bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do children with central venous line (CVL) dysfunction have increased risk of symptomatic thromboembolism compared to those without CVL-dysfunction, while on cancer therapy?
Authors: Halton Jacqueline , Nagel Kim , Brandão Leonardo R , Silva Mariana , Gibson Paul , Chan Anthony , Blyth Kay , Hicks Kim , Parmar Nagina , Paddock Leslie , Willing Stephanie , Thabane Lehana , Athale Uma
Published: July 2012

Background

Thromboembolism (TE) and infection are two common complications of central venous line (CVL). Thrombotic CVL-dysfunction is a common, yet less studied, complication of CVL. Two retrospective studies have reported significant association of CVL-dysfunction and TE. Recent studies indicate association of CVL-related small clot with infection. Infection is the most common cause of non-cancer related mortality in children with cancer. We and others have shown reduced overall survival (OS) in children with cancer and CVL-dysfunction compared to those without CVL-dysfunction. Despite these observations, to date there are no prospective studies to evaluate the clinical significance of CVL-dysfunction and it’s impact on the development of TE, infection, or outcome of children with cancer.

Study design

This is a prospective, analytical cohort study conducted at five tertiary care pediatric oncology centers in Ontario. Children (≤ 18 years of age) with non-central nervous system cancers and CVL will be eligible for the study. Primary outcome measure is symptomatic TE and secondary outcomes are infection, recurrence of cancer and death due to any cause. Data will be analyzed using regression analyses.

Discussion

The overall objective is to delineate the relationship between CVL-dysfunction, infection and TE. The primary aim is to evaluate the role of CVL-dysfunction as a predictor of symptomatic TE in children with cancer. We hypothesize that children with CVL-dysfunction have activation of the coagulation system resulting in an increased risk of symptomatic TE. The secondary aims are to study the impact of CVL-dysfunction on the rate of infection and the survival [OS and event free survival (EFS)] of children with cancer. We postulate that patients with CVL-dysfunction have an occult CVL-related clot which acts as a microbial focus with resultant increased risk of infection. Further, CVL-dysfunction by itself or in combination with associated complications may cause therapy delays resulting in adverse outcome.

This study will help to identify children at high risk for TE and infection. Based on the study results, we will design randomized controlled trials of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy to reduce the incidence of TE and infection. This in turn will help to improve the outcome in children with cancer.
Minimal invasive surgery for unicameral bone cyst using demineralized bone matrix: a case series
Authors: Cho Hwan Seong , Seo Sung Hwa , Park So Hyun , Park Jong Hoon , Shin Duk Seop , Park Il Hyung
Published: July 2012

Background

Various treatments for unicameral bone cyst have been proposed. Recent concern focuses on the effectiveness of closed methods. This study evaluated the effectiveness of demineralized bone matrix as a graft material after intramedullary decompression for the treatment of unicameral bone cysts.

Methods

Between October 2008 and June 2010, twenty-five patients with a unicameral bone cyst were treated with intramedullary decompression followed by grafting of demineralized bone matrix. There were 21 males and 4 female patients with mean age of 11.1 years (range, 3–19 years). The proximal metaphysis of the humerus was affected in 12 patients, the proximal femur in five, the calcaneum in three, the distal femur in two, the tibia in two, and the radius in one. There were 17 active cysts and 8 latent cysts. Radiologic change was evaluated according to a modified Neer classification. Time to healing was defined as the period required achieving cortical thickening on the anteroposterior and lateral plain radiographs, as well as consolidation of the cyst. The patients were followed up for mean period of 23.9 months (range, 15–36 months).

Results

Nineteen of 25 cysts had completely consolidated after a single procedure. The mean time to healing was 6.6 months (range, 3–12 months). Four had incomplete healing radiographically but had no clinical symptom with enough cortical thickness to prevent fracture. None of these four cysts needed a second intervention until the last follow-up. Two of 25 patients required a second intervention because of cyst recurrence. All of the two had a radiographical healing of cyst after mean of 10 additional months of follow-up.

Conclusions

A minimal invasive technique including the injection of DBM could serve as an excellent treatment method for unicameral bone cysts.
SNPs in the coding region of the metastasis-inducing gene MACC1 and clinical outcome in colorectal cancer
Authors: Schmid Felicitas , Burock Susen , Klockmeier Konrad , Schlag Peter M , Stein Ulrike
Published: July 2012

Background

Colorectal cancer is one of the main cancers in the Western world. About 90% of the deaths arise from formation of distant metastasis. The expression of the newly identified gene metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is a prognostic indicator for colon cancer metastasis. Here, we analyzed for the first time the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of MACC1 for clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients. Additionally, we screened met proto-oncogene (Met), the transcriptional target gene of MACC1, for mutations.

Methods

We sequenced the coding exons of MACC1 in 154 colorectal tumors (stages I, II and III) and the crucial exons of Met in 60 colorectal tumors (stages I, II and III). We analyzed the association of MACC1 polymorphisms with clinical data, including metachronous metastasis, UICC stages, tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis and patients’ survival (n = 154, stages I, II and III). Furthermore, we performed biological assays in order to evaluate the functional impact of MACC1 SNPs on the motility of colorectal cancer cells.

Results

We genotyped three MACC1 SNPs in the coding region. Thirteen % of the tumors had the genotype cg (rs4721888, L31V), 48% a ct genotype (rs975263, S515L) and 84% a gc or cc genotype (rs3735615, R804T). We found no association of these SNPs with clinicopathological parameters or with patients’ survival, when analyzing the entire patients’ cohort. An increased risk for a shorter metastasis-free survival of patients with a ct genotype (rs975263) was observed in younger colon cancer patients with stage I or II (P = 0.041, n = 18). In cell culture, MACC1 SNPs did not affect MACC1-induced cell motility and proliferation.

Conclusion

In summary, the identification of coding MACC1 SNPs in primary colorectal tumors does not improve the prediction for metastasis formation or for patients’ survival compared to MACC1 expression analysis alone. The ct genotype (rs975263) might be associated with a reduced survival for younger colon cancer patients in early stages. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
Planning influenza vaccination programs: a cost benefit model
Authors: Duncan Ian G , Taitel Michael S , Zhang Junjie , Kirkham Heather S
Published: July 2012

Background

Although annual influenza vaccination could decrease the significant economic and humanistic burden of influenza in the United States, immunization rates are below recommended levels, and concerns remain whether immunization programs can be cost beneficial. The research objective was to compare cost benefit of various immunization strategies from employer, employee, and societal perspectives.

Methods

An actuarial model was developed based on the published literature to estimate the costs and benefits of influenza immunization programs. Useful features of the model included customization by population age and risk-level, potential pandemic risk, and projection year. Various immunization strategies were modelled for an average U.S. population of 15,000 persons vaccinated in pharmacies or doctor’s office during the 2011/12 season. The primary outcome measure reported net cost savings per vaccinated (PV) from the perspective of various stakeholders.

Results

Given a typical U.S. population, an influenza immunization program will be cost beneficial for employers when more than 37% of individuals receive vaccine in non-traditional settings such as pharmacies. The baseline scenario, where 50% of persons would be vaccinated in non-traditional settings, estimated net savings of $6 PV. Programs that limited to pharmacy setting ($31 PV) or targeted persons with high-risk comorbidities ($83 PV) or seniors ($107 PV) were found to increase cost benefit. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the scenario-based findings.

Conclusions

Both universal and targeted vaccination programs can be cost beneficial. Proper planning with cost models can help employers and policy makers develop strategies to improve the impact of immunization programs.
Hippocampal expression of murine IL-4 results in exacerbation of amyloid deposition
Authors: Chakrabarty Paramita , Tianbai Li , Herring Amanda , Ceballos-Diaz Carolina , Das Pritam , Golde Todd E
Published: July 2012

Background

Pro-inflammatory stimuli, including cytokines like Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6 and Interferon-γ, in the brain have been proposed to exacerbate existing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) neuropathology by increasing amyloidogenic processing of APP and promoting further Aβ accumulation in AD. On the other hand, anti-inflammatory cytokines have been suggested to be neuroprotective by reducing neuroinflammation and clearing Aβ. To test this hypothesis, we used adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV2/1) to express an anti-inflammatory cytokine, murine Interleukin-4 (mIL-4), in the hippocampus of APP transgenic TgCRND8 mice with pre-existing plaques.

Results

mIL-4 expression resulted in establishment of an “M2-like” phenotype in the brain and was accompanied by exacerbated Aβ deposition in TgCRND8 mice brains. No change in holo APP or APP C terminal fragment or phosphorylated tau levels were detected in mIL-4 expressing CRND8 cohorts. Biochemical analysis shows increases in both SDS soluble and insoluble Aβ. mIL-4 treatment attenuates soluble Aβ40 uptake by microglia but does not affect aggregated Aβ42 internalization by microglia or soluble Aβ40 internalization by astrocytes.

Conclusions

Short term focal mIL-4 expression in the hippocampus leads to exacerbation of amyloid deposition in vivo, possibly mediated by acute suppression of glial clearance mechanisms. Given that recent preclinical data from independent groups indicate engagement of the innate immune system early on during disease pathogenesis may be beneficial, our present study strongly argues for a cautious re-examination of unwarranted side–effects of anti-inflammatory therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, including AD.
Gremlin in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma complicating chronic hepatitis C: an immunohistochemical and PCR study of human liver biopsies
Authors: Guimei Maha , Baddour Nahed , ElKaffash Dalal , Abdou Laila , Taher Yousry
Published: July 2012

Background

The possible role of secretory products of fibrous tissue in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicating chronic hepatitis C was investigated. Our hypothesis was that gremlin, secreted by fibroblasts, inhibited bone morphogenic protein (BMP), which mediates stem cell maturation into adult functioning hepatocytes, and thus, arrest stem cell maturation and promoted their proliferation in an immature state possibly culminating into development of HCCs.

Results

Protein expression of cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), and mRNA expression of gremlin and BMP-7 were studied in 35 cases of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC complicating chronic hepatitis C. CK19 expression was higher in cases of cirrhosis (0.004), which correlated with the grade (r = 0.64, p = 0.009) and stage (r = 0.71, p = 0.001). All HCCs were negative for CK19. Stem cell niche activation (as indicated as a ductular reaction) was highest in cases of cirrhosis (p = 0.001) and correlated with CK19 expression (r = 0.42, p = 0.012), the grade(r = 0.56, p = 0.024) and stage (0.66, p = 0.006). FGF-2 expression was highest in HCCs and correlated with the grade (r = 0.6, p = 0.013), stage (0.72, p = 0.002), CK19 expression (r = 0.71, p = 002) and ductular reaction (0.68, p = 0.004) in hepatitis cases. Higher numbers of cirrhosis cases and HCCs (p = 0.009) showed gremlin expression, which correlated with the stage (r = 0.7, p = 0.002). Gremlin expression correlated with that of CK19 (r = 0.699, p = 0.003) and FGF2 (r = 0.75, p = 0.001) in hepatitis cases.

Conclusions

Fibrosis promotes carcinogenesis by fibroblast-secreted gremlin that blocks BMP function and promotes stem cell activation and proliferation as well as possibly HCC development.
Pulmonary artery and right ventricle assessment in pulmonary hypertension: correlation between functional parameters of ECG-gated CT and right-side heart catheterization
Authors: Abel Elodie , Jankowski Adrien , Pison Christophe , Luc Bosson Jean , Bouvaist Hélène , Ferretti Gilbert R
Published: July 2012

Background

Right ventricular function predicts outcome in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Therefore accurate assessment of right ventricular function is essential to graduate severity, assess follow-up, and response to therapy.

Purpose

To evaluate whether PH severity could be assessed using electrocardiography-gated CT (ECG-gated CT) functional parameters. A further objective was to evaluate cardiac output (CO) using two ECG-gated CT methods: the reference Simpson technique and the fully automatic technique generated by commercially available cardiac software.

Material and Methods

Our institutional review board approved this study; patient consent was not required. Twenty-seven patients who had undergone ECG-gated CT and right heart catheterization (RHC) were included. Two independent observers measured pulmonary artery (PA) diameter, PA distensibility, aorta diameter, right ventricular cardiac output (CT-RVCO) and right ventricular ejection fraction (CT-RVEF) with automatic and Simpson techniques on ECG-gated CT. RHC-CO and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) were measured on RHC. Relationship between ECG-gated CT and RHC measurements was tested with linear regression analysis.

Results

Inter-observer agreement was good for all measurements (r > 0.7) except for CT-RVCO calculated with Simpson's technique (r = 0.63). Pulmonary artery (PA) distensibility was significantly correlated to mPAP (r = −0.426, P = 0.027). CT-RVEF was correlated with mPAP only when issued from Simpson technique (r = −0.417, P = 0.034). CT-RVEF was not significantly correlated to RHC-CO ( P > 0.2). CT-RVCO measured with Simpson technique (r = 0.487, P = 0.010) and automatic segmentation (r = 0.549, P = 0.005) correlated equally with RHC-CO.

Conclusion

CT-RVEF and CT-RVCO measured on ECG-gated CT are significantly correlated, respectively, to mPAP and RHC-CO in this population with severe reduction of the right ventricular ejection fraction and could be useful for evaluating and following patients with PH.
Accuracy of MR findings in characterizing peroneal tendons disorders in comparison with surgery
Authors: Park Hee-Jin , Lee So-Yeon , Park Noh-Hyuck , Rho Myung-Ho , Chung Eun-Chul , Kwag Hyon-Joo
Published: July 2012

Background

Previous studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a high sensitivity for peroneal tendon pathology but more studies with surgery as a reference standard are needed.

Purpose

To evaluate the accuracy of MRI compared to surgery for characterizing chronic peroneal tendon pathology.

Material and Methods

Ninety-seven patients (57 men, 40 women; mean age, 39 years; range, 15–64 years) with chronic lateral ankle instability underwent MRI followed by surgery, with a mean MR to surgery interval of 30 days. Sagittal, coronal, and axial T1-weighted spin-echo and fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast spin-echo images were obtained for all patients. Two blinded observers evaluated the MR images without clinical information, and the results were compared to surgical findings. The following peroneal injuries were observed: tendon split, interstitial tear, swelling of the tendon, fluid collection, superior peroneal retinaculum injury, and tendon dislocation.

Results

Swelling of the peroneus longus tendon was the most common finding on MR imaging, followed by fluid collection and a split of the peroneus brevis tendon. Surgical findings showed that nine cases (9%) of interstitial tears were in the peroneus brevis and two cases (2%) were in the peroneus longus, with eight cases (8%) of splits in the peroneus brevis tendon. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting interstitial tears in the peroneus brevis were 44% and 99%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting swelling in the peroneus brevis were 50% and 99%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting interstitial tears for peroneus longus injuries were 50% and 96%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting swelling in these injuries were and 100% and 96%, respectively.

Conclusion

MRI findings of chronic peroneal tendon pathology are diagnostically specific but not sensitive. MRI showed high sensitivity for diagnosing tendon swelling in the peroneus longus, but not in the peroneus brevis. MRI is sensitive but not specific for detecting negative findings.
Natural products from Brazilian biodiversity as a source of new models for medicinal chemistry
Authors: Bolzani Vanderlan da Silva , Valli Marilia , Pivatto Marcos , Viegas Cláudio
Published: July 2012

Natural products are the inspiration for many valuable therapeutic agents and attest to biodiversity being a rich source of new molecular structures. Their value as templates for medicinal chemistry remains undisputed, even after the growth of the combinatorial chemistry era. Tropical environments, such as Brazilian biomes, offer a particularly rich potential for biologically active compounds with unique structures and continue to contribute toward modern drug discovery. Our bioprospecting of plant species of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes has yielded promising bioactive secondary metabolites, and we describe some of these molecules and semisynthetic derivatives as potential acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors.
Pleasure Against Ideology in Gabriel Ferrater
Authors: Illas Edgar
Published: July 2012

This paper examines the works of Catalan poet Gabriel Ferrater (1922–1972) in relation to the economy of dilapidation that traverses his poetry, which is mostly devoted to his experiences of love and sex. I analyze the poetization of these experiences as an attempt to find a nonideological space that escaped the reality of Francoism, or, in Freudian terms, as an embrace of the pleasure principle against the reality principle that structured Ferrater’s historical situation. I relate these poetics, and politics, of “pleasure against ideology” to the Barcelona School, particularly to Jaime Gil de Biedma and Carlos Barral. But the facts that, unlike these two poets, Ferrater wrote in Catalan and his family went bankrupt after the Civil War make his “dilapidating enterprise” more distressing but also more significant. Finally, I interpret Ferrater’s abandonment of poetry in the late 1960s as a sign that the pursuit of pleasure had lost its subversive content and was now channeled into mass consumerism.
Over-the-Counter Medication Purchase and Use by Blind Consumers
Authors: Sansgiry Sujit S. , Pawaskar Manjiri D. , Bhounsule Prajakta
Published: July 2012

Little is known regarding consumption of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by the blind. They may face difficulty while accessing information from OTC medication labels. This exploratory, cross-sectional study was designed to determine blind consumers’ attitude and purchase behavior towards OTC medications and use of low-vision tools while using these medications.
Healthy Heart, Healthy Family : A NHLBI/HRSA Collaborative Employing Community Health Workers to Improve Heart Health
Authors: Fernandes Ritabelle , Braun Kathryn L. , Spinner Jovonni R. , Sturdevant Cynthia , Ancheta Sharonne J. , Yoshimura Sheryl R. , Compton Merlita , Wang Jo-Hsi , Lee Carolyn J.
Published: July 2012

Kokua Kalihi Valley, a federally qualified health center in Hawaii, collaborated with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to test the efficacy of community health workers (CHWs) to deliver the Healthy Heart, Healthy Family curriculum to low-income Filipinos with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. At 12 months, significant improvements were seen in health behaviors, knowledge, and self-efficacy in managing chronic diseases. We also observed decreases in total cholesterol from 186.25 mg/dl to 170.88 mg/dl (p=.001), low-density lipoprotein from 114.43 mg/dl to 103.04 mg/dl (p=.013), and fasting blood glucose from 117.95 mg/dl to 109.07 mg/dl (p=.034). Although these changes were statistically significant, they are small and not clinically meaningful in reducing CVD risk. The high-density lipoprotein was 3.3 mg/dl lower (worse) at 12 months (p=.003), mean values for blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference increased. Community health workers can be trained to deliver evidence-based curricula that improve health behaviors and increase self-efficacy in managing chronic diseases.
Community Health Centers and the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Challenges and Opportunities to Reduce Health Care Disparities in America
Authors: Anderson Daren R. , Olayiwola J. Nwando
Published: July 2012

Health care disparities pose an ongoing challenge to the nation. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model presents a unique opportunity for community health centers (CHCs) to improve the health of medically underserved communities and reduce health care disparities. Community health centers face ongoing financial and operational challenges, but are well positioned to adopt the PCMH. Health centers have experience collaborating on quality improvement initiatives and possess a strong organizational structure. The culture of CHCs emphasizes cultural competence, team work, and patient-centrism, and is well-aligned with the PCMH model. However, CHCs need more support to make fundamental changes in processes and practice culture. Many of these changes require substantial redesigns that can challenge even the most innovative practices. State and federal policy should focus on providing training, guidance, and payment mechanisms that support PCMH. Taking these steps, the U.S. can achieve the goal that every American receives patient-centered care that is equitable, affordable, and effective.
Health Care Access and Use Among the Rural Uninsured
Authors: Ziller Erika C. , Lenardson Jennifer D. , Coburn Andrew F.
Published: July 2012

The uninsured have poorer access to care and obtain care at greater acuity than those with health insurance; however, the differential impact of being uninsured in rural versus urban areas is largely unknown. Using data from the 2002–2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we examine whether uninsured rural residents have different patterns of health care use than their urban counterparts, and the factors associated with any differences. We find that being uninsured leads to poorer access in both rural and urban areas, yet the rural uninsured are more likely to have a usual source of care and use services than their urban counterparts. Further, controlling for demographic and health characteristics, the access and use differences between the uninsured and insured in rural areas are smaller than those observed in urban areas. This suggests that rural providers may impose fewer barriers on the uninsured who seek care than providers in urban areas.
Health Literacy and Nutrition Behaviors among Low-Income Adults
Authors: Speirs Katherine E. , Messina Lauren A. , Munger Ashley L. , Grutzmacher Stephanie K.
Published: July 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between health literacy and nutrition behaviors using a low-income sample. Face-to-face surveys at 11 social services offices generated a convenience sample of 154 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible adults. We assessed health literacy, fruit and vegetable intake, food label use, consumption of healthy foods, and demographic characteristics. Thirty seven percent of the sample had adequate health literacy as measured by the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Race and parenthood were significantly related to health literacy scores. Adequate health literacy, as measured by the NVS, was associated with frying chicken less often and eating the peels of fresh fruit more often. The findings suggest that health practitioners should ensure nutrition-related messages are accessible to all of their clients, especially those with the lowest health literacy levels.
Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance
Authors: Palmer Ada
Published: July 2012

In the Renaissance, Epicureanism and other heterodox scientific theories were strongly associated with heresy and atheism, and frequently condemned. Yet, when Lucretius’s Epicurean poem De Rerum Natura reappeared in 1417, these associations did not prevent the poem’s broad circulation. A survey of marginalia in Lucretius manuscripts reveals a characteristic humanist reading agenda, focused on philology and moral philosophy, which facilitated the circulation of such heterodox texts among an audience still largely indifferent to their radical content. Notes in later sixteenth century print copies reveal a transformation in reading methods, and an audience more receptive to heterodox science
Oedipus Crux: Reasonable Doubt in Oedipus the King
Authors: Fosso Kurt
Published: July 2012

Oedipus didn't do it, at least not in Oedipus the King . Given all of the tragedy's conflicting testimony and unclear facts, there is little to prove the hero unwittingly murdered his father and married his mother, aside from his own self-conviction. Sophocles's drama indeed suggests that two traveling parties were massacred at the crossroads: one a royal entourage and the other a rustic band, one assailed by multiple killers and the other by a solitary traveler, Oedipus, who killed not King Laius but another elderly man. As for the charge of incest, Oedipus may not be Jocasta's offspring. The play further implies that the prophet Teiresias could have concocted his accusations of parricide and incest from inside intelligence, local tropes, and common fears. To thus question the facts of Oedipus's guilt is to bring to task tenets incorporated in Western tradition as a near gospel of guilt, judgment, and fate.
Refusal to Tell: Withholding Heroines in Hawthorne, Wharton, and Coetzee
Authors: Alsop Elizabeth
Published: July 2012

This essay examines the role of female withholding in three novels spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter , Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth , and J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace , texts that at first glance appear to have little in common. All three, however, feature heroines who elect silence as a response to trauma, crisis, or duress, despite the negative consequences for themselves. Through comparative analyses of these novels and their heroines, Hester, Lily, and Lucy, and by drawing on a range of narrative and feminist theory, this essay argues that silence constitutes a form of resistance for the characters, a means of contravening the tragic plots that have been prepared for them. Thus, while silence has been a historically deprecated term in feminist thought, these novels suggest that withholding, far from telegraphing defeat, might instead serve more varied and strategic functions for female subjects in fiction.
Rethinking Postmodern Narrativity: Narrative Construction and Identity Formation in Don DeLillo's White Noise
Authors: Wiese Annjeanette
Published: July 2012

With This essay explores how Don DeLillo's White Noise foregrounds the often unnoticed impact of narrative on identity formation, an aspect of the text that makes it particularly suited for teaching literature, since this foregrounding emphasizes the crucial interconnections between form and idea. More specifically, this essay looks at how White Noise examines the narratives that underlie individual identity formation as well as the way that narrative as an organizational apparatus shapes such a formation. Even though its protagonist fails to successfully use narrative to meaningfully construct a stable existence, the novel produces revised models for the reader's own positioning as an agent of his or her own construction of identity. As such, it allows us to see narrative not as a now-defunct system for explaining the world (as grand narratives attempt to do) but as a means of countering the loss of individual, meaningful experience so often associated with postmodernity.
Montaigne's "Cannibals" and The Tempest Revisited
Authors: Go Kenji
Published: July 2012

Shakespeare's borrowing in The Tempest from Montaigne's essay "Cannibals" has been generally assumed to be concentrated in one short passage as given in John Florio's English translation (1603). This article demonstrates that the second half of Gonzalo's utopian speech in fact derives not from this famous passage but from another substantially longer one found two pages later in Florio's original folio text. It also proposes that Shakespeare had inspirations for the name and characterization of Sycorax as well as the setting of Prospero's island from this Montaigne-Florio essay; and that this essay should be reconsidered as a far more important literary source of The Tempest than heretofore acknowledged.
Cædmon's Audience
Authors: Cronan Dennis
Published: July 2012

Bede's story of Cædmon focuses on the reception of Cædmon and his Hymn as much as it does on the poet's inspiration and compositions. Focusing on Cædmon's successive audiences as well as the Hymn provides us with new perspectives on both the Hymn and its reception. The emphasis on issues of competence and performance at the core of the story of Cædmon closely resembles the concerns of modern ethnopoetics and confirms that Bede is indeed presenting a historical account of the reception of a new poet by his local community. The omission of the subject we in line 1a is best explained by the physical presence of both the poet and his audience, since subject pronouns are most likely to be omitted by speakers addressing their audience, and provides further confirmation of the authenticity of the Hymn . Following hints provided by Bede and other early eighth-century sources, we can trace likely avenues for the transmission of the story of Cædmon from Whitby to Bede. It is likely that he learned of both the story and the Hymn through informants such as Acca and John of Beverley who, as bishops of Hexham, were ordinands of Wearmouth-Jarrow. Such a transmission implies that he and other members of his monastic community learned of the Hymn long before he composed his history and that the Old English version of the Hymn in the margins of early manuscripts of the Historia was recorded by a person familiar with the Hymn and was not a back-translation of Bede's Latin paraphrase.
A Tripartite Model for Determining Narratorial Subjectivity in Medieval Romance: The Composite Subject in Partonope of Blois
Authors: Grossweiner Karen A.
Published: July 2012

This essay suggests that the narratorial "I" in medieval romance is a signifying transaction continually being constructed by being opposed to a series of linguistic, social, and psychological "you's," including the audience (real and implied), characters within the romance, narrators in other medieval romances, and even the author. It proposes a tripartite model that accommodates the art of medieval romance composition as well as more modern notions of subjectivity, especially the theorizing of French linguist Émile Benveniste on the linguistic construction of the subject. Such a paradigm suggests that narratorial interventions should be construed as the sites of concurrent multi-directional readings. Specifically, interventions should be read in terms of one another or sequentially, as interpolations that must be contextualized, and inter- and extratextually. When this model is applied to the fifteenth-century Middle English romance Partonope of Blois, a freely adapted version of an Old French poem, inconsistencies and contradictions among the various narrative interventions are found. The only way to resolve these inconsistencies is to stop conceiving of the narrator-subject constructed within different interventions as the same entity. Because the narrator-subject is constructed by external factors and because these external elements are themselves constantly being added, deleted, or modified, the "I" of each intervention has meaning only within the specific intervention in which it is being pronounced. Consequently, the narrator-subject is discontinuous and constructed exclusively within interventions; what we conceive of as a text's narrator is actually a composite of these different constructed sites.
Ruffled feathers: Costume, gender and authorship in the Black Swan controversy
Authors: WARNER HELEN
Published: July 2012

In 2011, the popular and trade press reported a dispute between costume designer Amy Westcott and creators of fashion label Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, following the decision that the fashion designers were only to receive a back-end credit for their work on psychological thriller
Black Swan (Aronofsky, 2010). This article traces the coverage of the Black Swan controversy in order to demonstrate that press discourses surrounding the costume designer perform a series of cultural functions, often having a somewhat detrimental effect on the cultural legitimacy of costume
design. Drawing on recent work in the field of feminist production studies, I seek to contribute to the body of work which examines theories of professional identity. Consequently, I argue that the coverage of Westcott's response to initial reports was framed in such a way as to re-establish
these traditional value systems upon which economic structures for production are based. As such, I demonstrate that the press discourses surrounding the Black Swan controversy perpetuate certain problematic assumptions in respect to gender, labour and authorship.
The Runaways: Music, fashion and 'post-feminism'
Authors: MILLER JANICE
Published: July 2012

This article considers the intersection of biographical myth, music and gender politics through a discussion of the film The Runaways (Floria Sigismondi, 2010). In focusing in particular on themes of gender identity and fashion, it not only aims to uncover the ways in which this film
presents the individual biographical stories of lead band members Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, but also to retell these histories through what it will argue is a clear 'post-feminist' lens. In doing so, the film cultivates a number of cultural myths about the participation of women in the
music industry. This article is ultimately interested in how music as a particular cultural space has been idealized, romanticized and thus overestimated as a place where such issues could be addressed, and how critical engagement with music fails to fully consider the position of women within
the industry. Consequently, popular culture becomes an important reference point for audiences' understanding of women's lives within music, the reality of which can be obscured because of the retrospective stance of biographical film in particular. Importantly, this article is concerned with
the consequences of such positions, which locate issues of gender inequality in music in the past rather than the present.
The sectarian state in Iraq and the new political class
Authors: Ismael Tareq Y. , Ismael Jacqueline S.
Published: July 2012

This article serves as a critical examination of sectarianism in Iraqi society and politics, considering both its historical origins and its contemporary manifestations. The article thus evaluates the sectarian question in two parts: (1) its historical context in the Iraqi milieu and
(2) the uses of social sectarianism for political purposes in modern Iraq. This provides the framework for a critical evaluation of the assorted actors, both Iraqi and foreign, who have used sectarianism to advance their parochial interests in occupied Iraq. The historical survey of sectarianism
examines the social and folkloric bases of social sectarianism in modern Iraq. We argue that the manifestation of sectarianism in contemporary Iraq was transformed from a social phenomenon into a political programme under the Anglo-American military occupation. Even before the occupation,
a primary theme of global discourse on Iraq (1990–2002) was the attempt by external actors to embed political sectarianism into the political dynamics of Iraq. This essay argues that the violent and highly politicized form of sectarianism that currently characterizes Iraq is the result
of a deliberate manipulation of social differences that had been largely transcended in Iraq's major urban centres through decades of national state-building. The processes of this 'new sectarianism' are evaluated in terms of the political and legal mechanisms that have been institutionalized
in occupied Iraq. The primary instigators of this new sectarianism are identified as Anglo-American occupation authorities; regional actors; and critically, a class of 'carpetbaggers' – Iraqi expatriates who were parachuted into power by occupation forces and have since developed narrow
sectarian constituencies in the pursuit of their parochial interests. The development of this expatriate political class is examined in terms of the patronage it receives from foreign forces, particularly American and British, and in its ongoing dependence on external actors.
In vitro synergism of simvastatin and fluconazole against Candida species
Authors: Menezes Everardo Albuquerque , Vasconcelos Júnior Antônio Alexandre de , Silva Carlla Lorena Façanha , Plutarco Fábio Ximenes , Cunha Maria da Conceição dos Santos Oliveira , Cunha Francisco Afrânio
Published: July 2012

Systemic fungal infections are responsible for high mortality rates. Several species of fungi may be involved, but Candida spp. is the most prevalent. Simvastatin is used to lower cholesterol and also exhibits antifungal action. The aim of this study was to evaluate the synergistic action of simvastatin with fluconazole against strains of Candida spp. Susceptibility testing was performed according to protocol M27-A3, by broth microdilution method and the synergistic effect of simvastatin and fluconazole was calculated based on FICI (Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index). Eleven strains were evaluated, and simvastatin showed a synergistic effect with fluconazole against 10 (91%) of the Candida spp. strains tested. Simvastatin may be a valuable drug in the treatment of systemic infections caused by Candida spp.
High prevalence of the simultaneous excretion of polyomaviruses JC and BK in the urine of HIV-infected patients without neurological symptoms in São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Nali Luiz Henrique da Silva , Centrone Cristiane de Campos , Urbano Paulo Roberto Palma , Penalva-de-Oliveira Augusto César , Vidal Jose Ernesto , Miranda Erique Peixoto , Pannuti Claudio Sérgio , Fink Maria Cristina Domingues da Silva
Published: July 2012

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of the urinary excretion of BKV and JCV in HIV-infected patients without neurological symptoms. METHODS: Urine samples from HIV-infected patients without neurological symptoms were tested for JC virus and BK virus by PCR. Samples were screened for the presence of polyomavirus with sets of primers complementary to the early region of JCV and BKV genome (AgT). The presence of JC virus or BK virus were confirmed by two other PCR assays using sets of primers complementary to the VP1 gene of each virus. Analysis of the data was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis test for numerical data and Pearson or Yates for categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were included in the study. The overall prevalence of polyomavirus DNA urinary shedding was 67/75 (89.3%). Only BKV DNA was detected in 14/75 (18.7%) urine samples, and only JCV DNA was detected in 11/75 (14.7%) samples. Both BKV and JCV DNA were present in 42/75 (56.0%) samples. CONCLUSION: In this study we found high rates of excretion of JCV, BKV, and simultaneous excretion in HIV+ patients. Also these results differ from the others available on the literature.
Proposal for an index to classify irrigation water quality: a case study in northeastern Brazil
Authors: Maia Celsemy Eleutério , Rodrigues Kelly Kaliane Rego da Paz
Published: July 2012

One way of classifying water quality is by means of indices, in which a series of parameters analyzed are joined a single value, facilitating the interpretation of extensive lists of variables or indicators, underlying the classification of water quality. The objective of this study was to develop a statistically based index to classify water according to the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI), to evaluate the ionic composition of water for use in irrigation and classify it by its source. For this purpose, the database generated during the Technology Generation and Adaptation (GAT) program was used, in which, as of 1988, water samples were collected monthly from water sources in the states of Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará. To evaluate water quality, the electrical conductivity (EC) of irrigation water was taken as a reference, with values corresponding to 0.7 dS m-1. The chemical variables used in this study were: pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, HCO3, CO3, and SO4. The data of all characteristics evaluated were standardized and data normality was confirmed by Lilliefors test. Then the irrigation water quality index was determined by an equation that relates the standardized value of the variable with the number of characteristics evaluated. Thus, the IWQI was classified based on indices, considering normal distribution. Finally, these indices were subjected to regression analysis. The method proposed for the IWQI allowed a satisfactory classification of the irrigation water quality, being able to estimate it as a function of EC for the three water sources. Variation in the ionic composition was observed among the three sources and within a single source. Although the water quality differed, it was good in most cases, with the classification IWQI II.
Recommendation of soil fertility levels for willow in the southern highlands of Santa Catarina
Authors: Rech Tássio Dresch , Zanette Flávio , Zanatta João Claudio , Nuernberg Névio João , Brandes Dieter
Published: July 2012

The species Salix x rubens is being grown on the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina since the 1940s, but so far the soil fertility requirements of the crop have not been assessed. This study is the first to evaluate the production profile of willow plantations in this region, based on the modified method of Summer & Farina (1986), for the recommendation of fertility levels for willow. By this method, based on the law of Minimum and of Maximum for willow production for the conditions on the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina, the following ranges could be recommended: pH: 5.0-6.5; P: 12-89 mg dm-3; Mg: 3.2-7.5 mg; Zn: 5.0-8.3 mg dm-3; Cu: 0.8-4.6 mg dm-3; and Mn; 20-164 mg dm-3. The Ca/Mg ratio should be between 1.2 and 2.9. For K and Ca only the lower (sufficiency level), but not the upper threshold (excess) was established, with respectively 114 mg dm-3 and 5.3 cmol c dm-3. It was also possible to determine the upper threshold for Al and the Al/Ca ratio, i.e., 1.7 cmol c dm-3 and 0.28, respectively. For maximum yields, the clay in the soil surface layer should be below 320 g dm-3.
Structural quality of a no-tillage red latosol 50 months after gypsum aplication
Authors: Müller Marcelo Marques Lopes , Tormena Cassio Antônio , Genú Aline Marques , Kramer Luiz Fernando Machado , Michalovicz Leandro , Caires Eduardo Fávero
Published: July 2012

Gypsum application may enhance the soil quality for plants in terms of soil chemical and physical properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of gypsum application on the structural quality of a no-tillage Red Latosol. The experiment was initiated in September 2005 in Guarapuava-PR, with gypsum applications of 0; 4; 8; and 12 Mg ha-1 on the soil surface. In November 2009, two soil blocks were sampled from the 0-0.3 m layer for visual evaluation of the soil structure quality (Sq) and to determine the aggregate-tensile strength (ATS). Soil penetration resistance (PR) and gravimetric moisture (H%) of the 0-0.300 m layer were evaluated, and soil cores were collected (layers 0.000-0.075 and 0.075-0.150 m), to determine soil bulk density (BD), total soil porosity (TP), microporosity (Mi), and macroporosity (Ma). Data were subjected to analysis of regression at 5 %. No significant effects of gypsum application on ATS and H % of aggregates were observed, but for Sq, a quadratic effect (0.000-0.075 m) and linear increase (0.075-0.150 and 0.150-0.300 m) were stated, indicating soil quality decrease, although Sq remained mostly below 3.0, with good to intermediate soil quality. Soil PR increased with gypsum, but also remained below critical levels. No effect was observed for soil H % at the moment of PR determination on the field. The gypsum applications decreased BD in the 0.075-0.150 m layer, and increased PT and Ma, while in 0.000-0.075 m some Ma was converted to Mi, without affecting PT and BD. These last results indicate a gain in soil structural quality by gypsum applications, but the higher scores of soil structure and values of soil penetration resistance, though still below thresholds, should be monitored to prevent limitations to soil use in the future.
Forças armadas para quê? Para isso
Authors: Proença Júnior Domício
Published: July 2012

Responde-se de maneira estrutural à pergunta: para que se tem Forças Armadas no Brasil? Isso leva a um trajeto expositivo que considera os contextos estratégicos e domésticos à luz das determinações constitucionais e dos termos de acordos internacionais que constrangem as alternativas brasileiras de uso de força. Conclui-se que o Brasil tem apenas três tarefas concretas para suas Forças Armadas: a defesa do território, a participação em ações internacionais e a garantia da lei e da ordem, circunscrito em todos os casos ao uso de armamentos convencionais. Responde-se à pergunta de partida afirmando que se tem Forças Armadas para sustentar a capacidade de realizar estas tarefas ao longo do tempo e em qualquer momento. Como e quanto se sustenta tal capacidade são os critérios essenciais para a formulação, condução e avaliação da política de defesa do Brasil.
"Defesa" ou "segurança"?: reflexões em torno de conceitos e ideologias
Authors: Saint-Pierre Héctor Luis
Published: July 2012

Conceitos da área de segurança, mormente empregados sem cuidado e acriticamente, são aqui submetidos à reflexão. Centrado no adjetivo "multidimensional", descrevo a forma como este termo foi sendo introduzido no debate americano da segurança sob o manto de uma "agenda de segurança hemisférica". Criticamos este intento buscando desconstruir aquele conceito, analisando brevemente as ameaças como fenômeno perceptivo e refletindo filosoficamente sobre a diferente natureza da "segurança" e da "defesa".