bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Tropological Theory of Institutionalization
Authors: Sillince John A.A. , Barker James R.
Published: December 2011

We address the co-evolution of language and material practices during institutionalization by proposing a tropological model of institutionalization that integrates linguistic and practice-oriented approaches into a four-stage sequence: Metaphor enables members to inaugurate institutional change by inspiring and energizing initial movement. Members use metonymy to operationalize the emerging institution by demonstrating how it can become expected practice. Synecdoche is used to facilitate diffusion, standardizing the institution across time and space. When material practice is noticeably contrary to linguistic claims, however, members use irony to bring about deinstitutionalization and generate another inaugurating metaphor. The model further proposes that ritualized actions dramatize each trope, highlighting its symbolic meaning and embedding distinct material practices that serve both to institutionalize the practice and to facilitate boundary crossing to the next trope. The paper goes beyond current literature by offering an integrated theory of trope and ritual as an explanation of how institutions are simultaneously symbolic-linguistic and practice-material.
Made to Measure: Taming Practices with Results-based Accountability
Authors: Keevers Lynne , Treleaven Lesley , Sykes Christopher , Darcy Michael
Published: December 2011

This paper focuses on what happens when accountability regimes, represented in calculative planning processes, migrate onto situated, sociomaterial practices. Specifically, the article investigates what happens when the practices of results-based accountability (RBA) are translated into the social justice practices of locally-based community organizations. Based on the tenets of contemporary practice theory and a three-year participatory action research project with community organizations in Australia, the study illustrates that performance measurement and accountability frameworks such as RBA are not technologies that peer and measure innocently and disinterestedly from a distance. Rather, RBA, as a bundle of material-discursive practices, is part of the performance measuring apparatus creating differences that include some things and exclude others. We articulate some of the organizing practices of social justice in a locally-based community organization, follow their translation into RBA planning practices and then return to analyse the introduction of RBA practices into the daily work of an organization. In this way, we demonstrate how situated and ongoing practices begin to unravel through intra-action with RBA boundary-making practices and its redrawn relations of accountability.
A Cross-Sectional Study in Kerman, Iran, on the Effect of Diabetic Foot Ulcer on Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Sanjari Mojgan , Safari Sima , Shokoohi Mostafa , Safizade Hossein , Rashidinezhad Hamidreza , Mashrouteh Mahdieh , Alavi Afsaneh
Published: December 2011

This study describes the impact of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using a generic instrument including 8 domains. Data were obtained from 54 patients with DFU who were compared with 78 patients who had diabetes without foot ulcer. HRQoL was measured using the Iranian version of Medical Outcome Study–Short Form (SF-36). The fasting plasma glucose, creatinine, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and urine microalbumin as well as ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) were measured for all participants in the 2 groups. In all, 51.9% of patients with DFU had ABI scores of <0.9 compared with only 11.8% of the control group ( P < .001). No differences were found in any of the treatment characteristics (oral/insulin therapy) between the 2 groups (case/control). HRQoL evaluated by the SF-36 questionnaire, in particular in the areas of physical function, is lower in patients with diabetes with foot ulcers compared with patients with diabetes without foot ulcers (41.04 ± 22.69 vs 56.67 ± 25.57; P < .01). After adjusting by sex, 2 domains of physical functioning and bodily pain as well as the total HRQoL score in patients with DFU were lower than in patients with diabetes ( P < .001). This study showed that physical functioning and bodily pain along with total score of HRQoL were important aspects that were lower in patients with DFU than in patients with diabetes. Gender was considered as a confounding factor, which was omitted in multivariate analysis.
Phantom Limb Pain After Lower Limb Trauma
Authors: Foell Jens , Bekrater-Bodmann Robin , Flor Herta , Cole Jonathan
Published: December 2011

Phantom sensations, that is, sensations perceived in a body part that has been lost, are a common consequence of accidental or clinical extremity amputations. Most amputation patients report a continuing presence of the limb, with some describing additional sensations such as numbness, tickling, or cramping of the phantom limb. The type, frequency, and stability of these phantom sensations can vary immensely. The phenomenon of painful phantom sensations, that is, phantom limb pain, presents a challenge for practitioners and researchers and is often detrimental to the patient’s quality of life. In addition to the use of conventional therapies for chronic pain disorders, recent years have seen the development of novel treatments for phantom limb pain, based on an increasing body of research on neurophysiological changes after amputation. This article describes the current state of research in regard to the demographics, causal factors, and treatments of phantom limb pain.
Indian Foot and Ankle Scenario
Authors: Shah Rajiv
Published: December 2011

Huge population of aggressively developing country like India is catered by more than 20,000 orthopedic surgeons but with very few dedicated foot & ankle surgeons. This area of orthopedics has not yet established its place as a specialty of medicine. Most of newer treatment concepts & methodologies are yet to establish its place in India in spite of huge suffering population. Challenges are late presentations, delayed diagnosis, neglected cases, malunions, complex deformities & diabetic foot issues. Commonly seen forefoot, midfoot & hindfoot problems in India & their routine care is discussed. Article also addresses very tough but interesting journey of first foot & ankle surgeon of India & story of rise & fall of first Indian foot & ankle centre of excellence. Contribution in form of educational efforts & deep market penetration is deemed from west to uplift Indian foot & ankle scenario which is summed up as: lack of awareness, opportunity and negligence.
Serotonin 5-HT2B receptors are required for bone-marrow contribution to pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Launay Jean-Marie , Hervé Philippe , Callebert Jacques , Mallat Ziad , Collet Corinne , Doly Stéphane , Belmer Arnauld , Diaz Silvina L. , Hatia Sarah , Côté Francine , Humbert Marc , Maroteaux Luc
Published: December 2011

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease characterized by lung endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling. Recently, bone marrow progenitor cells have been localized to PAH lungs, raising the question of their role in disease progression. Independently, serotonin (5-HT) and its receptors have been identified as contributors to the PAH pathogenesis. We hypothesized that 1 of these receptors, 5-HT2B, is involved in bone marrow stem cell mobilization that participates in the development of PAH and pulmonary vascular remodeling. A first study revealed expression of 5-HT2B receptors by circulating c-kit+ precursor cells, whereas mice lacking 5-HT2B receptors showed alterations in platelets and monocyte-macrophage numbers, and in myeloid lineages of bone marrow. Strikingly, mice with restricted expression of 5-HT2B receptors in bone marrow cells developed hypoxia or monocrotaline-induced increase in pulmonary pressure and vascular remodeling, whereas restricted elimination of 5-HT2B receptors on bone marrow cells confers a complete resistance. Moreover, ex vivo culture of human CD34+ or mice c-kit+ progenitor cells in the presence of a 5-HT2B receptor antagonist resulted in altered myeloid differentiation potential. Thus, we demonstrate that activation of 5-HT2B receptors on bone marrow lineage progenitors is critical for the development of PAH.
Transformation of Botrytis cinerea by direct hyphal blasting or by wound-mediated transformation of sclerotia
Authors: Ish - Shalom Shahar , Gafni Aviva , Lichter Amnon , Levy Maggie
Published: December 2011

Background

Botrytis cinerea is a haploid necrotrophic ascomycete which is responsible for 'grey mold' disease in more than 200 plant species. Broad molecular research has been conducted on this pathogen in recent years, resulting in the sequencing of two strains, which has generated a wealth of information toward developing additional tools for molecular transcriptome, proteome and secretome investigations. Nonetheless, transformation protocols have remained a significant bottleneck for this pathogen, hindering functional analysis research in many labs.

Results

In this study, we tested three different transformation methods for B. cinerea: electroporation, air-pressure-mediated and sclerotium-mediated transformation. We demonstrate successful transformation with three different DNA constructs using both air-pressure- and sclerotium-mediated transformation.

Conclusions

These transformation methods, which are fast, simple and reproducible, can expedite functional gene analysis of B. cinerea.
Ultrasonographic median nerve cross-section areas measured by 8-point "inching test" for idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome: a correlation of nerve conduction study severity and duration of clinical symptoms
Authors: Chen Shu-Fang , Lu Cheng-Hsien , Huang Chi-Ren , Chuang Yao-Chung , Tsai Nai-Wen , Chang Chiung-Chih , Chang Wen-Neng
Published: December 2011

Background

Incremental palmar stimulation of the median nerve sensory conduction at the wrist, the "inching test", provides an assessment with reference to segments proximal and distal to the entrapment. This study used high-resolution ultrasonography (US) to measure the median nerve's cross-section areas (CSAs) like the "inching test" and to correlate with the nerve conduction study (NCS) severity and duration of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods

Two hundred and twelve (212) "CTS-hands" from 135 CTS patients and 50 asymptomatic hands ("A-hands") from 25 control individuals were enrolled. The median nerve CSAs were measured at the 8-point marked asi4,i3,i2,i1,w,o1,o2, and03 in inching test. The NCS severities were classified into six groups based on motor and sensory responses (i.e., negative, minimal, mild, moderate, severe, and extreme). Results of US studies were compared in terms of NCS severity and duration of clinical CTS symptoms.

Results

There was significantly larger CSA of the NCS negative group of "CTS-hands" than of "A-hands". The cut-off values of the CSAs of the NCS negative CTS group were 12.5 mm2, 11.5 mm2and 10.1 mm2at the inlet, wrist crease, and outlet, respectively. Of the 212 "CTS-hands", 32 were NCS negative while 40 had minimal, 43 mild, 85 moderate, 10 severe, and two extreme NCS severities. The CSAs of "CTS-hands" positively correlated with different NCS severities and with the duration of CTS symptoms. By duration of clinical symptoms, 12 of the 212 "CTS-hands" were in the 1 month group; 82 in >1 month and ≤12 months group, and 118 in >12 months group. In "inching test", segmentsi4-i3 andi3-i2 were the most common "positive-site". The corresponding CSAs measured ati4 andi3, but not ati2, were significantly larger than those measured at points that were not "positive-site".

Conclusions

Using the 8-point measurement of the median nerve CSA from inlet to outlet similar to the "inching test" has positive correlations with NCS severity and duration of CTS clinical symptoms, and can provide more information on anatomic changes. Combined NCS and US studies using the 8-point measurement may have a higher positive rate than NCS alone for diagnosing CTS.
Genome-wide association study identifies PERLD1 as asthma candidate gene
Authors: Anantharaman Ramani , Andiappan Anand Kumar , Nilkanth Pallavi Parate , Suri Bani Kaur , Wang De Yun , Chew Fook Tim
Published: December 2011

Background

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for asthma have been successful in identifying novel associations which have been well replicated. The aim of this study is to identify the genetic variants that influence predisposition towards asthma in an ethnic Chinese population in Singapore using a GWAS approach.

Methods

A two-stage GWAS was performed in case samples with allergic asthma, and in control samples without asthma and atopy. In the discovery stage, 490 case and 490 control samples were analysed by pooled genotyping. Significant associations from the first stage were evaluated in a replication cohort of 521 case and 524 control samples in the second stage. The same 980 samples used in the discovery phase were also individually genotyped for purposes of a combined analysis. An additional 1445 non-asthmatic atopic control samples were also genotyped.

Results

19 promising SNPs which passed our genome-wide P value threshold of 5.52 × 10-8 were individually genotyped. In the combined analysis of 1011 case and 1014 control samples, SNP rs2941504 in PERLD1 on chromosome 17q12 was found to be significantly associated with asthma at the genotypic level (P = 1.48 × 10-6, ORAG = 0.526 (0.369-0.700), ORAA = 0.480 (0.361-0.639)) and at the allelic level (P = 9.56 × 10-6, OR = 0.745 (0.654-0.848)). These findings were found to be replicated in 3 other asthma GWAS studies, thus validating our own results. Analysis against the atopy control samples suggested that the SNP was associated with allergic asthma and not to either the asthma or allergy components. Genotyping of additional SNPs in 100 kb flanking rs2941504 further confirmed that the association was indeed to PERLD1. PERLD1 is involved in the modification of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors for cell surface markers such as CD48 and CD59 which are known to play multiple roles in T-cell activation and proliferation.

Conclusions

These findings reveal the association of a PERLD1 as a novel asthma candidate gene and reinforce the involvement of genes on the 17q12-21 chromosomal region in the etiology of asthma.
Down-regulation of kallikrein-related peptidase 5 (KLK5) expression in breast cancer patients: a biomarker for the differential diagnosis of breast lesions
Authors: Avgeris Margaritis , Papachristopoulou Georgia , Polychronis Athanasios , Scorilas Andreas
Published: December 2011

Background

Kallikrein-related peptidase 5 (KLK5) is a secreted trypsin-like protease of the KLK family, encoded by theKLK5gene. KLK5 has been found to cleave various extracellular matrix components, as well as to activate several other KLK proteases, triggering the stimulation of tissue microenvironment proteolytic cascades.

Material and Methods

KLK5expression levels were quantified in 102 cancerous and benign breast tissue specimens, obtained by randomly chosen patients, using RT-qPCR assay. Subsequently, advanced biostatistics were applied in order to analyze theKLK5expression profile in the two patients' cohorts and also to evaluate its clinical significance for the discrimination of breast tumors.

Results

A statistically significant (p < 0.001) down-regulation of theKLK5expression levels were observed in the malignant specimens compared to the benign ones. Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis revealed the significant (p < 0.001) and the independent (p < 0.001) value of theKLK5expression quantification, for the discrimination of the malignant from the benign mammary gland biopsies. Moreover,KLK5expression levels correlate with the pre-menopausal status (p < 0.005) as well as the ER-negative staining (p = 0.028) of women with breast cancer.

Conclusions

The quantification ofKLK5expression in breast tissue biopsies may be considered as a novel and independent biomarker for the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign tumors of the mammary gland.
Minireview: NAD+, a Circadian Metabolite with an Epigenetic Twist
Authors: Sassone-Corsi Paolo
Published: December 2011

A wide variety of endocrine, physiological, and metabolic functions follow daily oscillations. Most of these regulations are controlled at the level of gene expression by the circadian clock and, a remarkably coordinated transcription-translation machinery that exerts its function in virtually all mammalian cells. A large fraction of the genome is under control of the circadian clock, a regulation that is achieved through dynamic changes in chromatin states. Recent findings have demonstrated intimate connections between the circadian clock and epigenetic control. The case of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which modulates the circadian activity of the deacetylase sirtuin 1, constitutes a paradigmatic example of the link between cyclic cellular metabolism and chromatin remodeling. Indeed, the clock transcriptional feedback loop is interlocked with the enzymatic loop of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide salvage pathway.
The Phillips Curve from the Perspective of the History of Econometrics
Authors: Qin Duo
Published: December 2011

This essay examines the history of econometrics through a case study of the Phillips curve, that is, econometric modeling of the trade-off between inflation and unemployment. It focuses on a number of questions: What econometric tools did modelers choose to use in modeling the Phillips curve? How did their choices shape the ways that they obtained, interpreted, and theorized the empirical evidence? How did the concerns and problems they encountered feed back into the development of econometrics? This study reveals that much of the interaction between econometrics and economics involved modelers making certain trade-offs between theory and data, and their different positions generated disputes, factions, and confusion. It also reveals that the history of econometric modeling of the Phillips curve mirrors the evolving process of how the Cowles structural modeling paradigm has become consolidated, challenged, reformed, or abandoned.
Reconceiving Quality: Political Economy and the Rise of Hedonic Price Indexes
Authors: Stapleford Thomas A.
Published: December 2011

Prior to the 1960s most American economists rejected hedonic techniques as a solution to the problem of quality change in price indexes. I argue that behind that judgment lay a deeper conceptual divide over how best to define and assess product quality: through expert testing or through market price differentials. Most American economists working on price indexes at the time had ties to the U.S. consumer movement, which emphasized consumer ignorance and promoted expert analysis as the only reliable guide to product quality. During the postwar era, these ties began to dissolve, and as younger economists more readily accepted the market as an arbiter of quality, they likewise saw the econometric analysis of prices and product characteristics as a logical and unproblematic tool for handling quality change in price indexes.
Influence of periodic heartbeat reversal and abdominal movements on hemocoelic and tracheal pressure in resting blowfliesCalliphora vicina
Authors: Wasserthal Lutz Thilo
Published: December 2011

In Calliphoridae and Drosophilidae, the dorsal vessel (heart and aorta with associated venous channels) is the only connection between the thorax and the abdomen. Hemolymph oscillates between the compartments by periodic heartbeat reversal, but both the mechanism and its influence on hemocoelic and tracheal pressure have remained unclear. The pumping direction of the heart regularly reverses, with a higher pulse rate during backward compared with forward pumping. A sequence of forward and backward pulse periods lasts approximately 34 s. Pulse rate, direction, velocity and the duration of heartbeat periods were determined by thermistor and electrophysiological measurements. For the first time, heartbeat-induced pressure changes were measured in the hemocoel and in the tracheal system of the thorax and the abdomen. The tracheal pressure changed from sub-atmospheric during backward heartbeat to supra-atmospheric during forward heartbeat in the thorax and inversely in the abdomen. The heartbeat reversals were coordinated with slow abdominal movements with a pumping stroke at the beginning of the forward pulse period. The pressure effect of the pumping stroke was visible only in the abdomen. Periodic hemolymph shift and abdominal movements resulted in pressure changes in the hemocoel and tracheal system alternating in the thorax and abdomen, suggesting an effect on respiratory gas exchange.
Impact of media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity on a population-based cervical screening programme
Authors: Macarthur Georgina J , Wright Melissa , Beer Helen , Paranjothy Shantini
Published: December 2011

Objectives

To determine the impact of media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity on cervical screening uptake, response time and colposcopy referral and attendance.

Setting

Population-based national cervical screening programme for women in Wales, UK.

Methods

A time series regression analysis of the Welsh national cervical screening and colposcopy databases was used to examine the number of smear tests carried out between 2000 and 2010, stratified by age group and deprivation indicators. Logistic regression was used to analyse colposcopy attendance.

Results

Over 33,000 more cervical screening tests than expected were carried out in the year of media reporting (2008/9), 11,539 (35%) of which were in the month of Jade Goody's death. The largest increase was evident in women aged 35–39 years (475 additional tests per month, 95% CI 331–619). Impacts were similar across deprivation quintiles. Colposcopy referrals increased by 18% during the year of media reporting. Increases were observed for all smear test results in 2008/9, particularly among younger women, and further rises were evident in 2009/10 for smear tests showing borderline changes and mild dyskaryosis. The proportion of women attending colposcopy appointments rose in the year of media reporting (χ 2 = 45.8, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Mass media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity was associated with a significant, but transient, increase in screening uptake and colposcopy referral and attendance. Mass media reporting can play a role in enhanced detection of abnormalities, but public health messages must be communicated effectively to minimize anxiety whilst maximizing case-finding and uptake among non-responders.
Advances in Clay Science in China
Authors: Dong Hailiang , Stucki Joseph W.
Published: December 2011

Reports of scientific investigations published in Clays and Clay Minerals address a wide range of topics covering virtually every physical and natural science and thousands of industrial products and processes worldwide. Even though these nano-sized materials occur naturally throughout the Earth's crust, a large proportion of the studies carried out in the past regarding their origins, nature, and uses, as reported in Clays and Clay Minerals, have arisen predominantly from North America and Europe. In recent years, however, manuscript submissions from China have increased appreciably (Figure 1). In the current issue, a number of those studies were selected for a compilation in order to highlight the contributions being made by Chinese colleagues, which gives a glimpse into the types of clay research under way in that country. The manuscripts selected do not, of course, represent a comprehensive treatise of clay research in China, but rather an opportune emphasis that is intended to call attention to the work being done there.
Treatment of Municipal Landfill Leachate with Organically Modified Bentonite
Authors: Ling Hui , Lu Anhuai , Wang Changqiu , Li Yan , Chen Peng , Zhou Jiangong , Wang Jian
Published: December 2011

Landfill leachate is one of the most difficult effluents with which to deal from an environmental perspective because of its concentration and complex composition, including refractory and toxic components such as heavy metals or xenobiotic organic compounds. The objective of the present study was to use organically modified bentonite (OMB) to dispose of landfill leachate >10 y old. The OMB was synthesized using a new method, which removed four steps (filtering, washing, drying, and grinding) from the traditional process. After treatment using OMB, the chemical oxygen demand concentration (COD concentration, an index of the organic pollutants in the landfill leachate, was determined using the potassium dichromate method) of the landfill leachate sample decreased from 2400 to 245 mg/L in 5 h, i.e. the organic pollutants reduction efficiency was as high as 90%. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results indicated that most of the organic compounds were removed during the process. The modified and unmodified bentonite contained in the OMB deal with the hydrophobic and hydrophilic organic pollutants, respectively, resulting in significant degradation of the leachate. The study results have provided a new cost-effective method for treatment of landfill leachate.
Structural Controls on the Catalytic Polymerization of Hydroquinone by Birnessites
Authors: Liu Ming-Ming , Cao Xing-Hui , Tan Wen-Feng , Feng Xiong-Han , Qiu Guo-Hong , Chen Xiu-Hua , Liu Fan
Published: December 2011

The role of Mn oxide in the abiotic formation of humic substances has been well demonstrated. However, information on the effect of crystal structure and surface-chemical characteristics of Mn oxide on this process is limited. In the present study, hexagonal and triclinic birnessites, synthesized in acidic and alkali media, were used to study the influence of the crystal-structure properties of birnessites on the oxidative polymerization of hydroquinone and to elucidate the catalytic mechanism of birnessites in the abiotic formation of humic-like polymers in hydroquinone-birnessite systems. The intermediate and final products formed in solution and solid-residue phases were identified by UV/Visible spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid-phase microextraction-gaschromatography-mas ss pectrometry, ion chromatography, and ultrafiltration. The degree of oxidative polymerization of hydroquinone wasenhanced with increase in the interlayer hydrated H+, the average oxidation state (AOS), and the specific surface area of birnessites. The nature of the functional groups of the humic-like polymers formed was, however, almost identical when hydroquinone was catalyzed by hexagonal and triclinic birnessites with similar AOS of Mn. The results indicated that crystal structure and surface-chemistry characteristics have significant influence on the oxidative activity of birnessites and the degree of polymerization of hydroquinone, but have little effect on the abiotic formation mechanism of humic-like polymers. The proposed oxidative polymerization pathway for hydroquinone isthat, asit approachesthe birnessite, it formsp recursor surface complexes. Asa strong oxidant, birnessite accepts an electron from hydroquinone, which is oxidized to 1,4-benzoquinone. The coupling, cleavage, polymerization, and decarboxylation reactionsaccompany the generation of 1,4-benzoquinone, lead to the release of CO2 and carboxylic acid fragments, the generation of rhodochrosite, and the ultimate formation of humic-like polymers. These findings are of fundamental significance in understanding the catalytic role of birnessite and the mechanism for the abiotic formation of humic substances in nature.
Solid-Phase Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Fluorimetric Methods
Authors: Tarpani Luigi , Vocci Annalisa , Selvaggi Roberta , Pellegrino Roberto , Ruspolini Federico , Taglieri Luca , Latterini Loredana
Published: December 2011

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed on the surface of particulates collected in a working environment have been analyzed using fluorescence techniques. In particular, fluorescence measurements were carried out directly on the sampling filters, in solid phase, and for comparison, on the extract samples in solution. Fluorescence synchronous acquisitions allowed the detection of signals from different PAH compounds and, on the basis of the 0–0 transition energy, the assignment of the emission signals to chemical structures. In particular, the contribution of benzo-α-pyrene was easily detected and used to evaluate the sensitivity of the measurements, which is a few nanograms per milliliter, comparable with other analytical tools. The results of the fluorimetric investigation were validated through the comparison with the data obtained by gas chromatography (GC) analysis on the extracted samples, which allowed identification of the PAHs and the quantification of their distribution on the filters with different cut sizes. The agreement between the two series of data led to the conclusion that fluorimetric analysis directly on the sampling filter could be a new and cost-effective approach for the analysis of PAHs.
Raman Microscopy of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Exposed to Heat and Cold Stress
Authors: Schulze H. Georg , Konorov Stanislav O. , Aparicio Samuel A. , Piret James M. , Blades Michael W. , Turner Robin F. B.
Published: December 2011

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have large nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratios and nucleic acid spectral bands are prominent in their characteristic Raman signatures. Under normal conditions, the major variations in these signatures are due to changes in glycogen content, but how these signatures vary in response to different external conditions is largely unknown. In this study we investigated the influences of temperature variations on hESC Raman signatures. At 32 °C, compared to the 37 °C control condition, cell proliferation rates were markedly reduced and glycogen Raman band intensities were elevated. In addition, at both temperatures, an inverse relationship between cell proliferation rates (i.e., onset of exponential growth phase vs. end of exponential phase) and glycogen Raman band intensities was observed. This relationship suggested a role for glycogen in the energy metabolism of hESC self-renewal. Protein and lipid spectral variations were small and co-varied with those of nucleic acids, suggesting that they were related to changes in cellular dimensions occurring during the cell cycle. When the temperature was elevated to 39 °C, increased glycogen band intensities, compared to controls, were also observed. In addition, spectral evidence of differentiation emerged that was supported by reduced SSEA-3 expression. Taken together, these results demonstrated that heat and cold stress had quite different effects on the characteristic Raman signatures of hESCs. Thus, Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect deviation from optimal culturing temperatures and therefore it could be of considerable value in the routine and noninvasive determination of hESC culture quality.
Self-Induced Phase Modulation for Thermo-Optical Characterization of Annatto Extracted Using Different Solvents
Authors: Iwazaki Adalberto N. , Pilla Viviane , Dias Vanessa M. , Munin Egberto , Andrade Acácio A.
Published: December 2011

Thermo-optical parameters, including the refractive index temperature coefficient (d n/d T) and the absolute non-radiative quantum efficiency (φ), were determined in solutions of a natural dye using a method based on thermally driven self-phase modulation (SPM) effects. The ring-pattern response to SPM effects was determined for annatto extracts obtained from the seeds of the tropical shrub Bixa orellana L. This approach determined the linear behavior of the ring numbers ( N) observed in the far-field region as a function of excitation laser power ( Pe). Thermooptical characterizations of bixin (C25H30O4) solutions extracted using three solvents (toluene, chloroform, and acetone) were performed. The φ results are in good experimental agreement with those obtained using the thermal lens (TL) technique. Values obtained for thermal diffusivity parameters were typical for pure solvents.
Vibrational Spectroscopy with Neutrons: A Review of New Directions
Authors: Parker Stewart F. , Lennon David , Albers Peter W.
Published: December 2011

Inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy (INS) has enabled vibrational spectra to be measured for over 50 years. Most studies have used a type of spectrometer that is straightforward to build and use and that provides spectra that are not dissimilar to infrared and Raman spectra. In this Focal Point Review Article we show the advantages of a type of neutron vibrational spectrometer that has been largely unknown to the spectroscopy community. These instruments are able to access regions of low momentum transfer at relatively large energy transfer. This means that the C–H, N–H, and O–H stretch regions can be exploited by INS spectroscopy for the first time. The instruments generally have very large detector area, which means that they are significantly more sensitive than the more commonly used instruments. They also allow the energy transfer as a function of momentum transfer to be examined. After briefly outlining the basics of INS spectroscopy, we describe the operational principles of the instruments and show how flux and resolution can be traded. We then review how the advantages of the instruments can be used to gain understanding of molecular systems in areas as diverse as hydrogen storage, hydrogen bonding, and fullerenes. The instruments are starting to have a significant impact in studies of catalysts and this is illustrated with recent studies of hydrogen on fuel cell catalysts, methyl chloride synthesis, the deactivation of methane reforming catalysts, and a model carbon monoxide oxidation catalyst.
Thinking about journalists’ thinking (Two)1
Authors: FOURIE PIETER J.
Published: December 2011

The first purpose of the article is to briefly highlight the global and South African relationship between society and journalism training/education. The second purpose is to take cognizance of how the changed and new media landscape has caused a so-called ‘crisis of journalism’
(meaning journalism’s loss of legitimacy and authenticity) and how this may affect journalism training. Part of this ‘crisis’, if not the essence thereof, is the almost customary and long-standing criticism against the very nature of journalism and the journalistic profession.
This criticism is briefly summarized before a case is made for focusing on the intellectual development of student journalists through meta-theoretical approaches to and in journalism training and education. Such a meta-theoretical approach could place the emphasis on what makes up four of
the most prominent key constructs in mass communication, namely ‘representation’, ‘dialogue’, ‘rhetoric’ and ‘meaning’. These constructs, how they relate to journalism and how they can lead to a better understanding of journalism as a human (mass)
ommunication phenomenon, to a better understanding of the fundamental criticism against journalism and eventually how to deal with this criticism are briefly introduced. To illustrate the relationships between society, new media landscape, journalism and journalism training, brief case studies
of the situation in South Africa are given. In terms of methodology, it should be emphasized that the article is not an empirical analysis of journalism training, but rather, a contemplative piece. As such it constitutes an opinion that in itself is debatable and hopefully will lead to further
debate. The article is a continuation of the very old, and in the literature well known, if not fierce debate between skills versus theoretical (academic) training.
Media flows, domination and discourse in Nigeria
Authors: MUSA MOHAMMED
Published: December 2011

Media development and the rise of communication studies in institutions of higher learning in Nigeria are directly related in two ways. If expanding media institutions and practice stimulated the need for further professional training at the university level, media output also provoked
concern and intellectual curiosity that universities needed to respond to or engage with. Thus, intellectuals in communication studies in Nigerian universities trained and produced the personnel required to work in the growing media sector. At the same time they kept a curious eye and searchlight
on the role of media in society that the present article is addressing. This article addresses domination as a key concern of Nigerian media scholars between the 1970s and 1990s. It addresses the theoretical and empirical bases of the debate at the time and raises issues with the conspiratorial
silence among Nigerian intellectuals on the subject in the period since 1990. The article will argue, among other things, that while the silence is not haphazard it has coincided with developments in certain circles in western social theory that attempt to reject or obfuscate the notion of
hegemony or domination in international media relations and its substitution with notions of indigenization and hybridization that appear to mask and conceal rather than illuminate hegemony inherent in the globalization project. The article will borrow from Gramsci’s notion of hegemony
to explain previous and contemporary cultural flow of media content to Nigeria and within Nigeria. The article will conclude, among others, that the silence of Nigerian intellectuals on the domination debate is both acquiescence and a functional cause to imperialism in its various manifestations.
Zimbabwe’s community radio ‘initiatives’: Promoting alternative media in a restrictive legislative environment
Authors: MHIRIPIRI NHAMO
Published: December 2011

Unlike most nations in southern Africa, Zimbabwe has not seen the expansion in community radio stations that has been characteristic of the region from the 1990s. A number of community radio initiatives (CRIs) were formed after the 2001 Zimbabwean Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), but
no licences were ever issued in any broadcasting sector. This article argues that CRIs reflected the wider political crises of the years since 2000. Even after the Global Political Agreement of 15 September 2008, no community radio station has been licensed. Taking two case studies of such
initiatives - Community Radio Harare and Radio Dialogue of Bulawayo - the article investigates how they have survived the Zimbabwean political crisis. It examines the way they lobbied for the right to broadcast and how they produced and distributed programming, and utilized so-called 'roadshows'
in an environment where alternative radio stations are viewed with suspicion by ZANU PF.
US college radio, the ‘New British Invasion’ and media alterity
Authors: RUBIN NICK
Published: December 2011

The mid-1980s discursive emergence of 'college radio' as a discrete broadcast sector in the United States was founded on college stations' embrace of UK punk during the late 1970s. While commercial rock stations rejected punk on aesthetic and affective grounds, college DJs continued
to support punk's offshoots into the early 1980s, nurturing an oppositional sensibility regarding commercial broadcasting and mainstream tastes. The stunning debut of cable television channel MTV in 1981 introduced a potential crisis in self-consciously oppositional college radio communities,
because as part of its programming, MTV promoted UK post-punk and 'new music' bands that had previously received most of their airplay from college stations. MTV's success sparked a parallel programming trend on commercial radio, which journalists labelled the 'New British Invasion'. The various
responses to MTV and the 'New British Invasion' on the part of US college radio practitioners extended and consolidated the ethos that college radio embodied in its embrace of punk, helping to cohere the sector as a cultural imaginary. These responses also suggest that 'alternative media'
theorists might profitably include college radio in the future development of alternative media models.
REVIEWS
Authors: Tebbutt John , Linfoot Matthew
Published: December 2011

CALLING ALL CARS; RADIO DRAGNETS AND THE TECHNOLOGY OF POLICING, KATHLEEN BATTLES (2010) Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 282 pp., ISBN 978-0-8166-4913-6 (hbk), $67.50 ISBN 978-0-8166-4914-3 (pbk), $22.50

SOUNDS OF YOUR LIFE - THE HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT RADIO
IN THE UK, TONY STOLLER (2010) New Barnet: John Libbey Publishing, 350 pp., ISBN 978-0861966905 (hbk), £22.50
Community broadcasting and mental health: The role of local radio and television in enhancing emotional and social well-being
Authors: MEADOWS MICHAEL , FOXWELL KERRIE
Published: December 2011

This article sets out to explore the role of community broadcasting in enhancing the emotional and social well-being of its diverse audiences. We argue that communitybased broadcasting is having a positive impact on the state of mental health of its audiences. We make our argument by
reviewing audience research data from a study of the Australian community broadcasting sector conducted between 2004 and 2007. The findings reveal that the community radio and Indigenous television sectors are making a significant contribution to managing community mental health by empowering
audiences to better understand and control issues that impact on their emotional and social well-being. This suggests opportunities for health care agencies to consider the potential of enlisting community broadcasting in future mental health campaigns. The study reinforces a claim that mainstream
media need to be more aware of a growing dissatisfaction with their inability to 'connect' with their diverse audiences on such issues. It also provides further evidence for community radio as a key cultural resource that meets its expected outcomes in contributing to social gain.
Adubação nitrogenada de sorgo granífero consorciado com capim em sistema de plantio direto
Authors: Mateus Gustavo Pavan , Crusciol Carlos Alexandre Costa , Borghi Émerson , Pariz Cristiano Magalhães , Costa Ciniro , Silveira João Paulo Franco da
Published: December 2011

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do manejo da adubação nitrogenada sobre a cultura do sorgo granífero, cultivado solteiro e em consócio com capim-marandu e capim-mombaça, e determinar a produtividade de matéria seca das forrageiras, nos anos agrícolas 2003/2004 e 2004/2005, em plantio direto. Foi utilizado o delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso, em arranjo fatorial 3x5, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de três sistemas de cultivo de sorgo granífero (solteiro e consorciado com capim-marandu ou capim-mombaça, na linha de semeadura) e cinco manejos de adubação nitrogenada: 30-70; 70-30; 50-50; 100-0; e 0-100 kg ha-1 de N, quantidades aplicadas na semeadura e na cobertura, respectivamente. O cultivo consorciado não afetou a nutrição nem a produtividade de grãos de sorgo. Apenas no primeiro ano de cultivo, o parcelamento 50-50 kg ha-1 de N proporcionou maior produtividade de grãos. O manejo da palhada interferiu no estabelecimento do sorgo no segundo ano de cultivo, e diminuiu a produtividade de grãos. As maiores doses de N aplicadas em cobertura elevaram a produtividade de matéria seca do capim-marandu e, as aplicadas em semeadura, a elevaram no capim-mombaça.
Valor nutricional de componentes da planta e dos coprodutos da Agave sisalana para alimentação de ruminantes
Authors: Brandão L.G.N. , Pereira L.G.R. , Azevêdo J.A.G. , Santos R.D. , Aragão A.S.L. , Voltolini T.V. , Neves A.L.A. , Araújo G.G.L. , Brandão W.N.
Published: December 2011

Avaliaram-se a composição bromatológica, os nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT), a digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS) e a cinética de fermentação ruminal do bulbilho e pseudocaule da planta do sisal e dos coprodutos do desfibramento do sisal (CDS) na forma de silagem, feno e amonização com 5% de ureia e do pó da batedeira das fibras de sisal. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente ao acaso, com três repetições. Os valores da matéria seca variaram de 11,4 a 89,7% na silagem e no feno do CDS, respectivamente. O CDS amonizado destacou-se com o maior valor de proteína bruta, 22,7%. Para o pseudocaule e o pó da batedeira, não foram detectadas a presença de extrato etéreo. Os teores de carboidratos não fibrosos (CNF) foram mais altos no pseudocaule, 72,7%, e no bulbilho, 69,5%. Não houve diferença nos valores de DIVMS entre os alimentos avaliados. O pó da batedeira apresentou os maiores valores de NDT. Os teores de fibra em detergente ácido, de CNF e de produção cumulativa de gases do pó da batedeira, bulbilhos e pseudocaule os qualificam como volumosos de baixo teor de fibra e alta digestibilidade.
Níveis de carnitina na ração no desempenho corporal de tricogáster léri (Trichogaster leeri bleeker, 1852)
Authors: Tonini W.C.T. , Mendonça P.P. , Polese M.F. , Abreu M.L.C. , Matos D.C. , Vidal Jr. M.V. , Andrade D.R.
Published: December 2011

Foram avaliados os efeitos de carnitina na dieta de Trichogaster leeri, com peso inicial de 0,5±0,2g, distribuídos aleatoriamente e individualmente em aquários plásticos (1000mL), com renovação total da água a cada 48 horas. Cinco dietas isocalóricas, contendo 28% de proteína bruta e 3100kcal de energia bruta, foram elaboradas com a suplementação de T1 = 0mg, T2 = 300mg, T3 = 600mg, T4 = 900mg e T5 = 1200mg de l-carnitina/kg de ração. As dietas foram administradas três vezes ao dia, ad libitum, durante 45 dias. Foram avaliados comprimento total e padrão, altura, peso final e tamanho de cauda, além do ganho de peso, conversão alimentar e fator de condição. Em todas as características analisadas, o tratamento de 900mg de carnitina/kg foi o mais eficiente no desempenho zootécnico para o T. leeri, e, após cálculos dos pontos máximos, sugere-se a concentração de 1.000mg/kg de ração. Observou-se diferença significativa para tamanho de cauda, altura do corpo, peso final e fator de condição.
Como se vigia os vigilantes: o controle da Polícia Federal sobre a segurança privada
Authors: Lopes Cleber da Silva
Published: December 2011

O aparecimento da segurança privada e de organizações e policiamento privado que provêem policiamento de maneira informal colocam novos problemas para a efetivação dos direitos civis na sociedade brasileira. Frente a isso, o trabalho analisa o controle estatal sobre a segurança privada exercido pela Polícia Federal no período 1996-2006. Tendo como referência o modo como esse controle é realizado em outros países e a partir do estudo dos documentos legais e entrevistas com os atores diretamente envolvidos no controle da segurança privada, são analisados: os instrumentos legais disponíveis à Polícia Federal para o controle da segurança privada; os mecanismos que incentivam o controle interno e o controle externo da segurança privada; e a fiscalização exercida sobre a segurança privada e demais organizações e agentes particulares que provêem policiamento de maneira informal.