bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short Lesson Plan Associated with Increased Acceptance of Evolutionary Theory and Potential Change in Three Alternate Conceptions of Macroevolution in Undergraduate Students
Authors: Abraham Joel K. , Perez Kathryn E. , Downey Nicholas , Herron Jon C. , Meir Eli
Published: June 2012

Undergraduates commonly harbor alternate conceptions about evolutionary biology; these alternate conceptions often persist, even after intensive instruction, and may influence acceptance of evolution. We interviewed undergraduates to explore their alternate conceptions about macroevolutionary patterns and designed a 2-h lesson plan to present evidence that life has evolved. We identified three alternate conceptions during our interviews: that newly derived traits would be more widespread in extant species than would be ancestral traits, that evolution proceeds solely by anagenesis, and that lineages must become more complex over time. We also attempted to measure changes in the alternate conceptions and levels of acceptance of evolutionary theory in biology majors and nonmajors after exposure to the lesson plan. The instrument used to assess understanding had flaws, but our results are suggestive of mixed effects: we found a reduction in the first alternate conception, no change in the second, and reinforcement of the third. We found a small, but significant, increase in undergraduate acceptance of evolutionary theory in two trials of the lesson plan (Cohen's d effect sizes of 0.51 and 0.19). These mixed results offer guidance on how to improve the lesson and show the potential of instructional approaches for influencing acceptance of evolution.
Randomized Study of Two Chemotherapy Regimens for Treatment of Low-Grade Glioma in Young Children: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Ater Joann L. , Zhou Tianni , Holmes Emiko , Mazewski Claire M. , Booth Timothy N. , Freyer David R. , Lazarus Ken H. , Packer Roger J. , Prados Michael , Sposto Richard , Vezina Gilbert , Wisoff Jeffrey H. , Pollack Ian F.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

Surgery is curative therapy for pediatric low-grade gliomas (LGGs) in areas of the brain amenable to complete resection. However, LGGs located in areas where complete resection is not possible can threaten both function and life. The purpose of this study was to compare two chemotherapy regimens for LGGs in children younger than age 10 years for whom radiotherapy was felt by the practitioner to pose a high risk of neurodevelopmental injury.

Patients and Methods

Previously untreated children younger than age 10 years with progressive or residual LGGs were eligible. Children were randomly assigned to receive carboplatin and vincristine (CV) or thioguanine, procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (TPCV). Children with neurofibromatosis are reported separately.

Results

Of 274 randomly assigned patients who met eligibility requirements, 137 received CV and 137 received TPCV. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for all eligible patients were 45% ± 3.2% and 86% ± 2.2%, respectively. The 5-year EFS rates were 39% ± 4% for CV and 52% ± 5% for TPCV (stratified log-rank test P = .10; cure model analysis P = .007). On multivariate analysis, factors independently predictive of worse EFS and OS were younger age and tumor size greater than 3 cm2. Tumor location in the thalamus was also associated with poor OS.

Conclusion

The difference in EFS between the regimens did not reach significance on the basis of the stratified log-rank test. The 5-year EFS was higher for TPCV on the basis of the cure model analysis. Differences in toxicity may influence physician choice of regimens.
Secondary Colorectal Carcinoma After Childhood Cancer
Authors: Nottage Kerri , McFarlane Joshua , Krasin Matthew J. , Li Chenghong , Srivastava Deokumar , Robison Leslie L. , Hudson Melissa M.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has been described as a subsequent malignant neoplasm (SMN), although little is known about associated risk factors. We aimed to quantify the long-term risk of secondary CRC and identify treatment-related risk factors.

Patients and Methods

In this nested case-control study, 19 cases of adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum were identified from 13,048 oncology patients treated for childhood cancer at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Group 1 controls (n = 148) were matched for age at primary malignancy and follow-up interval. Group 2 controls (n = 72) were matched on primary diagnosis in addition to group 1 criteria. Exact conditional logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for chemotherapy and radiation exposure.

Results

Forty-year cumulative incidence of secondary CRC was 1.4%. Standardized incidence ratio was 10.9 (95% CI, 6.6 to 17.0) compared with that in the general US population. Secondary CRC was more likely in an irradiated segment of the colon (group 1 OR, 7.7; P = .001; group 2 OR, 15.4; P = .002). Risk increased by 70% with each 10-Gy increase in radiation dose. Increasing radiation volume increased risk (group 1 OR, 1.5; P < .001; group 2 OR, 1.8; P < .001). Alkylating agent exposure was associated with an 8.8-fold increased risk of secondary CRC (P = .03).

Conclusion

In matched analyses, radiation and alkylator exposure are associated with secondary CRC. This risk is proportional to dose and volume of radiation. Surveillance should be initiated at a young age among survivors receiving high-risk exposures.
Alterations in Brain Activation During Working Memory Processing Associated With Breast Cancer and Treatment: A Prospective Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Authors: McDonald Brenna C. , Conroy Susan K. , Ahles Tim A. , West John D. , Saykin Andrew J.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

To prospectively examine alterations in working memory (WM) –associated brain activation related to breast cancer and treatment by using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Patients and Methods

Patients treated with chemotherapy (CTx+; n = 16) or without chemotherapy (CTx−; n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 15) were scanned during an n-back task at baseline (after surgery but before radiation, chemotherapy, and/or antiestrogen treatment), 1 month after completion of chemotherapy (M1), and 1 year later (Y1), or at yoked intervals for CTx− and controls. SPM5 was used for all image analyses, which included cross-sectional between-group and group-by-time interaction and longitudinal within-group analyses, all using a statistical threshold of 0.001.

Results

At baseline, patients with cancer showed increased bifrontal and decreased left parietal activation compared with controls. At M1, both cancer groups showed decreased frontal hyperactivation compared with controls, with increased hyperactivation at Y1. These cross-sectional findings were confirmed by group-by-time interaction analyses, which showed frontal activation decreases from baseline to M1 in patients compared with controls. Within-group analyses showed different patterns of longitudinal activation change by treatment group (CTx+ or CTx−), with prominent alterations in the frontal lobes bilaterally.

Conclusion

Significant frontal lobe hyperactivation to support WM was found in patients with breast cancer. Superimposed on this background, patients showed decreased frontal activation at M1, with partial return to the previously abnormal baseline at Y1. These functional changes correspond to frontal lobe regions where we previously reported structural changes in this cohort and provide prospective, longitudinal data that further elucidate mechanisms underlying cognitive effects related to breast cancer and its treatment.
Outcome of Children With Metastatic Medulloblastoma Treated With Carboplatin During Craniospinal Radiotherapy: A Children's Oncology Group Phase I/II Study
Authors: Jakacki Regina I. , Burger Peter C. , Zhou Tianni , Holmes Emiko J. , Kocak Mehmet , Onar Arzu , Goldwein Joel , Mehta Minesh , Packer Roger J. , Tarbell Nancy , Fitz Charles , Vezina Gilbert , Hilden Joanne , Pollack Ian F.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

We evaluated the feasibility of administering carboplatin as a radiosensitizer during craniospinal radiation therapy (CSRT) to patients with high-risk medulloblastomas (MBs) and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors, and we report the outcome in the subset with metastatic (M+) MB.

Patients and Methods

After surgery, patients received 36 Gy CSRT with boosts to sites of disease. During radiation, patients received 15 to 30 doses of carboplatin (30-45 mg/m2/dose), along with vincristine (VCR) once per week for 6 weeks. Patients on regimen A received 6 months of maintenance chemotherapy (MC) with cyclophosphamide and VCR. Once the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of carboplatin was determined, cisplatin was added to the MC (regimen B).

Results

In all, 161 eligible patients (median age, 8.7 years; range, 3.1 to 21.6 years) were enrolled. Myelosuppression was dose limiting and 35 mg/m2/dose × 30 was determined to be the RP2D of carboplatin. Twenty-nine (36%) of 81 patients with M+ MB had diffuse anaplasia. Four patients were taken off study within 11 months of completing radiotherapy for presumed metastatic progression and are long-term survivors following palliative chemotherapy. Excluding these four patients, 5-year overall survival ± SE and progression-free survival ± SE for M+ patients treated at the RP2D on regimen A was 82% ± 9% and 71% ± 11% versus 68% ± 10% and 59% ± 10% on regimen B (P = .36). There was no difference in survival by M stage. Anaplasia was a negative predictor of outcome.

Conclusion

The use of carboplatin as a radiosensitizer is a promising strategy for patients with M+ MB. Early progression should be confirmed by biopsy.
Randomized Comparison of Intensified Six-Drug Versus Standard Three-Drug Chemotherapy for High-Risk Nonmetastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma and Other Chemotherapy-Sensitive Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Long-Term Results From the International Society of Pediatric Oncology MMT95 Study
Authors: Oberlin Odile , Rey Annie , Sanchez de Toledo José , Martelli Hélène , Jenney Meriel E.M. , Scopinaro Marcelo , Bergeron Christophe , Merks Johannes H.M. , Bouvet Nathalie , Ellershaw Caroline , Kelsey Anna , Spooner David , Stevens Michael C.G.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

MMT95 was the fourth of a series of International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) collaborations for children with high-risk nonmetastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The principal objective was to explore survival advantage for an intensified chemotherapy strategy in a randomized trial.

Patients and Methods

From July 1995 to June 2003, 457 previously untreated patients with incompletely resected embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), undifferentiated sarcoma, and soft tissue primitive neuroectodermal tumor at all sites except paratesticular, vagina, and uterus, or with alveolar RMS were randomly assigned to receive either ifosfamide, vincristine, and dactinomycin (IVA) or a six-drug combination (IVA plus carboplatin, epirubicin, and etoposide) both delivered over 27 weeks. Cumulative doses were as follows: ifosfamide 54 g/m2 (both arms), epirubicin 450 mg/m2, etoposide 1,350 mg/m2 (six-drug regimen). Poor responders after three courses of IVA were to be switched to the other arm. Delivery of radiotherapy was determined according to site and/or response to chemotherapy with or without surgery.

Results

Overall survival (OS) for all patients was 81% (95% CI, 77% to 84%) at 3 years. No significant difference in outcome in either OS or event-free survival was noted between the two arms (3-year OS: 82% [95% CI, 76% to 86%] for IVA and 80% [95% CI, 74% to 85%] for the six-drug arm). Toxicity was significantly greater (infection, myelosuppression, and mucositis) in the six-drug arm. Overall burden of local therapy was consistent with data from previous SIOP studies and showed no difference between the two chemotherapy regimens.

Conclusion

Intensification of chemotherapy for nonmetastatic RMS and other chemotherapy-sensitive STS provides no survival advantage or reduction in the intensity of local therapy and adds toxicity.
Effect of Adjuvant Chemotherapy on Survival of Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer Diagnosed After Age 75 Years
Authors: Sanoff Hanna K. , Carpenter William R. , Stürmer Til , Goldberg Richard M. , Martin Christopher F. , Fine Jason P. , McCleary Nadine Jackson , Meyerhardt Jeffrey A. , Niland Joyce , Kahn Katherine L. , Schymura Maria J. , Schrag Deborah
Published: June 2012

Purpose

Few patients 75 years of age and older participate in clinical trials, thus whether adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer (CC) benefits this group is unknown.

Methods

A total of 5,489 patients ≥ 75 years of age with resected stage III CC, diagnosed between 2004 and 2007, were selected from four data sets containing demographic, stage, treatment, and survival information. These data sets included SEER-Medicare, a linkage between the New York State Cancer Registry (NYSCR) and its Medicare programs, and prospective cohort studies Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Data sets were analyzed in parallel using covariate adjusted and propensity score (PS) matched proportional hazards models to evaluate the effect of treatment on survival. PS trimming was used to mitigate the effects of selection bias.

Results

Use of adjuvant therapy declined with age and comorbidity. Chemotherapy receipt was associated with a survival benefit of comparable magnitude to clinical trials results (SEER-Medicare PS-matched mortality, hazard ratio [HR], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.68). The incremental benefit of oxaliplatin over non–oxaliplatin-containing regimens was also of similar magnitude to clinical trial results (SEER-Medicare, HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.04; NYSCR-Medicare, HR, 0.82, 95% CI, 0.51 to 1.33) in two of three examined data sources. However, statistical significance was inconsistent. The beneficial effect of chemotherapy and oxaliplatin did not seem solely attributable to confounding.

Conclusion

The noninvestigational experience suggests patients with stage III CC ≥ 75 years of age may anticipate a survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Oxaliplatin offers no more than a small incremental benefit. Use of adjuvant chemotherapy after the age of 75 years merits consideration in discussions that weigh individual risks and preferences.
Binding Violence or the Valences of Political Power
Authors: Duprey Jennifer , Vázquez-Arroyo Antonio Y.
Published: June 2012

In a way, the Western tradition of political theorizing has been defined, with very few exceptions (say, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels or Niccolò Machiavelli), by a strategy of disavowal in dealing with the pervasiveness of violence in political life. Arguably, it is only with the onset of modern politics in the West, from the French Revolution onward, that this conceit has been partially undermined and that violence and terror have become central to theoretical discussions. But even in these discussions, violence is presented as accidental or disordered, as an exception that is often embodied in specific actors and/or presented as a pathology, as an excrescence, or as the antipode of sanitized conceptions of power rather than as constitutive of power relations. And rather than excrescent, the afterlives of these violent origins are regularized and normalized by liberal-capitalist civilization, while those perceived to be exceptional are vehemently criticized. Yet what most thinkers had tried to occlude literary accounts of violence have unconcealed. At least this is one of the insights that emerges in the thought-provoking reflections found in Moira Fradinger's Binding Violence (2010), her absorbing account of literary representations of political origins, which offers an important theoretical elucidation of violence and its figures.
Another Kind of Global English
Authors: Raley Rita
Published: June 2012

This essay first considers global English in relation to the contemporary sociotechnological milieu. It examines machine translation applications, particularly Google Translate, and suggests that they globalize English in their de facto articulation of it as a normative default. Even, or perhaps especially, in the age of Google, English retains its protocological status. The essay then considers the place of global English within the twenty-first-century university, perhaps no longer the University of Excellence but the University of Efficiency. The overarching suggestion is that the discourse of global English needs to expand well beyond disciplinary and curricular concerns to consider English as the literal and metaphoric operating system for a social matrix that is at once networked and informational. If the discourse of global English is to have any critical purchase, in other words, it cannot afford to think only in terms of print culture, for to do so would be to sidestep its primary operational field and the means by which it maintains its continuing paradigmatic function.
What Makes a Native Speaker? Nativeness, Ownership, and Global Englishes
Authors: Toker Emily Brown Coolidge
Published: June 2012

There are at least two visions of the global use of English. Globalized English refers to a homogeneous, homogenizing, and standardized linguistic model derived from one or more of the historically anglophone countries and imposed on students and professionals learning or speaking English as a second (or third or fourth) language. The term global Englishes refers to a multiplicity of distinct but mutually intelligible dialects or strands of English adapted to the specific locale and usage of a given population. Examples include Singlish (Singapore), Turklish (Turkey), and varieties of Eurenglish (various European contexts). This second view opens avenues of agency and ownership unavailable when global standardized English is imposed as an ideal. The existing linguistics hierarchy of native English speakers over nonnative speakers breaks down. This article explores the native/nonnative distinction as expressed in the experiences of postcolonial writers as well as of teachers and learners of English. Literary authors discussed include Amitav Ghosh, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Michael Harnett. Case studies from the English-as-a-second-language classroom are borrowed from the fields of scholarship known as TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).
Formative Fictions: Imaginative Literature and the Training of the Capacities
Authors: Landy Joshua
Published: June 2012

While it is often assumed that fictions must be informative or morally improving in order to be of any real benefit to us, certain texts defy this assumption by functioning as training grounds for the capacities: in engaging with them, we stand to become not more knowledgeable or more virtuous but more skilled, whether at rational thinking, at maintaining necessary illusions, at achieving tranquility of mind, or even at religious faith. Instead of offering us propositional knowledge, these texts yield know-how; rather than attempting to instruct by means of their content, they hone capacities by means of their form; far from seducing with the promise of instantaneous transformation, they recognize, with Aristotle, that change is a matter of sustained and patient practice.
Tudor domain proteins in development
Authors: Pek Jun Wei , Anand Amit , Kai Toshie
Published: June 2012

Tudor domain proteins function as molecular adaptors, binding methylated arginine or lysine residues on their substrates to promote physical interactions and the assembly of macromolecular complexes. Here, we discuss the emerging roles of Tudor domain proteins during development, most notably in the Piwi-interacting RNA pathway, but also in other aspects of RNA metabolism, the DNA damage response and chromatin modification.
Neurogenin 2 regulates progenitor cell-cycle progression and Purkinje cell dendritogenesis in cerebellar development
Authors: Florio Marta , Leto Ketty , Muzio Luca , Tinterri Andrea , Badaloni Aurora , Croci Laura , Zordan Paola , Barili Valeria , Albieri Ilaria , Guillemot François , Rossi Ferdinando , Consalez G. Giacomo
Published: June 2012

By serving as the sole output of the cerebellar cortex, integrating a myriad of afferent stimuli, Purkinje cells (PCs) constitute the principal neuron in cerebellar circuits. Several neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxias feature a selective cell-autonomous loss of PCs, warranting the development of regenerative strategies. To date, very little is known as to the regulatory cascades controlling PC development. During central nervous system development, the proneural gene neurogenin 2 (Neurog2) contributes to many distinct neuronal types by specifying their fate and/or dictating development of their morphological features. By analyzing a mouse knock-in line expressing Cre recombinase under the control of Neurog2 cis-acting sequences we show that, in the cerebellar primordium, Neurog2 is expressed by cycling progenitors cell-autonomously fated to become PCs, even when transplanted heterochronically. During cerebellar development, Neurog2 is expressed in G1 phase by progenitors poised to exit the cell cycle. We demonstrate that, in the absence of Neurog2, both cell-cycle progression and neuronal output are significantly affected, leading to an overall reduction of the mature cerebellar volume. Although PC fate identity is correctly specified, the maturation of their dendritic arbor is severely affected in the absence of Neurog2, as null PCs develop stunted and poorly branched dendrites, a defect evident from the early stages of dendritogenesis. Thus, Neurog2 represents a key regulator of PC development and maturation.
COUP-TFII is essential for metanephric mesenchyme formation and kidney precursor cell survival
Authors: Yu Cheng-Tai , Tang Ke , Suh Jae Mi , Jiang Rulang , Tsai Sophia Y. , Tsai Ming-Jer
Published: June 2012

Development of the metanephric kidney in mammals requires complex reciprocal tissue interactions between the ureteric epithelium and the mesenchyme. It is believed that Gdnf, produced in the metanephric mesenchyme, activates Ret signaling in the Wolffian duct to initiate the formation of the metanephros. However, the molecular mechanism for induction of Gdnf in the metanephric mesenchyme is not completely defined. Previous studies demonstrated that during the early stages of kidney development, loss of Osr1, Eya1, Pax2 or Wt1 gene function in the metanephric mesenchyme compromises the formation of the kidney. Moreover, it has been shown that the Hox11-Eya1-Pax2 complex activates the expression of Six2 and Gdnf in the metanephric mesenchyme to drive nephrogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the orphan nuclear receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II (COUP-TFII, also known as Nr2f2) is required for the specification of the metanephric mesenchyme. Deletion of COUP-TFII at E7.5 results in improper differentiation of the metanephric mesenchyme and absence of essential developmental regulators, such as Eya1, Six2, Pax2 and Gdnf. Importantly, we show that COUP-TFII directly regulates the expression of both Eya1 and Wt1 in the metanephric mesenchyme. Our findings reveal, for the first time, that COUP-TFII plays a central role in the specification of metanephric fate and in the maintenance of metanephric mesenchyme proliferation and survival by acting as a crucial regulator of Eya1 and Wt1 expression.
Regulation of neuronal differentiation at the neurogenic wavefront
Authors: Formosa-Jordan Pau , Ibañes Marta , Ares Saúl , Frade José María
Published: June 2012

Signaling mediated by the Delta/Notch system controls the process of lateral inhibition, known to regulate neurogenesis in metazoans. Lateral inhibition takes place in equivalence groups formed by cells having equal capacity to differentiate, and it results in the singling out of precursors, which subsequently become neurons. During normal development, areas of active neurogenesis spread through non-neurogenic regions in response to specific morphogens, giving rise to neurogenic wavefronts. Close contact of these wavefronts with non-neurogenic cells is expected to affect lateral inhibition. Therefore, a mechanism should exist in these regions to prevent disturbances of the lateral inhibitory process. Focusing on the developing chick retina, we show that Dll1 is widely expressed by non-neurogenic precursors located at the periphery of this tissue, a region lacking Notch1, lFng, and differentiation-related gene expression. We investigated the role of this Dll1 expression through mathematical modeling. Our analysis predicts that the absence of Dll1 ahead of the neurogenic wavefront results in reduced robustness of the lateral inhibition process, often linked to enhanced neurogenesis and the presence of morphological alterations of the wavefront itself. These predictions are consistent with previous observations in the retina of mice in which Dll1 is conditionally mutated. The predictive capacity of our mathematical model was confirmed further by mimicking published results on the perturbation of morphogenetic furrow progression in the eye imaginal disc of Drosophila. Altogether, we propose that Notch-independent Delta expression ahead of the neurogenic wavefront is required to avoid perturbations in lateral inhibition and wavefront progression, thus optimizing the neurogenic process.
Stable establishment of cotyledon identity during embryogenesis in Arabidopsis by ANGUSTIFOLIA3 and HANABA TARANU
Authors: Kanei Mari , Horiguchi Gorou , Tsukaya Hirokazu
Published: June 2012

In seed plants, the shoot apical and root apical meristems form at the apical and basal poles of the embryonic axis, and leaves form at the flanks of the shoot apical meristem. ANGUSTIFOLIA3/GRF INTERACTING FACTOR1 (AN3/GIF1) encodes a putative transcriptional co-activator involved in various aspects of shoot development, including the maintenance of shoot apical meristems, cell proliferation and expansion in leaf primordia, and adaxial/abaxial patterning of leaves. Here, we report a novel function of AN3 involved in developmental fate establishment. We characterised an an3-like mutant that was found to be an allele of hanaba taranu (han), named han-30, and examined its genetic interactions with an3. an3 han double mutants exhibited severe defects in cotyledon development such that ectopic roots were formed at the apical region of the embryo, as confirmed by pWOX5::GFP expression. Additionally, gif2 enhanced the ectopic root phenotype of an3 han. Although the auxin accumulation pattern of the embryo was correct in an3 han-30, based on DR5rev::GFP expression at the globular stage, expression of the PLETHORA1 (PLT1), a master regulator of root development, expanded from the basal embryonic region to the apical region during the same developmental stage. Furthermore, the plt1 mutation suppressed ectopic root formation in an3 han. These data suggest that establishing cotyledon identity requires both AN3 and HAN to repress ectopic root formation by repressing PLT1 expression.
Nitrogen Sorptiometric Study of Phosphation and Dispersion of Lanthanum(III) Oxide on Alumina Catalysts
Authors: Mekhemer Gamal A.H. , Bukhzam Ali F. , El-Towaty Amal S. , Zaki Mohamed I.
Published: June 2012

Alumina-supported lanthanum(III) oxide catalysts at loadings varying in the range 3–30 wt% La2O3 were prepared by wet impregnation and calcination at 920 K for 2 h. An analogous series of catalysts were phosphated by impregnation with up to 6 wt% PO43– from aqueous solutions of (NH4)H2PO4 and then calcined similarly. The catalysts thus obtained were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen sorptiometry at 77 K. The adsorption data were analyzed by the BET method and the t-method. The results suggested that lanthanum(III) oxide loadings up to 30 wt% exist as high-dispersion two- and three-dimensional structures on the surface of alumina that are not XRD-detectable (particle size < 2 nm). Strong interactions not only at the liquid/solid interface established during impregnation, but also at the solid/solid interface established during drying and/or calcination, are suggested to be important events in the dispersion mechanism. Phosphation led to the improvement of the two-dimensional lanthanum(III) oxide dispersion (probably in monolayers) rather than the three-dimensional one, most likely through direct bonding of the phosphate groups to exposed La3+ sites. It is inferred that nitrogen adsorption data can provide valuable qualitative information on the dispersion of supported oxide materials.
Research on Wind Energy Potential at Zhurihe
Authors: Yuehua Liu , Yingni Jiang , Xiaojun Cheng
Published: June 2012

Wind data for the year 2004 was analyzed to evaluate the wind potential of Zhurihe station, which is the windiest region at the Inner Mongolia of China. In the present study, the probability density distributions are derived from time-series data and the wind energy potential of Zhurihe station is evaluated by the Weibull model. The analysis showed that spring months have comparatively high monthly mean wind values. While the summer months of July and August have the smallest monthly mean wind speed values of 3.532 m/s and 3.467 m/s, respectively.
Torsional Damping considering Both Shaft and Blade Flexibilities
Authors: Licari John , Ugalde-Loo Carlos E , Liang Jun , Ekanayake Janaka , Jenkins Nick
Published: June 2012

A three-mass mechanical model that considers both shaft and blade flexibilities was used for the design of a torsional damper to damp drive-train vibrations in a wind turbine. Two torsional dampers were designed: one considering only the drive-train mode and another considering both the drive-train and blade in-plane symmetrical modes. The dampers performance was tested on a simple wind turbine model in Simulink® and then implemented in a more complete model in GH Bladed®. The simulation results on both wind turbine models correlate very well. This result indicates that a three-mass model is a good model for representing the shaft and blade flexibilities for designing a torsional damper. Simulation results show that considering both drive-train and blade in-plane mode frequencies when designing the torsional damper can lead to a better performance in damping torsional vibrations.
Multicriteria Decision Methodology to Select Suitable Areas for Storing Co2
Authors: Llamas Bernardo , Cienfuegos Pablo
Published: June 2012

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is seen as an effective technique to decrease significant amounts of CO2 from stationary sources. Many efforts are being put towards developing new techniques to capture CO2 from industrial emitters. However, it is necessary to store CO2 in a safe manner. Techniques applied to develop a suitable emplacement are well known, since these are similar to that for oil or gas explorations. Nonetheless, successful site selection (screen phase) will decrease the inherent risk in the geological exploration (assessment and select phase). In this process, many criteria should be taken into consideration, including technical and socio-economical aspects. For this purpose, different mathematical algorithms have been developed to solve multicriteria problems and to help the decision-makers. This article describes a methodology for the selection of site areas or structures for storing CO2 based on a multicriteria algorithm, which will rank the areas under consideration, in order to select the most suitable or promising emplacement.
Framing Co2 Storage Risk: A Cultural Theory Perspective
Authors: Evar Benjamin
Published: June 2012

This research note discusses risk perceptions of CO2 storage from a cultural theory perspective. Data for consideration is drawn from several publications by key stakeholders in the CO2 storage risk debate, as well as studies of (lay) public perceptions of risk. Two strands of further research are proposed based on the data, and a claim is made that publications from one stakeholder, the EU Commission, strongly indicate a risk framing that conforms to the hierarchical typology within cultural theory. Suggestions are made for more detailed fieldwork to confirm this finding and to investigate the research questions further.
Shape Optimization of a Body Located in Viscous Flows Using Acoustic Velocity Method
Authors: Terachi Kazuki , Kawahara Mutsuto
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this study is to find an optimal shape of a body located in viscous flows using the acoustic velocity method. The optimal shape is defined such as to minimize fluid forces acting on the body. The formulation is based on an optimal control theory, in which a performance function is expressed by the fluid force. The performance function should be minimized satisfying state equations. Therefore, the optimal control problem results in the minimization problem with constraint conditions. The problem can be transformed into the minimization problem without constraint condition by the adjoint equation method. As the minimization technique, the gradient based method is applied. For the discretization of both state and adjoint equations, the finite element method based on the bubble function is used. The optimal shape in the flow at Reynolds number Re = 50000 can be obtained.
Smart Pump Custom Concentrations without Hard “Low Concentration” Alert: A Set-up for Serious Errors; Do Not Infuse Cosmegen in Sterile Water; Safety Culture Needs Work; Good News on Heparin Labeling
Authors: Cohen Michael R. , Smetzer Judy L.
Published: June 2012

These medication errors have occurred in health care facilities at least once. They will happen again—perhaps where you work. Through education and alertness of personnel and procedural safeguards, they can be avoided. You should consider publishing accounts of errors in your newsletters and/or presenting them at your inservice training programs.

Your assistance is required to continue this feature. The reports described here were received through the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Medication Errors Reporting Program. Any reports published by ISMP will be anonymous. Comments are also invited; the writers' names will be published if desired. ISMP may be contacted at the address shown below.

Errors, close calls, or hazardous conditions may be reported directly to ISMP through the ISMP Web site ( www.ismp.org ), by calling 800-FAIL-SAFE, or via e-mail at ismpinfo@ismp.org . ISMP guarantees the confidentiality and security of the information received and respects reporters' wishes as to the level of detail included in publications.
Ovarian Toxicity from Sirolimus; Fatal Acute Pulmonary Injury Associated with Everolimus; Injection Site Abscess with Depot Risperidone Injection; Falls Caused by Multiple Medications in Young and Old Patients; Peripheral Nerve Toxic Effects of Nitrofurantoin; Benzodiazepine Withdrawal; Hyponatremia with SSRIs: Are We Getting It?
Authors: Shuster Joel
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this feature is to heighten awareness of specific adverse drug reactions (ADRs), discuss methods of prevention, and promote reporting of ADRs to the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) MEDWATCH program (800-FDA-1088). If you have reported an interesting, preventable ADR to MEDWATCH, please consider sharing the account with our readers.
Gemcitabine, Docetaxel, and Capecitabine (GTX) Regimen for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Chaparro Ana B. , Solimando Dominic A. , Waddell J. Aubrey
Published: June 2012

The complexity of cancer chemotherapy requires pharmacists be familiar with the complicated regimens and highly toxic agents used. This column reviews various issues related to preparation, dispensing, and administration of antineoplastic therapy, and the agents, both commercially available and investigational, used to treat malignant diseases.
Naltrexone: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Generali Joyce A. , Cada Dennis J.
Published: June 2012

This Hospital Pharmacy feature is extracted from Off-Label Drug Facts, a quarterly publication available from Wolters Kluwer Health. Off-Label Drug Facts is a practitioner-oriented resource for information about specific drug uses that are unapproved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This new guide to the literature enables the health care professional or clinician to quickly identify published studies on off-label uses and determine if a specific use is rational in a patient care scenario. References direct the reader to the full literature for more comprehensive information before patient care decisions are made. Direct questions or comments regarding Off-Label Drug Uses to jgeneral@kumc.edu .
Evaluation of Vancomycin Dosing and Monitoring in Adult Medicine Patients
Authors: Devabhakthuni Sandeep , Gonzales Jeffrey P. , Tata Asha L. , Lee Shirley , Shah Priya , Offurum Ada Ibe , Gulati Mangla
Published: June 2012

Purpose

To assess the clinical impact of a vancomycin dosing protocol and monitoring tool on initial dose, dosing interval, and trough concentrations in adult medicine patients.

Methods

This was a retrospective chart review of adult medicine patients who received at least one dose of vancomycin and were admitted during the pre-implementation period, February 1 to April 2009, or during the post-implementation period, June 1 to October 31, 2009. All outcomes for patients in the pre-implementation group were compared to those in the post-implementation group. The primary outcomes were frequency of appropriate initial vancomycin dose and dosing interval. The secondary outcomes included frequency of appropriate initial vancomycin trough concentrations, mean number of levels drawn per patient, and mean duration of therapy.

Results

A total of 450 patients were identified, with 225 patients in each study group. Patients with an appropriate initial vancomycin dose significantly increased in the post-implementation group (56% vs 40%; P < .001). The number of patients with an appropriate original dosing interval (67% vs 63%; P = 0.32), appropriate initial trough concentration (44% vs 45%; P = 0.89), mean number of levels drawn (1.9 vs 2.1; P = 0.56), and duration of therapy (4.9 vs 5.0; P = 0.77) was similar between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

The implementation of a vancomycin empiric dosing protocol and monitoring tool had a significant impact on the initial dose. Further education regarding vancomycin dosing and monitoring is warranted to improve initial dosing interval, initial trough concentration, number of levels drawn, and duration of therapy.
Intractable Epistaxis with Febuxostat
Authors: Ray Shaunta' M. , Hall Monte D. , Stevens Amy Barger
Published: June 2012

Objective

To report a case of serious, intractable epistaxis warranting an emergency department (ED) visit and hospital admission for transfusion following initiation of febuxostat.

Case Summary

An 86-year-old female presented to the ED after onset of intractable epistaxis for the previous 24 hours. Medications included aspirin, clopidogrel, metoprolol tartrate, valsartan, rosuvastatin, levothyroxine, esomeprazole, and febuxostat. She was treated with prednisone in the ED for a gout flare 3 weeks prior to the current visit, then was started on febuxostat at her follow-up primary care visit. Ten days after starting febuxostat therapy, she had onset of epistaxis. Initial treatment did not provide hemostasis and hemoglobin, and hematocrit values decreased. She was admitted and transfused. Aspirin, clopidogrel, and febuxostat were held during hospitalization. Bleeding subsided following bedside cautery. On hospital day 3, she restarted aspirin and clopidogrel and was discharged with no recurrence of bleeding.

Discussion

Epistaxis is relatively common and can be caused by multiple etiologies. Patient did not have prior episodes of epistaxis and had been on all medications for more than a year, except for febuxostat. This patient was also taking aspirin and clopidogrel; however, she had been taking these agents concomitantly for at least 4 years with no prior report of bleeding. Epistaxis occurred 10 days after the first dose of febuxostat with no other reported changes.

Conclusions

Epistaxis due to febuxostat use cannot be ruled out. Clinicians may consider alternate gout therapy in patients at high risk or taking medications that increase their risk for bleeding.
Approvals, Submission, and Important Labeling Changes for US Marketed Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Baker Danial E.
Published: June 2012

This monthly feature will help readers keep current on new drugs, new indications, dosage forms, and safety-related changes in labeling or use. Efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this information; however, if there are any questions, please let me know at bakerdan@wsu.edu .
Recent Publications on Medications and Pharmacy
Authors: Russett Flint
Published: June 2012

Hospital Pharmacy presents this feature to keep pharmacists abreast of new publications in the medical/pharmacy literature. Articles of interest regarding a broad scope of topics are abstracted monthly.
Whole-Blood Thrombin Generation Monitored with a Calibrated Automated Thrombogram-Based Assay
Authors: Ninivaggi Marisa , Apitz-Castro Rafael , Dargaud Yesim , de Laat Bas , Hemker H Coenraad , Lindhout Theo
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND

The calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT) assay in plasma is a versatile tool to investigate patients with hypo- or hypercoagulable phenotypes. The objective was to make this method applicable for whole blood measurements.

METHODS

Thin-layer technology and the use of a rhodamine 110–based thrombin substrate appear to be essential for a reliable thrombin generation (TG) assay in whole blood. Using this knowledge we developed a whole blood CAT-based assay.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that the whole blood CAT-based assay is a sensitive and rapid screening test to assess function of the hemostatic system under more nearly physiological conditions than the TG assay in plasma. Under conditions of low tissue factor concentration (0.5 pmol/L) and 50% diluted blood, the intraassay CV of the thrombogram parameters, endogenous thrombin potential and thrombin peak height, were 6.7% and 6.5%, respectively. The respective interassay CVs were 12% and 11%. The mean interindividual variation (SD) of 40 healthy volunteers was 633 (146) nmol · min/L for the endogenous thrombin potential and 128 (23) nmol/L for the thrombin peak. Surprisingly, erythrocytes contributed more than platelets to the procoagulant blood cell membranes necessary for optimal TG. Statistically significant (P < 0.001) and potentially clinically significant correlations were observed between circulating factor-VIII concentrations in blood of hemophilia A patients and endogenous thrombin potential (r = 0.62) and thrombin peak height (r = 0.58).

CONCLUSIONS

We have developed a reliable method to measure TG in whole blood. The assay can be performed with a drop of blood and may provide a useful measurement of TG under more physiological conditions than plasma.
The Significance of Island of Demons and Kriss: The Bali Sub-genre of the South-Seas Films, Their Primitivist Discourse and Tropicalist Fantasy
Authors: Green Geff
Published: June 2012

This paper explores the articulation of Dutch East Indies colonial ideology through the two "Bali Films' strongly influenced by Walter Spies and wider colonial and primitivist discourses provided by contemporary reviews of the films. I discuss the reception of the films in the
arena of visual-linguistic exchange, interpretation and contestation in the "contact zone. " In doing so, I examine the relationship between documentary, ethnography, and fictional narrative and analyze examples of ethnocentricity in terms of reference when viewing and evaluating
visual material. This is done through an analysis of the discourse in reviews of the films and includes the subjects of landscape as an arena of visual linguistic contestation, the spurious interpretation of Otherness as "authenticity, " and the discourse of colonial possession and
desire, which in turn, I equate with the development of sexual tourism in Bali.

In analyzing the films themselves, I examine some early characteristics of the film documentary genre, relationships between colonial novels, tourist paintings, and "ethnographic" narrative film in
the colonial context of the Dutch East Indies. This includes discussion of displacement of native exploitation onto the ethnic Chinese. More specifically, I scrutinize audience, identification, and interrelationships between colonial narrative forms.

From my exploration of the film texts
in relation to their reception in the form of the reviews, I highlight the concrete manifestation of primitivist views allowing the construction of Orientalist fantasy by filmmakers and viewers. This is based on misapprehended notions of authenticity amounting to the creation and perpetuation
of a varied range of views about the films, all of which coalesce around a condescending apology of colonialism and over-simplified misunderstanding of Other cultures.
Tools for community: Ivan Illich's legacy
Authors: MacDonald Stuart Wyllie
Published: June 2012

Although it is 40 years since Ivan Illich published Tools for Conviviality, the word 'convivial' retains an appeal conjuring up liveliness, sociability and, in this age of economic uncertainty, optimism. But in an era of co-creation and co-production the word 'tools' has attracted greater
attention, heralding Illich is due for regeneration. Superficially, the rise of technologies like Facebook and smartphones signal Illich's convivial tools have arrived, giving creativity to a mass audience. This article questions whether this is so by revisiting Illich's critique of capitalism
and its institutions, particularly education, and examining claims that we have indeed built tools of conviviality. It seeks to reframe convivial tools and the democratization of education by looking at developments beyond digital technology to include design strategy linked to community challenges.
The opportunity is taken to re-contextualize Illich's ideas on de-schooling by providing models and a case study exemplar whilst raising issues for design education.
The construction of masculinity in the Spanish labour movement: Astudy of the Revista Blanca (1923–36)
Authors: Cleminson Richard
Published: June 2012

This article places discourse on masculinity in the anarchist Revista Blanca (1923–36) within the broader setting of the Spanish labour movement and recent feminist and gender analyses of 'hegemonic' and 'subordinate' expressions of maleness. Rather than supposing a rigid representation
of masculinity, anarchist writers in the Revista Blanca posed several models although these models conformed to certain criteria and were characterized by their adherence to notions of working-class dignity, political integrity and values of truth as weapons against bourgeois 'double standards'
and privilege. Such expressions of masculinity also inhered in particular constructions of femininity within the review and the movement more broadly. In turn, 'dissident' expressions of masculinity, seen as overly aesthetic, effeminate or even homosexual, were rejected. While engaging with
new tropes of masculinity emerging in the early twentieth century and providing models that broke with some dominant forms of masculinity, writers in the Revista Blanca also shored up boundaries between the genders and sexes. This article makes a contribution to work on anarchist history,
labour history and the history of gendered relations.
Developing transferable skills through engagement with higher education laptop ensembles
Authors: Mudd Tom
Published: June 2012

This article argues that ensemble playing forms the backbone of transferable skills development in higher education music courses, and demonstrates how laptop ensembles, as well as being musically engaging projects in their own right, can be a useful way of integrating such skill development
into more technologically oriented music degrees. The fact that such ensembles have few established modes of practice allows them to be particularly open to student engagement in a variety of roles and can help to promote an active learning environment. Approaches to structuring the organization
of such an ensemble to promote these pedagogical aspects are discussed and related to the four stages laid out by David Kolb's experiential learning model.