bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lake secondary production fueled by rapid transfer of low molecular weight organic carbon from terrestrial sources to aquatic consumers
Authors: Berggren M. , Ström L. , Laudon H. , Karlsson J. , Jonsson A. , Giesler R. , Bergström A.‐K. , Jansson M.
Published: May 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 870–880

Carbon of terrestrial origin often makes up a significant share of consumer biomass in unproductive lake ecosystems. However, the mechanisms for terrestrial support of lake secondary production are largely unclear. By using a modelling approach, we show that terrestrial export of dissolved labile low molecular weight carbon (LMWC) compounds supported 80% (34–95%), 54% (19–90%) and 23% (7–45%) of the secondary production by bacteria, protozoa and metazoa, respectively, in a 7‐km2 boreal lake (conservative to liberal estimates in brackets). Bacterial growth on LMWC was of similar magnitude as that of primary production (PP), and grazing on bacteria effectively channelled the LMWC carbon to higher trophic levels. We suggest that rapid turnover of forest LMWC pools enables continuous export of fresh photosynthates and other labile metabolites to aquatic systems, and that substantial transfer of LMWC from terrestrial sources to lake consumers can occur within a few days. Sequestration of LMWC of terrestrial origin, thus, helps explain high shares of terrestrial carbon in lake organisms and implies that lake food webs can be closely dependent on recent terrestrial PP.
Life‐history traits predict species responses to habitat area and isolation: a cross‐continental synthesis
Authors: Öckinger Erik , Schweiger Oliver , Crist Thomas O. , Debinski Diane M. , Krauss Jochen , Kuussaari Mikko , Petersen Jessica D. , Pöyry Juha , Settele Josef , Summerville Keith S. , Bommarco Riccardo
Published: May 2010

Ecology Letters(2010) 13: 969–979

There is a lack of quantitative syntheses of fragmentation effects across species and biogeographic regions, especially with respect to species life‐history traits. We used data from 24 independent studies of butterflies and moths from a wide range of habitats and landscapes in Europe and North America to test whether traits associated with dispersal capacity, niche breadth and reproductive rate modify the effect of habitat fragmentation on species richness. Overall, species richness increased with habitat patch area and connectivity. Life‐history traits improved the explanatory power of the statistical models considerably and modified the butterfly species–area relationship. Species with low mobility, a narrow feeding niche and low reproduction were most strongly affected by habitat loss. This demonstrates the importance of considering life‐history traits in fragmentation studies and implies that both species richness and composition change in a predictable manner with habitat loss and fragmentation.
Intraoperative frozen section assessment of pelvic lymph nodes during radical prostatectomy is of limited value
Authors: Song Jie , Li Mei , Zagaja Gregory P. , Taxy Jerome B. , Shalhav Arieh L. , Al‐Ahmadie Hikmat A.
Published: May 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accuracy of frozen section (FS) assessment of pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) during radical prostatectomy (RP) in a large contemporary cohort; and to analyse the contribution of FS to surgical decision making in this setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

During a 4‐year period at a single institution, RPs with PLN dissection (PLND) were reviewed. The number and size of the PLNs, and the size of metastases were measured.

RESULTS

FS was performed on 349 bilateral PLNDs. Overall, 28 (8%) cases were positive for metastasis, 11 of which were detected by FS (39%). The 17 false negatives, all of which contained metastases smaller than 5 mm, were due to failure to identify and freeze the positive PLNs (11), failure to section at the level of the metastatic tumour (four), or interpretative error (two). The sensitivity was not affected by the number of sampled nodes. The size of metastasis was the determining factor for the accuracy of FS, with metastases of ≥5 mm having a sensitivity of 100%, and metastases of <5 mm having a sensitivity of 10%. Among the 11 true positives, RP was aborted in eight cases and continued in three. During the same period, 261 PLNDs were performed without FS, and 18 (6.9%) had metastases.

CONCLUSIONS

FS is highly accurate in detecting large, grossly evident metastases, but performs poorly on micrometastases. It is recommended that a two‐step approach applied to routine FS starting with a careful gross examination followed by FS for only grossly suspicious PLNs.
National Qualification Frameworks: from policy borrowing to policy learning
Authors: CHAKROUN BORHENE
Published: May 2010

This article takes up the issue of the internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms, expressed in the way policy instruments such as National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) are introduced in the European Training Foundation's (ETF) partner countries. There is an international debate and different perspectives regarding NQFs. These perspectives have largely talked past each other. The article brings together these perspectives and highlights the issues at stake in this field. Through the analysis of ETF interventions in different regions, the article makes a case for new approaches of intervention, namely policy learning, that aim at enabling national stakeholders and that are conducive for home‐grown VET policies. The discussion is broad in scope, not only because the article reviews developments in qualifications frameworks across‐regions, but also because it highlights the complex interaction of the global and local development when introducing NQFs and the impact of such reforms on VET systems.
How Do National Economic Competitiveness Indices View Human Capital?
Authors: SABADIE JESÚS ALQUÉZAR , JOHANSEN JENS
Published: May 2010

Economic competitivenessis at the top of national, regional and global political and economic agendas. Several countries in all regions of the world have established policies and institutions devoted to economic competitiveness, including in developing and transition countries. This leads to the question of how to define national economic competitiveness and, as a logical consequence, how to measure it. This article provides a critical analysis of two major global indices measuring national economic competitiveness, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), with a special focus on the index published by the WEF due to its broader global coverage. The article shows that human capital has been given relatively little explicit recognition, despite the large weight of human capital in the WEF index. This article asserts through simulations based on WEF data that countries performing poorly in national economic competitiveness rankings can improve their standings significantly by focusing reform efforts on raising quality of education and on expanding access to education and training. The simulations also show that the potential improvements in national economic competitiveness are unequally distributed across the globe, and that in terms of national economic competitiveness, developing and transition countries stand to gain relatively most from improving their education and training systems compared to developed nations. Suggestions for improving measurements of education and training in the WEF index conclude the article and it is shown that educationalists can help refocus policy discussions on how to improve education and training systems through discussions on substance.
Pedagogy for Economic Competitiveness and Sustainable Development
Authors: SAHLBERG PASI , OLDROYD DAVID
Published: May 2010

Accelerating threats to a sustainable relationship between economic growth and the capacity of the global social‐ecological system to support it require that the implications of competitiveness be reassessed. Today, the capacities that underlie economic competitiveness must also be brought to bear on policy and pedagogy to prepare the coming generation to face an unprecedented and dangerous global future. This article argues that the bureaucratic ‘industrial’, standards‐driven model of schooling currently fails to release the talents of students either for the competitiveness or collaboration that will be crucial in facing the demands of the decades ahead. It argues for policies, schools and pedagogies that promote creativity and a human capacity for innovation, not the relentless pursuit of externally imposed measurable standards. The types of necessary learning experiences are explored and examples are provided of principles and practices that teachers and schools need to develop further. Education for economic competitiveness on one hand and education for sustainable development on the other both require similar open minds, creative skills and teaching methods to prepare students for the transformations and innovations ahead. In answering the question ‘what do competitiveness and sustainable development require from schools and teachers?’ we conclude that most elements of appropriate pedagogies are available but they need to be extended. Managing their extension on a large scale to transform complex education systems is a major challenge for policy‐makers and educators at all levels.
Cooperative Learning for Academic and Social Gains: valued pedagogy, problematic practice
Authors: SHARAN YAEL
Published: May 2010

A growing number of governments, seeking to modernise their country's education system, adapt cooperative learning (CL) as a major component of their educational policy. Since the 1960s, when CL re‐emerged to become a systematic pedagogy, CL practice has been constantly refined on the basis of ongoing research. Research results have consistently shown that CL improves students' academic achievement as well as social interaction when carried out responsibly. CL methods and procedures are designed to promote cooperation and mutual assistance among learners and often carry over to relationships outside the school. Translating the promise of CL to practice is more complicated than meets the eye, and does not always guarantee that its desired goals are achieved. This article sets out to explore some of the causes of the discrepancy between the promise and practice of CL, such as confusion about methods, lack of adequate preparation, and teachers' perceptions of teaching in general and of CL in particular.
Monitoring Creativity at an Aggregate Level: a proposal for Europe
Authors: VILLALBA ERNESTO
Published: May 2010

There is little doubt as to the importance of creativity for both economic and social progress and of the need for educational systems to enhance and nurture it. However, are educational systems promoting creativity? The general feeling is that it is, in fact, being ‘killed’ in schools. The educational systems were designed for a different type of economy that valued a different set of skills. They were not designed for the so‐called knowledge‐based society that requires highly creative individuals, ready to be lifelong learners and to apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of settings and forms. This article maintains that a first step for the promotion of creativity, in education in particular and in society in general, is to advance in its understanding and measurement. Within the context of the Open Method of Coordination and in order to develop knowledge‐based policies in education and training, it is necessary to assess if educational systems are providing students with adequate tools, including the capacity to be creative. But can creativity be measured? This article presents an overview of the creativity field with special focus on measurement issues. In the last 50 years, the field of creativity has grown. It has become embedded in urban planning, management, economics and psychology amongst other fields. Such a variety of approaches has contributed to the enrichment of the phenomenon of creativity, but also to its vagueness. The article concludes with some implications of creativity measurement for human capital development.
Second order change and evidence‐based practice
Authors: Davey Maureen P. , Davey Adam , Tubbs Carolyn , Savla Jyoti , Anderson Shayne
Published: May 2010

Since its inception, family therapy (FT) has been distinguished by its explicit theoretical and practical focus on families and relationships as systems, with an emphasis on second order rather than first order change. As a result of these conceptual underpinnings we suggest that FT needs to look for manifestations of change which differ from individually focused disciplines such as clinical psychology. Studies of second order change have most commonly appeared in the form of conceptual papers and doctoral dissertations. We begin by revisiting the conceptual underpinnings of second order change. Building on this framework, we develop these aspects of change within the framework of recent developments in the empirical study of change. Finally, we point towards some promising directions for further evaluative work of FT as well as ways to incorporate some of these principles into training of FT students.
The therapist's experiencing in family therapy practice
Authors: Rober Peter
Published: May 2010

The question posed in this article is how the therapist should deal with strong emotions she might experience in the session. This question is especially important if it concerns emotions that –at least on the surface‐ cannot be considered to contribute to a therapeutic alliance. We offer some reflections as preliminary steps towards answering this question and propose that therapists be sensitive to their own experiencing during the session, be careful to monitor the implicit invitations to join the family members in potentially destructive relational scenarios, reflect on the possible negative and perpetuating effects of her interactions with the family, and explore opportunities to proceed with the session in new and more constructive ways. In our approach the therapist's experiencing is seen as a tool that may be used to further the therapeutic process. This is consonant with the view of family therapists exploring the importance for the therapist of holding open a space of reflection, while it also fits with a dialogical approach to family therapy, in which the therapist's task may be described as listening to the stories the clients tell, and making room for other stories that have not been told before. Two case discussions illustrate our ideas.
Impact of second‐language experience in infancy: brain measures of first‐ and second‐language speech perception
Authors: Conboy Barbara T. , Kuhl Patricia K.
Published: May 2010

Language experience ‘narrows’ speech perception by the end of infants’ first year, reducing discrimination of non‐native phoneme contrasts while improving native‐contrast discrimination. Previous research showed that declines in non‐native discrimination were reversed by second‐language experience provided at 9–10 months, but it is not known whether second‐language experience affects first‐language speech sound processing. Using event‐related potentials (ERPs), we examined learning‐related changes in brain activity to Spanish and English phoneme contrasts in monolingual English‐learning infants pre‐ and post‐exposure to Spanish from 9.5 to 10.5 months of age. Infants showed a significant discriminatory ERP response to the Spanish contrast at 11 months (post‐exposure), but not at 9 months (pre‐exposure). The English contrast elicited an earlier discriminatory response at 11 months than at 9 months, suggesting improvement in native‐language processing. The results show that infants rapidly encode new phonetic information, and that improvement in native speech processing can occur during second‐language learning in infancy.
A Remark on Color‐Blind Affirmative Action
Authors: RAY DEBRAJ , SETHI RAJIV
Published: May 2010

Faced with legal challenges to explicitly race‐contingent admissions policies, elite educational institutions have turned to criteria that meet diversity goals without being formally contingent on applicant identity. We establish that under weak conditions that apply generically, such color‐blind affirmative action policies must be nonmonotone, in the sense that within each social group, some students with lower scores are admitted while others with higher scores are denied. In addition, we argue that blind rules can generate greater disparities in mean scores across groups conditional on acceptance than would arise if explicitly race‐contingent policies were permitted.
Networks of Free Trade Agreements among Heterogeneous Countries
Authors: MAULEON ANA , SONG HUASHENG , VANNETELBOSCH VINCENT
Published: May 2010

The paper examines the formation of free trade agreements as a network formation game. We consider an n‐country model in which international trade occurs between economies with imperfectly competitive product markets. In each country, the labor market is either unionized or non‐unionized. We show that, if all countries are non‐unionized, the global free trade network is both the unique pairwise stable network and the unique efficient network. If all countries are unionized, the global free trade network is pairwise stable and the unique efficient network among the class of symmetric networks. If some countries are unionized while others are non‐unionized, other networks apart from the global free trade network may be pairwise stable. However, the efficient network is still the global free trade network. Thus, a conflict between stability and efficiency may occur. Moreover, starting from the network in which no country has signed a free trade agreement, all sequences of networks due to continuously profitable deviations do not lead (in most cases) to the global free trade network, even when global free trade is stable.
Career Paths, Unemployment, and the Efficiency of the Labor Market: Should Youth Employment Be Subsidized?
Authors: GAVREL FRÉDÉRIC , LEBON ISABELLE , REBIÈRE THERESE
Published: May 2010

This paper studies the implications of learning‐by‐doing on youth unemployment and market efficiency when workers benefiting from this kind of training experience search (while on the job) for a higher skill job. Firms with low‐skill jobs suffer from a poaching behavior by firms with high‐skill jobs, causing a shortage of low‐skill jobs and excessive youth unemployment. An optimal policy, consisting of taxing the output of high‐skill jobs and subsidizing the output of low‐skill jobs, restores market efficiency and reduces youth unemployment.
Familial aggregation in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Syndrome
Authors: Borroni B. , Goldwurm S. , Cerini C. , Cosseddu M. , Meucci N. , Mariani C. , Pezzoli G. , Padovani A.
Published: May 2010

Background:  Studies on familial aggregation might be of help to evaluate whether the genetic background has a key role in Progressive Supranuclar Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS). Only a few studies are available.

Objective:  To evaluate the prevalence of positive family history (FH) in PSP and CBS in a large sample of patients.

Methods:  Two hundred and thirty patients and 110 controls entered the study. Patients underwent an extensive clinical, neurological and neuropsychological assessment as well as a structural brain imaging study. A clinical follow‐up further confirmed the diagnosis. Familial aggregation was carefully recorded by a standardised questionnaire.

Results:  One hundred and twenty‐nine PSP (age at onset = 66.6 ± 7.3, female = 46.1%) and 101 CBS (age at onset = 62.8 ± 8.9, female = 41.6%) were consecutively enrolled. Positive FH was found in 31.8% of PSP (n = 41) and in 31.7% of CBS (n = 32). Familial aggregation was lower in the age‐matched control group compared to patient group (21.8%, P = 0.05). Patients with PSP had higher positive FH for Parkinsonism (63.4%) when compared to FH for dementia (36.6%). In CBS, FH was equally distributed between Parkinsonism (53.1%) and dementia (46.9%). In addition, FH was not associated with age at disease onset in PSP (FH+ versus FH−, 67.0 ± 7.3 vs. 66.7 ± 7.1, P = 0.788) and in CBS (62.6 ± 7.9 vs. 62.9 ± 9.5, P= 0.877).

Conclusions:  These results argue for familial aggregation in PSP and CBS, further underlying the importance of genetic background in these disorders. Further studies on possible genetic modulators or genetic epistasis contributing to PSP and CBS development are warranted.
Anti‐EBNA‐1 IgG is not a reliable marker of multiple sclerosis clinical disease activity
Authors: Ingram G. , Bugert J. J. , Loveless S. , Robertson N. P.
Published: May 2010

Background:  Sero‐epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between multiple sclerosis (MS) and prior Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. It has been hypothesized that intermittent peripheral EBV reactivation may drive continuing central inflammation. Recent investigation has shown significant differences in median serum levels of anti‐EBV nuclear antigen‐1 (EBNA‐1) IgG between disease subgroups and positive correlation with disease activity reflected by number of Gd‐enhancing lesions and T2 lesion volume. These important data have led to hopes that anti‐EBNA‐1 IgG may be useful as an easily accessible and effective biomarker of disease activity.

Methods:  We examined the applicability of these findings in routine clinical practice, assessing a well‐characterized cohort of 100 subjects (25 primary progressive, 25 stable relapsing remitting, 25 active relapsing remitting seen in acute relapse and 25 controls) for serum anti‐EBNA‐1 IgG using both the Liaison quantitative chemiluminescent assay and Biotest ELISA.

Results:  We were unable to show a difference in quantitative analysis of serum anti‐EBNA‐1 IgG levels between disease subgroups and no correlation with phenotypic characteristics including age at onset (r = −0.17, P = 0.16), disease duration (r = 0.03, P = 0.78), EDSS (r = 0.03, P = 0.78) or MSSS (r = 0.02, P = 0.9). In addition, there was only moderate correlation between the two test methods used (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.67; 0.56–0.78) suggesting potential problems with test interpretation.

Conclusions:  We have been unable to determine a clinical value for serum anti‐EBNA‐1 IgG levels in MS or to confirm reported association with disease course and clinical disease activity.
KOSELLECK, ARENDT, AND THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE
Authors: HOFFMANN STEFAN‐LUDWIG
Published: May 2010

This essay is the first attempt to compare Reinhart Koselleck's Historik with Hannah Arendt's political anthropology and her critique of the modern concept of history. Koselleck is well‐known for his work on conceptual history as well as for his theory of historical time(s). It is my contention that these different projects are bound together by Koselleck's Historik, that is, his theory of possible histories. This can be shown through an examination of his writings from Critique and Crisis to his final essays on historical anthropology, most of which have not yet been translated into English. Conversely, Arendt's political theory has in recent years been the subject of numerous interpretations that do not take into account her views about history. By comparing the anthropological categories found in Koselleck's Historik with Arendt's political anthropology, I identify similar intellectual lineages in them (Heidegger, Löwith, Schmitt) as well as shared political sentiments, in particular the anti‐totalitarian impulse of the postwar era. More importantly, Koselleck's theory of the preconditions of possible histories and Arendt's theory of the preconditions of the political, I argue, transcend these lineages and sentiments by providing essential categories for the analysis of historical experience.
THE OWL OF MINERVA AND THE IRONIC FATE OF THE PROGRESSIVE PRAXIS OF RADICAL HISTORIOGRAPHY IN POST‐APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: TOIT ANDRÉ DU
Published: May 2010

Despite its title and stated objectives this edited volume does not provide a broad and inclusive survey of post‐apartheid South African historiographical developments. Its main topic is the unexpected demise in the post‐apartheid context of the radical or revisionist approach that had invigorated and transformed the humanities and social studies during the 1970s and 1980s. In the context of the anti‐apartheid struggle the radical historians had developed a plausible model of praxis for progressive scholarship, yet in the new post‐apartheid democratic South Africa radical historical scholarship itself encountered a crisis of survival. This should not be confused with a general “crisis” of historical scholarship in South Africa, as some of the uneven contributions to this volume contend, as that remains an active and diversely productive field due also to substantial contributions by historians not based in South Africa. If the dramatic and ironic fate of radical historical scholarship in the context of the transition to a post‐apartheid democracy is the volume's primary topic, then it unfortunately fails to provide serious and sustained critical reflection on the origins and possible explanations for that crisis. A marked feature of the accounts of “history making” provided in this volume is the (former) radical historians' lack of self‐reflexivity and the scant interest shown in the underlying history of their own intellectual trajectories.
10. Thoracic Pain
Authors: Van Kleef Maarten , Stolker Robert Jan , Lataster Arno , Geurts José , Benzon Honorio T. , Mekhail Nagy
Published: May 2010

Approximately 5% of the patients referred to outpatient pain clinics suffer thoracic pain. Thoracic pain in this article is limited to thoracic radicular pain and pain originating from the thoracic facet joints. Thoracic radicular pain is characterized by radiating pain in the localized area of a nervus intercostalis. The diagnosis of thoracic facet pain should be considered if the patient complains of paravertebral pain that is aggravated by prolonged standing, hyperextension, or rotation of the thoracic spinal column.

Based on the analyses of the results in the literature combined with experience in pain management, symptoms, assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment possibilities of thoracic radicular pain and thoracic facet pain are described and discussed. Conservative treatment consists of medications according to the World Health Organization pain ladder. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is an option. Physical therapy is usually applied in the form of manual therapy.

Interventional treatment may be considered when conservative treatment fails. For thoracic radicular pain, the available evidence on efficacy and safety supports recommendation (2 C+) of pulsed radiofrequency treatment of the ganglion spinale (DRG). If this treatment has a short‐lasting effect and the pain is segmental, then radiofrequency treatment of the ganglion spinale (DRG) can be performed. Recommendation (2 C+) is applicable. However, extensive skills are required to perform this procedure above the level of Th7. This treatment should take place in specialized centers. For thoracic facet pain, radiofrequency treatment of the ramus medialis of the thoracic rami dorsales is recommended (2 C+).
Silencing the expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1 prevents allogeneic T‐cell cytotoxicity
Authors: Jaimes Yarúa , Figueiredo Constança , Blasczyk Rainer
Published: May 2010

BACKGROUND: After solid organ transplantation, the endothelium is the first allorecognition checkpoint of the recipient's immune system. A major player at this interface is the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1 (PECAM‐1), which is an immunoglobulin‐like glycoprotein, involved in white blood cell migration, cellular adhesion, and signal transduction.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The potential of preventing allorecognition at this interface was explored by knocking down PECAM‐1 expression using RNA interference. Lentiviral‐based vectors encoding short‐hairpin RNA sequences specific for PECAM‐1 transcripts were used for the transduction of monocytic and endothelial cell lines.

RESULTS: Expression of PECAM‐1 decreased by up to 80% at mRNA and protein levels on monocytic and endothelial cell lines. Antigen‐binding capacity assays likewise showed up to 80% reduction of PECAM‐1 expression on cell surfaces. In allogeneic T‐cell stimulation assays, T cells stimulated with PECAM‐1–silenced monocytes had granzyme B mRNA levels up to 85% lower than those in T cells stimulated with monocytes expressing nonspecific shRNA. Also, T‐cell cytotoxicity showed to decrease significantly against PECAM‐1–silenced monocytes versus those nonsilenced for PECAM‐1. Moreover, the former T cells did not secrete interferon‐γ and exhibited reduced proliferation.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that permanent silencing of PECAM‐1 expression is feasible and contributes to efficiently inhibiting the cytotoxic T‐cell response to allogeneic target cells. Thus, targeting both the immunologic synapse at the regulatory interface and the lymphocyte migration might provide a new strategy to overcome allogeneic transplant rejection.
5% Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and pentastarch improves cryopreservation of cord blood cells over 10% DMSO
Authors: Hayakawa Jun , Joyal Elizabeth G. , Gildner Jean F. , Washington Kareem N. , Phang Oswald A. , Uchida Naoya , Hsieh Matthew M. , Tisdale John F.
Published: May 2010

BACKGROUND: Cell number and viability are important in cord blood (CB) transplantation. While 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is the standard medium, adding a starch to freezing medium is increasingly utilized as a cytoprotectant for the thawing process. Similar to hetastarch, pentastarch has the advantages of faster renal clearance and less effect on the coagulation system.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared a lower DMSO concentration (5%) containing pentastarch with 10% DMSO and performed cell viability assay, colony‐forming units (CFUs), and transplantation of CB cells in NOD/SCID IL2Rγnull mice.

RESULTS: CB cells in 5% DMSO/pentastarch had similar CD34+, CD3+, and CD19+ cell percentages after thawing as fresh CB cells. CB cells in 5% DMSO/pentastarch had higher viability (83.3 ± 9.23%) than those frozen in 10% DMSO (75.3 ± 11.0%, p < 0.05). We monitored cell viability postthaw every 30 minutes. The mean loss in the first 30 minutes was less in the 5% DMSO/pentastarch group. At the end of 3 hours, the viability decreased by a mean of 7.75% for the 5% DMSO/pentastarch and 17.5% for the 10% DMSO groups. CFUs were similar between the two cryopreserved groups. Frozen CB cells engrafted equally well in IL2Rγnull mice compared to fresh CB cells up to 24 weeks, and CB cells frozen in 5% DMSO/pentastarch engrafted better than those in 10% DMSO.

CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the lower DMSO concentration with pentastarch represents an improvement in the CB cryopreservation process and could have wider clinical application as an alternate freezing medium over 10% DMSO.
Cost‐effectiveness of screening the US blood supply for Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Agapova Maria , Busch Michael P. , Custer Brian
Published: May 2010

BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, is a potential threat to transfusion recipients in the United States. The cost‐effectiveness of seven testing strategies was evaluated against no testing and hierarchically in incremental analysis. Donor‐specific strategies included testing donors born in endemic countries, testing all donors a specific number of times, or testing all donors every time. Component‐specific strategies are based on screening platelet‐containing donations.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A decision analytic model simulated the lifetime cost (US dollars) and health outcomes (quality‐adjusted life‐years [QALYs]) of two hypothetical cohorts of blood recipients, an all‐ages and a younger subset, from a 2007 societal perspective. Model variable values were obtained from US screening data, Blood Systems Laboratory, the Health Care Utilization Project, and published literature.

RESULTS: For the all‐ages cohort, compared to no testing, the cost‐effectiveness of testing all donors one time was $757,000 per QALY, all donors two times $970,000 per QALY, and universal testing $1.36 million per QALY. In the all‐ages and the younger transfused populations, testing donors with geographical exposure was most cost‐effective ($173,000 and $29,000/QALY, respectively). The most influential variables in the model were related to characteristics of the transfused population: survival and health state utilities. With respect to T. cruzi variables, results were most sensitive to seroprevalence and transmissibility.

CONCLUSION: Selective T. cruzi screening generates nearly the same effectiveness as universal screening, but at a reduced cost. Outcomes and associated costs of Chagas disease take longer to materialize than the average life expectancy of transfusion recipients.
Implications of Food Insecurity on Global Health Policy and Nursing Practice
Authors: Kregg‐Byers Claudia M. , Schlenk Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2010

Purpose: The purpose is to discuss the concept of food insecurity (FI) and its impact on current global health policy and nursing practice.

Organizing Construct: Food insecurity.

Methods: Literature review.

Findings: FI means a nonsustainable food system that interferes with optimal self‐reliance and social justice. Individuals experiencing FI lack nutritionally adequate and safe foods in their diet. Resources play a significant role in FI by affecting whether or not people obtain culturally, socially acceptable food through regular marketplace sources as opposed to severe coping strategies, such as emergency food sources, scavenging, and stealing. Persons who are living in poverty, female heads of household, single parents, people living with many siblings, landless people, migrants, immigrants, and those living in certain geographical regions constitute populations at risk and most vulnerable to FI.

Conclusions: FI influences economics through annual losses of gross domestic product due to reduced human productivity. FI affects individuals and households and is largely an unobservable condition, making data collection and analysis challenging. Policy and research have focused on macronutrient sufficiency and deprivation, making it difficult to draw attention and research dollars to FI.

Clinical Relevance: Persons experiencing FI exhibit clinical signs such as less healthy diets, poor health status, poor diabetes and chronic disease management, and impaired cognitive function. Nurses can recognize the physical, psychosocial, and personal consequences that those with FI face and manage daily.
Effects of Reaction Medium on the Phase Synthesis and Particle Size Evolution of BaTiO3
Authors: Stawski Tomasz M. , Veldhuis Sjoerd A. , Göbel Ole F. , Ten Elshof Johan E. , Blank Dave H. A.
Published: May 2010

The low‐temperature alkoxide–hydroxide precipitation synthesis of nanosized crystalline barium titanate (BaTiO3) in nonaqueous media is presented. In this report, we show the influence of the reaction medium on the nature of the product by investigating the reaction of titanium (IV) isopropoxide with barium hydroxide hydrates in 2‐methoxyethanol and benzyl alcohol, respectively. A perovskite phase precipitated only in benzyl alcohol, but not in 2‐methoxyethanol. One molar equivalent of water, present in barium hydroxide monohydrate, was sufficient to hydrolyze the alkoxide and form nanocrystalline BaTiO3. Depending on the water concentration, the process led directly to crystalline powder of particle sizes ranging from 3 to 10 nm, and with a clear correlation between particle size and amount of water.
Review Essay: Some Recent Publications on the Anthropology of Greece and Cyprus
Authors: Delouis Anne Friederike
Published: May 2010

Iron in the Soul: Displacement, Livelihood and Health in Cyprus (Studies in Forced Migration, volume 23). Peter Loizos.

Blood and Oranges: European Markets and Immigrant Labor in Rural Greece (Dislocations, volume 2). Christopher M. Lawrence.

The Nomads of Mykonos: Performing Liminalities in a ‘Queer’ Space. (New Directions in Anthropology, volume 29). Pola Bousiou.
Coronally advanced flap versus connective tissue graft in the treatment of multiple gingival recessions: a split‐mouth study with a 5‐year follow‐up
Authors: Pini‐Prato Giovan Paolo , Cairo Francesco , Nieri Michele , Franceschi Debora , Rotundo Roberto , Cortellini Pierpaolo
Published: May 2010

Pini‐Prato GP, Cairo F, Nieri M, Franceschi D, Rotundo R, Cortellini P. Coronally advanced flap versus connective tissue graft in the treatment of multiple gingival recessions: a split‐mouth study with a 5‐year follow‐up. J Clin Periodontol 2010; 37: 644–650. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐051X.2010.01559.x

Aim: The aim of this long‐term study was to compare the clinical outcomes of coronally advanced flap (CAF) alone versus coronally advanced flap plus connective tissue graft (CAF+CTG) in the treatment of multiple gingival recessions using a split‐mouth design over 5 years of follow‐up.

Materials and Methods: A total of 13 patients (mean age 31.4 years) showing multiple bilateral gingival recessions were treated. On one side, CAF+CTG was used, while in the contra‐lateral side, a CAF alone was applied. Clinical outcomes were evaluated at the 6‐month, 1‐year and 5‐year follow‐ups.

Results: A total of 93 Miller class I, II and III gingival recessions were treated. In the CAF+CTG‐treated sites, the baseline gingival recession was 3.6 ± 1.3 mm, while in the CAF‐treated sites, it was 2.9 ± 1.3 mm (p=0.0034). No difference in terms of the number of sites with complete root coverage (CRC) was reported (OR=0.49, p=0.1772) at the 6‐month follow‐up. At the 5‐year follow‐up, CAF+CTG‐treated sites showed a higher percentage of sites with CRC (52%) than CAF‐treated sites (35%) (OR=3.94; p=0.0239). An apical relapse of the gingival margin in CAF‐treated sites was observed while a coronal improvement of the margin was noted in CAF+CTG‐treated sites between the 6‐month and the 5‐year follow‐ups.

Conclusions: CAF+CTG provided better CRC than CAF alone in the treatment of multiple gingival recessions at the 5‐year follow‐up.
Life history trait diversity of native freshwater fishes in North America
Authors: Mims M. C. , Olden J. D. , Shattuck Z. R. , Poff N. L.
Published: May 2010

Mims MC, Olden JD, Shattuck ZR, Poff NL. Life history trait diversity of native freshwater fishes in North America.  Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 390–400. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Abstract –  Freshwater fish diversity is shaped by phylogenetic constraints acting on related taxa and biogeographic constraints operating on regional species pools. In the present study, we use a trait‐based approach to examine taxonomic and biogeographic patterns of life history diversity of freshwater fishes in North America (exclusive of Mexico). Multivariate analysis revealed strong support for a tri‐lateral continuum model with three end‐point strategies defining the equilibrium (low fecundity, high juvenile survivorship), opportunistic (early maturation, low juvenile survivorship), and periodic (late maturation, high fecundity, low juvenile survivorship) life histories. Trait composition and diversity varied greatly between and within major families. Finally, we used occurrence data for large watersheds (n = 350) throughout the United States and Canada to examine geographic patterns of life history variation. Distinct patterns of life history strategies were discernible and deemed congruent with biogeographic processes and selection pressures acting on life history strategies of freshwater fishes throughout North America.
General strength and kinetics: fundamental to sprinting faster in cross country skiing?
Authors: Stöggl T. , Müller E. , Ainegren M. , Holmberg H.‐C.
Published: May 2010

To determine relationships between general strength, maximal skiing speed (Vmax), pole and leg kinetics and kinematics, 16 male elite skiers underwent three Vmax tests in double poling, diagonal stride and V2 on a treadmill. The analyzed skiing speeds and leg and arm kinetics were among the highest ever recorded. Relationships between general strength exercises and Vmax were technique dependent. Power output in bench press and bench pull were related to Vmax in DP and diagonal stride, whereas each 1 repetition maximum was related to V2. Isometric squats were not associated with Vmax in all three techniques, whereas jump height and rate of force development during squat jump were. Analysis of kinetics and kinematics revealed that it was not exclusively the magnitude of applied forces during skiing, but the timing and proper instant of force application were major factors discriminating between faster and slower skiers. For all techniques, the faster skiers used different skiing strategies when approaching Vmax when compared with the slower skiers. General strength and power per se seem not to be major determinants of performance in elite skiers, whereas coordination of these capacities within the different and complex skiing movements seems to be the discriminating factor.
Can orthotic insoles prevent lower limb overuse injuries? A randomized‐controlled trial of 228 subjects
Authors: Mattila V. M. , Sillanpää P. J. , Salo T. , Laine H.‐J. , Mäenpää H. , Pihlajamäki H.
Published: May 2010

Lower limb overuse injuries are common among people who are exposed to physical stress. Orthotic shoe insoles are widely used to prevent lower limb overuse injuries. Here, we conducted a randomized‐controlled study to examine whether the use of orthotic insoles prevents lower limb overuse injuries. Participants (n=228) were randomly assigned to use (n=73) or not to use (n=147) orthotic insoles. The insoles were molded to the shape of the foot to provide support during physical activity. The main outcome measure in the present study was the physician‐diagnosed lower limb overuse injury. Thirty‐four (46.6%) subjects in the insole group were diagnosed with a lower limb overuse injury compared with 56 (38.1%) in the control group (P=0.29) during the 6‐month study period. When body mass index and the results of a 12‐min running test and muscle strength were adjusted in a Cox's regression model, the hazard ratio for lower limb overuse injury in the insole group was 1.3 (95% confidence intervals: 0.8–2.1) compared with the control group. Use of orthotic insoles was not associated with a decrease in lower limb overuse injuries. Our findings suggest that routine use of orthotic insoles does not prevent physical‐stress‐related lower limb injuries in healthy young male adults.
CA19‐9 as a predictor of tumor response and survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with gemcitabine based chemotherapy
Authors: HAMMAD Nazik , HEILBRUN Lance K , PHILIP Philip A , SHIELDS Anthony F , ZALUPSKI Mark M , VENKATRAMANAMOORTHY Raghu , EL‐RAYES Bassel F
Published: May 2010

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive role of pretreatment carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) measurement and its change after one cycle of gemcitabine‐based therapy for response, time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS).

Methods: Analyses were derived from three consecutive gemcitabine‐containing phase II clinical trials between 1997 and 2004.

Results: A total of 111 patients with pancreas cancer was studied. Baseline CA19‐9 concentrations were dichotomized near the median. Lower baseline CA19‐9 levels were positively associated with OS (median 9.1vs6.1 months,P = 0.0057) and TTP (median 6.4vs4.2 months,P = 0.0044).The covariate adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for progression among patients with baseline CA19‐9 ≥ 1000 ng/mL was HR = 1.94 (95% CI 1.24–3.02), withP = 0.0035. The covariate adjusted risk of death among patients with baseline CA19‐9 ≥ 1000 ng/ml was similarly elevated: HR = 1.90 (95% CI 1.23–2.94), withP = 0.0039. Change in CA19‐9 levels from baseline to the end of treatment cycle 1 did not predict objective response (P = 0.75). There was somewhat longer OS (median 8.7vs7.1 months) and TTP (median 7.1vs5.4 months) in patients with ≥50% reduction in serum CA19‐9 concentrations, but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.74 and 0.81, respectively).

Conclusion: Baseline CA19‐9 levels may predict survival in patients with advanced pancreas cancer. The change in CA19‐9 levels determined within 1 month of the initiation of therapy did not predict treatment outcome.
HOW SUPERVISORS INFLUENCE PERFORMANCE: A MULTILEVEL STUDY OF COACHING AND GROUP MANAGEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY‐MEDIATED SERVICES
Authors: LIU XIANGMIN , BATT ROSEMARY
Published: May 2010

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi‐experimental approach in a real‐world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed.
Vertical Stratification Responses of an Arboreal Dung Beetle Species to Tropical Forest Fragmentation in Malaysia
Authors: Tregidgo Daniel J. , Qie Lan , Barlow Jos , Sodhi Navjot S. , Lim Susan Lee‐Hong
Published: May 2010

Little is known about how arboreal arthropods respond to forest disturbance. We assessed how rain forest fragmentation affected the vertical stratification of arboreal dung beetles in Peninsular Malaysia. An arboreal dung beetle species (Onthophagus sp.) moved closer to the forest floor in smaller fragments, suggesting a downward shift in its foraging possibly in response to fragmentation.