged the way planners, rangers as well as community representatives previously attained trust.
Garrett Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons and the Firth of Forth
Authors: Smout T.C.
Published: July 2011

Garrett Hardin's theory of the 'tragedy of the commons' is applied to the marine environment of the Firth of Forth, Scotland, where many biological resources were much more plentiful before 1800 than they are today. His ideas are tested against the history of herring fishing, oyster dredging and pollution in the area. In two cases, irreversible resource depletion is found and associated both with failure of self-regulation and external control, and notably with accelerated demand from outside; in the third case, river pollution, degradation occurs but is reversed. The reasons for this are discussed.
The Rise of Blame and Recreancy in the United Kingdom: A Cultural, Political and Scientific Autopsy of the North Sea Flood of 1953
Authors: Hall Alexander
Published: July 2011

The North Sea Flood of January 1953 was the largest natural disaster in UK twentieth-century history, accounting directly for 307 deaths on land alone. The event highlighted huge inadequacies in sea defences and disaster policy within the UK and the resultant Waverley Report formed the basis of modern UK disaster policy. Despite the lack of central government involvement in rescue efforts and the apparent non-existence of co-ordinated rescue plans, little blame or accountability was assigned. Due to the relative infancy of the mass media and the post-war time frame the disaster is often overlooked by modern commentators from both academia and wider society. Through analysis of personal accounts, regional and national press and parliamentary papers it is shown how the devastation on the East coast in January 1953 acted as a trigger event for subsequent large scale policy and social change. By comparing the events of 1953 with subsequent UK flood events it is shown how public expectations of disaster response in the UK have grown.
Modernising the Urban Environment: The Musi River Flood of 1908 in Hyderabad, India
Authors: Cohen Benjamin
Published: July 2011

This article explores the Musi River flood in the city of Hyderabad in 1908. I argue that the flood served as a watershed moment for the native rulers of Hyderabad State (a princely state embedded within the British Raj) to rebuild Hyderabad city, and the river, along modern, Western lines.
Betrayal or 'Business as Usual'? Access to Forest Resources in the Nepal Terai
Authors: Rajan Sinha Deb
Published: July 2011

The lack of progress with community forestry in the Nepal Terai has been blamed on regional agrarian structure, the ethnic composition of the population, in-migration and the spatial distribution of forests and settlements. Yet a careful analysis of the environmental history of the region demonstrates that the Nepalese State never relinquished its control over the economically-valuable Terai forests. The skilful weaving of conflicting environmental narratives with national forest policies has allowed the Nepalese State to fend off challenges to its federal power structure from aid agencies and public demands on the Terai's forests.
Reading the Landscape Past: Explaining the Lack of On-Farm Tree Planting in Ethiopia
Authors: Kassa Habtemariam , Bekele Melaku , Campbell Bruce
Published: July 2011

Although tree planting initiatives by the state began by the end of the nineteenth century, on-farm tree planting has not been widespread, particularly on plots outside homesteads. Farmers particularly in central and northern Ethiopia are limited to growing trees mainly at homesteads indicating the need to identify the underlying discouraging factors. This paper examines the historical trend and current status of tree planting by smallholder farmers. In addition to reviewing historical and legal documents, the study solicited farmers' opinions and used maps and satellite images to examine past and recent features of a site in southern Ethiopia that represents the southern Rift Valley areas of the country and is characterised by low to medium tree cover. Major policy failures identified, and which persisted over a long period of time, include lack of tenure security, historical background that promoted free grazing, political and institutional instability, abrupt and radical changes in rural development policies and strategies and market distortions due to de facto open access of forest resources on the one hand and price control and lengthy permit requirements to sell wood and wood products produced on farms on the other. Unless these issues are addressed, the degrading landscapes will be worse off. The study clearly demonstrates that, in developing countries like Ethiopia, stable institutions, secure tenure and enabling policies are critical if tree planting is to be promoted for meeting farmers' own needs and growing market demands and thus increasing rural household income.
Book Reviews
Authors: Luckin Bill , Pooley Simon , Platt Harold L. , Specht Joshua
Published: July 2011

Genevieve Massard-Guilbaud, Histoire de la Pollution Industrielle: France, 1789-1914 (Bill Luckin)
Stephen J. Pyne, America's Fires: A Historical Context for Policy and Practice (Simon Pooley)
Stefania Barca, Enclosing Water: Nature and Political Economy in a Mediterranean Valley, 1796-1916 (Harold L. Platt)
Marcus Hall (ed.), Restoration and History: The Search for a Usable Environmental Past (Joshua Specht)
Assessment of Bioflocculant Production by Bacillus sp. Gilbert, a Marine Bacterium Isolated from the Bottom Sediment of Algoa Bay
Authors: Nontembiso Piyo , Sekelwa Cosa , Leonard Mabinya V. , Anthony Okoh I.
Published: July 2011

The bioflocculant-producing potentials of a marine bacteria isolated from the bottom sediment of Algoa Bay was investigated using standard methods. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed 98% similarity to that of Bacillus sp. HXG-C1 and the nucleotide sequence was deposited in GenBank as Bacillus sp. Gilbert with accession number HQ537128. Bioflocculant was optimally produced when sucrose (72% flocculating activity) and ammonium chloride (91% flocculating activity) were used as sole sources of carbon and nitrogen, respectively; an initial pH 6.2 of the production medium; and Mg2+ as cation. Chemical analysis of the purified bioflocculant revealed the compound to be a polysaccharide.
Two New Withanolide Lactones from Flos Daturae
Authors: Kuang Hai-Xue , Yang Bing-You , Xia Yong-Gang , Wang Qiu-Hong
Published: July 2011

Chemical investigation of the 50% ethanol eluate fraction from a macroporous resin of flowers of Datura metel L. collected in the Jiangsu Province of China resulted in the isolation of two new withanolides, baimantuoluoline G (1) and baimantuoluoside H (2). Their structures were elucidated as (12β,6β,22R)-1,10-seco-6,12,27-trihydroxy-26-oxo-witha-3,5,24-trienolide-1-oic acid-ε-lactone (1) and (5β,6α,12β,22R)-5,6,12,27-tetra-hydroxy-1,26-dioxo-witha-2,24-dienolide-27-O-β-glucopyranoside (2) on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D-NMR and HRESIMS) and chemical studies.
Adenovirus Vector-Derived VA-RNA-Mediated Innate Immune Responses
Authors: Machitani Mitsuhiro , Yamaguchi Tomoko , Shimizu Kahori , Sakurai Fuminori , Katayama Kazufumi , Kawabata Kenji , Mizuguchi Hiroyuki
Published: July 2011

The major limitation of the clinical use of replication-incompetent adenovirus (Ad) vectors is the interference by innate immune responses, including induction of inflammatory cytokines and interferons (IFN), following in vivo application of Ad vectors. Ad vector-induced production of inflammatory cytokines and IFNs also results in severe organ damage and efficient induction of acquired immune responses against Ad proteins and transgene products. Ad vector-induced innate immune responses are triggered by the recognition of Ad components by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). In order to reduce the side effects by Ad vector-induced innate immune responses and to develop safer Ad vectors, it is crucial to clarify which PRRs and which Ad components are involved in Ad vector-induced innate immune responses. Our group previously demonstrated that myeloid differentiating factor 88 (MyD88) and toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) play crucial roles in the Ad vector-induced inflammatory cytokine production in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Furthermore, our group recently found that virus associated-RNAs (VA-RNAs), which are about 160 nucleotide-long non-coding small RNAs encoded in the Ad genome, are involved in IFN production through the IFN-β promoter stimulator-1 (IPS-1)-mediated signaling pathway following Ad vector transduction. The aim of this review is to highlight the Ad vector-induced innate immune responses following transduction, especially VA-RNA-mediated innate immune responses. Our findings on the mechanism of Ad vector-induced innate immune responses should make an important contribution to the development of safer Ad vectors, such as an Ad vector lacking expression of VA-RNAs.
Advances in Bio-Optical Imaging for the Diagnosis of Early Oral Cancer
Authors: Olivo Malini , Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy , Keogh Ivan
Published: July 2011

Oral cancer is among the most common malignancies worldwide, therefore early detection and treatment is imperative. The 5-year survival rate has remained at a dismal 50% for the past several decades. The main reason for the poor survival rate is the fact that most of the oral cancers, despite the general accessibility of the oral cavity, are not diagnosed until the advanced stage. Early detection of the oral tumors and its precursor lesions may be the most effective means to improve clinical outcome and cure most patients. One of the emerging technologies is the use of non-invasive in vivo tissue imaging to capture the molecular changes at high-resolution to improve the detection capability of early stage disease. This review will discuss the use of optical probes and highlight the role of optical imaging such as autofluorescence, fluorescence diagnosis (FD), laser confocal endomicroscopy (LCE), surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal reflectance microscopy (CRM) in early oral cancer detection. FD is a promising method to differentiate cancerous lesions from benign, thus helping in the determination of adequate resolution of surgical resection margin. LCE offers in vivo cellular imaging of tissue structures from surface to subsurface layers and has demonstrated the potential to be used as a minimally invasive optical biopsy technique for early diagnosis of oral cancer lesions. SERS was able to differentiate between normal and oral cancer patients based on the spectra acquired from saliva of patients. OCT has been used to visualize the detailed histological features of the oral lesions with an imaging depth down to 2–3 mm. CRM is an optical tool to noninvasively image tissue with near histological resolution. These comprehensive diagnostic modalities can also be used to define surgical margin and to provide a direct assessment of the therapeutic effectiveness.
Sensitivity of Depth-Integrated Satellite Lidar to Subaqueous Scattering
Authors: Barton Jonathan S. , Jasinski Michael F.
Published: July 2011

A method is presented for estimating subaqueous integrated backscatter using near-nadir viewing satellite lidar. The algorithm takes into account specular reflection of laser light, laser scattering by wind-generated foam as well as sun glint and solar scattering from foam. The formulation is insensitive to the estimate of wind speed but sensitive to the estimate of transmittance used in the atmospheric correction. As a case study, CALIOP data over Tampa Bay were compared to MODIS 645 nm remote sensing reflectance, which previously has been shown to be nearly linearly related to turbidity. The results indicate good correlation on nearly all CALIOP cloud-free dates during the period 2006 through 2007, particularly those with relatively high atmospheric transmittance. The correlation decreases when data are composited over all dates but is still statistically significant, a possible indication of variability in the biogeochemical composition in the water. Overall, the favorable results show promise for the application of satellite lidar integrated backscatter in providing information about subsurface backscatter properties, which can be extracted using appropriate models.
Systems-Biology Approaches to Discover Anti-Viral Effectors of the Human Innate Immune Response
Authors: Münk Carsten , Sommer Andreas F.R. , König Renate
Published: July 2011

Virus infections elicit an immediate innate response involving antiviral factors. The activities of some of these factors are, in turn, blocked by viral countermeasures. The ensuing battle between the host and the viruses is crucial for determining whether the virus establishes a foothold and/or induces adaptive immune responses. A comprehensive systems-level understanding of the repertoire of anti-viral effectors in the context of these immediate virus-host responses would provide significant advantages in devising novel strategies to interfere with the initial establishment of infections. Recent efforts to identify cellular factors in a comprehensive and unbiased manner, using genome-wide siRNA screens and other systems biology “omics” methodologies, have revealed several potential anti-viral effectors for viruses like Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), West Nile virus (WNV), and influenza virus. This review describes the discovery of novel viral restriction factors and discusses how the integration of different methods in systems biology can be used to more comprehensively identify the intimate interactions of viruses and the cellular innate resistance.
VFR Travelers: How Long are They Staying?
Authors: Backer Elisa
Published: July 2011

The Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment of travelers is a substantial segment of tourism in many destinations around the world. However, relative to its size, research has been lacking, commencing only around 20 years ago, and gaining momentum only this century. Research into
VFR traveler profiles and characteristics has been limited, and some of what has been found conflicts with other findings. One such conflict relates to travelers' length of stay. While some research indicates that VFR travel is associated with long length of stay, other research indicates
that it is associated with short-break tourism. The purpose of this research was to examine the length of stay for VFR travelers compared with non-VFR travelers at three contrasting destinations in Australia. Although the average length of stay varied among destinations, there was no significant
difference between VFR and non-VFR travelers at each destination. That is, in this study VFR travel was not found to be associated with either short or long stay at the three destinations considered. However, length of stay was longer the more popular the destination was with tourists. As
such, it is concluded that VFR travelers stay at more attractive destinations longer than at less attractive destinations, but not at any significantly different level to non-VFRs.
I Can't do Everything! Competing Priorities as Constraints in Triathlon Event Travel Careers
Authors: Lamont Matthew , Kennelly Millicent
Published: July 2011

The term “event travel career” describes how highly involved and/or committed persons pursue a career of travel to organized events linked to their preferred leisure activity. The introduction of this significant, discretionary social role may lead to individuals experiencing
dilemmas in prioritizing between day-to-day needs and desires and those of their event travel career. This article discusses how the concepts of competing priorities and opportunity costs are useful in understanding constraints faced by serious leisurists pursuing an event travel career. The
sport of triathlon was chosen as a context in which to examine these concepts. A textual analysis of postings to an Australian online forum for triathletes was undertaken over 4 weeks. The data supported the contention that persons who train for and travel to triathlon events face significant
resource-related constraints in the form of competing priorities. Three domains where the triathletes encountered competing priorities in their lives were identified: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural. In terms of negotiating constraints presented by their competing priorities,
the triathletes appeared willing to accept a range of opportunity costs in order to maintain momentum in their event travel career. This study contributes to enhancing knowledge regarding constraints faced by serious leisurists in a tourism context, and also in understanding the broader implications
of constraints negotiation at the individual level.
Impediments to Tourism Investment in Australia: A Scoping Study
Authors: Tkaczynski Aaron , Driml Sally , Robinson Jacqueline , Dwyer Larry
Published: July 2011

This article reports on a scoping study identifying the impediments to tourism investment in Australia. It focuses on regional perspectives to present an understanding of tourism investment in metropolitan, regional, and remote tourism destinations. Despite the 2009 Jackson Report outlining
several supply-side inhibitors to tourism development in Australia, the key impediments for tourism investment are not well covered in the tourism literature and are rarely brought together in an integrated manner. To identify these investment impediments, a case study approach, employing
semistructured interviews with tourism industry and government representatives in several metropolitan, regional, and remote locations throughout Australia, was conducted in early 2010. Low profitability and variable demand were frequently nominated as the most significant impediments to investment
by the majority of the interviewees. However, each location has its own unique circumstances and impediments to investment, underpinned by the type of economic development of the region, local planning controls and regulations, as well as issues particular to tourism such as location and natural
and/or cultural attractions. A number of recommendations are formulated based on the findings from the case studies that emphasize the identification, monitoring, and publicizing of facilitators of investment and strategies to overcome impediments.
Insufficient Antiretroviral Therapy in Pregnancy: Missed Opportunities for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Europe
Authors:   European Collaborative Study in EuroCoord, Bailey Heather , Townsend Claire , Cortina-Borja Mario , Thorne Claire , Bianchi L Chieco , Zacchello F , Ruga E , Laverda AM , D'Elia R , Oletto S , Schmitz T , Weogel R , Seel Karen , Casteleyn S , Burns S , Hallam N , Yap PL , Whitelaw J , Sancho B , Casanego G Fontan , Molina A Gonzalez , Gobernado M , Lopez JL , Cordoba J , van der Plas A , Lepoole EM , Westling Katarina , Kaldma A , Lindholm AC , Ferrazin A , Rosso R , Mantero G , Trasino S , Nicoletti J , Mur E , de Tejada B Martinez , Zamora L , Vidal R , Zucotti G , Re M Carla , Tovo PA , Gabiano C , Maccabruni A , Ferraris G , Bruno T , Mantero G , Nicoletti A , Bruzzone B , Rosso R , Setti M , Kaflik M
Published: July 2011

Background

Although mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rates are at an all-time low in Western Europe, potentially preventable transmissions continue to occur. Duration of antenatal combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) is strongly associated with MTCT risk.

Methods

Data on pregnant HIV-infected women enrolled in the Western and Central European sites of the European Collaborative Study between January 2000 and July 2009 were analysed. The proportion of women receiving no antenatal ART or 1–13 days of treatment was investigated, and associated factors explored using logistic regression models.

Results

Of 2,148 women, 142 (7%) received no antenatal ART, decreasing from 8% in 2000–2003 to 5% in 2004– 2009 (χ2=8.73; P<0.01). A further 41 (2%) received 1–13 days of ART. One-third (64/171) of women with ‘insufficient’ (0 or 1–13 days) antenatal ART had a late HIV diagnosis (in the third trimester or intrapartum), but half (85/171) were diagnosed before conception. Pre-term delivery <34 weeks was associated with receipt of no and 1–13 days antenatal ART (adjusted odds ratios [ORs] 2.9 [ P<0.01] and 4.5 [ P<0.01], respectively). History of injecting drug use was associated with an increased risk of no ART (adjusted OR 2.9; P<0.01) and severe symptomatic HIV disease with a decreased risk (adjusted OR 0.2; P<0.01). MTCT rates were 1.1% (15/1,318) among women with ≥14 days antenatal ART and 7.4% (10/136) among those with insufficient ART.

Conclusions

Over the last 10 years, around one in 11 women in this study received insufficient antenatal ART, accounting for 40% of MTCTs. One-half of these women were diagnosed before conception, suggesting disengagement from care.
A Software Tool to Visualize Verbal Protocols to Enhance Strategic and Metacognitive Abilities in Basic Programming
Authors: Ar Carlos A. , Mu Estela L. , G Juan M.
Published: July 2011

Learning to program is difficult for many first year undergraduate students. Instructional strategies of traditional programming courses tend to focus on syntactic issues and assigning practice exercises using the presentation-examples-practice formula and by showing the verbal and visual explanation of a teacher during the â??step by step
Collaborative Rural Healthcare Network: A Conceptual Model
Authors: Raja U. , McManus D.J. , Hardin J.M. , Haynes B.C.
Published: July 2011

Healthcare is a critical issue in rural communities throughout the world. Provision of timely and cost effective health care in these communities is a challenge since it is coupled with a lack of adequate infrastructure and manpower support. Twenty percent of the United States of Americaâ??s population resides in rural communities, i.e., 59 million people; however, only nine percent of the nationâ??s physicians practice in rural communities. Shortage of health care personnel and the lack of equipment and facilities often force rural residents to travel long distances to receive needed medical treatment. Researchers and practitioners are in search of solutions to address these unique challenges. In this research, we present a proposed collaborative model of a health information system for rural communities and the challenges and opportunities of this global issue.
Interdisciplinary Approaches at Institutions of Higher Education: Teaching Information Systems Concepts to Students of Non-Computer Science Programs
Authors: Schwald Roland
Published: July 2011

The aim of this paper is to present a curriculum development concept for teaching information systems content to students enrolled in non-computer science programs by presenting examples from the Business Administration programs at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, a state university located in Southern Germany. The main focus of this paper therefore is to describe this curriculum development concept. Since this concept involves two disciplines, i.e. business administration and computer science, the author argues that it is necessary to define the roles of one discipline for the other and gives an example on how this could be done.

The paper acknowledges that the starting point for the development of a curriculum such as one for a business administration program will be the requirements of the potential employers of the graduates. The paper continues to recommend the assignment of categorized skills and qualifications, such as knowledge, social, methodological, and decision making skills to the different parts of the curricula in question for the development of such a curriculum concept. After the mapping of skills and courses the paper describes how specific information systems can be used in courses, especially those with a specific focus on methodological skills. Two examples from Albstadt-Sigma-ringen University are being given.

At the end of the paper the author explains the implications and limitations of such a concept, especially for programs that build on each other, as is the case for some Bachelor and Master programs. The paper concludes that though some elements of this concept are transferable, it is still necessary that every institution of higher education has to take into consideration its own situation to develop curricula concepts. It provides recommendations what issues every institution should solve for itself.
Pharmacotherapy Options in the Management of Phenylketonuria
Authors: Peters Stacy , Van Gilder Deidra , Dvoracek Kyle , Hegge Karly A.
Published: July 2011

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disorder related to a deficiency in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), which converts phenylalanine to tyrosine. As a result, phenylalanine can accumulate in the bloodstream, potentially leading to severe neurologic sequelae. Traditionally, PKU management involves strict dietary phenylalanine restriction, although adherence to this diet is suboptimal, necessitating improved therapeutic options.

Sapropterin (Kuvan®) is a synthetic form of tetrahydrobioterin (BH4), a cofactor for PAH, and offers promise for patients with residual enzyme production. In four pivotal phase 2 and 3 trials, as well as several smaller trials, sapropterin has demonstrated significantly improved plasma phenylalanine concentrations in patients with BH4-responsive PKU. Furthermore, data exist to support reduced dependence on a restricted phenylalanine diet. Sapropterin has a favorable safety profile, but further studies are warranted to evaluate its long-term effects.

Sapropterin represents a significant advancement in PKU management, and its clinical role may continue to evolve as more data become available and clinicians gain experience with this novel pharmacologic agent.
Ultrasound Guided Obturator versus Sciatic Nerve Block in Addition to Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Analgesia after Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Sato Keita , Sai Seijyu , Shirai Naoto , Adachi Takehiko
Published: July 2011

Both obturator and sciatic nerve block in combination with femoral nerve block (FNB) have been suggested to be useful in relieving pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), compared with FNB alone. We compared their efficacy in this retrospective study. For six consecutive months, patients undergoing unilateral TKA under general anesthesia with continuous FNB plus obturator nerve block (n = 8) or continuous FNB plus sciatic nerve block (n = 8) were investigated. Knee pain was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) on the day of surgery and on postoperative days one to three. In addition, we also investigated intraoperative and postoperative morphine consumption. VAS scores and total morphine consumption were not different between the two groups, although patients in the FNB plus sciatic nerve block group were administered less morphine during surgery. Sciatic nerve block with continuous FNB may be superior to obturator nerve block with continuous FNB for analgesia during surgery for TKA.
Sources and atmospheric processing of organic aerosol in the Mediterranean: insights from aerosol mass spectrometer factor analysis
Authors: Hildebrandt L. , Kostenidou E. , Lanz V. A. , Prevot A. S. H. , Baltensperger U. , Mihalopoulos N. , Laaksonen A. , Donahue N. M. , Pandis S. N.
Published: July 2011

Abstract. Atmospheric particles were measured in the winter at a remote coastal site on the island of Crete, Greece during the Finokalia Aerosol Measurement Experiment-2009. A Quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer (Q-AMS) was employed to quantify the size-resolved chemical composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol, and a thermodenuder was used to analyze the organic aerosol (OA) volatility. Complementary measurements included particle size distributions from a scanning mobility particle sizer, inorganic and organic particle composition from filter analysis, concentrations of O3, NOx and NOy, and meteorological measurements. Factor analysis was performed on the OA mass spectra, and the variability in OA composition could best be explained with three OA components. The oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) was similar in composition and volatility to the summertime OA previously measured at this site and appears to represent an effective endpoint in particle-phase oxidation of organics. The two other OA components, one associated with amines (Amine-OA) and the other probably associated with the burning of olive branches (OB-OA), had lower volatility but were less oxygenated. Hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) was not detected. The absence of OB-OA and Amine-OA in the summer data may be due to lower emissions and/or photochemical conversion of these components to OOA.
On aerosol hygroscopicity, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra and critical supersaturation measured at two remote islands of Korea between 2006 and 2009
Authors: Kim J. H. , Yum S. S. , Shim S. , Yoon S.-C. , Hudson J. G. , Park J. , Lee S.-J.
Published: July 2011

Abstract. Aerosol size distribution, total concentration (i.e., condensation nuclei (CN) concentration, NCN), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration (NCCN), hygroscopicity at ~90 % relative humidity (RH) were measured at a background monitoring site at Gosan, Jeju Island, south of the Korea Peninsula in August 2006, April to May 2007 and August to October 2008. Similar measurement took place in August 2009 at another background site (Baengnyeongdo Comprehensive Monitoring Observatory, BCMO) on the island of Baengnyeongdo, off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Both islands were found to be influenced by continental sources regardless of season and year. Average values for all of the measured NCCN at 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0 % supersaturations (S), NCN, and geometric mean diameter (Dg) from both islands were in the range of 1043–3051 cm−3, 2076–4360 cm−3, 2713–4694 cm−3, 3890–5117 cm−3 and 81–98 nm, respectively. Although the differences in Dg and NCN were small between Gosan and BCMO, NCCN at various S was much higher at the latter, which is closer to China. Most of the aerosols were internally mixed and no notable differences in hygroscopicity were found between the days of strong pollution influence and the non-pollution days for both islands. During the 2008 and 2009 campaigns, critical supersaturation for cloud nucleation (Sc) for selected particle sizes was measured. Particles of 100 nm diameters had mean Sc of 0.19 ± 0.02 % during 2008 and those of 81 and 110 nm diameters had mean Sc of 0.26 ± 0.07 % and 0.17 ± 0.04 %, respectively, during 2009. Hygroscopicity parameters estimated from the measured Sc were mostly higher than the ones from the measured hygroscopic growth at ~90 % RH. For the 2008 campaign, NCCN at 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0 % S were predicted based on the measured dry particle size distribution and various ways of representing aerosol hygroscopicity. The best closure was obtained when temporally varying and size-resolved hygroscopicity information from HTDMA was used, for which the average relative deviations from the measured values were 19 % for 1.0 % S and 28 % for 0.2 % S. Prescribing a constant hygroscopicity parameter suggested in literature (κ = 0.3) for all sizes and time resulted in the average relative deviations, 25–40 %. When constant hygroscopicity was assumed, the relative deviation tended to increase with decreasing NCCN, which was accompanied by increase of sub-100 nm fraction. These results suggest that hygroscopicity information for aerosols of diameters smaller than 100 nm is crucial for more accurate prediction of NCCN.