bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in MEN1 gene mutation carriers
Authors: van Wijk J. P. H. , Dreijerink K. M. A. , Pieterman C. R. C. , Lips C. J. M. , Zelissen P. M. J. , Valk G. D.
Published: July 2011

Objective  Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a hereditary syndrome characterized by parathyroid, gastroenteropancreatic, pituitary and adrenal tumours. Cardiovascular disease has been identified as an important cause of death in MEN1 patients. Menin, the product of the MEN1 gene, is a co‐activator for peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ and the vitamin D receptor, which are involved in glucose metabolism. We aimed to compare insulin sensitivity and prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and diabetes mellitus between MEN1 patients and controls.

Design  Cross‐sectional study.

Patients  Sixty‐three MEN1 gene mutation carriers (44% men, mean age 41 years) from 22 kindreds and 126 unrelated controls matched for gender, age and BMI.

Measurements  Fasting glucose levels were categorized and compared using WHO criteria. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used as a measure of insulin resistance.

Results  Homeostasis model assessment was significantly increased in MEN1 patients compared with controls (3·0 ± 2·0 vs 2·0 ± 1·0, P < 0·05). In MEN1 patients, HOMA was associated with BMI, but not with age, calcium and gastrin levels. Using logistic regression analysis, the presence of hyperparathyroidism, pancreatic lesions and various other manifestations was not associated with HOMA. Impaired fasting glucose was more prevalent in MEN1 compared with controls (17%vs 6%, P < 0·05). Three MEN1 patients (5%) compared with four controls (3%) were diabetic (not significant).

Conclusions  Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 patients had decreased insulin sensitivity and higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose compared with controls, which was unrelated to MEN1 manifestations. Impaired glucose metabolism may result in increased risk of cardiovascular disease in MEN1 patients.
Job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay among Chinese nurses: a cross‐sectional questionnaire survey
Authors: Wang Lin , Tao Hong , Ellenbecker Carol H , Liu Xiaohong
Published: July 2011

Wang L, Tao H, Ellenbecker CH & Liu X (2012) Job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay among Chinese nurses: a cross‐sectional questionnaire survey. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(3), 539–549.

Aim.  This study was designed to identify the level of nurses’ job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay among mainland Chinese nurses, to explore the relationship among them.

Background.  Little is known about the magnitude of Chinese nurses’ intent to stay. Understanding the association among demographic characteristics and job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay among Chinese nurses is most important in a time of nurse shortages.

Methods.  A descriptive correlation design was used to examine the relationship among variables related to intent to stay. Data were collected by a self‐administered survey questionnaire from 560 nurses working in four large hospital facilities in Shanghai in 2009.

Results.  The mean scores for nurses’ job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay were 3·25(0·48), 3·11(0·40) and 3·56(0·65), respectively. Job satisfaction and occupational commitment were significantly related to intent to stay. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between occupational commitment and job satisfaction. Age and job position were significantly related to job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay.

Conclusion.  Levels of job satisfaction, occupational commitment and intent to stay reported by nurses in this study can be improved. Suggested strategies for improvement are: increasing salaries, decreasing workloads, modifying task structure, cultivating work passion and creating more professional opportunity for nurses’ personal growth development and promotion. Enhancing nurses’ job satisfaction and occupational commitment are vital to improve nurses’ intent to stay and for strategies to address the nursing shortage.
‘New to Forensic’; implementing a problem‐based introductory educational programme for forensic practitioners in Scotland
Authors: WALKER H. , LANGTON D. , THOMSON L.
Published: July 2011

Accessible summary

An introductory education programme entitled ‘New to Forensic’ has been developed for staff working in and across existing range of forensic services. The programme allows staff to learn about the processes and methods of working with people who become part of the forensic service, who are often described as mentally disordered offenders. This is the first forensic education programme of its kind in Scotland.

The process of development and implementation as part of the first programme in the new School of Forensic Mental Health (SoFMH) is described, and includes a summary of the numbers of people involved in the project.

A formal evaluation was undertaken as part of this initiative and early findings are described. Results from questionnaires issued before and after using the programme indicate that people who have completed it feel much more confident in their knowledge of forensic‐related issues.

The New to Forensic educational programme has been developed for use across all forensic services in Scotland. It is designed to meet the needs of all staff who are both new to and already working within forensic mental health services. Its objectives are targeted to both clinical and non‐clinical staff. The programme follows the patient's journey through the mental health and criminal justice systems. It covers mental disorder, legislation, psychiatric defences, assessment and treatment, risk of harm to others, services, attitudes and boundaries, multidisciplinary working, users and carers, community, learning disability, and prison services. It is self‐directed and practice based, and uses a problem‐based approach. Over a 3‐year period, trainers and mentors have been trained to deliver the programme by members of the School of Forensic Mental Health http://www.forensicnetwork.scot.nhs.uk/ and all services have adopted the programme as a core educational initiative. Initial findings from the programme evaluation indicate a significant improvement in learning following engagement in the initiative.
Geochemistry of Holocene salt marsh and tidal flat sediments on a barrier island in the southern North Sea (Langeoog, North‐west Germany)
Authors: KOLDITZ KERSTIN , DELLWIG OLAF , BARKOWSKI JAN , BAHLO RAINER , LEIPE THOMAS , FREUND HOLGER , BRUMSACK HANS‐JÜRGEN
Published: July 2011

The barrier islands of the southern North Sea were formed during the Holocene sea‐level rise. These islands form part of a highly dynamic environment whose evolution continues today. Subjected to sea‐level changes, tides and storm events, the sedimentary record reflects processes occurring under varying energy conditions. This article presents geochemical, mineralogical and diatom investigations carried out in the salt marsh of the East Frisian barrier island of Langeoog, which is re‐exposed to a rising sea‐level due to de‐embankment. The major aim of this study is to improve the knowledge of the sedimentological and geochemical development of these deposits under the influence of sea‐level rise, with a special focus on the geochemistry and distribution of heavy mineral‐associated elements. Correlation diagrams between FeO, TiO2 and MnO, as well as ternary plots (Al2O3–SiO2–Zr or TiO2), clearly indicate the variable appearance of heavy minerals in different lithological facies, comprising marsh soil, mixed and sand flat, and relocated beach sands. A dominating abundance of ilmenite followed by zircon, garnets and some other heavy minerals is evidenced by Scanning Electron Microscope‐Energy Dispersive X‐ray measurements. The data presented here suggests that these geochemical proxies are useful tools for characterizing depositional energy conditions. Increasing depositional energy is evident for the lithological units in the following order: marsh soil, mixed flat, sand flat and relocated beach sand. The energetic conditions during sediment deposition, as well as the sedimentary history, are confirmed by diatom analyses as an additional independent indicator. Depending on source rock composition, the geochemical parameters used in this study may also help to investigate depositional energy regimes of other siliciclastic sedimentary systems.
Evaluating the negative predictive value of provocation tests with nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs
Authors: Defrance C. , Bousquet P.‐J. , Demoly P.
Published: July 2011

To cite this article: Defrance C, Bousquet P‐J, Demoly P. Evaluating the negative predictive value of provocation tests with nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Allergy 2011; 66: 1410–1414.

Background:  The nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) hypersensitivity work‐up is based on clinical history, skin tests, and drug provocation tests. The negative predictive value (NPV) of the latter is not established.

Method:  A cohort study was conducted in the Allergy Department in Montpellier to evaluate the NPV of the provocation test with NSAIDs in patients with clinical presentation suggestive of hypersensitivity, and negatively tested. Patients were contacted at least 6 months after the work‐up. Patients who took NSAID and reacted were proposed a new allergy work‐up, which included a provocation test with the culprit drug.

Results:  Among the 393 patients contacted, 279 (71.0%) were followed up. Two hundred and sixty (93.2%) patients had taken a NSAID at least once: 139 (53.5%) the same drug as the one tested and 215 (82.7%) an alternative (94, 33.7% taking both the tested NSAID and an alternative). Eight patients (3.1%) reported a reaction (five with the negatively tested NSAID and three with another NSAID). All the reactions occurred immediately after the first administration and were not severe. Among the five patients who reacted with the negatively tested NSAID, only three accepted a re‐challenge, negative in two cases and positive in one, representing a NPV of 97.8% (95% CI: 95.4–100%). Three patients (3/215) reported a reaction when an alternative NSAID was taken, representing a NPV of 98.6% (95% CI: 97–100%).

Conclusion:  The NPV of NSAIDs drug provocation test is high. This should reassure physicians who might hesitate to prescribe NSAIDs, especially in patients with negative allergic work‐ups.
Effect of exercise intensity on albuminuria in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kornhauser C. , Malacara J.‐M. , Macías‐Cervantes M.‐H. , Rivera‐Cisneros A.‐E.
Published: July 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 70–73 (2012)

Aims  Exercise may be useful to detect patients with diabetes prone to develop persistent microalbuminuria. We studied the relationship between exercise intensity, measured as maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max), and microalbuminuria in patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus patients.

Methods  We studied 10 patients, age range 10–18 years, with Type 1 diabetes who were normotensive and normoalbuminuric, with less than 10 years since diagnosis. Patients had normal renal function, without infections or clinical evidence of complications. Metabolic control was intensively adjusted in all patients. They underwent three consecutive physical exercise tests, reaching 100, 80 and 60% of the maximal cardiac frequency response.

Results  Eight patients had adequate to regular metabolic control. All patients had lower than predicted VO2 max values. At 60%, only three patients showed microalbuminuria in excess of 20 μg/min, two of them had inadequate metabolic control. Post‐exercise microalbuminuria exceeded normal values in nine, seven and three patients when submitted to 100, 80 and 60% of exercise intensity, respectively.

Conclusions  Microalbuminuria increased with exercise intensity. Sex, body composition and VO2 max were the main factors associated with microalbuminuria. The prognostic significance of albuminuria induced by intense exercise in these subjects with Type 1 diabetes is not yet known.
Serum adiponectin, bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in post‐menopausal women with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes: a 12‐month follow‐up
Authors: Miazgowski T. , Noworyta‐Ziętara M. , Safranow K. , Ziemak J. , Widecka K.
Published: July 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 62–69 (2012)

Objective  During a period of 12 months, we evaluated the longitudinal impact of metabolic control of diabetes on selected bone turnover markers, bone mineral density and serum adiponectin concentrations in post‐menopausal women with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Methods  Serum total adiponectin, bone alkaline phosphatase, HbA1c, urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion, bone mineral density of the total body, lumbar spine and total hip were measured in 57 women aged 50–78 years with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Results  At baseline, women had normal bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase, deoxypyridinoline and bone mineral density, as evaluated by t‐ and z‐scores. After 12 months of treatment, a significant decrease in body weight, waist circumference and HbA1c was observed. Bone mineral density of the total body, lumbar spine and total hip decreased by 0.4, 0.2 and 1.0% (P = 0.018) per year, respectively. Adiponectin was inversely correlated with bone mineral density at three sites (R = −0.28, −0.24 and −0.19, respectively).There was a transient increase (P < 0.05) in serum adiponectin within the first 6 months, followed by a slow decrease toward the baseline value during the next 6 months. An improvement in diabetes control had no impact on bone turnover marker levels, which did not change significantly during the entire study period.

Conclusions  Bone turnover markers, bone mineral density and the rate of bone loss are within normal ranges in post‐menopausal women with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Bone mineral density of the total body, lumbar spine and total hip is inversely correlated with total adiponectin.
Resource Allocation for English Local Government: A Critique of the Four-Block Model
Authors: Gibson Alex , Asthana Sheena
Published: July 2011

The paper examines the nature and structure of the ‘four-block’ model that is used by the UK’s Department for Communities and Local Government to distribute nearly £25 billion of formula grant. Introduced in April 2006, this approach to need and resource equalization was meant to provide a robust and equitable system for distributing the formula grant between the 456 ‘receiving authorities’ in England. In fact, the paper demonstrates that the four-block model is deeply flawed and generates an inequitable allocation of this major source of local authority revenue. The paper argues that the Department for Communities and Local Government needs to revisit its resource allocation methodology as a matter of urgency, but it also draws broader conclusions about the risks that are associated with the development of ever more complex methods of resource equalization.
FREEDOM AND THE SOURCE OF VALUE: KORSGAARD AND WOOD ON KANT'S FORMULA OF HUMANITY
Authors: ARROYO CHRISTOPHER
Published: July 2011

Abstract: This essay examines two interpretations of Kant's argument for the formula of humanity. Christine M. Korsgaard defends a constructivist reading of Kant's argument, maintaining that humans must view themselves as having absolute value because their power for rational choice confers value on their ends. Allen Wood, however, defends a realist interpretation of Kant's argument, maintaining that humans actually are absolutely valuable and that their choices do not confer value but rather reflect their understanding of how the objects of their choices fulfill their needs and wants and contribute to their flourishing. Though Korsgaard's reading is more consistent with Kant's prioritizing of the right over the good, this essay raises a metaethical question regarding her constructivist position, namely, “What is meant by her claim that rational choice ‘confers’ value on objects?” In developing this question, it presents a realist account of goodness that is taken from Peter Geach's “Good and Evil.”
ROLES OF EPISTEMOLOGY IN INVESTIGATING KNOWLEDGE: “PHILOSOPHIZING WITH”
Authors: DOHN NINA BONDERUP
Published: July 2011

Abstract: This article aims at elucidating the ways in which philosophy may engage in cooperation with other disciplines through “philosophy with” (Hansson 2008). An exemplary investigation is undertaken of the roles of epistemology in investigating knowledge, that is, how epistemology may interact with sciences concerned with knowledge. Four possible roles are distinguished: provider of a priori conceptual analyses, clarifier of scientific concepts and their implications, interpreter of scientific results, and dialogue partner with a voice of its own. Each role is illustrated by contemporary texts, and it is argued that the role of dialogue partner is the most fruitful.
The international labour movement and China
Authors: Umney Charles
Published: July 2011

This article considers the relationship between Chinese and Western labour activists. It analyses this relationship in reference to ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ divisions of global power, drawing on world‐systems and social movement unionism literature to illustrate this. It argues for a conceptual middle ground to develop useful engagement strategies.
Spatial anisotropy analyses of subcutaneous tissue layer: potential insights into its biomechanical characteristics
Authors: Ahn Andrew C. , Kaptchuk Ted J.
Published: July 2011

As the intermediate layer between the muscle and skin, the subcutaneous tissue frequently experiences shear and lateral stresses whenever the body is in motion. However, quantifying such stresses in vivo is difficult. The lack of such measures is partly responsible for our poor understanding of the biomechanical behaviors of subcutaneous tissue. In this study, we employ both ultrasound imaging and a novel spatial anisotropy measure – incorporating Moran’s I spatial autocorrelation calculations – to investigate the structuromechanical features of subcutaneous tissues within the extremities of 16 healthy volunteers. This approach is based on the understanding that spatial anisotropy can be an effective surrogate for the summative, tensile forces experienced by biological tissue. We found that spatial anisotropy in the arm, thigh and calf was attributed to the echogenic bands spanning the width of the ultrasound images. In both univariable and multivariable analyses, the calf was significantly associated with greater anisotropy compared with the thigh and arm. Spatial anisotropy was inversely related to subcutaneous thickness, and was significantly increased with longitudinally oriented probe images compared with transversely orientated images. Maximum peaks in spatial anisotropy were frequently observed when the longitudinally oriented ultrasound probe was swept across the extremity, suggesting that longitudinal channels with greater tension exist in the subcutaneous layer. These results suggest that subcutaneous biomechanical tension is mediated by collagenous/echogenic bands, greater in the calf compared with the thigh and arm, increased in thinner individuals, and maximal along longitudinal trajectories parallel to the underlying muscle. Spatial anisotropy analysis of ultrasound images has yielded meaningful patterns and may be an effective means to understand the biomechanical strain patterns within the subcutaneous tissue of the extremities.
Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, protects dopaminergic neurons from neurotoxin‐induced damage
Authors: Chen SH , Wu HM , Ossola B , Schendzielorz N , Wilson BC , Chu CH , Chen SL , Wang Q , Zhang D , Qian L , Li X , Hong JS , Lu RB
Published: July 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prevention or disease‐modifying therapies are critical for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. However, no such intervention is currently available. Growing evidence has demonstrated that administration of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors ameliorates a wide range of neurologic and psychiatric disorders in experimental models. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) was the first HDAC inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the sole use of cancer therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential new indications of SAHA for therapy of neurodegenerative diseases in in vitro Parkinson's disease models.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Mesencephalic neuron–glia cultures and reconstituted cultures were used to investigate neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of SAHA. We measured toxicity in dopaminergic neurons, using dopamine uptake assay and morphological analysis and expression of neurotrophic substances by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and real‐time RT PCR.

KEY RESULTS In mesencephalic neuron–glia cultures, SAHA displayed dose‐ and time‐dependent prolongation of the survival and protection against neurotoxin‐induced neuronal death of dopaminergic neurons. Mechanistic studies revealed that the neuroprotective effects of SAHA were mediated in part by promoting release of neurotrophic factors from astroglia through inhibition of histone deacetylation.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS The novel neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of SAHA demonstrated in this study suggest that further study of this HDAC inhibitor could provide a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Local and Systemic Entrepreneurship: Solving the Puzzle of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Authors: Sautet Frederic
Published: July 2011

Most economists agree that entrepreneurship has a positive effect on growth in developed countries. However, no evidence of this has been found in the case of developing countries. Rather, in many low–income countries, one can observe productive entrepreneurship but little corresponding development. This is the puzzle of entrepreneurship and development. To solve this puzzle, we propose to look at the notions of local and systemic entrepreneurship. Using recent research on the mechanisms of social cooperation, as well as network and firm theories, we offer an explanation of why entrepreneurship has a limited impact on growth in developing countries.
Role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in chronic stress‐promoted tumour growth
Authors: Barbieri Antonio , Palma Giuseppe , Rosati Alessandra , Giudice Aldo , Falco Antonia , Petrillo Antonella , Petrillo Mario , Bimonte Sabrina , Benedetto Maria Di , Esposito Giuseppe , Stiuso Paola , Abbruzzese Alberto , Caraglia Michele , Arra Claudio
Published: July 2011

Accumulating evidence suggests that chronic stress can be a cofactor for the initiation and progression of cancer. Here we evaluated the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in stress‐promoted tumour growth of murine B16F10 melanoma cell line in C57BL/6 mice. Animals subjected to restraint stress showed increased levels adrenocorticotropic hormone, enlarged adrenal glands, reduced thymus weight and a 3.61‐fold increase in tumour growth in respect to no‐stressed animals. Tumour growth was significantly reduced in mice treated with the β‐antagonist propranolol. Tumour samples obtained from stressed mice displayed high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein in immunohistochemistry. Because VEGF can induce eNOS increase, and nitric oxide is a relevant factor in angiogenesis, we assessed the levels of eNOS protein by Western blot analysis. We found a significant increase in eNOS levels in tumour samples from stressed mice, indicating an involvement of this enzyme in stress‐induced tumour growth. Accordingly, chronic stress did not promote tumour growth in eNOS−/− mice. These results disclose for the first time a pivotal role for eNOS in chronic stress‐induced initiation and promotion of tumour growth.
Local infiltration analgesia in urogenital prolapse surgery: a prospective randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study
Authors: KRISTENSEN BILLY B. , RASMUSSEN YVONNE H. , AGERLIN MARIANNE , TOPP MONICA W. , WEINCKE MARIANNE O. , KEHLET HENRIK
Published: July 2011

Objective. To evaluate the analgesic effect of high‐volume infiltration analgesia in urogenital prolapse surgery and provide a detailed description of the infiltration technique. Design. A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study following the CONSORT criteria. Setting. A university hospital. Patients. 48 patients undergoing posterior wall repair and perineorraphy. Methods. Patients received high‐volume (26ml) ropivacaine 1% with epinephrine (n=23) or saline (n=22) infiltration using a systematic technique ensuring uniform delivery to all tissues incised, handled or instrumented during the procedure. Main outcome measures. Pain and opioid requirements were assessed for 24hours as well as time spent in the post‐anesthesia care unit and time to first mobilization. Results. Pain at rest, during coughing and movement was significantly reduced for the first four hours with the high‐volume local anesthetic infiltration technique (p<0.001–0.006). Opioid requirements and time spent in the post‐anesthesia care unit were significantly reduced in the ropivacaine group (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) as well as the time to first mobilization (p<0.014). Conclusion. Systematic high‐volume infiltration analgesia is an effective analgesic technique in patients undergoing posterior wall repair and perineorraphy, and improves early recovery.
Uterine Regulatory T cells, IL‐10 and Hypertension
Authors: Nevers Tania , Kalkunte Satyan , Sharma Surendra
Published: July 2011

Citation Nevers T, Kalkunte S, Sharma S. Uterine Regulatory T Cells, IL‐10 and hypertension. Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 66 (Suppl. 1): 88–92

Problem

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a vital immune cellular population at the maternal–fetal interface. They are likely to aid in immune tolerance by dampening the harmful effects of other immune cellular populations through cell–cell‐mediated interactions as well as by producing IL‐10 and TGF‐β. In addition to the anti‐inflammatory properties, IL‐10 has emerged as an important vascular cytokine choreographing endovascular interactions and angiogenesis and regulates hypertension.

Method of study

Review of innovative concepts to understand the temporal role of Tregs in both mouse and human pregnancy, particularly whether uterine Treg play a potential role in regulating vascular homeostasis and blood flow during pregnancy.

Results

Treg guard immune tolerance, getting cytotoxically activated under certain conditions, leading to adverse pregnancy outcome.

Conclusion

Despite increasing evidence of Treg tissue‐specific expansion and functional plasticity, their role in vascular activity, pre‐eclampsia or gestational diabetes is obscure and needs closer investigation to delineate its role later during pregnancy.
Endometrial Receptivity and Human Embryo Implantation
Authors: Rashid Najwa A. , Lalitkumar Sujata , Lalitkumar Parameswaran G. , Gemzell‐Danielsson Kristina
Published: July 2011

Citation Rashid NA, Lalitkumar S, Lalitkumar PG, Gemzell‐Danielsson K. Endometrial Receptivity and Human Embryo Implantation. Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 66 (Suppl. 1): 23–30

Problem  The pre‐requisite of successful implantation involves an intricate cascade of molecular interactions which plays a crucial role in preparing receptive endometrium and implanting blastocyst.

Method of study  Data are hereby presented for a better understanding of endometrial receptivity in women, hoping to provide a comprehensive picture of the process and identify new areas of basic and translational research in the biology of blastocyst implantation.

Results  Timely regulation of the expression of a number of complex molecules like hormones, cytokines and growth factors, and their crosstalk from embryonic and maternal endometrial side play a major role in determining the fate of the embryo. The molecular basis of endometrial receptivity and the mechanisms by which the blastocyst first adheres to the luminal epithelium and then penetrates into the stroma are only just beginning to be resolved.

Conclusion  Advances in the development of implantation models and ‘omics’ technologies, particularly proteomics and metabolomics, are set to have a major impact on the development of this field.
Impact of infancy duration on adult size in 22 subsistence‐based societies
Authors: Gawlik Aneta , Walker Robert S , Hochberg Ze’ev
Published: July 2011

Aim:  Humans evolved to withstand harsh environments by adaptively decreasing their body size. Thus, adaptation to a hostile environment defers the infancy‐childhood transition age (ICT), culminating in short stature. In natural‐fertility human societies, this transition is associated with weaning from breastfeeding and the mother’s new pregnancy. We therefore used the interbirth interval (IBI) as a surrogate for the ICT.

Methods:  We hypothesized that long IBI will be associated with smaller body size. The sample used is 22 subsistence‐based societies of foragers, horticulturalists and pastorals from Africa, South America, Australia and Southeast Asia.

Results:  The IBI correlated negatively with the average adult bodyweight but not height. After correction for ‘pubertal spurt takeoff’ and ‘weight at age 5’, the IBI explains 81% of ‘average adult weight’ variability.

Conclusions:  This inter‐population study confirms that body weight is adaptively smaller in hostile environments and suggests that the selected trait for this adaptation is the ICT age.
Spectral heterogeneity of QuickBird satellite data is related to fine‐scale plant species spatial turnover in semi‐natural grasslands
Authors: Hall Karin , Reitalu Triin , Sykes Martin T. , Prentice Honor C.
Published: July 2011

Question: Can satellite data be related to fine‐scale species diversity and does the integrated use of field and satellite data provide information that can be used in the estimation of fine‐scale species diversity in semi‐natural grassland sites?

Location: The Baltic Island of Öland (Sweden).

Methods: Field work including the on‐site description of 62 semi‐natural grassland sites (represented by three 0.5 m × 0.5 m plots per site) was performed to record response variables (total species richness, mean species richness and species spatial turnover) and field‐measured explanatory variables (field‐layer height and distance between plots). Within each site, QuickBird satellite data were extracted from a standardized sample area by associating each field plot with a 3 × 3 pixel window (1 pixel=2.4 m × 2.4 m). Explanatory variables (the normalized difference vegetation index and spectral heterogeneity) were generated from the satellite data. Correlation tests, univariate regressions, variance partitioning and multivariate linear regressions were used to analyse the associations between response and explanatory variables.

Results: There was a significant association between the spectral heterogeneity of the near‐infrared band and the field‐measured spatial turnover of species. The most parsimonious explanatory model for each response variable included both field‐measured and satellite‐generated explanatory variables. The models explained 30–35% of the variation in species diversity (total richness 36%, mean richness 31%, species turnover 33%).

Conclusions: High spatial resolution satellite data are capable of supplying fine‐scale habitat information that is relevant for the monitoring and conservation management of fine‐scale plant diversity in semi‐natural grasslands.
Beowulf’s Broken Bodies
Authors: Auld Frances
Published: July 2011

This essay explores Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf (2007) as a contemporary retelling of the Anglo‐Saxon poem which has been influenced by both postmodern culture and post 9–11 philosophies. In this contemporary iteration, the figures and narratives of the hero, the monster, and their culture are radically destabilized and fragmented. These permeable and broken bodies offer insight about contemporary culture, as well as the originating Anglo‐Saxon culture.
‘I Flung Myself into Futurity’: Wells Studies for the Twenty‐First Century
Authors: McLean Steven
Published: July 2011

This article offers an overview of Wells criticism since the year 2000, identifying recent trends in Wells scholarship. It places these trends in the context of wider developments in literary studies, and suggests future directions that Wells studies might take.
Political Theater or Bargaining Failure: Why Presidents Veto
Authors: GILMOUR JOHN B.
Published: July 2011

This article tests two competing explanations of presidential vetoes—sequential veto bargaining (SVB) and blame game politics. According to the SVB model, vetoes are the result of uncertainty about the president's true preferences on legislation. According to the blame game model, vetoes result because Congress deliberately passes bills the president will veto as a means of communicating relative positions to outside audiences. This article implements a test of whether a veto was expected at the time a bill achieved final passage, reasoning that if a bill was seen as sure to be vetoed at the time of passage, the veto could not be the product of SVB. The evidence points toward blame game politics as a far more important cause of vetoes than SVB.
The Contemporary Presidency: The Return of the Honeymoon: Television News Coverage of New Presidents, 1981‐2009
Authors: FARNSWORTH STEPHEN J. , LICHTER S. ROBERT
Published: July 2011

Content analysis of network evening news coverage during the first year of the Barack Obama presidency revealed coverage that was far more positive in tone than comparable news reports from the first years of the Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush presidencies. Both domestic and international policy evaluations of the Obama presidency were more positive in tone than those of the last three presidents to take office during partisan transfers of power. The findings reveal a revival of the media honeymoon that scholars thought had disappeared during the modern era of a more combative press. An investigation of the “beat sweetening” hypothesis reveals mixed results, suggesting the need for further investigation.
Polls and Elections: Firing Back: Out‐Party Responses to Presidential State of the Union Addresses, 1966‐2006
Authors: PANAGOPOULOS COSTAS
Published: July 2011

The U.S. Constitution requires the president to deliver regular reports to the U.S. Congress about the status of the nation and its political priorities. Presidents typically present their views to a joint session of Congress during their State of the Union address. In recent years, members of the opposition party have developed a tradition of delivering a response to the president's address. This article will examine out‐party responses to the president's State of the Union address. I investigate characteristics and patterns of response, and estimate an empirical model to explain the impact of strategic decisions about rebuttal designees on the overall effectiveness of the president's State of the Union message.
The Lincoln Conspiracy: A Review Essay
Authors: Bender Robert Patrick
Published: July 2011

Review of: The Union vs. Dr. Mudd; The Last Lincoln Conspirator: John Surratt's Flight from the Gallows
Which Aged Care inpatients are potentially suitable for community‐based acute care?
Authors: McCarthy Robyn M , Ogle Susan J , Finnegan Terence P , Hilmer Sarah N
Published: July 2011

Aim:  To identify Aged Care inpatients potentially suitable for Acute/Post‐Acute Care (APAC)‐Aged Care, a new service offering community‐based acute care as an alternative to hospital admission for frail older people.

Methods:  Criteria were developed to identify suitable patients for APAC‐Aged Care and applied to consecutive Aged Care inpatient admissions at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia, through retrospective chart review.

Results:  Only 5/90 reviewed patients were potentially suitable for APAC‐Aged Care. All five were from Residential Aged Care Facilities. The median age of the 90 patients was 86 years; 30% lived in Residential Aged Care Facilities; 53% of patients were medically stable on presentation; 70% required investigations beyond a standard baseline set; 27% had either no new functional decline on presentation or adequate community support to manage this; 91% had allied health input and 41% had medical/surgical consultation.

Conclusion:  APAC‐Aged Care is a potentially suitable alternative to acute inpatient hospitalisation in a select minority of Aged Care patients.
The Enhanced Primary Care program and falls prevention: Perceptions of private occupational therapists and physiotherapists
Authors: Middlebrook Sarah , Mackenzie Lynette
Published: July 2011

Aim:  To investigate the processes involved for private occupational therapists (OTs) and physiotherapists (PTs) to implement Medicare items from the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program within their practice, for the purpose of falls prevention interventions for older people.

Methods:  Qualitative study using a grounded theory approach employing semistructured interviews with five private occupational therapists and five private physiotherapists from across the Sydney area and the Hunter region.

Results:  The following key themes emerged in relation to the potential for the EPC to be used to access falls prevention: (i) interdisciplinary communication and communication with consumers; (ii) best practice in community‐based falls prevention using the EPC program; and (iii) administrative and organisational challenges of the EPC program.

Conclusion:  Participants supported the EPC program, and saw its potential for delivering falls prevention interventions in the community. However, findings suggest that the EPC program needs to be further refined to be more effective.
Bathing residents with dementia in long‐term care: critical incidents described by personal support workers
Authors: D’Hondt Allison , Kaasalainen Sharon , Prentice Dawn , Schindel Martin Lori
Published: July 2011

Aim and objective.  The aim of this study was to describe and gain insight into the critical incidents depicted by personal support workers (PSWs) in long‐term care (LTC) related to bathing residents who have dementia.

Background.  Residents with dementia in LTC often display responsive/protective behaviours during bathing. Consequently, bathing is a source of stress for PSWs who provide most of the personal care for LTC residents in Ontario, Canada.

Design.  A qualitative descriptive study employing the critical incident technique (CIT) was used.

Method.  Eight PSWs were interviewed and 24 incidents were collected and analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Results.  Findings revealed that PSWs experience the following during bathing: managing responsive/protective behaviours, working with limited resources, and dealing with communication difficulties. Participants used various strategies to respond to these challenges; however, they reported limited strategies to manage the most challenging behaviours.

Conclusions.  Many of the bathing strategies described by the PSWs in this study are found in the literature about best bathing practices in dementia care. However, it is evident that further work is needed to support PSWs to manage the most difficult physical responsive/protective behaviours that occur during bathing.

Implications for practice.  This study has clear implications for knowledge translation.
Mahāmudrā: Natural Mind in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism
Authors: Jackson Roger
Published: July 2011

Mahāmudrā, usually translated as ‘the great seal’, is a vital term in the tantric traditions of Buddhist India and most schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In early Indian Buddhist tantras, it refers primarily to a hand‐gesture (mudrā) accompanying visualization meditation. In the later and more esoteric Indian Mahāyoga and Yoginī tantras, it denotes, inter alia, one of a sequence of experiential ‘seals’ to meditation; a ‘consort’ in sexual yoga practices; and a non‐dual gnosis in which great bliss and awareness of emptiness (śūnyatā) are inseparably conjoined. In the songs and treatises of the Indian great adepts (mahāsiddhas), Mahāmudrā is an index of ultimacy, regarded as the luminous, empty nature of mind, i.e. our buddha‐nature; a type of meditation for realizing mind’s nature; a set of unconventional practices that express that realization; and the final fruit of meditation, buddhahood. In Tibet, Mahāmudrā was known during the imperial period, but gained prominence only during the Tibetan ‘renaissance’ that began in the 11th century. Although a topic of analysis in nearly every Tibetan tradition, it is most central to the Kagyü, or ‘oral lineage’. Introduced to the Kagyü by Marpa and Milarepa, Mahāmudrā was popularized by Gampopa, who analyzed it from many angles, and suggested it was as much a practice rooted in the sūtras as in the tantras. Subsequent Kagyü masters developed Gampopa’s analysis further, produced anthologies of Mahāmudrā texts, and related Mahāmudrā to a variety of important Indian and Tibetan Buddhist ideas and practices. As a meditation practice, Mahāmudrā often is divided into sudden and gradual approaches. The sudden approach involves simply abiding in the natural mind, which is tantamount to buddhahood. Gradual approaches may involve complex tantric visualizations and the manipulation of forces within the subtle body or a sequence of meditations that focus on the nature of mind, which is found to be empty, luminous, non‐dual, and blissful. Discourse on mahāmudra in India and Tibet raises a number of important issues for Buddhist thought and practice, such as the soteriological sufficiency of a single, sudden insight; the place of reason and ethics in contemplative tradition; and the unity or diversity of meditative realization. Those issues resonate, in turn, with discussions elsewhere of mysticism, religious experience, and the nature of mind.
Hittite Religious Rituals and the Ideology of Kingship
Authors: Gilan Amir
Published: July 2011

What did the victorious Hittite king do on his return home from battle? Surprisingly perhaps, the pertinent Hittite sources offer different, even contradictory answers to this question. For a study of the relations between ritual practices and political power in the Hittite Kingdom, however, the question is not without interest. The occasion of the victorious return of the king from battle lends itself splendidly to, even calls for, a conscious use of ritual activity for the manifestation of political power. It will be argued that the evidence concerning the ritual activities of the Hittite king on his return from war show no conscious attempt to mould ritual practices into political goals or to exploit the glory of battles just won for a demonstration of power. This fact may shed a new light on the relations between ritual activity and political power in the context of the Hittite empire and its characteristic textual inheritance.
New Religious Movements in Animated Adult Sitcoms—A Spectrum of Portrayals
Authors: Feltmate David
Published: July 2011

As globally syndicated television programmes that are celebrated for their biting satirical content, The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy are popular culture phenomenons. Furthermore, they are programmes which have consistently featured a wide variety of religious traditions, including a significant selection of new religious movements (NRMs). This article provides an overview of the different movements depicted in the programmes, categorizing them as accepted, annoying, misguided, untrustworthy and dangerous. It concludes with a discussion of this pattern’s significance, and suggests avenues for future analysis of NRMs’ humorous depictions in popular culture.
Transnational Feminism in Sociology: Articulations, Agendas, Debates
Authors: Patil Vrushali
Published: July 2011

What is the current terrain of transnational feminism in sociology? This essay begins by introducing the key interdisciplinary writings that helped initiate a specifically transnational feminist approach in women’s and gender studies. It then delineates three primary ways in which these writings have been adapted and/or expanded with/in sociology, as well as some points of tension and debate among these varying approaches. It argues that although there are numerous sociologically oriented transnational feminisms, most authors do not acknowledge this multiplicity and complexity, contributing to a sometimes confusing conversation where assumptions about key concepts, causality, and processes remain unclear. The essay ends with suggestions for future research.
Institutionalizing Scientific Knowledge: The Social and Political Foundation of Empirical Economic Research
Authors: Reichmann Werner
Published: July 2011

Scientific knowledge is an essential component of modern society. Consequently, sociologists are interested in its production process and have conducted a broad variety of studies showing how social patterns influence the definition and the boundaries of scientific knowledge. In this paper, I ask how social factors influence the transformation of a ‘normal’ field of knowledge into a ‘scientific’ one. First, I give a brief overview of the development of the sociology of scientific knowledge exploring different approaches to the social foundations and boundaries of scientific knowledge. Second, I present a case study of the transformation of empirical economic research in the 1920s from a field of knowledge produced by journalists and civil servants into a prestigious scientific domain. I use neo‐institutionalist ideas to show that knowledge needs a socially legitimated organizational frame in order to count as ‘scientific’ and I examine how political needs to ‘manage the economy’ build boundaries around economic knowledge and define it as ‘scientific’ in order to control its production, distribution, and communication.
‘A New Language that Speaks of Change Just As It Steps Toward It’: Transnationalism, Erotic Justice and Queer Human Rights Praxis
Authors: Collins Dana , Talcott Molly
Published: July 2011

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movements have too often been dominated by US liberal individualist framings of lesbian and gay rights, resulting in the hegemony of US‐focused issues and institutional actions, despite the irony that the US government has been relatively unsupportive of LGBT rights on the international stage. We argue that transnational, grassroots queer movements embody more profound aspirations that do not limit the meaning of queer liberation to singular identity politics or rights‐restraining institutions. Specifically, we point to transnational and Third World‐based queer movements that offer more complex structural analyses of sexual oppression as well as more visionary praxes of sexual rights. Drawing on lessons from two cases of queer human rights praxis from the Philippines and México, we assert that a queer grassroots enactment of human rights allows for multiple subaltern constituencies to find – and to make – a place in human rights discourses; queer identity and actions create social formations that expand human rights agendas to further embody the intersectionality, interdependence and transnationality of daily life. Key to these enactments of queer human rights praxis are prefigurative politics and rooted cosmopolitanism, which catalyze new expansions of human rights to include intersectional framings and practices of erotic justice.