bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dermatology undergraduate skin cancer training: a disconnect between recommendations, clinical exposure and competence
Authors: Aldridge R Benjamin , Maxwell Susanne S , Rees Jonathan L
Published: May 2012

Background

Skin cancers are the most common malignancies in Caucasian populations. Non-specialists are responsible for the initial assessment of skin lesions and are required to act as the gatekeepers to dermatological cancer services in many healthcare systems. The majority of such physicians receive very limited formal undergraduate or postgraduate dermatology training. The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) has produced guidelines that list the lesions that students should be able to diagnose on graduation and the majority of UK medical schools’ operate curricula in keeping with these. There is, however, virtually no evidence as to whether these competencies are being achieved. We set out to determine students’ competence at skin lesion diagnosis and to quantify their clinical exposure to examples of such lesions during their dermatology attachment.

Methods

Three linked studies were undertaken. In the first, students’ competence was tested by randomized slideshows of images containing the 16 lesions recommended in the UK guidelines. Students’ accuracy was tested at the beginning (Day 1) and end (Day 10) of their clinical placement, with a random sample of students retested 12 months later. Secondly, students’ exposure to these lesions was recorded during their attachments. Finally a survey of the additional dermatological resources used by the students was undertaken.

Results

Study 1: Students’ diagnostic accuracy increased from 11% on Day 1 to 33% on Day 10 (effect size +2.72). After 12 months half of this effect had disappeared and the students accuracy had dropped to 24%. Study 2: Students’ exposure to the recommended lesions was poor with 82% not even witnessing a single example of each of the 3 major skin cancers. Despite these measurements, only a minority of students reported that they were not confident at diagnosing skin tumours. Study 3: The majority of students use additional resources to supplement their learning.

Conclusions

In the light of what we know about learning in dermatology, our data would suggest, that the current (traditional) undergraduate attachment is inadequate to meet the UK recommendations for graduate competence. As well as critically examining the basis for these recommendations, we need more empirical data on student performance and exposure, in order to improve teaching and learning.
Metabolic flux profiling of recombinant protein secreting Pichia pastoris growing on glucose:methanol mixtures
Authors: Jordà Joel , Jouhten Paula , Cámara Elena , Maaheimo Hannu , Albiol Joan , Ferrer Pau
Published: May 2012

Background

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has emerged as one of the most promising yeast hosts for the production of heterologous proteins. Mixed feeds of methanol and a multicarbon source instead of methanol as sole carbon source have been shown to improve product productivities and alleviate metabolic burden derived from protein production. Nevertheless, systematic quantitative studies on the relationships between the central metabolism and recombinant protein production in P. pastoris are still rather limited, particularly when growing this yeast on mixed carbon sources, thus hampering future metabolic network engineering strategies for improved protein production.

Results

The metabolic flux distribution in the central metabolism of P. pastoris growing on a mixed feed of glucose and methanol was analyzed by Metabolic Flux Analysis (MFA) using 13C-NMR-derived constraints. For this purpose, we defined new flux ratios for methanol assimilation pathways in P. pastoris cells growing on glucose:methanol mixtures. By using this experimental approach, the metabolic burden caused by the overexpression and secretion of a Rhizopus oryzae lipase (Rol) in P. pastoris was further analyzed. This protein has been previously shown to trigger the unfolded protein response in P. pastoris. A series of 13C-tracer experiments were performed on aerobic chemostat cultivations with a control and two different Rol producing strains growing at a dilution rate of 0.09 h−1 using a glucose:methanol 80:20 (w/w) mix as carbon source.

The MFA performed in this study reveals a significant redistristribution of carbon fluxes in the central carbon metabolism when comparing the two recombinant strains vs the control strain, reflected in increased glycolytic, TCA cycle and NADH regeneration fluxes, as well as higher methanol dissimilation rates.

Conclusions

Overall, a further 13C-based MFA development to characterise the central metabolism of methylotrophic yeasts when growing on mixed methanol:multicarbon sources has been implemented, thus providing a new tool for the investigation of the relationships between central metabolism and protein production. Specifically, the study points at a limited but significant impact of the conformational stress associated to secretion of recombinant proteins on the central metabolism, occurring even at modest production levels.
Automated red blood cell exchange as an adjunctive treatment for severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria at the Vienna General Hospital in Austria: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Auer-Hackenberg Lorenz , Staudinger Thomas , Bojic Andja , Locker Gottfried , Leitner Gerda C , Graninger Wolfgang , Winkler Stefan , Ramharter Michael , Worel Nina
Published: May 2012

Background

Severe falciparum malaria is associated with considerable rates of mortality, despite the administration of appropriate anti-malarial treatment. Since overall survival is associated with total parasite biomass, blood exchange transfusion has been proposed as a potential method to rapidly reduce peripheral parasitaemia. However, current evidence suggests that this treatment modality may not improve outcome. Automated red blood cell exchange (also referred to as “erythrocytapheresis”) has been advocated as an alternative method to rapidly remove parasites from circulating blood without affecting patients’ volume and electrolyte status. However, only limited evidence from case reports and case series is available for this adjunctive treatment. This retrospective cohort study describes the use of automated red blood cell exchange for the treatment of severe malaria at the Medical University of Vienna.

Methods

Epidemiologic data for imported malaria cases in Austria are reported and data of patients treated for malaria at the General Hospital/Medical University of Vienna were extracted from electronic hospital records.

Results

Between 2000 and 2010, 146 patients were hospitalized at the Medical University of Vienna due to malaria and 16 of those were classified as severe malaria cases. Eleven patients of this cohort were potentially eligible for an adjunctive treatment with automated red blood cell exchange. Five patients eventually underwent this procedure within a period of seven hours (range: 3–19 hours) after hospital admission. Six patients did not undergo this adjunctive treatment following the decision of the treating physician. The procedure was well tolerated in all cases and rapid reduction in parasite counts was achieved without occurrence of haemodynamic complications. One patient died within seven days, whereas four patients survived without any sequelae.

Discussion and conclusion

Automated red blood cell exchange was a safe and efficient procedure to rapidly clear peripheral parasitaemia. Whether the fast reduction in parasite biomass may ultimately improve patient survival remains however unclear. Randomized controlled trials are needed to conclusively appreciate the value of this adjunctive treatment.
CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation of pulmonary malignancies: Results in 69 cases
Authors: Lu Qiang , Cao Wei , Huang Lijun , Wan Yi , Liu Tonggang , Cheng Qingshu , Han Yong , Li Xiaofei
Published: May 2012

Background

Microwave ablation (MWA) has attracted a worldwide attention gradually in treating inoperable pulmonary malignancies. However, in the lung tissues treated with MWA recurrence of tumor may still occur and few data in large patient groups till now were reported about the safety or effectiveness of microwave ablation in treating primary lung cancer and metastatic pulmonary malignancies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical curative effect (local control, survival data) MWA and its safety as well.

Methods

From 1 January 2005 to 1 January 2008, retrospective analyses, 69 patients underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous MWA of pulmonary malignancies. All patients were deemed medically inoperable. The correlation of tumor sizes and local progression after ablation was analyzed and the survival rates within 3 years post surgery were compared between non-small-cell lung cancer and pulmonary metastases groups also.

Results

Pneumothorax was the most frequent complication and occurred in 24.64% patients after ablation. Neither needle track implantation was found nor did patient death occur in these patients within 30 days. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 66.7%, 44.9% and 24.6%, respectively. The overall survival rates for NSCLC patients in 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 75.0%, 54.2%, and 29.2%, respectively. The overall survival rates for pulmonary metastatic tumor patients in 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 47.6%, 23.8%, and 14.3%, respectively. The recurrence-free survival rates for NSCLC patients in 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 72.9%, 50.0%, and 27.1%, respectively. The mortality rates for pulmonary metastatic tumor patients in 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 47.6%, 19.0%, and 14.3%, respectively.

Conclusions

Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy was one safe and effective method and could be beneficial for the improvement of inoperable pulmonary malignancies treatment effect.
HIV-1-encoded antisense RNA suppresses viral replication for a prolonged period
Authors: Kobayashi-Ishihara Mie , Yamagishi Makoto , Hara Takuma , Matsuda Yuka , Takahashi Ryutaro , Miyake Ariko , Nakano Kazumi , Yamochi Tadanori , Ishida Takaomi , Watanabe Toshiki
Published: May 2012

Background

Recent evidence proposes a novel concept that mammalian natural antisense RNAs play important roles in cellular homeostasis by regulating the expression of several genes. Identification and characterization of retroviral antisense RNA would provide new insights into mechanisms of replication and pathogenesis. HIV-1 encoded-antisense RNAs have been reported, although their structures and functions remain to be studied. We have tried to identify and characterize antisense RNAs of HIV-1 and their function in viral infection.

Results

Characterization of transcripts of HEK293T cells that were transiently transfected with an expression plasmid with HIV-1NL4–3 DNA in the antisense orientation showed that various antisense transcripts can be expressed. By screening and characterizing antisense RNAs in HIV-1NL4–3-infected cells, we defined the primary structure of a major form of HIV-1 antisense RNAs, which corresponds to a variant of previously reported ASP mRNA. This 2.6 kb RNA was transcribed from the U3 region of the 3′ LTR and terminated at the env region in acutely or chronically infected cell lines and acutely infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Reporter assays clearly demonstrated that the HIV-1 LTR harbours promoter activity in the reverse orientation. Mutation analyses suggested the involvement of NF-κΒ binding sites in the regulation of antisense transcription. The antisense RNA was localized in the nuclei of the infected cells. The expression of this antisense RNA suppressed HIV-1 replication for more than one month. Furthermore, the specific knockdown of this antisense RNA enhanced HIV-1 gene expression and replication.

Conclusions

The results of the present study identified an accurate structure of the major form of antisense RNAs expressed from the HIV-1NL4–3 provirus and demonstrated its nuclear localization. Functional studies collectively demonstrated a new role of the antisense RNA in viral replication. Thus, we suggest a novel viral mechanism that self-limits HIV-1 replication and provides new insight into the viral life cycle.
Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27): biomarker of disease and therapeutic target
Authors: Vidyasagar Aparna , Wilson Nancy A , Djamali Arjang
Published: May 2012

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is a multidimensional protein which acts as a protein chaperone and an antioxidant and plays a role in the inhibition of apoptosis and actin cytoskeletal remodeling. In each of these capacities, HSP27 has been implicated in different disease states playing both protective and counter-protective roles. The current review presents HSP27 in multiple disease contexts: renal injury and fibrosis, cancer, neuro-degenerative and cardiovascular disease, highlighting its role as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target.
The significance of low PU.1 expression in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia
Authors: Zhu Xuehua , Zhang Hui , Qian Maoxiang , Zhao Xujie , Yang Wentao , Wang Ping , Zhang Ji , Wang Kankan
Published: May 2012

Background

Although the importance of the hematopoietic transcription factor PU.1 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been demonstrated, the expression of PU.1 in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patient samples awaits further investigation. The current study used APL patient samples to assess the expression pattern of PU.1 in the initiation and progression of APL.

Findings

We used real-time RT-PCR to compare PU.1 expression between de novo APL patient samples and normal blood specimens, and the results indicated that PU.1 expression was significantly lower in newly diagnosed APL patient samples as compared to normal hematopoietic cells. Further evidence showed a significant inverse correlation between the expression level of PML-RARα and that of PU.1. In addition, we analyzed the correlation between PML-RARα and PU.1 expression in a large population of AML patients retrieved from the expression profiles. The results showed that PU.1 expression was lower in patients with APL than other AML subtypes and there was also a trend towards increasing PU.1 expression from AML-M0 to AML-M5, with the exception of AML-M3 (APL). These observations suggested that PU.1 expression was reduced by PML-RARα in APL patients. Furthermore, we measured PU.1 expression in APL-initiating cells isolated from de novo APL patients by side population cell analysis and found that suppression of PU.1 expression occurred concurrently with PML-RARα expression, indicating the pivotal role of PU.1 in APL initiation.

Conclusion

Our findings provide evidence that low PU.1 expression in APL patients is required for disease initiation and progression.
Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis Identifies a Single CpG Dinucleotide Important for ZAP-70 Expression and Predictive of Prognosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Authors: Claus Rainer , Lucas David M. , Stilgenbauer Stephan , Ruppert Amy S. , Yu Lianbo , Zucknick Manuela , Mertens Daniel , Bühler Andreas , Oakes Christopher C. , Larson Richard A. , Kay Neil E. , Jelinek Diane F. , Kipps Thomas J. , Rassenti Laura Z. , Gribben John G. , Döhner Hartmut , Heerema Nyla A. , Marcucci Guido , Plass Christoph , Byrd John C.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Increased ZAP-70 expression predicts poor prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Current methods for accurately measuring ZAP-70 expression are problematic, preventing widespread application of these tests in clinical decision making. We therefore used comprehensive DNA methylation profiling of the ZAP-70 regulatory region to identify sites important for transcriptional control.

Patients and Methods

High-resolution quantitative DNA methylation analysis of the entire ZAP-70 gene regulatory regions was conducted on 247 samples from patients with CLL from four independent clinical studies.

Results

Through this comprehensive analysis, we identified a small area in the 5′ regulatory region of ZAP-70 that showed large variability in methylation in CLL samples but was universally methylated in normal B cells. High correlation with mRNA and protein expression, as well as activity in promoter reporter assays, revealed that within this differentially methylated region, a single CpG dinucleotide and neighboring nucleotides are particularly important in ZAP-70 transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, by using clustering approaches, we identified a prognostic role for this site in four independent data sets of patients with CLL using time to treatment, progression-free survival, and overall survival as clinical end points.

Conclusion

Comprehensive quantitative DNA methylation analysis of the ZAP-70 gene in CLL identified important regions responsible for transcriptional regulation. In addition, loss of methylation at a specific single CpG dinucleotide in the ZAP-70 5′ regulatory sequence is a highly predictive and reproducible biomarker of poor prognosis in this disease. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using quantitative specific ZAP-70 methylation analysis as a relevant clinically applicable prognostic test in CLL.
Prenatal Synthetic Glucocorticoid Treatment Changes DNA Methylation States in Male Organ Systems: Multigenerational Effects
Authors: Crudo Ariann , Petropoulos Sophie , Moisiadis Vasilis G. , Iqbal Majid , Kostaki Alisa , Machnes Ziv , Szyf Moshe , Matthews Stephen G.
Published: May 2012

Prenatal synthetic glucocorticoids (sGC) are administered to pregnant women at risk of delivering preterm, approximately 10% of all pregnancies. Animal studies have demonstrated that offspring exposed to elevated glucocorticoids, either by administration of sGC or as a result of maternal stress, are at increased risk of developing behavioral, endocrine, and metabolic abnormalities. DNA methylation is a covalent modification of DNA that plays a critical role in long-lasting programming of gene expression. Here we tested the hypothesis that prenatal sGC treatment has both acute and long-term effects on DNA methylation states in the fetus and offspring and that these effects extend into a subsequent generation. Pregnant guinea pigs were treated with sGC in late gestation, and methylation analysis by luminometric methylation assay was undertaken in organs from fetuses and offspring across two generations. Expression of genes that modify the epigenetic state were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Results indicate that there are organ-specific developmental trajectories of methylation in the fetus and newborn. Furthermore, these trajectories are substantially modified by intrauterine exposure to sGC. These sGC-induced changes in DNA methylation remain into adulthood and are evident in the next generation. Furthermore, prenatal sGC exposure alters the expression of several genes encoding proteins that modulate the epigenetic state. Several of these changes are long lasting and are also present in the next generation. These data support the hypothesis that prenatal sGC exposure leads to broad changes in critical components of the epigenetic machinery and that these effects can pass to the next generation.
Network Neutrality and Congestion Sensitive Content Providers: Implications for Content Variety, Broadband Investment, and Regulation
Authors: Krämer Jan , Wiewiorra Lukas
Published: May 2012

We study departures from network neutrality through implementing a quality of service tiering regime in which an Internet service provider charges for prioritization on a nondiscriminatory basis. We find that quality of service tiering may be more efficient in the short run because it better allocates the existing network capacity and in the long run because it provides higher investment incentives due to the increased demand for priority services by the entry of new congestion sensitive content providers. Which network regime is the most efficient depends on the distribution of congestion sensitivity among content providers, but a guideline is that the regime that provides higher incentives for infrastructure investments is more efficient in the long run.
Treaty education for ethically engaged citizenship: Settler identities, historical consciousness and the need for reconciliation
Authors: Tupper Jennifer A.
Published: May 2012

This article explores the possibilities of treaty education for reconciliation with First Nations people, as corrective to the foundational myth of Canada and as a means of fostering ethically engaged citizenship. Lack of historical understanding demonstrated by Canadians regarding
treaties and the treaty relationship is examined in relation to discourses of liberal democratic citizenship. Drawing on ‘remembrance as a source of radical renewal’ ‘ethical relationality’ and ‘justice-oriented citizenship’, the argument is made that treaty
education has the potential to help all students learn from and through events and experiences of the past in ways that inform not only their historical consciousness, but their dispositions as Canadian citizens, and their relationships with one another. While the discussion in this article
is specific to treaty education, it is relevant to broader conversations about the role and value of including more diverse stories/experiences in national histories. Throughout the discussion, attention is paid to the interconnections of citizenship and history education, particularly with
respect to possibilities for engaging differently in the world, alongside one another, politically, socially, culturally and ethically as part of the necessary and urgent process of reconciliation.
Teachers constituting the politicized subject: Canadian and US teachers’ perspectives on the ‘good’ citizen
Authors: Faden Lisa Y.
Published: May 2012

This study examines how secondary history teachers in the United States and Canada understand their role in promoting citizenship and national identities. Building upon Anderson’s concept of ‘imagined communities’, I argue that compulsory history classes are key sites
for imagining the nation and communicating norms about citizenship. While the citizenship education literature has begun to explore teachers’ beliefs about citizenship, researchers in the fields of citizenship education and history education have not examined how history teachers understand
the ‘good’ citizen or the place of their subject in forming national identities. I interviewed thirteen secondary history teachers (seven US/six Canadian) to examine their beliefs about citizenship and national identity. I sought to understand how they engage with broader discourses
about citizenship and the nation. Twelve of the thirteen teachers described the good citizen in ways consistent with Westheimer and Kahne’s models of the personally responsible citizen and the participatory citizen. US teachers also expressed a desire to foster students’ individual
judgement and critical thinking skills, whereas Canadian teachers stressed the importance of fostering national identity as well as students’ responsibility to the collective good.
From elocution to alienation: A Lacanian reading of Gogol’s ‘The Overcoat’
Authors: St-Louis Tatiana
Published: May 2012

Critics have traditionally adopted a humanistic and sentimental approach to Gogol’s work. A Lacanian analysis of Gogol’s ‘The Overcoat’ exposes the failings of other theoretical schools by offering a crucial reconsideration of intersubjectivity in the story.
Gogol’s essential challenge of how to exist in a world regulated by verbal exchange becomes evident through a Lacanian reading. If we consider the literary text as a typical insertion of the subject into the symbolic realm, we may analyse through the skaz/narrative, the enunciation,
the relationship between Gogol and the alienating structure of the Big Other. Stylistically, the resistance shown in the ambiguous narrative structure helps discredit a socio-sentimentalist theory that suggests emotional attachment for the protagonist.
Socio-economic incentives, new media and the Boko Haram campaign of violence in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Musa Aliyu Odamah
Published: May 2012

This article seeks to analyse and explain the emergence of the extremists Islamist Boko Haram sect that is currently perpetuating a reign of violence in Northern Nigerian cities and factors that have aided its rise. It takes a look at the changing political and socio-economic situations
in the country especially from the early 1980s when, despite of the oil boom of the late 1970s, people’s standard of living continued to deteriorate. Following a field study in some Northern Nigerian cities and interviews with some Nigerians in the United Kingdom this writer argues that:
the violent Islamist group is using religion as a decoy, as its main motivation is economic; it is capitalizing on the extreme level of poverty in the north-east of Nigeria to swell its rank of foot soldiers; and the growing use of the new media (the Internet and mobile phone) is rapidly contributing
to the success of the group’s violent agenda. The article suggests the use of dialogue and reconciliation to deescalate the violence and economic empowerment to dissuade young people from making themselves available for manipulation and in the execution of campaigns of violence.
Editorial cartoons and the War on Terror in Kenya’s print media
Authors: Omanga Duncan
Published: May 2012

This article probes the dominant frames in the first three months after the launch of the War on Terror as revealed through Kenya’s editorial cartoons. While most studies on media and terrorism have focused mainly on the traditional media of television and the mainstream print
media, editorial cartoons reveal that the legitimacy of the War on Terror was still a coveted attribute, as is the case in other media. To achieve its objectives, this study appropriates frames from the analysed media content and reveals the ideological positions and discourses that paved
the way for the invasion of Afghanistan. Additionally, the study shows that after the launch of the War on Terror in early October, it was not very long before counter-hegemonic frames critical to the war effort emerged. Focusing on the two leading newspapers in Kenya, the Daily Nation and
The Standard, this article reveals that even before troops landed in the Gulf, the War on Terror had already found a nascent legitimacy that was to mutate to varying degrees of illegitimacy as the promised war script increasingly veered from the actual war.
Dancing with Socrates: Telling truths about the self
Authors: Evans Mark
Published: May 2012

This article seeks to consider how and in what ways somatic practice in relation to contemporary dance and movement performance might participate in the telling of truths about the body, and, more precisely, truths about what it means to be an embodied subject.
Body schema and body image: At the crossroad of somatics and social work
Authors: Ginot Isabelle
Published: May 2012

This research began as a response to fieldwork difficulties encountered in bringing somatic practices, particularly Feldenkrais, into the field of social work. The endogenous discourses produced by the Feldenkrais community to describe and analyse the practice proved to be counterproductive
in convincing social work professionals of the relevance of somatics to participation in the global support of people living in a cluster of social difficulty, including health (chronic disease), and ethnic and cultural differences (migration). The analysis of endogenous discourses has shown
discrepancies within the discourses themselves, and between discourse and practice. This article presents an alternative Feldenkrais description based on Gallagher’s model of body image and body schema, and the relevance of such a model to the Feldenkrais Method, but also to social work,
describing the experience of social exclusion as a somatic experience.
Notes on a shared dialogue
Authors: Emslie Manny , Spies Sarah
Published: May 2012

Writing an article about a performed paper is a rare version of tautology. This article will be a form of repetition, but may not serve to clarify its original offering. What then can it offer? Perhaps it is a reminder of a stimulus but not a recording of the visual, felt and live events.
It provides the words we used and the thoughts we had when responding to Susan Leigh Foster’s words. It was not our intention to refute her words, but rather to use them as an initial provocation to serve a wider dialogue, one that is not solely concerned with a purely conceptual turn
or body-centric agenda. The article then describes the creative process of the performed paper and the events themselves.
Writing the somatic in the Insomnia Poems project
Authors: Longley Alys , Tate Katherine
Published: May 2012

The issue of how to write the somatic is a recurring one within embodied, practice led research. It relates to the ways in which dancers and somatic practitioners may translate or evoke felt, embodied, sensory and moving experience to the realms of pages. How might concepts, affects,
feelings and spaces developed in a specific studio environment reach and contribute to new critical and creative spaces? This article is a collaborative reflection on the Insomnia Poems project, which developed from an eighteen-month studio practice between Alys Longley and Katherine Tate,
as an emergent enquiry into the relationship between somatic dance improvisation and language. It purposefully follows an experimental narrative structure, acknowledging that writing can have a sense of dislocation and disruption. This echoes Longley and Tate’s somatic experiences as
artists and writers working across continents and time zones. The Insomnia Poems were shaped by somatic practices including Skinner Releasing Technique (SRT), poetic methodologies and the boundaries of Tate’s health. As movement scores, they took form in a deck of cards that employed
photo-graphs of studio work, journal notes, drawing and poetic reflection, to give readers 52 starting points for considering dance, or 52 starting points for improvisation or choreography. The Insomnia Poems were designed like a body of cells, as poetic blueprints for creative practice, including
writing provocations such as ‘waiting/ weighting’ and ‘the world writes the inside of your body with its breath’. The Insomnia Poems will be discussed in relation to the cultural geography of Giuliana Bruno, the social anthropology of Mary Douglas, and arts practitioners
such as Fluxus artist George Brecht and the site-specific performance group Wrights & Sites, who work to refine experiences of everyday life into performance events.
Dancing bodies, spaces/places and the senses: A cross-cultural investigation
Authors: Grau Andrée
Published: May 2012

This article demonstrates that ‘dancing bodies’, ‘space’, ‘place’ and the ‘senses’ cannot be accepted as universal concepts since they are embedded within typically western understandings, and argues that all corporealities and spatialities
are socially and culturally mediated. Wanting to engage with dance as a complex holistic, polysemic, multi-sensory and socially/culturally rooted practice, dance scholars need to be aware of cultural variations in conceptualizations of dancing bodies in space. The article offers a cross-cultural
perspective, presenting different corporealities, sensoria and spatial orientations of dancing bodies using a variety of examples, ranging from Balinese dance to Josephine Baker, from Namibian to Australian Aboriginal dance.
Factors influencing academic resilience of trainees in entrepreneurial development programmes: A case from Saldanha Bay Municipal Area in South Africa
Authors: Cloete George E. N. , Ballard H. H.
Published: May 2012

High dropout and attrition rates experienced in entrepreneurial training programmes are of great concern to all stakeholders given the importance of entrepreneurship in the South African economy. This study explores the issue of academic resilience as a key area of intervention to ensure
a more resilient mindset of trainees, and higher retention and throughput rates in entrepreneurial training programmes. The study aims to assess, in particular, the personal and training contextual factors, perceived by trainees to influence their academic resilience in the New Venture Creation
(NVC) training programme. It seeks to identify these factors using graduates from an NVC training programme in the Saldanha Bay Municipal Area. A case study approach is adopted to establish the extent of the influence of these factors on trainees' academic resilience. A focus group session
is conducted to corroborate and validate the findings resulting from the case study research. The findings of the research show that personal and training contextual factors do influence the academic resilience of trainees in an NVC training programme. They also show that these factors have
huge implications for facilitation, particularly on a pedagogical level.
The organic growth of dynamic capabilities for innovation within resource constrained environments
Authors: Salazar Ángel J. , Peláez Enrique
Published: May 2012

The increasing number of technology innovation centres in developing economies such as Brazil, India and China are driving the emergence of new models of innovation. However, the existing technology policy literature has so far been limited in accounting for the organic growth of dynamic
capabilities for innovation within resource constrained environments; e.g., institutional and organizational settings that may be restricted by the degree and scope of available resources and capabilities as well as by the relative low levels of demand for new product and services. In this
article, we provide conceptual insights and empirical evidence of sustainable mechanisms promoting the organic growth of dynamic capabilities for innovation in information technology innovation centres. Our integrative framework emphasizes the systemic nature of dynamic capabilities at firm
level. Based on a longitudinal study (1997-2008) of the Centre for Information Technology at Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, a leading centre of excellence in Ecuador, Latin America, we show a concrete evolution trajectory of this type of dynamic capabilities. The resulting analysis
contributes to our better understanding of the micro-dynamics of the organic growth of dynamic capabilities for innovation in information technology research centres in developing nations. As we revisit core theoretical aspects of the dynamic capability concept, we provide extended definitions
based on our refreshed empirical understanding.
The spatial diffusion of green building technologies: The case of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the United States
Authors: Johansson Ola
Published: May 2012

The practice of green building aims to reduce negative impacts on the environment and human health and is therefore more sustainable than conventional construction methods. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the leading green building standard in the United States
and has been adopted by many federal, state and local governments, as well as private developers. This article utilizes data from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the industry non-profit that governs the LEED standards, to explore the spatial diffusion of LEED projects in the United
States.
Gemeinsame Stellungnahme zur Situation der Bewertung von Ringversuchen für Glucose mittels Systemen f\xfcr die patientennahe Sofortdiagnostik (POCT)/Joint statement on the situation of external quality control for glucose in POCT systems
Authors: Petersmann Astrid , Luppa Peter , Michelsen Andrea , Sonntag Oswald , Nauck Matthias
Published: May 2012

Die Richtlinie der Bundesärztekammer zur Qualitätssicherung laboratoriums medizinischer Untersuchungen (RiliBÄK) schreibt u. a. auch Ringversuche für die Durchführung von patientennaher Diagnostik (POCT) vor. Bei der Be- und Auswertung dieser Ringversuche ergeben sich Probleme, wie z.B. schlechte Übereinstimmung zur Referenzmethode, Matrixeffekte der Kontrollproben, die dazu führen, dass keine Zertifikate erteilt werden k\xf6nnen. In einer gemeinsamen Stellungnahme wird der derzeitige Stand der Problematik beschrieben. So ist die Auswertung zurzeit nur über das sogenannte Consensus Value Model (Mittelwert aus den eingesandten Resultaten in Abhängigkeit der verwendeten Methode) möglich, da ein geeignetes Probenmaterial für die Kontrollproben nicht zur Verfügung steht. Der Referenzmethodenwert eignet sich auf Grund der Problematik nicht als Zielwert.
What Are the Effects of Educational Mobility on Political Interest and Participation in the Indian Electorate?
Authors: Syal Reetika
Published: May 2012

This article finds, through statistical analysis of the National Election Studies (2004) data, that an increase in intergenerational education levels can positively influence an individual's political interest and political participation. Participatory trends in India are influenced by demographic factors such as caste, class, gender, income, and locality. However, this study finds that education can have a liberating effect from these various socio-economic constraints. It can provide greater access to resources and information, thus helping to increase active political participation.
Frustrations in Benchmarking IRBs: Reflections After Analyzing the United States' IRB Registration Database
Authors: Vulcano David M.
Published: May 2012

Like any organization committed to quality, institutional review boards (IRBs) desire to benchmark themselves with their colleagues. In order to do so, there is a need for high-quality, well-validated, and well-populated datasets designed for this purpose. Unlike other areas of healthcare, there are no such aggregated databases of IRB information. Analyzing the largest repository of IRB information—the United States' IRB registration database consisting of approximately 4,500 IRBs—yields some useful results, but given that this database was designed as a registry and not for benchmarking, its use is limited to benchmarking the most basic demographics. If members of the IRB community want to benchmark themselves relative to their colleagues, they will have to look at how other healthcare operations have successfully done it (through private and/or government efforts) and invest the time and resources required to obtain meaningful data.
Crime, Immigration, and Ad hoc Instrumentalism
Authors: Sklansky David Alan
Published: May 2012

Criminal law and immigration law, once separate fields of governance in the United States, are rapidly growing less distinct. Immigration crimes now account for a majority of all federal prosecutions; deportation is widely seen as a key tool of crime control; immigration authorities run the nation’s largest prison system; and state and local law enforcement officers work hand-in-hand with federal immigration officials. This article traces these trends and assesses their significance. The rise of an intertwined regime of “crimmigration” law has generally been attributed to some combination of nativism, overcriminalization, and a cultural obsession with security, but it also exemplifies, and has helped to reinforce, a crucial and underappreciated development in U.S. legal culture—a rising tendency to treat legal rules and legal procedures as interchangeable tools, to be brought to bear pragmatically and instrumentally on an ad hoc basis. Ad hoc instrumentalism of this kind has genuine strengths, but it also raises significant concerns about the rule of law and political accountability. The accountability concerns, in particular, are exacerbated by two other features of our newly merged system of immigration enforcement and criminal justice: its bureaucratic opacity and its selective application.
Computer-Facilitated Substance Use Screening and Brief Advice for Teens in Primary Care: An International Trial
Authors: Harris Sion Kim , Csémy Ladislav , Sherritt Lon , Starostova Olga , Van Hook Shari , Johnson Julie , Boulter Suzanne , Brooks Traci , Carey Peggy , Kossack Robert , Kulig John W. , Van Vranken Nancy , Knight John R.
Published: May 2012

OBJECTIVE:

Primary care providers need effective strategies for substance use screening and brief counseling of adolescents. We examined the effects of a new computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice (cSBA) system.

METHODS:

We used a quasi-experimental, asynchronous study design in which each site served as its own control. From 2005 to 2008, 12- to 18-year-olds arriving for routine care at 9 medical offices in New England (n = 2096, 58% females) and 10 in Prague, Czech Republic (n = 589, 47% females) were recruited. Patients completed measurements only during the initial treatment-as-usual study phase. We then conducted 1-hour provider training, and initiated the cSBA phase. Before seeing the provider, all cSBA participants completed a computerized screen, and then viewed screening results, scientific information, and true-life stories illustrating substance use harms. Providers received screening results and “talking points” designed to prompt 2 to 3 minutes of brief advice. We examined alcohol and cannabis use, initiation, and cessation rates over the past 90 days at 3-month follow-up, and over the past 12 months at 12-month follow-up.

RESULTS:

Compared with treatment as usual, cSBA patients reported less alcohol use at follow-up in New England (3-month rates 15.5% vs 22.9%, adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.38–0.77; 12-month rates 29.3% vs 37.5%, aRRR = 0.73, 0.57–0.92), and less cannabis use in Prague (3-month rates 5.5% vs 9.8%, aRRR = 0.37, 0.17–0.77; 12-month rates 17.0% vs 28.7%, aRRR = 0.47, 0.32–0.71).

CONCLUSIONS:

Computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice appears promising for reducing substance use among adolescent primary care patients.
Long-term Effectiveness of Maternal Dietary Counseling in a Low-Income Population: A Randomized Field Trial
Authors: Louzada Maria Laura da Costa , Campagnolo Paula Dal Bó , Rauber Fernanda , Vitolo Márcia Regina
Published: May 2012

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the impact of dietary counseling given to mothers during the first year of infants’ lives on food consumption, nutritional status, and lipid profile of the children up to 7 to 8 years old.

METHODS:

The randomized trial was conducted with 500 mothers who gave birth to full-term infants with birth weight ≥2500 g between October 2001 and June 2002 in São Leopoldo, Brazil. Mothers were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 200) and control groups (n = 300) and those in the intervention group received counseling on breastfeeding and complementary feeding by 12 fieldworkers on 10 home visits during the first year of children’s lives. Blinded fieldworkers assessed dietary and anthropometric data at 12 to 16 months, 3 to 4 years, and 7 to 8 years and lipid profiles at 3 to 4 years and 7 to 8 years old. The lipid profile was the primary outcome.

RESULTS:

Of the 500 recruited children, 397 underwent the 12- to 16-month, 354 the 3- to 4-year, and 315 the 7- to 8-year assessment. The energy-dense foods intake was significantly lower in the intervention group at 12 to 16 months and 3 to 4 years old. At 3 to 4 years, serum lipid levels did not differ between groups. At 7 to 8 years, high-density lipoprotein levels were 0.11 mmol/L higher (0.00 to 0.20), and triglycerides concentration was 0.13 mmol/L lower (−0.25 to −0.01) in intervention children but only among the girls. Overweight/obesity rates did not differ between groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Dietary counseling for mothers during infancy decreased the energy-dense foods consumption and improved lipid profile.
Experimental Comparison of Cranial Particulate Bone Graft, rhBMP-2, and Split Cranial Bone Graft for Inlay Cranioplasty
Authors: Hassanein Aladdin H. , Couto Rafael A. , Kurek Kyle C. , Rogers Gary F. , Mulliken John B. , Greene Arin K.
Published: May 2012

Background

Particulate bone graft and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) are options for inlay cranioplasty in children who have not developed a diploic space. The purpose of this study was to determine whether particulate bone graft or rhBMP-2 has superior efficacy for inlay cranioplasty and to compare these substances to split cranial bone.

Methods

A 17 mm × 17 mm critical-sized defect was made in the parietal bones of 22 rabbits and managed in four ways: Group I (no implant; n=5), Group II (particulate bone graft; n=5), Group III (rhBMP-2; n=7), and Group IV (split cranial bone graft; n=5). Animals underwent microcomputed tomography and histologic analysis 16 weeks after cranioplasty.

Results

Defects without an implant (Group I) demonstrated inferior ossification (41.4%; interquartile range [IQR], 28.9% to 42.5%) compared to those treated with particulate bone graft (Group II: 99.5%; IQR, 97.8% to 100%), rhBMP-2 (Group III: 99.6%; IQR, 99.5% to 100%), or split cranial bone (Group IV: 100%) ( P < .0001). There was no difference between Groups II, III, and IV ( P = .1). Defects treated with rhBMP-2 exhibited thinner bone (0.90 mm; IQR, 0.64 to 0.98) than particulate bone graft (1.95 mm; IQR, 1.09 to 2.83) or split cranial bone (1.72 mm; IQR, 1.54 to 1.88) ( P = .006); particulate and split cranial bone grafted defects had a similar thicknesses ( P = .6).

Conclusions

Particulate bone graft, rhBMP-2, and split cranial bone close inlay calvarial defect areas equally, although the thickness of bone healed with rhBMP-2 is inferior. Clinically, particulate bone graft or split cranial bone graft may be superior to rhBMP-2 for inlay cranioplasty.
Hindmilk Feedings
Authors: Kirsten Denise , Bradford Laura
Published: May 2012

QUESTION:HOW CAN THE CALORIC density of expressed breast milk be increased without the use of supplements such as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and breast milk fortifiers?
Suspended Mothering: Women’s Experiences Mothering an Infant with a Genetic Anomaly Identified at Birth
Authors: Raines Deborah
Published: May 2012

Purpose:To develop an understanding of the experiences of women who give birth to an infant with a genetic anomaly not identified during the prenatal period.

Design:Exploratory design using selected qualitative methods.

Sample:Seven mothers of liveborn infants with a genetic anomaly characterized by physical attributes evident at birth.

Main Outcome Variable:Mother’s expressions of suspended mothering.

Results:Two themes emerged that characterize the experience of suspended mothering: diminished maternal role and false protection.

Practice Recommendations:Facilitating maternal involvement in decision making requires giving women unbiased information in a supportive manner.
Lorazepam
Authors: Noerr Barbara
Published: May 2012

THE NICU EXPOSES NEONATES TO REPEATED AND RANDOM events. Touch is often procedure oriented. Excessive noise and bright lights may disrupt sleep-wake cycles. Inappropriate sensory stimuli may lead to immediate signs of stress and discomfort. The impact of these events on brain development during this critical period is undetermined. In an effort to provide optimal care in a developmentally sensitive manner, many NICU staff sedate critically ill neonates.
Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita
Authors: O’Flaherty Pat
Published: May 2012

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a term that is used to describe the presence of multiple joint contractures at birth. AMC can be seen singularly or in conjunction with other abnormalities. Historically, the termarthrogryposiswas used as a disease diagnosis, but it is now clear that AMC is not a disease entity but a syndrome, involving a manifestation of many fetal and neonatal disorders of the neuromuscular system. Its etiology is multifocal, and there is a wide variation in the degree to which muscles and joints are affected. Early identification and implementation of a plan of therapy are essential. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the AMC syndrome, specifically, clinical features, etiology, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, family support, and outcomes.