bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response rate and nonresponse bias in a questionnaire survey of dentists
Authors: Parashos Peter , Morgan Michael V. , Messer Harold H.
Published: January 2005

Abstract –  Objectives:  (a) To report on response rate and nonresponse bias of a questionnaire survey of dentists. (b) To make recommendations for future questionnaire survey research in dentistry.

Methods:  A questionnaire was mailed to a stratified systematic sample of 908 Australian dentists. The strategy included three mailings, a final telephonic contact, university stationery, paid reply envelopes and personalized correspondence. Nonresponse bias was assessed by comparing responses to a simple ‘yes/no’ question from each contact (late responders), and by comparing demographic information (nonresponders).

Results:  The response rate achieved was 87% and there was no evidence of nonresponse bias based on practice location or year of graduation. The cumulative proportions of ‘yes/no’ responses essentially remained constant after each contact, but significantly more late responders answered in the negative to the test question than did early responders. The telephonic contact aided in the identification of nonparticipants and ineligible units.

Conclusions:  The current survey indicates that differences in data between early and nonresponders can occur despite there being no demographic differences. Therefore, assessment of nonresponse bias based on demographic data alone would seem to be insufficient. Questionnaire survey research must first be based on sound sampling techniques, and then on achieving as high a response rate as possible using the many incentives available.
Assessment of risk factors for oral leukoplakia in West Virginia
Authors: Fisher Monica A. , Bouquot Jerry E. , Shelton Brent J.
Published: January 2005

Abstract –  Objective:  To assess risk factors associated with oral leukoplakia in a US population with high use of smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

Methods:  The RJ Gorlin Leukoplakia Tissue Registry was used to identify individuals with oral leukoplakia in West Virginia, USA. This case–control study consisted of 90 cases with oral leukoplakia and 78 controls with periapical cysts. Univariate–univariable (one dependent variable and one independent variable) and univariate–multivariable (one dependent variable and multiple independent variables) logistic regression modeling quantified the association between oral leukoplakia and potential explanatory variables.

Results:  Unadjusted measures of association indicate that those with oral leukoplakia were more likely to be older [odds ratio of crude: ORCrude=2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.45–5.11], more likely to currently use smokeless tobacco (ORCrude=3.16; 95% CI: 1.10–9.07), and more likely to currently use snuff (ORCrude=8.32; 95% CI: 1.83–37.80). Individuals currently using smokeless tobacco or currently using snuff were more likely to have oral leukoplakia [adjusted odds ratio, ORAdj=9.21 and 30.08; 95% CI: 1.49–57.00 and 2.67–338.48, respectively], after simultaneously adjusting for age, gender, currently using smoked tobacco, currently using alcohol daily, and dental prostheses use.

Conclusions:  Generalizability is an issue when studying risk factors associated with oral leukoplakia because of geographical variations in the composition of smokeless tobacco (i.e. betel, lime, ash, and N‐nitrosamines) and cultural variations in the use of tobacco (i.e. reverse smoking). Snuff was the main smokeless tobacco product currently used in West Virginia, and was strongly associated with oral leukoplakia, after adjusting for potential explanatory variables.
Evaluation by dental students of a communication skills course using professional role‐players in a UK school of dentistry
Authors: Croft P. , White D. A. , Wiskin C. M. D. , Allan T. F.
Published: January 2005

This paper reports student (n = 180) feedback on the role‐play teaching methodology used in behavioural sciences teaching at The School of Dentistry in Birmingham (UK). The feedback received on this well‐established (since 1995) educational programme was collected via questionnaire (100% response rate), requiring Likert scale and free text responses. Generally students reported that they had enjoyed and valued the session. Over two‐thirds (69.7%) of students rated the role‐players as ‘very real’ and over three‐quarters (78.9%) rated their feedback as ‘very fair’. The data collected from this study will inform future curriculum development. Student feedback was very positive and demonstrated that the cohort (86% of all students studying in years 1, 2 and 3) found the use of professional role‐players involved in behavioural sciences teaching to be both acceptable and valuable.
Zip3 plays a major role in zinc uptake into mammary epithelial cells and is regulated by prolactin
Authors: Kelleher Shannon L. , Lönnerdal Bo
Published: January 2005

During lactation, a substantial amount of Zn2+ is transferred by the mammary gland from the maternal circulation into milk; thus secretory mammary epithelial cells must tightly regulate Zn2+ transport to ensure optimal Zn2+ transfer to the suckling neonate. To date, six Zn2+ import proteins (Zip1–6) have been identified; however, Zip3 expression is restricted to tissues with unique requirements for Zn2+, such as the mammary gland, which suggests that it may play a specialized role in this tissue. In the present study, we have used a unique mammary epithelial cell model (HC11) to characterize the role of Zip3 in mammary epithelial cell Zn2+ transport. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that Zip3 is localized to the cell surface in mammary epithelial cells and transiently relocalized to an intracellular compartment in cells with a secretory phenotype. Total 65Zn transport was higher in secreting cells, while gene silencing of Zip3 decreased 65Zn uptake into mammary epithelial cells, particularly in those with a secretory phenotype. Finally, reduced expression of Zip3 ultimately resulted in cell death, indicating that mammary epithelial cells have a unique requirement for Zip3-mediated Zn2+ import, which may reflect the unique requirement for Zn2+ of this highly specialized cell type and thus provides a physiological explanation for the restricted tissue distribution of this Zn2+ importer.
Measuring meals: structure of prandial food and water intake of rats
Authors: Zorrilla Eric P. , Inoue Koki , Fekete Éva M. , Tabarin Antoine , Valdez Glenn R. , Koob George F.
Published: January 2005

Attempts to understand ingestion have sought to understand the control of meals. The present study evaluated a meal definition that included prandial drinking (drinking-explicit meals). The spontaneous nocturnal intake of male Wistar rats was studied. The meal breakpoint was defined as the interval between feeding or drinking events providing the most stable estimate of meal structure. Alternative breakpoints derived from prevailing methodology, log-survivorship, or frequency histogram analysis of interfeeding intervals without respect to drinking were compared (drinking-naive meals). Threshold interfeeding intervals that accounted for drinking indirectly were evaluated as surrogate breakpoints (drinking-implicit meals). Definitions were compared by determining which criterion better conformed to predictions of satiety. Microstructural differences resulting from the definitions were also studied. Under the drinking-explicit definition, rats averaged nine or ten 13-min meals/night, during which they consumed food and water equally in duration (5–6 min) and quantity (2.3 g). Individual differences were observed in microstructure measures. Meals defined by drinking-informed, but not drinking-naive, methods were followed by the behavioral satiety sequence and by an initially low likelihood of resuming feeding that monotonically increased with time. The drinking-explicit definition uniquely revealed preprandial and postprandial correlations of similar magnitude. Under drinking-informed definitions, food restriction increased meal size, whereas drinking-naive definitions increased meal frequency. Drinking-implicit definitions provided workable approximations of meal frequency and size but inferior estimates of feeding duration, eating rate, and the preprandial correlation. Thus log-survivorship analysis is not appropriate for identifying meal breakpoints, and the consideration of drinking in meal definitions can provide a better estimate of meal structure.
Mechanisms of disuse muscle atrophy: role of oxidative stress
Authors: Powers Scott K. , Kavazis Andreas N. , DeRuisseau Keith C.
Published: January 2005

Prolonged periods of skeletal muscle inactivity lead to a loss of muscle protein and strength. Advances in cell biology have progressed our understanding of those factors that contribute to muscle atrophy. To this end, abundant evidence implicates oxidative stress as a potential regulator of proteolytic pathways leading to muscle atrophy during periods of prolonged disuse. This review will address the role of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress as potential contributors to the process of disuse-mediated muscle atrophy. The first section of this article will discuss our current understanding of muscle proteases, sources of reactive oxygen in muscle fibers, and the evidence linking oxidative stress to disuse muscle atrophy. The second section of this review will highlight gaps in our knowledge relative to the specific role of oxidative stress in the regulation of disuse muscle atrophy. By discussing unresolved issues and suggesting topics for future research, it is hoped that this review will serve as a stimulus for the expansion of knowledge in this exciting field.
Commercial rodent diets contain more sodium than rats need
Authors: Martus Wesley , Kim Dennis , Garvin Jeffrey L. , Beierwaltes William H.
Published: January 2005

The dietary sodium requirements for rats have been a matter of debate. Our hypothesis was that normal commercial rodent chow contains sodium in excess of dietary needs and that this could have a significant impact on cardiovascular and renal physiology. To investigate dietary sodium requirements, 3-wk-old weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a custom pelleted diet containing no sodium that was isocaloric to normal commercial rodent chow. These rats were provided with two drinking bottles; one contained water, and the other contained 0.5% NaCl. Thus they could choose and consume sodium as needed. Age-matched controls received normal pelleted Harlan Teklad 22/5 rodent diet (0.5% sodium content) and water ad libitum. Body weight and liquid intake were monitored over 7 wk until the rats were 10 wk old. At the end of the study, blood pressure was recorded. Weekly sodium intake in the experimental group was only 15% of that reported for rats fed normal rodent chow beginning in the first week postweaning. Growth was identical in the two groups (7.8 ± 0.1 vs. 7.6 ± 0.1 g/day), as was the total fluid volume intake. Blood pressure was significantly lower in the experimental rats compared with controls (96 ± 4 vs. 122 ± 4 mmHg, P < 0.05). These data suggest that, when given the choice, rats will consume significantly less sodium than provided in commercial chow, without any alteration in their growth rate. Rats fed standard commercial rodent chow may consume at least seven times more sodium than is necessary. This suggests commercial rodent diets may force excess sodium to accommodate caloric intake.
Genetics of Variation in HDL Cholesterol in Humans and Mice
Authors: Wang Xiaosong , Paigen Beverly
Published: January 2005

Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations are genetically determined to a great extent, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis has been used to identify chromosomal regions containing genes regulating HDL-C levels. We discuss new genes found to participate in HDL metabolism. We also summarize 37 mouse and 30 human QTLs for plasma HDL-C levels, finding that all but three of the mouse QTLs have been confirmed by a second cross or a homologous human QTL, that the mouse QTL map is almost saturated because 92% of recently reported QTLs are repeats of those already found, and that 28 of the 30 human QTLs are located in regions homologous to mouse QTLs. This high degree of concordance between mouse and human QTLs suggests that the underlying genes may be the same. Strategies to more rapidly identify genes underlying mouse and human QTLs for HDL-C include focusing on the mouse and using mouse–human homologies, combining crosses, and haplotyping to narrow the region. Sequence analysis and expression studies can distinguish candidate genes consistent across multiple mouse crosses, and testing the candidate genes in human association studies can provide additional evidence for the candidacy of a gene. Together these strategies can accelerate the pace of finding genes that regulate HDL.
The Controversy over the Protection of Motherhood and its Impact upon the Japanese Women's Movement
Authors: Tomida Hiroko
Published: January 2005

This article is an assessment of the bosei hogo ronsō (the controversy over the protection of motherhood) which developed between 1916 and 1919 among four female protagonists—Hiratsuka Raichō, Yosano Akiko, Yamakawa Kikue and Yamada Waka. It describes the origin and development of the controversy in the light of international and domestic social and political changes affecting women in Japan in the 1910s. It examines each protagonist's views on the rights and wrongs of the state protecting motherhood, and compares their positions. It also discusses the influence which Western feminists such as Olive Schreiner and Ellen Key had on the debate, and the conclusion which the debate reached. The article finally reviews the achievements and limitations of this key debate, and assesses the impact the controversy had on the Japanese women's movement.
The Major Discharge Events in the Paraguay River: Magnitudes, Source Regions, and Climate Forcings
Authors: Barros Vicente , Chamorro Lucas , Coronel Genaro , Baez Julián
Published: January 2005

The greatest discharges of the Paraguay River were studied using monthly series of Ladario, Brazil, at the outlet of the vast wetland of the Pantanal, and Asunción, Paraguay, at the middle Paraguay River outlet. Most of the major discharges at Asunción peaked between May and July, in phase with the annual maximum of the river discharges. They originated in the upper and middle Paraguay basins and were independent of the Pantanal output because their climate forcings were different from those of the Pantanal. In fact, most of the major discharge contributions from the upper and middle Paraguay basins occurred during El Niño (EN) periods, while at the Pantanal outlet they happened in neutral periods. The top discharge occurred during the autumn following the EN onset year. The composite of these cases has a tropospheric circulation that enhances the subtropical jet and the cyclonic vorticity advection over the Alto Paraná and the upper and middle Paraguay basins, favoring large positive anomalies in the precipitation field. Not all the major discharges were related to EN. Particularly, the major discharges that peaked in winter shared common features, despite their occurrence during EN, La Niña, or the neutral phases. Their April to August fields had an almost barotropic pattern at high latitudes with a deep cyclonic anomaly between 120° and 160°W and an anticyclonic anomaly over the southern tip of South America. This pattern is consistent with a northward shift of the synoptic perturbation tracks, which favors fields of positive precipitation anomalies over the Paraguay basin.
Climate Index Weighting Schemes for NWS ESP-Based Seasonal Volume Forecasts
Authors: Werner Kevin , Brandon David , Clark Martyn , Gangopadhyay Subhrendu
Published: January 2005

This study compares methods to incorporate climate information into the National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS). Three small-to-medium river subbasins following roughly along a longitude in the Colorado River basin with different El Niño–Southern Oscillation signals were chosen as test basins. Historical ensemble forecasts of the spring runoff for each basin were generated using modeled hydrologic states and historical precipitation and temperature observations using the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) component of the NWSRFS.

Two general methods for using a climate index (e.g., Niño-3.4) are presented. The first method, post-ESP, uses the climate index to weight ensemble members from ESP. Four different post-ESP weighting schemes are presented. The second method, preadjustment, uses the climate index to modify the temperature and precipitation ensembles used in ESP. Two preadjustment methods are presented. This study shows the distance-sensitive nearest-neighbor post-ESP to be superior to the other post-ESP weighting schemes. Further, for the basins studied, forecasts based on post-ESP techniques outperformed those based on preadjustment techniques.
A Proposed Structure for Coupling Tiled Surfaces with the Planetary Boundary Layer
Authors: Best M. J. , Beljaars A. , Polcher J. , Viterbo P.
Published: January 2005

A generalized coupling is proposed between atmospheric models and surface schemes (land and ocean). A set of input and output variables is defined for this purpose in such a way that it can be used by many current and future models, including mosaic or tile schemes. The basic concept is to pass atmospheric variables from the lowest model level and their relation to corresponding fluxes to the surface scheme. The surface scheme returns the fluxes. In this framework, there is no need for the atmospheric model to have detailed information about the surface. Only the result of the surface computations is needed; namely, the fluxes, which are applied as a boundary condition. The equations for fully implicit coupling are derived, and the relevance for numerical stability is demonstrated. It is also shown that fully implicit coupling in a tile scheme leads to more robust results than partially implicit coupling.
A Global Dataset of Palmer Drought Severity Index for 1870–2002: Relationship with Soil Moisture and Effects of Surface Warming
Authors: Dai Aiguo , Trenberth Kevin E. , Qian Taotao
Published: January 2005

A monthly dataset of Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) from 1870 to 2002 is derived using historical precipitation and temperature data for global land areas on a 2.5° grid. Over Illinois, Mongolia, and parts of China and the former Soviet Union, where soil moisture data are available, the PDSI is significantly correlated (r = 0.5 to 0.7) with observed soil moisture content within the top 1-m depth during warm-season months. The strongest correlation is in late summer and autumn, and the weakest correlation is in spring, when snowmelt plays an important role. Basin-averaged annual PDSI covary closely (r = 0.6 to 0.8) with streamflow for seven of world's largest rivers and several smaller rivers examined. The results suggest that the PDSI is a good proxy of both surface moisture conditions and streamflow. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the PDSI reveals a fairly linear trend resulting from trends in precipitation and surface temperature and an El Niño– Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-induced mode of mostly interannual variations as the two leading patterns. The global very dry areas, defined as PDSI < −3.0, have more than doubled since the 1970s, with a large jump in the early 1980s due to an ENSO-induced precipitation decrease and a subsequent expansion primarily due to surface warming, while global very wet areas (PDSI > +3.0) declined slightly during the 1980s. Together, the global land areas in either very dry or very wet conditions have increased from ∼20% to 38% since 1972, with surface warming as the primary cause after the mid-1980s. These results provide observational evidence for the increasing risk of droughts as anthropogenic global warming progresses and produces both increased temperatures and increased drying.
Comparison of the GPCP and CMAP Merged Gauge–Satellite Monthly Precipitation Products for the Period 1979–2001
Authors: Yin Xungang , Gruber Arnold , Arkin Phil
Published: January 2005

The two monthly precipitation products of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) are compared on a 23-yr period, January 1979–December 2001. For the long-term mean, major precipitation patterns are clearly demonstrated by both products, but there are differences in the pattern magnitudes. In the tropical ocean the CMAP is higher than the GPCP, but this is reversed in the high-latitude ocean. The GPCP–CMAP spatial correlation is generally higher over land than over the ocean. The correlation between the global mean oceanic GPCP and CMAP is significantly low. It is very likely because the input data of the two products have much less in common over the ocean; in particular, the use of atoll data by the CMAP is disputable. The decreasing trend in the CMAP oceanic precipitation is found to be an artifact of input data change and atoll sampling error. In general, overocean precipitation represented by the GPCP is more reasonable; over land the two products are close, but different merging algorithms between the GPCP and the CMAP can sometimes produce substantial discrepancy in sensitive areas such as equatorial West Africa. EOF analysis shows that the GPCP and the CMAP are similar in 6 out of the first 10 modes, and the first 2 leading modes (ENSO patterns) of the GPCP are nearly identical to their counterparts of the CMAP. Input data changes [e.g., January 1986 for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) precipitation index (GPI), July 1987 for Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), May 1994 for Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU), and January 1996 for atolls] have implications in the behavior of the two datasets. Several abrupt changes identified in the statistics of the two datasets including the changes in overocean precipitation, spatial correlation time series, and some of the EOF principal components, can be related to one or more input data changes.
Coupling between Large-Scale Atmospheric Processes and Mesoscale Land–Atmosphere Interactions in the U.S. Southern Great Plains during Summer. Part II: Mean Impacts of the Mesoscale
Authors: Weaver Christopher P.
Published: January 2005

This is Part II of a two-part study of mesoscale land–atmosphere interactions in the summertime U.S. Southern Great Plains. Part I focused on case studies drawn from monthlong (July 1995–97), high-resolution Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) simulations carried out to investigate these interactions. These case studies were chosen to highlight key features of the lower-tropospheric mesoscale circulations that frequently arise in this region and season due to mesoscale heterogeneity in the surface fluxes. In this paper, Part II, the RAMS-simulated mesoscale dynamical processes described in the Part I case studies are examined from a domain-averaged perspective to assess their importance in the overall regional hydrometeorology. The spatial statistics of key simulated mesoscale variables—for example, vertical velocity and the vertical flux of water vapor—are quantified here. Composite averages of the mesoscale and large-scale-mean variables over different meteorological or dynamical regimes are also calculated. The main finding is that, during dry periods, or similarly, during periods characterized by large-scale-mean subsidence, the characteristic signature of surface-heterogeneity-forced mesoscale circulations, including enhanced vertical motion variability and enhanced mesoscale fluxes in the lowest few kilometers of the atmosphere, consistently emerges. Furthermore, the impact of these mesoscale circulations is nonnegligible compared to the large-scale dynamics at domain-averaged (200 km × 200 km) spatial scales and weekly to monthly time scales. These findings support the hypothesis that the land– atmosphere interactions associated with mesoscale surface heterogeneity can provide pathways whereby diurnal, mesoscale atmospheric processes can scale up to have more general impacts at larger spatial scales and over longer time scales.
Integrating Technology into Teacher Education
Authors: Otero Valerie , Peressini Dominic , Meymaris Kirsten Anderson , Ford Pamela , Garvin Tabitha , Harlow Danielle , Reidel Michelle , Waite Bryan , Mears Carolyn
Published: January 2005

Teacher education programs around the nation continue to be challenged to prepare prospective teachers to use technology “meaningfully” in their instruction. This implies that university faculty in teacher education programs must become proficient at technology use and must come to understand content-specific, pedagogical uses of technology for their own instruction. In this article, the authors present a model for technological change driven by the notion of situated practice and communities of discourse in their school of education. They also describe a critical framework for facilitating discourse among teacher education faculty from which understandings of why, when, and how to use technology emerged. Several cases of situated practice are discussed with particular attention to how an understanding of meaningful technology use was negotiated through interactions between faculty and graduate students. Implicit in this model for technological change is a strategy for sustainability. This is elaborated as the authors discuss their results.
Comparing PDS and Campus-Based Preservice Teacher Preparation
Authors: Ridley D. Scott , Hurwitz Sally , Hackett Mary Ruth Davis , Miller Kari Knutson
Published: January 2005

To date, the professional development school (PDS) preservice teacher preparation literature base is long on attitudinal analysis and short on comparative analysis of outcome variables. This article reports on a 2-year study comparing the lesson planning, teaching effectiveness, postlesson reflectivity, and content retention of professional teaching knowledge for teachers prepared at a PDS or campus-based program. The teaching outcome variables were rubric scored by experienced raters blind to participants' preparation program. Although the scores of PDS-prepared student teachers consistently trended higher than the campus-prepared cohort, no statistically significant differences were found. However, during the 1st year of teaching, PDS-prepared teachers scored significantly higher than campus-prepared teachers on teaching effectiveness. Potential explanations for the findings are provided.
“Nadie Me Dijó [Nobody Told Me]”
Authors: Varghese Manka M. , Stritikus Tom
Published: January 2005

Nationwide and statewide shifts and ambiguity in language education policy have created substantial instability for teachers. Through a cross-case study and analysis of bilingual teachers in two states, this article shows how these teachers participate in responding to and making decisions regarding language policy. This article shows how and why an understanding of language policy and the decision making involved with it is a crucial dimension of the professional roles of teachers who have second-language learners in their classrooms. Thus, the authors broaden the discussion on the teacher preparation for the instruction of English-language-learner students, which has narrowly focused on an awareness of language and methods, to include the dimension of policy making.
Enhancing Commitment or Tightening Control: The Function of Teacher Professional Development in an Era of Accountability
Authors: Smith Thomas M. , Rowley Kristie J.
Published: January 2005

During the past decade or so, popular rhetoric has shifted away from site-based management and participatory governance as the centerpiece of school reform strategies as accountability and standards-based reform have become the reform mantra of policy makers at all levels of government. Critics of accountability-based reforms have suggested that teacher commitment is likely to be the main casualty of these control-based reform strategies. Annual polls of teachers, however, tend to show they generally support key aspects of standards-based reform. Thus, the impact of the apparent shift away from a commitment strategy of school organization toward a control strategy on teachers’ commitment to the profession remains unclear. Our analysis using the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey suggests that schools organized with a stronger commitment strategy may have better success in achieving their reform goals because of increased teacher participation in content-related professional development and greater stability in its teaching staff.
Life in the Fast Track: How States Seek to Balance Incentives and Quality in Alternative Teacher Certification Programs
Authors: Johnson Susan Moore , Birkeland Sarah E. , Peske Heather G.
Published: January 2005

The prospect of overseeing the rapid preparation of many participants in fast-track alternative certification programs presents several challenges for state education officials who seek to maintain, or even enhance, the quality of the state’s teaching force. This study examined a range of fast-track alternative teacher certification programs in 11 sites in three states—Connecticut, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. We found that participants were attracted by the incentives of the fast-track programs but also expected to have coursework and student-teaching experiences that would prepare them well to teach in September. Overall, candidates were satisfied with what the programs offered, though many wanted more preparation in content-based pedagogy and better student-teaching placements. There were advantages and disadvantages to centralized and decentralized approaches by the states to ensure quality of participants.
Educating School Leaders for Social Justice
Authors: Cambron-McCabe Nelda , McCarthy Martha M.
Published: January 2005

Traditional leadership preparation programs and licensure requirements give only token consideration to social justice concerns. This article examines the emerging social justice discourse in the educational administration field and discusses several challenges that must be considered as universities and others attempt to prepare school leaders for social justice critique and activism. Social justice scholarship in educational leadership emphasizes moral values, justice, respect, care, and equity; always in the forefront is a consciousness about the impact of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and disability on schools and students’ learning. School leadership programs face the challenge of preparing new leaders to critically inquire into the structures and norms that result in inequitable schooling for many students and to undertake an advocacy role to influence educational policies to achieve social justice.
School-Level Politics and Professional Development: Traps in Evaluating the Quality of Practicing Teachers
Authors: Cooper Bruce S. , Ehrensal Patricia A.L. , Bromme Matthew
Published: January 2005

Teacher supervision and evaluation are fundamental responsibilities of the principal. Yet principals and teachers find their supervisory interactions to be difficult and unsatisfying experiences. This article explores the micropolitical context in which supervision and evaluation take place. Highlighting specific examples in New York City, the article argues that the environment in which teacher-principal interactions occur is shaped by union contracts, state and district personnel policies, and precedents set by local experiences with teacher dismissals. These historical and structural factors and others converge to create three traps of supervision.
Total Quality Management and Outcomes Based Quality Improvement: Revisiting the Basics
Authors: Carmichael Susan
Published: January 2005

Initiating and maintaining a total quality management (TQM) program can be one answer to rising costs and decreasing reimbursement in health care. Identifying ways that an outcome-based corporate culture fully extends to both internal and external customers is the responsibility of leadership. Developing and using simple tools can aid in that process. Once systems are implemented, maintaining a true commitment to TQM becomes a powerful challenge. But, to the persevering leader, the rewards of quality customer service can go hand in hand with a positive bottom line.
The Health Care Profile: A Health Information Tracking Tool
Authors: Chagares Robin
Published: January 2005

Trying to stay ahead of routine scheduled health maintenance and doctors’ follow-up appointments is truly a nurse’s challenge. The health care profile was developed to capture and track this vital health care information. In addition to being a valuable information tool, the health care profile is used in orienting new nurses, recruitment, and quality improvement activities.
The Decision to Care: A Life-Altering Experience
Authors: Scott Linda D. , Arslanian-Engoren Cynthia
Published: January 2005

The decision to care is often mandated by unavoidable alterations within the family, requiring a primary caregiver. One population that often requires complex community-based care is survivors of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). This investigation explored the choices and challenges of eight family caregivers of PMV survivors. Using content analysis, several mutually exclusive themes emerged describing the caregiving experience as a physically exhausting, emotionally stressful decision that required a lifestyle change to actualize. Even with the burdensome challenges and overwhelming nature of the caregiving experience, participants identified positive rewards associated with the caregiving role. Home health care nurses are in a unique position to facilitate an effective transition to the caregiving role, serving as conduits for caregiver education and skill acquisition and advocating for the development of vital infrastructures that will provide resources, reassurance, and respite from burdensome caregiving challenges.
Ellie: A Case Study
Authors: King Anita H.
Published: January 2005

This article offers a medical, nursing, psychosocial, and cultural perspective of the success of home health care with the elderly population. Holistic nursing care is discussed, as well as a variety of individual considerations in the healing process.
Detecting and Evaluating Depression Among Elderly Patients in Home Health
Authors: Valente Sharon M.
Published: January 2005

Among home health patients, depression is a debilitating and treatable psychiatric condition that often remains undiagnosed and reduces quality of life, social interactions, daily functioning, and treatment adherence. Untreated major depression increases functional decline; costly medical, emergency, and mental health visits; and reliance on disability or welfare. In the worst case, many patients decide that life is not worth living and attempt suicide. Screening and careful assessment are the keys to the detection and evaluation of depression. Scant literature exists to guide the evaluation and management of depressive disorders in home care. This article illustrates the evaluation and management of depression. The home care provider is in a key position to detect, evaluate, and intervene with depression and monitor its complications such as suicide risk. Evaluating depression is a professional nursing responsibility requiring judgment and the ability to understand subtle dynamics of loss, hopelessness, and emotional pain.
Lateral weight transference exercises following acute stroke: a preliminary study of clinical effectiveness
Authors: Howe T E , Taylor I , Finn P , Jones H
Published: January 2005

Objectives: To evaluate a training programme aimed at improving lateral weight transference in patients following acute stroke to determine main treatment effects, if any, to inform the design of future studies.

Design: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

Setting: The Stroke Unit at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.

Subjects: Thirty-five patients with an acute stroke.

Interventions: All subjects received their usual care, including physiotherapy. The treatment group (n / 17) received 12 additional therapy sessions (over four weeks) comprising exercises aimed at improving lateral weight transference in sitting delivered by trained physiotherapy assistants.

Main outcome measures: Measures of dynamic reaching, sitting and standing, and static standing balance were undertaken by a blind independent observer.

Results: Specific measures of weight displacement in standing and reaching, and timed standing up and sitting down did not detect any differences over time regardless of group. Neither were there any significant changes over time, except for sway during static standing (p B=0.01) and time to return to their original position during dynamic reaching (p / 0.01).

Conclusions: A training programme aimed at improving lateral weight transference did not appear to enhance the rehabilitation of acute stroke patients. Improvements observed in postural control in standing and sitting may be attributable to usual care or natural recovery.
Effects of home massage rehabilitation therapy for the bed-ridden elderly: a pilot trial with a three-month follow-up
Authors: Hirakawa Yoshihisa , Masuda Yuichiro , Kimata Takaya , Uemura Kazumasa , Kuzuya Masafumi , Iguchi Akihisa
Published: January 2005

Objectives: To assess the effects of home massage rehabilitation therapy on the bed-ridden elderly.

Design: Alternatively allocated trial.

Setting: Subjects' homes, three home nursing stations, 13 visit care stations and one day service centre in Aichi prefecture, Japan.

Subjects: Bed-ridden patients who were 65 years and above, no dementia, stable general condition, and receiving no rehabilitation therapy.

Intervention: Thirty-minute sessions of home massage rehabilitation therapy by a massage practitioner 2 or 3 days a week for three consecutive months or usual care.

Main measurements: Barthel Index (BI), Subjective Satisfaction and Refreshment Scale, Apathy Scale and Self-rating Depression Score.

Results: Fifty-three subjects were recruited, 26 in the home massage rehabilitation group (HMG) and 27 in the routine care group without massage (RCG). The protocol was completed for 40 subjects, 22 in the HMG and 18 in the RCG. There were no significant differences between the baseline characteristics of both groups; age, presence of spouse, diseases associated with disabilities and use of day care rehabilitation (p / 0.76, 0.36, 0.94 and 0.71, respectively). The total BI score of the HMG (15.279=4.51) at baseline was nonsignificantly lower (p=0.03) than those of the RCG (11.449=5.90). Subjective Satisfaction and Refreshment Scale, Apathy Scale and Self-rating Depression Score of both groups at baseline were matched (p / 0.12, 0.32 and 0.89, respectively). There were no statistical differences between the intergroup changes over time in BI, Subjective Satisfaction and Refreshment Scale, Apathy Scale and Self-rating Depression Score (p / 0.35, 0.08, 0.70 and 0.55, respectively).

Conclusion: Home massage rehabilitation therapy did not show a positive effect on the bed-ridden elderly, either mentally or physically. We would require large-size trials to determine whether it is effective.
Gender and deprivation and rates of referral and thereby admission to a national neurorehabilitation service
Authors: Macleod M R , Smith S J
Published: January 2005

Objective: To investigate the association between gender and deprivation and rates of admission to a national neurorehabilitation facility following subarachnoid haemorrhage or traumatic brain injury.

Design: Retrospective analysis of hospital activity data.

Setting: Lothian Health Board hospital activity; national neurorehabilitation centre.

Subjects: Patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage or traumatic brain injury.

Methods: We obtained data for hospital discharge for subarachnoid haemorrhage and traumatic brain injury for patients living in the Lothian Health Board area for the five years 1995 to 1999 by age (15 and over), sex and deprivation category of home residence from nationally held data sets. Similar data were extracted for discharges from the national neurorehabilitation unit.

Main measures: Rates of neurorehabilitation admission per 1000 hospital admissions. Chi-squared testing was used to assess statistical significance.

Results: Data for 13 338 hospital admissions and 329 neurorehabilitation admissions were available. We observed higher than expected rates of rehabilitation admission for men with subarachnoid haemorrhage and for patients from more affluent postcode sectors with traumatic brain injury.

Conclusion: Higher rehabilitation rates are seen among men following subarachnoid haemorrhage and may indicate a focus on return-to-work in the referral or assessment of those suitable for or requiring neurorehabilitation. Higher rehabilitation rates in head injury in those from Carstairs Deprivation Category (DepCat) 2 postcode sectors may represent a bias favouring those from affluent areas in the interaction between the individual and the health service in this group.
Chronic low back pain in traumatic lower limb amputees
Authors: Kulkarni J , Gaine W J , Buckley J G , Rankine J J , Adams J
Published: January 2005

Objective: To ascertain the prevalence of back pain amongst traumatic lower limb amputees attending a regional rehabilitation centre and to determine the possible causes of back pain.

Design: All traumatic lower limb amputees given a semi-structured questionnaire to complete and a comparative subgroup of amputees with back pain and without back pain underwent physical examination, gait analysis, magnetic resonance scanning (MRI) and gait/standing stability analysis.

Setting: A subregional amputee rehabilitation centre.

Results: Transfemoral amputees were more likely to suffer from back pain (81%) than transtibial amputees (62%) (p≤0.05) and of those suffering from severe back pain, 89% and 81% also suffered from severe pain in the phantom limb and severe stump pain respectively. In two comparative subgroups of amputees there was no significant difference between back pain and pain-free groups except those with pain were more likely to have a body mass index (BMI) ratio above 50% of the recommended ratio. No difference in degeneration or disc disease between the groups on MR scans was found. Impact ground reaction forces during walking, irrespective of limb, were significantly greater (p≤0.05) in the pain-free group than in the pain group, as was walking speed. Gait asymmetry measures were similar in both groups. Centre of pressure displacement measures during standing were greater in the pain group than in the pain-free group.

Conclusions: Low back pain in amputees is a significant problem equal to that of pain in the phantom limb and a biomechanical (myofascial) rather than a degenerative aetiology is suggested.
The influence of contractures and variation in measurement stretching velocity on the reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale in patients with severe brain injury
Authors: Mehrholz Jan , Major Yvonne , Meißner Daniel , Sandi-Gahun Sahr , Koch Rainer , Pohl Marcus
Published: January 2005

Objective: To determine the influence of contractures and different stretching velocities on the reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in patients with severe brain injury and impaired consciousness.

Design: Cross-section observational study.

Setting: A rehabilitation centre for adult persons with neurological disorders.

Subjects: Fifty patients with impaired consciousness due to severe cerebral damage of various aetiologies.

Measurement protocol: Three experienced and trained medical professionals rated each patient in a randomized order once daily for two consecutive days. Shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee and ankle spasticity were assessed by the use of the MAS with different stretching velocities. The presence of contractures was assessed by a goniometer.

Main outcome measures: Retest and inter-rater reliability (kw= weighted kappa) of the MAS.

Results: The retest reliability of the MAS was good (shoulder joints (kw0.74), elbow joints (kw0.74), wrist joints (kw0.72), knee joints (kw0.72), ankle joints (kw0.77)) and the inter-rater reliability was moderate (shoulder joints (kw0.49), elbow joints (kw0.52), wrist joints (kw0.51), knee joints (kw0.54) ankle joints (kw0.49)). The presence of contractures significantly influenced the reliability of MAS in shoulder and wrist joints. No influence of stretching velocity on the reliability of the MAS was found.

Conclusion: In patients with impaired consciousness due to severe brain injury the MAS has good retest, but only limited inter-rater, reliability. The presence of contractures may influence reliability of the MAS, but stretching velocity does not.
Effects of home training and additional physical therapy on recovery after acute unilateral vestibular loss- a randomized study
Authors: Kammerlind Ann-Sofi C , Ledin Torbjöfn EA , Ödkvist Lars M , Skargren Elisabeth IB
Published: January 2005

Objective: To evaluate the effects of additional physical therapy on recovery after acute unilateral vestibular loss given to patients receiving home training.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Ear, nose and throat departments in three hospitals.

Subjects: Fifty-four patients (mean age 52 years) with acute unilateral vestibular loss within the last week confirmed with electronystagmography testing were included. Patients with central neurologic or auditory symptoms or other vertigo disease were excluded.

Interventions: Home training with or without additional physical therapy 12 times during 10 weeks.

Main measures: Electronystagmography testing was performed before and after the training period. Clinical static (Romberg?s test, sharpened Romberg?s test, standing on foam and standing on one leg) and dynamic (walking forward and backward on a line) balance tests and subjective ratings of vertigo and balance problems on a visual analogue scale were done one week, 10 weeks and six months after the start of training.

Results: Similar changes were seen in the two training groups.

Conclusions: No significant differences in outcome regarding balance function or perceived symptoms were found between home training with or without additional physical therapy.
The effectiveness of exercise programmes after lumbar disc surgery: a randomized controlled study
Authors: Filiz Mustafa , Cakmak Aysegul , Ozcan Emel
Published: January 2005

Objective: To compare two different exercise programmes versus a control group, after lumbar disc surgery.

Design: A prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Subjects: Sixty patients diagnosed as having single level lumbar disc herniation with clinical examination and MRI evaluation and who had undergone lumbar discectomy (post-operative first month) at a single level. Patients with serious pathologies involving the cardiac and respiratory systems that could prevent them from doing exercises were excluded.

Intervention: The patients were randomly split into three groups. The first group received an intensive exercise programme and back school education while the second group received a home exercise programme and back school education. The third group was defined as the control group and did not receive education or exercise.

Main measures: The patients were evaluated at the beginning and end of the treatment with clinical parameters, pain levels, endurance tests and weight-lifting tests, modified Oswestry Disability Index, Beck Depression Inventory, Low Back Pain Rating Scale and return to work.

Results: The groups doing exercises experienced a decrease in the severity of pain and disability, also functional parameters showed better improvement than the control group. The intensive exercise programme was better than the home exercise programme.

Conclusions: It seems that intensive exercise is more effective in reduction of pain and disability, but whether it is cost-effective is not clear.