bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporally Graded Activation of Neocortical Regions in Response to Memories of Different Ages
Authors: Woodard John L. , Seidenberg Michael , Nielson Kristy A. , Miller Sarah K. , Franczak Malgorzata , Antuono Piero , Douville Kelli L. , Rao Stephen M.
Published: June 2007

The temporally graded memory impairment seen in many neurobehavioral disorders implies different neuroanatomical pathways and/or cognitive mechanisms involved in storage and retrieval of memories of different ages. A dynamic interaction between medial-temporal and neocortical brain regions has been proposed to account for memory's greater permanence with time. Despite considerable debate concerning its time-dependent role in memory retrieval, medial-temporal lobe activity has been well studied. However, the relative participation of neocortical regions in recent and remote memory retrieval has received much less attention. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we demonstrate robust, temporally graded signal differences in posterior cingulate, right middle frontal, right fusiform, and left middle temporal regions in healthy older adults during famous name identification from two disparate time epochs. Importantly, no neocortical regions demonstrated greater response to older than to recent stimuli. Our results suggest a possible role of these neocortical regions in temporally dating items in memory and in establishing and maintaining memory traces throughout the lifespan. Theoretical implications of these findings for the two dominant models of remote memory functioning (Consolidation Theory and Multiple Trace Theory) are discussed.
Using Parallel Distributed Processing Models to Simulate Phonological Dyslexia: The Key Role of Plasticity-related Recovery
Authors: Welbourne Stephen R. , Lambon Ralph Matthew A.
Published: June 2007

PMSP96 [Plaut, D. C., McClelland, J. L., Seidenberg, M. S., & Patterson, K. Understanding normal and impaired word reading: Computational principles in quasi-regular domains. Psychological Review, 103, 56–115, 1996, Simulation 4] is an implementation of the triangle model of reading, which was able to simulate effects found in normal and surface dyslexic readers. This study replicated the original findings and explored the possibility that damage to the phonological portion of the model might produce symptoms of phonological dyslexia. The first simulation demonstrated that this implementation of PMSP96 was able to reproduce the standard effects of reading, and that when damaged by removal of the semantic input to phonology, it produced the kind of frequency/consistency interactions and regularization errors typical of surface dyslexia. The second simulation explored the effect of phonological damage. Phonological damage alone did not result in a convincing simulation of phonological dyslexia. However, when the damage was followed by a period of recovery, the network was able to simulate large lexicality and imageability effects characteristic of phonological dyslexia-the first time that both surface and phonological dyslexia have been simulated in the same parallel distributed processing network. This result supports the view that plasticity-related changes should be a significant factor in our understanding of chronic behavioral dissociations.
Human Frontal Eye Fields and Spatial Priming of Pop-out
Authors: O'Shea Jacinta , Muggleton Neil G. , Cowey Alan , Walsh Vincent
Published: June 2007

“Priming of pop-out” is a form of implicit memory that facilitates detection of a recently inspected search target. Repeated presentation of a target's features or its spatial position improves detection speed (feature/spatial priming). This study investigated a role for the human frontal eye fields (FEFs) in the priming of color pop-out. To test the hypothesis that the FEFs play a role in short-term memory storage, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied during the intertrial interval. There was no effect of TMS on either spatial or feature priming. To test whether the FEFs are important when a saccade is being programmed to a repeated target color or location, TMS was applied during the search array. TMS over the left but not the right FEFs abolished spatial priming, but had no effect on feature priming. These findings demonstrate functional specialization of the left FEFs for spatial priming, and distinguish this role from target discrimination and saccade-related processes. The results suggest that the left FEFs integrate a spatial memory signal with an evolving saccade program, which facilitates saccades to a recently inspected location.
Neural Mechanisms of the Time-order Error: An MEG Study
Authors: Hairston Ilana S. , Nagarajan Srikantan S.
Published: June 2007

The time-order error (TOE) refers to the influence of presentation order on performance accuracy in a discrimination task. Despite it being a well-documented perceptual bias, the underlying mechanisms have not been studied. In this study, observers were trained on a two-interval forced-choice procedure. The stimuli presented for discrimination were a standard, consisting of four tones presented at a 5-Hz rate, and targets, consisting of various rates higher than 5 Hz. Psychometric functions were measured for discrimination of the trained standard and targets, a novel standard of 13 Hz with higher target rates; and the trained 5 Hz standard with novel targets with rates below 5 Hz. Discrimination did not improve with training; in fact, accuracy declined when standard was presented in the first interval during the session, resulting in a TOE. The TOE was specific to the 5-Hz standard generalizing to the novel targets slower than 5 Hz, but not to the 13-Hz STANDARD. Analysis of the event-related magnetic field responses (ERFs) revealed a waveform to the whole stimulus, rather than to each tone in the train. Although ERFs in the second interval were attenuated independent of stimulus type, the M300 component in the second interval was attenuated only when the standard was first, but remained of equivalent magnitude when the standard was second. This was observed only in the two 5-Hz conditions. Combined, these results suggest that the TOE reflects the emergence of an internal representation of the standard, and that the M300 is potentially a neural correlate of plasticity.
The Role of Iconic Gestures in Speech Disambiguation: ERP Evidence
Authors: Holle Henning , Gunter Thomas C.
Published: June 2007

The present series of experiments explored the extent to which iconic gestures convey information not found in speech. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded as participants watched videos of a person gesturing and speaking simultaneously. The experimental sentences contained an unbalanced homonym in the initial part of the sentence (e.g., She controlled the ball …) and were disambiguated at a target word in the subsequent clause (which during the game … vs. which during the dance …). Coincident with the initial part of the sentence, the speaker produced an iconic gesture which supported either the dominant or the subordinate meaning. Event-related potentials were time-locked to the onset of the target word. In Experiment 1, participants were explicitly asked to judge the congruency between the initial homonym-gesture combination and the subsequent target word. The N400 at target words was found to be smaller after a congruent gesture and larger after an incongruent gesture, suggesting that listeners can use gestural information to disambiguate speech. Experiment 2 replicated the results using a less explicit task, indicating that the disambiguating effect of gesture is somewhat task-independent. Unrelated grooming movements were added to the paradigm in Experiment 3. The N400 at subordinate targets was found to be smaller after subordinate gestures and larger after dominant gestures as well as grooming, indicating that an iconic gesture can facilitate the processing of a lesser frequent word meaning. The N400 at dominant targets no longer varied as a function of the preceding gesture in Experiment 3, suggesting that the addition of meaningless movements weakened the impact of gesture. Thus, the integration of gesture and speech in comprehension does not appear to be an obligatory process but is modulated by situational factors such as the amount of observed meaningful hand movements.
Localization of Syntactic and Semantic Brain Responses using Magnetoencephalography
Authors: Service Elisabet , Helenius Päivi , Maury Sini , Salmelin Riitta
Published: June 2007

Electrophysiological methods have been used to study the temporal sequence of syntactic and semantic processing during sentence comprehension. Two responses associated with syntactic violations are the left anterior negativity (LAN) and the P600. A response to semantic violation is the N400. Although the sources of the N400 response have been identified in the left (and right) temporal lobe, the neural signatures of the LAN and P600 have not been revealed. The present study used magnetoencephalography to localize sources of syntactic and semantic activation in Finnish sentence reading. Participants were presented with sentences that ended in normally inf lected nouns, nouns in an unacceptable case, verbs instead of nouns, or nouns that were correctly inflected but made no sense in the context. Around 400 msec, semantically anomalous last words evoked strong activation in the left superior temporal lobe with significant activation also for word class errors (N400). Weaker activation was seen for the semantic errors in the right hemisphere. Later, 600-800 msec after word onset, the strongest activation was seen to word class and morphosyntactic errors (P600). Activation was significantly weaker to semantically anomalous and correct words. The P600 syntactic activation was localized to bilateral sources in the temporal lobe, posterior to the N400 sources. The results suggest that the same general region of the superior temporal cortex gives rise to both LAN and N400 with bilateral reactivity to semantic manipulation and a left hemisphere effect to syntactic manipulation. The bilateral P600 response was sensitive to syntactic but not semantic factors.
The Neural Basis of Love as a Subliminal Prime: An Event-related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Authors: Ortigue S. , Bianchi-Demicheli F. , de C. Hamilton A. F. , Grafton S. T.
Published: June 2007

Throughout the ages, love has been defined as a motivated and goal-directed mechanism with explicit and implicit mechanisms. Recent evidence demonstrated that the explicit representation of love recruits subcorticocortical pathways mediating reward, emotion, and motivation systems. However, the neural basis of the implicit (unconscious) representation of love remains unknown. To assess this question, we combined event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a behavioral subliminal priming paradigm embedded in a lexical decision task. In this task, the name of either a beloved partner, a neutral friend, or a passionate hobby was subliminally presented before a target stimulus (word, nonword, or blank), and participants were required to decide if the target was a word or not. Behavioral results showed that subliminal presentation of either a beloved's name (love prime) or a passion descriptor (passion prime) enhanced reaction times in a similar fashion. Subliminal presentation of a friend's name (friend prime) did not show any beneficial effects. Functional results showed that subliminal priming with a beloved's name (as opposed to either a friend's name or a passion descriptor) specifically recruited brain areas involved in abstract representations of others and the self, in addition to motivation circuits shared with other sources of passion. More precisely, love primes recruited the fusiform and angular gyri. Our findings suggest that love, as a subliminal prime, involves a specific neural network that surpasses a dopaminergic-motivation system.
Defining Religious Pluralism in America: A Regional Analysis
Authors: Silk Mark
Published: June 2007

In any given time and place, religious pluralism reflects a set of cultural attitudes about the nature and role of religion in society. Prior to World War II, religious pluralism in the United States was conceived as a two-tiered system, with nondenominational Protestantism in the top tier and other legitimate religious groups—Catholics, Jews, Eastern Orthodox, Mormons—relegated to a second tier. Since the war, American society has experimented with several different models, each of which derives from an approach to religious pluralism rooted in a particular region of the country.
Pluralism as a Culture: Religion and Civility in Southern California
Authors: Roof Wade Clark
Published: June 2007

This article describes Southern California as a particular setting for the study of religious pluralism and civil society. The region's history of global religious and cultural encounters, lack of a religious establishment, hypermodernity, and fluid identities have all contributed to “pluralism as a culture,” or a style of inter-group interaction and cooperation characterized generally by openness and acceptance. Finally, the author discusses how this culture akin to what is sometimes called “rooted cosmopolitanism” and to core American values and democratic traditions.
Pluralisms
Authors: Marty Martin E.
Published: June 2007

Arguing that the move from “diversity” to “pluralism” in American discourse better matched some of the historical circumstances and social outcomes in American life, this article is designed to provide a framework for more detailed and close-up elaborations on the pluralist theme. As the field of study develops, it becomes ever more clear that no single definition will do justice to “diversity,” “multiculturalism,” and so on, so it is time to think of the “plural in the plural” and speak of “pluralisms.”
“Today We Act, Tomorrow We Vote”: Latino Religions, Politics, and Activism in Contemporary U.S. Civil Society
Authors: Espinosa Gastón
Published: June 2007

The findings in this study indicate that Catholic and Protestant leaders like Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Rev. Samuel Rodríguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference drew on religious rhetoric, symbols, moral authority, interfaith religious coalition building, and the Bible in the 2005-2007 immigration reform debate and in their struggle for greater tolerance and inclusion of Latinos in U.S. civil society. Mahony and other Catholics also drew on Catholic social teaching and several strategies employed by César Chávez in their struggles for social justice.
The Languages of the Public Sphere: Religious Pluralism, Institutional Logics, and Civil Society
Authors: Williams Rhys H.
Published: June 2007

The increase in religious diversity in the United States since the early 1970s has led to concerns about American national identity and the health of American civil society. Part of this concern emerges from the recognized, but usually unarticulated, parallel between the organizational forms dominant in American civil society institutions and those found among Protestant religious organizations. These organizational forms have an accompanying discourse and institutional logic, premised on voluntarism, individual authenticity, and localism. The question facing civil society from the diversification of the American religious landscape is the extent to which civil society can expand its repertoire of languages and/or traditionally non-Western religious traditions can adapt to these cultural forms.
The Constitutional Basis of Religious Pluralism in the United States: Causes and Consequences
Authors: Jelen Ted G.
Published: June 2007

In this article, the author attempts to show how provisions in the U.S. Constitution enhance religious pluralism in the United States. Furthermore, religious pluralism arguably leads to religious vitality, which has a number of consequences for public life in the United States. Religion in the United States serves as a source of social capital, as a check against the conformist tendencies of U.S. public opinion; religious pluralism ameliorates the tendency to identify the nation with a particular set of religious traditions. The presence of religious ideas in public discourse also may render religious values less particularistic and more publicly accessible.
Emerging Patterns of Interreligious Conversation: A Christian-Jewish Experiment
Authors: Landres J. Shawn , Bolger Ryan K.
Published: June 2007

In January 2006, two paracongregational organizations, Emergent/U.S. and Synagogue 3000, convened a meeting of innovative Christian and Jewish religious leaders. The twenty-four-hour interreligious conversation centered on themes of sacred community, learning, and worship. Shawn Landres of Synagogue 3000 was an organizer of the gathering; Ryan Bolger was one of the keynote speakers and participants. This article reflects on some of the themes that surfaced then and subsequently, and it suggests new categories of analysis for the sociological study of twenty-first century congregational life and interreligious dialogue.
Décalage
Authors: Storr Juliette
Published: June 2007

Human behaviors are often categorized in studies on intercultural communication based on observations of values, beliefs, norms, worldviews, language, nation, race, ethnicity, gender, and how these variables influence relationships among different cultures. Communication practices of interethnic Africans living in the United States provide rich data to examine the intercultural relationships among these diverse ethnic groups. This study investigates the meanings interethnic Africans attribute to their differences. The research question guiding this inquiry was do individuals use themes to make sense of differences with other Africans, and if so, what are those themes? This research seeks to illuminate through dialogue Africans' own interpretations of differences they recognized in their relationships.
A “Man's Woman”?
Authors: Oware Matthew
Published: June 2007

Employing content analysis of 44 songs taken from the Billboard charts between 1992 and 2000, the authors find that all female rap artists in the sample included the cornerstones of rap in their songs: braggadocio, consumption of alcohol and drugs, and “dissin” of female and male rap competitors. More important, the majority of the artists had themes of female agency and empowerment present in their music. However, the artists also had songs that were antithetical to Patricia Hill Collins' Black feminism. Indeed, a majority of the songs examined had women who self-objectified, self-exploited, and used derogatory lyrics when referring to other women. The author finds that these contradictory messages, sometimes by the same artists, nullify the empowering messages that are conveyed and only reproduce and uphold male hegemonic notions of femininity.
The Crude Intentions
Authors: McDougal Serie
Published: June 2007

America's technological, military, and economic security is growing increasingly vulnerable because of a lack of energy security. As a result, America's need to locate, exploit, and control fuel resources has intensified its engagement of the African continent. The nature of America's relationship with the African continent is being progressively guided by U.S. energy policy. Moreover, this relationship must be analyzed in light of the continuing legacy of European colonialism on the African continent. There is a need to ensure that the majority of African people benefit from activity in Africa's energy sector on a just and sustained basis. Fulfilling this need will require the adoption of a foreign policy that is reflective of Africa's unifying cultural beliefs and values, holds foreign countries and companies who would do business with Africa to a set of standards that disallows Africa's exploitation, and is aligned with African development on African terms.
Responsibility Without Community Resources
Authors: Simpson Gaynell Marie , Lawrence-Webb Claudia
Published: June 2007

Given the importance of community resources in the lives of African American grandmother caregivers, it is imperative to examine and gain a deeper understanding of how grandmothers perceive the availability and accessibility of community resources to meet their caregiving needs. A study using qualitative research methods resulted in three themes: (a) status of traditional helping resources, (b) inappropriate and unresponsiveness of human service agencies, and (c) limited options and alternatives to grandmother caregivers. Each of these themes provides some evidence of what is needed to shape programs and services targeted toward urban grandmother caregivers.
Regadenoson Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability in Subjects With Impaired Renal Function
Authors: Gordi Toufigh , Blackburn Brent , Lieu Hsiao
Published: June 2007

The authors have investigated the pharmacokinetics and tolerability of regadenoson, a selective A2Aadenosine receptor agonist for use in drug‐stressed myocardial perfusion imaging in subjects with varying degrees of renal function. Sixteen subjects with different creatinine clearance values (range: 15–132 mL/min) received a single intravenous bolus dose of 400 μg regadenoson. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed to describe the pharmacokinetics of regadenoson in these subjects. Regadenoson elimination half‐life was prolonged with decreasing renal function. However, maximum plasma concentrations, number, or severity of adverse events did not differ significantly between the subjects. Heart rate increased in all subjects after regadenoson injection but returned to normal within 150 minutes. There were no blood pressure pattern differences with respect to renal function. Results from this study do not indicate that dose adjustments are necessary when subjects with decreased renal function are administered the clinically relevant dose of 400 μg regadenoson.
Drugs Released for Clinical Use
Authors: de HAEN PAUL
Published: June 2007

This listing includes new single chemical entities and preparations, duplicate single products, and combination products that have become available for clinical use during the period from February 21 to April 20, 1969. The information is taken from the manufacturer's package insert or brochure, which should be consulted for further details on indications, dosage, contraindications, and adverse reactions.
Drugs Released for Clinical Use
Authors: de HAEN PAUL
Published: June 2007

This listing includes new single chemical entities and preparations, duplicate single products, and combination products that have become available for clinical use during the period from October 21, 1968 to December 20, 1969. The information is taken from the manufacturer's package insert or brochure, which should be consulted for further details on indications, dosage, contraindications, and adverse reactions.
GAPN Postacute Care Coordination Improves Hip Fracture Outcomes
Authors: Krichbaum Kathleen
Published: June 2007

We tested the effectiveness of a nursing intervention model to improve health, function, and return-home outcomes in elders with hip fracture via a 2-year randomized clinical trial. Thirty three elders (age > 65 years) were tracked from hospital discharge to 12 months postfracture. The treatment group had a gerontologic advanced practice nurse as postacute care coordinator for 6 months who intervened with each elder regardless of the postacute care setting, making biweekly visits and/or phone calls. The coordinator assessed health and function, and informed elders, families, long-term care staff, and physicians of the patient's progress. The control group had care based on postacute facility protocols. Nonnormal distribution of data led to nonparametric analysis using Freidman's test with post hoc comparisons (Mann—Whitney U tests, Bonferroni adjustment). The treatment group had better function at 12 months on several activities and instrumental activities of daily living, and no differences in health, depression, or living situation.
Chinese Immigrants' Management of Their Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Authors: King Kathryn M. , LeBlanc Pamela , Carr William , Hude Quan
Published: June 2007

The authors have undertaken a series of grounded theory studies to describe and explain how ethnocultural affiliation and gender influence the process that cardiac patients undergo when faced with making behavior changes associated with reducing their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Data were collected through audiorecorded semistructured interviews (using an interpreter as necessary), and the authors analyzed the data using constant comparative methods. The core variable that emerged through the series of studies was “meeting the challenge.” Here, the authors describe the findings from a sample of Chinese immigrants (10 men, 5 women) to Canada. The process of managing CVD risk for the Chinese immigrants was characterized by their extraordinary diligence in seeking multiple sources of information to enable them to manage their health.
Effect of an Inpatient Nurse-Directed Smoking Cessation Program
Authors: Gies Cheryl E. , Buchman Debra , Robinson Janet , Smolen Dianne
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a nurse-directed smoking cessation intervention for adults hospitalized in a small community hospital using a quasiexperimental, prospective, longitudinal design with biochemical validation of self-reported tobacco abstinence. Sixty-eight inpatients were assigned to either a control ( n = 30) or an intervention group ( n = 38). The control group received smoking cessation literature. The intervention group received smoking cessation literature and a nursing intervention. Each member of the intervention group was randomly assigned to a one or four telephone call subgroup for post discharge nurse follow-up at 3 months. Fifty-five participants completed the study. Smokers receiving the nurse-directed intervention were significantly more likely to be tobacco abstinent at 3 months ( n = 17, 55%) than smokers in the control group ( n = 5, 21%). Within the intervention group, tobacco abstinence at 3 months was not significantly different between the one and four telephone call groups. For the total sample, smoking relapse was significantly higher for participants who lived with another smoker.
Self-renewal and Proliferation of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells: A Study of Glycosaminoglycans Effect on Feeder-Free Cultures
Authors: Emami Shahriar H. , Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad S.
Published: June 2007

The self-renewal and proliferation of murine embryonic stem (ES) cells can be preserved indefinitely in the presence of the mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) feeder layer. Since the feeder layer has several drawbacks, including viral contamination and large-scale production, gelatin solutions are the most prominent alternative to replacing it. In this investigation, self-renewal and proliferation of ES cells was carried out by supplementing the gelatin solution with glycosaminoglycan components, such as chondroitin sulfate and heparin. The methylcellulose-based embryoid body (EB) assay was used to evaluate the self-renewal ability of the ES cells. Chondroitin sulfate and heparin were mixed with 0.1% gelatin solution in 0:100, 50:50 and 100:0 (heparin/chondroitin sulfate) ratios and compared with 0.1% gelatin (positive control) and MEF (negative control) in three independent parallel experiments. Chondroitin sulfate addition to 0.1% gelatin enhanced the cell population and the number of EBs by 57 and 32%, respectively.
Novel Polyamide 6,10 Variants Synthesized by Modified Interfacial Polymerization for Application as a Rate-Modulated Monolithic Drug Delivery System
Authors: Kolawole Oluwatoyin A. , Pillay Viness , Choonara Yahya E.
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to explore and elucidate the possibility of employing an aliphatic polyamide 6,10 (PA 6,10) synthesized by a modified interfacial polymerization process as a novel rate-modulated monolithic matrix drug delivery system. A Plackett—Burman experimental design was used to synthesize 14 different PA 6,10 polymers using the interfacial polymerization process of synthesis comprising the monomers namely hexamethylenediamine and sebacoyl chloride and the solvents namely hexane (nonpolar phase) and deionized water (polar phase). This process was modified by variations in stoichiometry of monomers, volume ratios of solvents as well as solvent phase modification using cyclohexane and sodium hydroxide for the nonpolar and polar solvent phases, respectively. The micromechanical parameters of the newly synthesized PA 6,10 variants were elucidated in terms of the matrix resilience (MR), matrix hardness and deformation energy, in which case matrix hardness and deformation energy were expressed as second-order polynomial hydration rate constants. The effect of changes in pH of the hydration media on these parameters was also explored as part of the characterization process. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to correlate the effect of synthesis variables on the micromechanical behavior PA 6,10 and its subsequent ability to impact drug release. The micromechanical values revealed that all independent formulation variables had a significant influence on the responses. Furthermore, the applied statistical model was utilized in selecting a combination of reaction variables to produce optional physicomechanical properties. The MR was selected for optimization among other parameters since it had a prominent effect on matrix integrity as well as drug release. The one-way analysis of variance, comparison of experimental versus fitted data, the R2 and P-values as well as the Durbin—Watson statistic indices were used in ascertaining the accuracy of the model. The rate-modulating drug release ability of synthetic aliphatic PA 6,10 was explored to direct the optimization using a higher resolution Box—Behnken statistical design. Constraints were set to obtain levels of independent variables that optimized the physicomechanical properties and the mean dissolution time fixed at eight hours.
pH-Sensitive IPN Hydrogel Beads of Carrageenan-Alginate for Controlled Drug Delivery
Authors: Mohamadnia Z. , Zohuriaan-Mehr M.J. , Kabiri K. , Jamshidi A. , Mobedi H.
Published: June 2007

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel beads of carrageenan-sodium alginate (Caralgi) were prepared under mild conditions. Betamethasone acetate, as a water-soluble drug model, was simultaneously loaded while the hydrogel network was being formed. The effect of pH and temperature of the preparative media on the drug loading efficiency was investigated. Maximum loading efficiency (71%) was achieved at pH 4.8 and 55°C. The chemical structure and morphology of the Caralgi IPN hydrogels with and without drug were studied using FTIR and SEM analyses. The system exhibited a loading efficiency that depended on the pH and temperature. The in vitro release behavior by Caralgi IPN samples, prepared under various conditions, was evaluated and compared with that of the non-IPN alginate-Ca2+ and carrageenan-K + hydrogels at pH 1.2 and 7.4.
Standardization of Telephone Triage in Pediatric Oncology
Authors: Black Karina L.
Published: June 2007

Nurses in pediatric oncology are often the main resource for overwhelmed parents and deal with complex patient issues over the telephone but often not without concerns about best patient care, liability, and accountability for the advice given. The question is whether using standardization of telephone triage practices can provide opportunities for improvement in the care of pediatric oncology patients. A review of the literature pertaining to telephone triage, standardization of practice, and the practice in outpatient oncology was conducted. The utilization of easy-to-use, accessible yet nonrestrictive resources and a well-designed documentation tool can help guide the decision-making process while addressing legal concerns and ensuring best possible patient care. An advantage that nurses in outpatient oncology settings have in performing telephone triage is the knowledge they have of their patient population and the disease process and treatments. Using a balanced approach to standardization of telephone triage practices can provide opportunities for improvements in care while still capitalizing on the intuitive knowledge and experience of the nurses involved.
Prevention and Management of Post–Lumbar Puncture Headache in Pediatric Oncology Patients
Authors: Lee Livia Chi-Yan , Sennett Margaret , Erickson Jeanne M.
Published: June 2007

Pediatric oncology patients are at risk for developing a headache after they undergo a lumbar puncture for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. These headaches are likely due to leakage of cerebrospinal fluid at the puncture site. While usually mild and self-limited, some headaches may be persistent and severe, adding to the distress of these young patients. In the past 10 years, refinements in lumbar needle size and shape as well as procedural techniques have reduced the tissue trauma that predisposes patients to headache. A number of interventions, such as bed rest, hydration, caffeine administration, and epidural blood patching, have been suggested to prevent and relieve the headaches that follow lumbar punctures. This article outlines the pathophysiology and incidence of headaches related to lumbar punctures in the pediatric oncology setting and reviews the evidence from research trials to suggest which interventions clinicians should adopt into their practice to minimize this complication of lumbar punctures.
Quality of Life in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Sharp Lisa K. , Kinahan Karen E. , Didwania Aarati , Stolley Melinda
Published: June 2007

More children are surviving childhood cancer than ever before; however, little is known about these survivors' long-term quality of life (QOL). This study explores factors that might influence QOL in adult childhood cancer survivors. In a cross-sectional design, 70 of 100 eligible survivors from 1 long-term follow-up clinic completed a QOL and depression symptom measure. Medical information was abstracted from charts. Analysis revealed that survivors with elevated depressive symptoms had significantly lower QOL across all domains than those with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Regression analyses were conducted to further explore relationships. Depressive symptoms appear to be a major factor contributing to adverse QOL outcomes in adult survivors. Additional research should focus on the prevention of depression symptoms and effective treatment modalities for this unique population.
Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Pediatric Patients After Stem Cell Transplant
Authors: Rodgers Cheryl , Monroe Rebecca
Published: June 2007

As more patients are surviving the transplant experience, more children are coping with long-term side effects. Long-term side effects, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, are not as well acknowledged in pediatric stem cell transplant survivors. Osteopenia and osteoporosis can lead to fractures, deformities, pain, and financial burden. There are many factors during and after a stem cell transplant that cause patients to be at an increased risk for osteopenia or osteoporosis. Nurses have the ability to prevent these potentially debilitating and progressive diseases and to provide adequate treatment to prevent further complications. Key features of the history, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging can assist with making a diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia. Prevention of osteopenia and osteoporosis involves both lifestyle modifications and medical management. Measures to prevent and treat bone loss are crucial. Transplant nurses must be knowledgeable regarding the risk factors and prevention and treatment strategies for osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Microsimulations: Bridging theory and practice in the composition practicum
Authors: Brooks Ronald Clark
Published: June 2007

Many new teaching assistants have concerns about keeping authority in the classroom. These concerns make it more difficult for the teachers of the composition practicum to focus discussions on other important pedagogical issues. This study found that microsimulations were an effective way of allowing graduate students to respond to challenges to their authority in a low-stakes environment. The study also found that microsimulations helped future teachers bridge composition theory with practice and introduced them to a form of adventuresome teaching.
Using MARRIAGE AND FAMILY as an aid in acculturation
Authors: Knyshevytska Liliya , Hill Jonnie
Published: June 2007

This study describes the usefulness of a simulation, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, in helping newly arrived international students adjust to the academic demands of university life. It outlines various phases of the simulation. The narrative regarding its implementation in the classroom demonstrates how well many international students adapt to the value that the American educational system puts on creativity when placed in the context of a simulation. The responses of the students provide evidence for the conclusion that MARRIAGE AND FAMILY helps students develop communicative competence as well as adjust to the American academic culture.
Transporting GOLDEN RICE to Malaysian classrooms
Authors: Naidu Shashi
Published: June 2007

This article evaluates the effectiveness of using a simulation in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class at a university in the United States and discusses the integration of simulations into the Malaysian curriculum. A new approach is needed in Malaysia wherein language learners are given maximum exposure to the language. The article discusses how simulations such as GOLDEN RICE could be incorporated into the Malaysian curriculum to make it more learner centered.
Variable time scales, agent-based models, and role-playing games: The PIEPLUE river basin management game
Authors: Barreteau Olivier , Abrami Géraldine
Published: June 2007

This article presents a specific association of a role-playing game (RPG) and an agent-based model (ABM) aimed at dealing with a large range of time scales. Applications to the field of natural resource management lead one to consider the short time scale of resource use in practice at the same time as the longer ones related to resource dynamics or actors' investments. In their daily practice, stakeholders are translating their long-term strategies, a translation that is contextualized and combined with some co-occurring events. Long-term thinking is required for sustainable use of natural resources, but it should take into account its necessary adaptation on a short time scale. This raises the necessity for tools able to tackle jointly these various time scales. The similarity of architecture between computerized ABMs and RPGs makes them easy to associate in a hybrid tool, targeted at meeting this requirement. The proposition of this article is to allocate the representation of short time scales to computerized ABMs and the long ones to RPGs, while keeping the same static structural conceptual model, shared as a common root by both. This synergy is illustrated with PIEPLUE, an interactive setting tackling water-sharing issues.
An evolving simulation/gaming process to facilitate adaptive watershed management in northern mountainous Thailand
Authors: Barnaud Cécile , Promburom Tanya , Trébuil Guy , Bousquet François
Published: June 2007

The decentralization of natural resource management provides an opportunity for communities to increase their participation in related decision making. Research should propose adapted methodologies enabling the numerous stakeholders of these complex socioecological settings to define their problems and identify agreed-on solutions. This article presents a companion modeling (ComMod) experiment combining role-playing games and multiagent systems conducted in a community in northern Thailand to support collective learning for adaptive land management. Researchers and local stakeholders collectively built a representation of the situation and used it as a platform to explore scenarios. This ComMod process initially addressed a soil erosion problem. The participants identified the expansion of perennial crops as a promising solution but also raised the problem of the unequal ability among villagers to invest in such crops. The researchers flexibly adapted the simulation tools to the emerging matter. The authors assess the learning effects of this experiment and identify two favoring factors: the increasing participation of local stakeholders and a flexible and adaptive modeling process suited to learning, which by nature is an evolving process. But to ensure sustainable impacts for the communities, stronger links with higher institutional levels are needed.
Metaphor in natural resource gaming: Insights from the RIVER BASIN GAME
Authors: Lankford Bruce , Watson Drennan
Published: June 2007

The RIVER BASIN GAME is a dialogue tool for decision makers and water users tested in Tanzania and Nigeria. It comprises a physical representation of a river catchment. A central channel flows between an upper watershed and a downstream wetland and has on it several intakes into irrigation systems. Glass marbles, representing water, roll down the channel. Participants place sticks to catch the marbles and scoop them into the irrigation systems. The players become highly animated and learn that being at the tail end leads to water shortages. The game promotes mutual understanding of a catchment, factors controlling access to water, conflict dynamics and allows participants to react to scenarios. By drawing from their own and outsiders' knowledge, players explore solutions to redistributing water. We examine the RIVER BASIN GAME as a metaphor, proposing that it has a mix of simplicity and realism that encourages players to understand issues of real-world complexity and scale. We suggest that the game's success is related to its quality of metaphor, influenced by organizational factors and by six game and gaming experiential axes each with two polarities: seriousness and play, accuracy and generality, internality and externality, connection and disconnection, individualism and collectivism, rule following and rule breaking.
In pursuit of peace: Attitudinal and behavioral change with simulations and Multiple Identification Theory
Authors: Williams Robert Howard , Williams Alexander Jonathan
Published: June 2007

The authors have developed a theory of simulation game design (Multiple Identification Theory; MIT) based on earlier research and several of their own studies. They utilize this theory to create a simulation game designed to change attitudes from a stance of competition to one of cooperation. Three questionnaires are constructed that measure participants' attitudes toward “cooperation versus competition,” “truth and trust versus deception and mistrust,” and “social view of conflict versus individual view of conflict.” Participants play a simulation designed by the authors in accordance with MIT. All students complete pretests of the attitude questionnaires, play the simulation twice, and then complete posttests of the same questionnaires. In addition to these data, behavioral measures of the players' cooperative or aggressive conduct during the simulations are recorded. Quantitative and qualitative analysis found significant change (in a cooperative direction) for all measures. Robust e fect sizes are also reported. It is believed this study provides encouraging initial support for the e ficacy of simulations designed via MIT in changing attitudes and behavior. It is suggested that such research is of special importance for the promotion of cooperation and peace as alternatives to competition and aggression.
A Randomized Evaluation of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care: Effects on School Attendance and Homework Completion in Juvenile Justice Girls
Authors: Leve Leslie D. , Chamberlain Patricia
Published: June 2007

Despite growing evidence that child welfare youth are at increased risk for juvenile delinquency, little is known about gender-specific processes and effective treatment programs for girls. Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC), an empirically validated intervention for child welfare and juvenile justice populations, has demonstrated efficacy in reducing arrest rates in delinquent boys and girls. In this study, the efficacy of MTFC on school attendance and homework completion was examined in juvenile justice girls who were referred to out-of-home care (N = 81). Results from this randomized intervention trial suggest that MTFC was more effective than group care in increasing girls' school attendance and homework completion while in treatment and at 12 months post-baseline. In addition, the previously reported effect of MTFC on reducing girls' days in locked settings was mediated by homework completion while girls were enrolled in the intervention setting. Implications for policy and practice are described.
Thoughts on the Use of Knowledge in Social Work Practice
Authors: Cnaan Ram A. , Dichter Melissa E.
Published: June 2007

The quest for making social work a discipline based entirely on empirical research findings is not new. In this article, the authors briefly review the field of social work in the United States during the past 100 years and discuss how the quest for the status of a profession forced the emphasis on empirical research. However, the authors claim that now and in the past, social work is a most complex field and that many of its basic ingredients are inherently difficult to study. They conclude this article, with a call for social work to continue stressing the “science” side by enhancing careful evidence-based practice, does not hamper the field from evolving and from practitioners using the “art” side of social care.
Implementing Evidence-Based Social Work Practice
Authors: Mullen Edward J. , Bledsoe Sarah E. , Bellamy Jennifer L.
Published: June 2007

Recently, social work has been influenced by new forms of practice that hold promise for bringing practice and research together to strengthen the scientific knowledge base supporting social work intervention. The most recent new practice framework is evidence-based practice. However, although evidence-based practice has many qualities that might attract social workers to adopt it, use in practice is limited. Accordingly, attention is being given to determine effective strategies for the dissemination, adoption, and implementation of evidence-based practice. This article examines the implementation literature, describes alternative strategies for implementation of evidence-based practice in social work, describes an implementation study to illustrate concepts discussed, and specifies needed research.
Improving the Teaching of Evidence-Based Practice: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Rubin Allen
Published: June 2007

This article synthesizes the highlights emanating from the proceedings of a National Symposium on Improving the Teaching of Evidence-Based Practice. Most of the ideas in it have been culled from the articles in this issue, and a few were culled from the symposium discussions. I do not take credit for any of these ideas, only for the synthesis of them.
Evaluating the Effects of Comprehensive Substance Abuse Intervention on Successful Reunification
Authors: Brook Jody , McDonald Thomas P.
Published: June 2007

Objective: This study examines permanency outcomes of families with children in foster care who participated in a comprehensive service-delivery program designed to assist families and communities in dealing with alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. Method: Survival analysis is used to measure the impact of program participation on family reunification and re-entry of children into foster care. Results: The results of this study are that, contrary to initial expectations, participants move more slowly to reunification, although the group differences are not statistically significantly different, and re-entry rates are significantly higher among those children whose parents participate in this service. Conclusions: AOD abuse recovery is a long-term process. More intensive service interventions may not automatically produce better permanency outcomes.