bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of nurse‐led discharge following laparoscopic surgery
Authors: Graham Lisa , Neal Christopher P. , Garcea Giuseppe , Lloyd David M. , Robertson Gavin S. , Sutton Christopher D.
Published: November 2010

Introduction  The United Kingdom's Department of Health has identified reducing delays in patient discharge as a key aim for Health Service development. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair may be safely performed on a short stay basis, but day case rates remain low, with delays in discharge identified as a major contributing factor. Nurse‐led discharge has been widely advocated to speed patient discharge across varied specialities, but objective evidence to support its use is lacking. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of nurse‐led discharge following laparoscopic surgery.

Methods  A retrospective comparison of doctor‐led and nurse‐led discharge following laparoscopic surgery was performed by analysis of two consecutive 4‐month periods, prior to and following the introduction of nurse‐led discharge by a laparoscopic nurse specialist. Outcomes assessed included time to discharge, reasons for delayed discharge, hospital readmissions and primary care episodes following discharge.

Results  A total of 128 patients were included in the study, with each discharge group containing 64 patients. Patients in the nurse‐led discharge group were significantly more likely to be discharged on the day of surgery than patients in the doctor‐led discharge group (17.2% vs. 4.7%; P = 0.023), with a highly significant difference in same day discharge rates noted among patients operated on during morning theatre lists (44.0% vs. 10.7%; P = 0.006). There was no significant difference between the discharge groups in readmission rates or in the number of patients seeking primary care attention following discharge.

Conclusions  Nurse‐led discharge may speed discharge following laparoscopic surgery with no apparent detriment to patient care.
Lr34 multi‐pathogen resistance ABC transporter: molecular analysis of homoeologous and orthologous genes in hexaploid wheat and other grass species
Authors: Krattinger Simon G. , Lagudah Evans S. , Wicker Thomas , Risk Joanna M. , Ashton Anthony R. , Selter Liselotte L. , Matsumoto Takashi , Keller Beat
Published: November 2010

The Triticum aestivum (bread wheat) disease resistance gene Lr34 confers durable, race non‐specific protection against three fungal pathogens, and has been a highly relevant gene for wheat breeding since the green revolution. Lr34, located on chromosome 7D, encodes an ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter. Both wheat cultivars with and without Lr34‐based resistance encode a putatively functional protein that differ by only two amino acid polymorphisms. In this study, we focused on the identification and characterization of homoeologous and orthologous Lr34 genes in hexaploid wheat and other grasses. In hexaploid wheat we found an expressed and putatively functional Lr34 homoeolog located on chromosome 4A, designated Lr34‐B. Another homoeologous Lr34 copy, located on chromosome 7A, was disrupted by the insertion of repetitive elements. Protein sequences of LR34‐B and LR34 were 97% identical. Orthologous Lr34 genes were detected in the genomes of Oryza sativa (rice) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum). Zea mays (maize), Brachypodium distachyon and Hordeum vulgare (barley) lacked Lr34 orthologs, indicating independent deletion of this particular ABC transporter. Lr34 was part of a gene‐rich island on the wheat D genome. We found gene colinearity on the homoeologous A and B genomes of hexaploid wheat, but little microcolinearity in other grasses. The homoeologous LR34‐B protein and the orthologs from rice and sorghum have the susceptible haplotype for the two critical polymorphisms distinguishing the LR34 proteins from susceptible and resistant wheat cultivars. We conclude that the particular Lr34‐haplotype found in resistant wheat cultivars is unique. It probably resulted from functional gene diversification that occurred after the polyploidization event that was at the origin of cultivated bread wheat.
Male attractiveness, fertility and susceptibility to oxidative stress are influenced by inbreeding in Drosophila simulans
Authors: OKADA K. , BLOUNT J. D. , SHARMA M. D. , SNOOK R. R. , HOSKEN D. J.
Published: November 2010

Inbreeding frequently leads to inbreeding depression, a reduction in the trait values of inbred individuals. Inbreeding depression has been documented in sexually selected characters in several taxa, and while there is correlational evidence that male fertility is especially susceptible to inbreeding depression, there have been few direct experimental examinations of this. Here, we assessed inbreeding depression in male fertility and a range of other male fitness correlates in Drosophila simulans. We found that male fertility and attractiveness were especially susceptible to inbreeding depression. Additionally, levels of testicular oxidative stress were significantly elevated in inbred males, although sperm viability did not differ between inbred and outbred males. Copulation duration, induction of oviposition, and the proportion of eggs hatching did not differ for females mated to inbred or outbred males. Nevertheless, our results clearly show that key male fitness components are impaired by inbreeding and provide evidence that aspects of male fertility are especially susceptible to inbreeding depression.
A geographic mosaic of trophic interactions and selection: trees, aphids and birds
Authors: SMITH D. S. , BAILEY J. K. , SHUSTER S. M. , WHITHAM T. G.
Published: November 2010

Genetic variation in plants is known to influence arthropod assemblages and species interactions. However, these influences may be contingent upon local environmental conditions. Here, we examine how plant genotype‐based trophic interactions and patterns of natural selection change across environments. Studying the cottonwood tree, Populus angustifolia, the galling aphid, Pemphigus betae and its avian predators, we used three common gardens across an environmental gradient to examine the effects of plant genotype on gall abundance, gall size, aphid fecundity and predation rate on galls. Three patterns emerged: (i) plant genotype explained variation in gall abundance and predation, (ii) G×E explained variation in aphid fecundity, and environment explained variation in gall abundance and gall size, (iii) natural selection on gall size changed from directional to stabilizing across environments.
An insight into functional genomics of transgenic lines of tomato cv Rio Grande harbouring yeast halotolerance genes
Authors: Safdar N. , Yasmeen A. , Mirza B.
Published: November 2010

Tomato cv Rio Grande plants were transformed with yeast halotolerance genes (HAL I or HAL II) using pPM7HAL I or pJRM16HAL II, with p35GUSINT as control. Transformation efficiency varied in the three constructs, with highest transformation found with p35GUSINT. Final selection of the transgenic plants was made on the basis of PCR. Transgene integration and copy number were assessed by Southern hybridisation. The primary transformants were allowed to self‐pollinate and the expected Mendelian ratios were studied in second‐generation progeny. Five independent homozygous lines each of HAL I and HAL II, as well as the control, were characterised to study inter‐transformant expression variability. The transformants showed considerable variability in expression of the respective genes, as shown by salt tolerance assays, chlorophyll content and peroxidase activity. The transgene expression in transgenic lines was analysed by semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR. In response to different salt concentrations, transgenic plants over‐expressing HAL I and HAL II had significantly (α = 0.05) better performance than the control This study presents the comparative responses of the three constructs under the same transformation conditions and suggests possible mechanisms governed by yeast HAL I and HAL II genes, which seem to work in a coordinated manner by relatively decreasing osmotic and oxidative shock at different rates. Our results suggest that the yeast HAL I increases K+/Na+ selectivity and has a more functional role than HAL II in improving salt tolerance of the tomato cv Rio Grande grown in Pakistan.
Phylogenetic relationships of the Neotropical spider genus Itatiaya (Araneae)
Authors: Polotow Daniele , Brescovit Antonio D.
Published: November 2010

Polotow, D. & Brescovit, A. D. (2010). Phylogenetic relationships of the Neotropical spider genus Itatiaya (Araneae). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 187–193.

A cladistic analysis using parsimony under equal weights is applied to test the phylogenetic relationships of Itatiaya Mello‐Leitão, previously described in Ctenidae. The data matrix comprised 25 taxa scored for a total of 47 characters. The cladistic analysis yielded two equally parsimonious trees of 124 steps. The consensus of the two most parsimonious trees is used to discuss the phylogenetic relationships and justify taxonomic modifications. The results indicate that this genus is a representative of Zoropsidae, which is newly recorded from the Neotropical region. The monophyly of Itatiaya is supported by three non‐ambiguous synapomorphies and three homoplastic synapomorphies. A new diagnosis is provided for Itatiaya. Itatiaya pucupucu is placed as sister species to the remaining species of the genus. A polytomic clade composed of Itatiaya modesta, Itatiaya iuba, Itatiaya apipema and the clade formed by Itatiaya tacamby + Itatiaya pykyyra is supported by the presence of modified cylindrical gland spigots. Additionally, the male of I. pykyyra Polotow & Brescovit is described for the first time.
Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelusios and Pelomedusa)
Authors: Fritz Uwe , Branch William R. , Hofmeyr Margaretha D. , Maran Jérôme , Prokop Hynek , Schleicher Alfred , Š iroký Pavel , Stuckas Heiko , Vargas‐Ramírez Mario , Vences Miguel , Hundsdörfer Anna K.
Published: November 2010

Fritz, U., Branch, W. R., Hofmeyr, M. D., Maran, J., Prokop, H., Schleicher, A., Široký, P., Stuckas, H., Vargas‐Ramírez, M., Vences, M. & Hundsdörfer, A. K. (2010). Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelusios and Pelomedusa). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 115–125.

With 18 currently recognised species, Pelusios is one of the most speciose chelonian genera worldwide, even though the taxonomy of some species is contentious. Recent investigations suggested that the closely related, but morphologically distinct genus Pelomedusa is paraphyletic with respect to Pelusios, and that Pelomedusa consists of nine deeply divergent lineages. Using three mitochondrial and three nuclear DNA fragments (2054 bp mtDNA, 2025 bp nDNA), we examined for the first time the phylogeny of Pelusios by molecular means. Our analyses included all Pelusios species, except the probably extinct P. seychellensis, as well as the nine Pelomedusa lineages. The results showed that Pelusios and Pelomedusa are reciprocally monophyletic. Limited sampling of Pelusios species and homoplasy introduced by remote outgroups most likely explain the paraphyly of Pelomedusa in previous studies. The distinctiveness of most Pelusios species was confirmed, but none of the currently recognised species groups within Pelusios was monophyletic. In Pelusios rhodesianus and P. sinuatus distinct genetic lineages were discovered, suggestive of cryptic taxa. In contrast, the recognition of the weakly differentiated P. castaneus and P. chapini as full species is doubtful, as is the validity of the Malagasy and Seychellois subspecies of P. castanoides. GenBank sequences of P. williamsi were nested within P. castaneus, but the morphological distinctiveness of the two species makes it likely that the GenBank sequences (derived from a turtle from the pet trade) are misidentified. Divergence among the distinct genetic lineages of Pelomedusa equals or exceeds the differences among Pelusios species, supporting the view that Pelomedusa is a species complex.
A prospective, randomized trial comparing the Vienna nomogram to an eight‐core prostate biopsy protocol
Authors: Lecuona Angus , Heyns Chris F.
Published: November 2010

Study Type – Diagnostic (RCT)

Level of Evidence 1b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Several studies have shown that increasing the number of prostate biopsy cores will increase the detection rate of prostate cancer, but also risks overdiagnosing insignificant cancer, particularly in the elderly.

Our study suggests that there is no significant advantage in using the Vienna nomogram to determine the number of prostate biopsies to be taken, compared to an eight‐core biopsy protocol.

OBJECTIVE

To compare prostate cancer detection rates using the Vienna nomogram versus an 8‐core prostate biopsy protocol. To compare the complication rates of transrectal prostate biopsy in the two groups.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a prospective randomized trial, men with a serum PSA ≥ 2.5 ng/ml were stratified according to serum PSA (I = PSA 2.5–10; II = PSA 10.1–30; III = PSA 30.1–50 ng/mL) and were then randomized to group A (number of cores determined according to the Vienna nomogram) or group B (8‐core prostate biopsy).

Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t‐test for parametric data, Mann‐Whitney test for nonparametric data and Fisher’s exact test for contingency tables. A two‐tailed p‐value <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

RESULTS

In the period July 2006 to July 2009, 303 patients were randomized to group A (n = 152) or group B (n = 151). There were no significant differences in serum PSA, prostate volume, PSA density or post‐biopsy complications between the groups.

The cancer detection rate was lower in group A than in group B for the whole study cohort (35.5% vs 38.4%), for those with PSA < 10 ng/ml (28.1% vs 33%) and for those with prostate volume >50 ml (22% vs 25.8%). These differences were not statistically significant (NSS).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that there is no significant advantage in using the Vienna nomogram to determine the number of prostate biopsy cores to be taken, compared to an 8‐core biopsy protocol.
The Clinical Nurse Leader – new nursing role with global implications
Authors: Baernholdt M. , Cottingham S.
Published: November 2010

BAERNHOLDT M. & COTTINGHAM S. (2011) The Clinical Nurse Leader – new nursing role with global implications. International Nursing Review58, 74–78

Aim:  This paper describes the development of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL©) role and education, the CNL's impact and potential to improve quality globally.

Background:  The need for clinical nurse leadership to improve the quality of health care systems while controlling costs is recognized in reports internationally. In the USA, a new nursing role, the CNL, was developed in response to such reports.

Conclusion:  CNLs are master's level nurse graduates (although not necessarily recruited from a nursing background) with the skills and knowledge to create change within complex systems and improve outcomes while they remain direct care providers. This innovative role can be adapted worldwide to improve the quality of health care systems.
Exploring the Resilience of Bt Cotton's ‘Pro‐Poor Success Story’
Authors: Glover Dominic
Published: November 2010

Expectations play a powerful role in driving technological change. Expectations are often encapsulated in narratives of technological promise that emphasize potential benefits and downplay potential negative impacts. Genetically modified (GM, transgenic) crops have been framed by expectations that they would be an intrinsically ‘pro‐poor’ innovation that would contribute powerfully to international agricultural development. However, expectations typically have to be scaled back in the light of experience. Published reviews of the socio‐economic impacts of GM crops among poor, small‐scale farmers in the developing world indicate that these effects have been very mixed and contingent on the agronomic, socio‐economic and institutional settings where the technology has been applied. These conclusions should modulate expectations about the pro‐poor potential of GM crop technology and focus attention on the conditions under which it might deliver substantial and sustainable benefits for poor farmers. However, the idea of GM crop technology as an intrinsically pro‐poor developmental success story has been sustained in academic, public and policy arenas. This narrative depends upon an analysis that disembeds the technology from the technical, social and institutional contexts in which it is applied. Agricultural development policy should be based on a more rigorous and dispassionate analysis, rather than optimistic expectations alone.
The Impact of Privatization on Land Inheritance among Samburu Pastoralists in Kenya
Authors: Lesorogol Carolyn K.
Published: November 2010

Privatization of communal land among a community of pastoralists in northern Kenya creates a gap in social institutions relating to land inheritance. This analysis shows that the emergence of a new rule for inheritance is a complex social process and that new rules do not arise automatically. Using theories of institutions and collective action, this study examines the process through which rules of inheritance are emerging in Siambu since land privatization. Drawing on in‐depth interviews, observations and household surveys, this study reveals why collective action around inheritance norms has been difficult to achieve. In the absence of such action, no single norm of inheritance has emerged. Rather, several different practices currently co‐exist. A considerable amount of evidence suggests that livestock inheritance rules that favour eldest sons will become the norm for land as well, but there are also reasons to doubt this outcome. What this case demonstrates is that institutional gaps are not necessarily or automatically filled; institutions do not simply arise when needed. When collective action fails, multiple practices and norms may co‐exist leading to a certain degree of institutional instability.
Mungiki, Vernacular Organization and Political Society in Kenya
Authors: Frederiksen Bodil Folke
Published: November 2010

This article uses the concept of ‘political society’ as unfolded by the ‘subaltern studies’ in India to shed new light on present‐day political actors and democratic transitions in Africa. It discusses the political practices and discursive terrains of organizations within ‘really existing’ civil society that are based on identities and regarded as outside legitimate civil society. It looks at politics from below, taking the example of the 2007 elections in Kenya, and the role of Mungiki, an organization characterized by the intersection of class, generation, religion and ethnicity. Mungiki builds on Kenya's history and rich archive of indigenous popular culture. It originated in the early 1990s’ turmoil of ‘ethnic clashes’ and population displacement and now operates in rural and poor urban areas, providing income opportunities, service delivery and extortion/protection. During elections, sections of Mungiki have been recruited by political leaders and functioned as violent militia; concurrently, it seeks representation in formal and parliamentary politics. The organization is distinct from ‘respectable’ segments of Kenya's civil society who participate in NGO activities and mainstream churches. The article ends by calling for an inclusive and non‐normative approach to the study of state–civil society engagement that recognizes culturally based discourses and organizations when analysing the transitions to and the broadening of democracy in post‐colonial societies.
SERIES EXPANSION OF THE SABR JOINT DENSITY
Authors: Wu Qi
Published: November 2010

Under the SABR stochastic volatility model, pricing and hedging contracts that are sensitive to forward smile risk (e.g., forward starting options, barrier options) require the joint transition density. In this paper, we address this problem by providing closed‐form representations, asymptotically, of the joint transition density. Specifically, we construct an expansion of the joint density through a hierarchy of parabolic equations after applying total volatility‐of‐volatility scaling and a near‐Gaussian coordinate transformation. We then establish an existence result to characterize the truncation error and provide explicit joint density formulas for the first three orders. Our approach inherits the same spirit of a small total volatility‐of‐volatility assumption as in the original SABR analysis. Our results for the joint transition density serve as a basis for managing forward smile risk. Through numerical experiments, we illustrate the accuracy of our expansion in terms of joint density, marginal density, probability mass, and implied volatilities for European call options.
GOVERNMENT DECENTRALIZATION AS A DISINCENTIVE FOR TRANSNATIONAL TERROR? AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS*
Authors: Dreher Axel , Fischer Justina A. V.
Published: November 2010

Using panel data for a maximum of 109 countries over the years 1976–2000, we empirically analyze the impact of decentralization on the occurrence of transnational terror. Our results show that expenditure decentralization reduces the number of transnational terror events in a country, while political decentralization has no impact. These results are robust to the choice of control variables and method of estimation.
AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SOURCES OF CHANGES OVER TIME IN THE JOB FINDING RATE USING RESERVATION WAGES AND REJECTED WAGE OFFERS*
Authors: Lollivier Stefan , Rioux Laurence
Published: November 2010

We consider a structural dynamic job search model where nonstationarity originates from the change over time in the benefit level, the job offer arrival rate, and the wage offer distribution. The model is estimated on the French sample of the ECHP taking advantage of direct observation of reservation wages, rejected job offers, and associated rejected wages. We find that the offered wages deteriorate rapidly (13.8% over six months, 19.2% over one year, and 30% over two years) and that changes in the wage offer distribution are the unique source of negative duration dependence in the hazard.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AND U.S. R&D SUBSIDIES: A QUANTITATIVE WELFARE ANALYSIS*
Authors: Impullitti Giammario
Published: November 2010

In the early 1970s U.S. firms were the uncontested world leaders in R&D investment in most manufacturing sectors. Later, led by Japan and Europe, foreign firms began to challenge American R&D leadership in many sectors of the economy. This period of increasing technological competition is contemporaneous with a substantial increase in U.S. R&D subsidies. What is the effect of the observed increase in international competition on U.S. welfare? How does foreign competition affect the optimal R&D subsidy in the United States, and, consequently, how far is this from the subsidy observed in the data? This article addresses these questions in a two‐country quality ladder growth model.
Choosing to Report: Characteristics of employees who report the counterproductive work behavior of others
Authors: Gruys Melissa L. , Stewart Susan M. , Bowling Nathan A.
Published: November 2010

Managers typically expect employees to report counterproductive work behavior (CWB) when they see or have knowledge of other employees engaging in such acts. However, the degree to which individuals actually report CWB to company officials has not been addressed in the literature. Previous research has also not explored the personality traits, attitudes, and workplace behaviors of those employees who report CWB on the part of others. Hence, we conducted 2 studies with 2 independent samples to provide information on both of these points in an effort to assist organizations in curbing negative workplace acts and in making more informed personnel selection decisions.
The Relation between Selection Expectations, Perceptions and Organizational Attraction: A test of competing models
Authors: Schreurs Bert , Derous Eva , Proost Karin , De Witte Karel
Published: November 2010

Little is known about how applicants' selection expectations and perceptions interplay in predicting applicant attraction outcomes (organizational attractiveness, job pursuit intention, and recommendation intention). In the present study, 340 entry‐level applicants for jobs in a large financial company provided information about their selection expectations before the procedure, and about their perceptions and attraction to the organization after the procedure. Regression analyses indicated that applicant perceptions, and in particular perceptions of warmth/respect, mediated the relationship between selection expectations and organizational attractiveness and job pursuit intention. No support was found for the moderating role of selection expectations in the perception–attraction relationship. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Mental health and sense of coherence among Swedish adults with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Brucefors Agneta Bergsten , Hjelte Lena , Hochwälder Jacek
Published: November 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 365–372
 
Mental health and sense of coherence among Swedish adults with cystic fibrosis

The purpose of this study was to describe mental health among adult Swedish patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and to study if mental health and the salutogene factor sense of coherence (SOC) intercorrelate with good medical status. Women and men were compared. The patient group (n = 59) attended the Stockholm CF Center. Mental health was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28) and the salutogenesis by SOC‐3. Medical status included forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second in per cent of predicted as well as Body Mass Index. The differences within and between groups were tested with t‐tests and the relations between the variables were described by Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The patients had on the whole good mental health, but the group with a risk of mental ill‐health (n = 19) experienced life as difficult to manage, meaningless and hard to understand compared to the group with a small risk of mental ill‐health (n = 40). Women at risk of mental ill‐health (n = 10) experienced difficulties in managing life to a greater extent than women with a small risk of mental ill‐health (n = 16). Men at risk of mental ill‐health (n = 9) found life hard to understand. Mental health and SOC did not correlate significantly with the medical status of the CF patients. The conclusion was that there were comparably few problems of mental health among the patients with CF. The problems that were found were not related to the seriousness of their CF. Women had a more complex pattern of problems in mental health and SOC than men had.
Initial resuscitation with plasma and other blood components reduced bleeding compared to hetastarch in anesthetized swine with uncontrolled splenic hemorrhage
Authors: Sondeen Jill L. , Prince M. Dale , Kheirabadi Bijan S. , Wade Charles E. , Polykratis I. Amy , de Guzman Rodolfo , Dubick Michael A.
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: Damage control resuscitation recommends use of more plasma and less crystalloid as initial resuscitation in treating hemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate resuscitation with either blood components or conventional fluids on coagulation and blood loss.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Isofluorane‐anesthetized, instrumented pigs (eight per group) underwent controlled hemorrhage of 24 mL/kg, 20‐minute shock period, splenic injury with 15‐minute initial bleeding, and hypotensive fluid resuscitation. Lactated Ringer's (LR) was infused at 45 mL/kg while hetastarch (high‐molecular‐weight hydroxyethyl starch 6%, Hextend, Hospira, Inc., Lake Forest, IL) and blood component (fresh‐frozen plasma [FFP], 1:1 FFP:[red blood cells] RBCs, 1:4 FFP : RBCs, and fresh whole blood [FWB]) were infused at 15 mL/kg. Postresuscitation blood loss (PRBL), hemodynamics, coagulation, hematocrit, and oxygen metabolism were measured postinjury for 5 hours.

RESULTS: Resuscitation with any blood component reduced PRBL of 52% to 70% compared to Hextend, with FFP resulting in the lowest PRBL. PRBL with LR (11.5 ± 3.0 mL/kg) was not significantly different from Hextend (17.9 ± 2.5 mL/kg) or blood components (range, 5.5 ± 1.5 to 8.6 ± 2.6 mL/kg). The volume expansion effect of LR was transient. All fluids produced similar changes in hemodynamics, oxygen delivery, and demand despite the oxygen‐carrying capacity of RBC‐containing fluids. Compared with other fluids, Hextend produced greater hemodilution and reduced coagulation measures, which could be caused by an indirect dilutional effect or a direct hypocoagulable effect.

CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that blood products as initial resuscitation fluids reduced PRBL from a noncompressible injury compared to Hextend, preserved coagulation, and provided sustained volume expansion. There were no differences on PRBL among RBCs‐to‐FFP, FWB, or FFP in this nonmassive transfusion model.
The Practice of Mothering: An Introduction
Authors: Barlow Kathleen , Chapin Bambi L.
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis special issue demonstrates the value of close examinations of mothering as actually practiced by particular mothers in particular circumstances. The articles in this issue analyze instances of mothering in Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, China, and the United States and are followed by commentary from leaders in the field about what might be learned by attending to such everyday practices. These ethnographic studies extend lines of research within psychological anthropology that have focused on mothers as socializers, by drawing on contemporary developments, including those concerned with schema theory, psychodynamic and intersubjective processes, the interpenetrations of political‐economies and domestic relations, feminist perspectives, and questions of agency in the lives of women and children. This examination of projects, processes, and practices of mothering affords insights into a range of related questions concerning human nature, processes of enculturation and socialization, individual agency and lived worlds, cultural patterning and change. [mothering, practice, child socialization, cross‐cultural child development, psychological anthropology]
Building Consciousness: The Organization Workshop Comes to a Nicaraguan Cooperative
Authors: Fisher Josh
Published: November 2010

Based on ethnographic research conducted in Nicaragua in 2007 during the early phases of the building of an industrial cotton spinning cooperative called Génesis, this article recounts an implementation of the Organization Workshop (OW), a large‐scale enterprise‐building and employment‐generation workshop based on the ideas of Brazilian scholar‐activists Clodomir Santos de Morais and Paulo Freire. The story of the Génesis OW, however, is not one of success. In fact, following the 40‐day “conscientization” workshop, the cooperative entered into a period of upheaval, ultimately leading to the ousting of the cooperative's leadership. As a way of explaining some of the unexpected consequences of the OW, I point to the disjuncture between the actually existing social and organizational dynamics of Génesis before the implementation of the OW and the OW's model for them.
Competition and the Limits of Solidarity among Unionized Construction Workers
Authors: Duke Michael R. , Bergmann Luke , Ames Genevieve
Published: November 2010

Labor unions strive to reduce competitiveness and promote solidarity among their membership, and those in the U.S. construction industry also serve as job brokers between workers and employers. In this capacity, the attempts of unions to address the temporary nature of construction work through regulating the distribution of job assignments may inadvertently promote fierce competition between laborers. As workers struggle to make sense of their own fortunes in a tightening labor market and the diminished political clout of unions overall, the organizational structuring of competition produces labor fragmentation and calls into question appeals to solidarity. This paper examines the relationship between job brokerage, labor competition, and the organization of work among unionized construction workers in the Western United States. As the focus of building trade unions shifts from protecting workers' interests against the exploitation of management to functioning essentially as staffing agencies, our study illuminates the ways in which these unions become a locus for the articulation of difference rather than solidarity. It also illustrates the challenges faced by organized labor in addressing its seemingly contradictory role in facilitating both individualist and collectivist identity formations.
The Radical Promise of Reformist Zeal: What Makes “Inquiry for Equity” Plausible?
Authors: Lashaw Amanda
Published: November 2010

Education reform movements often promise more than they deliver. Why are such promises plausible in light of seemingly perpetual education reform? Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork based in a nonprofit education reform organization, this article explores the appeal of popular notions about “using data to close the racial achievement gap.” It focuses on training institutes wherein passionate reformers made complex claims about the power of a program called Inquiry for Equity. It argues that zealous performances of faith in the program raise expectations for social—not just educational—transformation. Because such radical claims cannot be pinned down in either public documents or daily discourse, they elude critical assessment.[education reform, affect, equity, progressive politics, inquiry]
The Stitches Stayed: Creating Rapport around Women's Work
Authors: Wall Mary Clementine , Stasz Bird
Published: November 2010

Establishing rapport between researcher and participants when conducting ethnography is essential to the successful outcome of the research. However, when participants are unwilling to engage, a different approach must be adopted. This article is an examination of the appropriation of a situated learning model during fieldwork with a group of female quilters in rural North Carolina. Using this model, and emphasizing the passing of knowledge from masters to novice, provides a successful framework for establishing and maintaining the research relationship. [situated learning, quilting, Appalachia, rapport]
From Collaborative Ethnography to Collaborative Pedagogy: Reflections on the Other Side of Middletown Project and Community–University Research Partnerships
Authors: Campbell Elizabeth , Lassiter Luke Eric
Published: November 2010

Here we reflect on the collaborative research, engagement, and pedagogical relationships and processes that gave rise to The Other Side of Middletown, a collaborative ethnography written by a team of faculty, students, and community participants. We offer background on the project; discuss how collaborative researches engendered community‐based engagements and collaborative pedagogies; and conclude by suggesting that those collaborative pedagogies that work between communities and universities both expand and complicate recent calls for democratic civic engagement.[collaborative ethnography, participatory research, collaborative pedagogy, community–university partnerships, democratic civic engagement]
Response of experimental malignant melanoma models to the pan‐Aurora kinase inhibitor VE‐465
Authors: Pirker Christine , Lötsch Daniela , Spiegl‐Kreinecker Sabine , Jantscher Florian , Sutterlüty Hewig , Micksche Michael , Grusch Michael , Berger Walter
Published: November 2010

Abstract:  Aurora kinases represent promising novel cancer therapy targets. Genomic analyses of human cutaneous melanoma (CMM) models (N = 51, low passage) by classical and/or array CGH revealed frequent gains at chromosome 20q (65%, amplifications in 45%) repeatedly including the Aurora A gene locus. Accordingly, the majority of CMM cell cultures overexpressed Aurora A when compared to proliferating non‐malignant cells. Moreover, CMM cells even when arrested in G1/S cell cycle phase contained readily detectable levels of Aurora A indicating incomplete degradation during mitosis. Already at low concentrations (10–100 nm), long‐term (7–10 days) application of the pan‐Aurora kinase inhibitor VE‐465 completely prevented colony formation in all CMM models tested. In contrast, blockade of cell survival/proliferation and DNA synthesis as well as the induction of apoptosis by VE‐465 distinctly differed in short‐term experiments (up to 72 h exposure). Both cell cycle arrest and DNA synthesis blockade depended on the level of VE‐465‐mediated p53/p21 activation while p53/p21 unresponsiveness led to repetitive endoreduplication (>8n DNA content). In contrast, apoptosis induction by VE‐465 and Aurora A siRNA did not correlate with p53/p21 responsiveness and DNA synthesis blockade. Moreover, application of the Aurora B‐specific inhibitor ZM447439 and siRNA was less efficient to induce CMM cell death proofing that apoptosis induction by VE‐465 depended predominantly on Aurora A targeting. In combination experiments with chemotherapeutic agents, VE‐465 acted additive to antagonistic when applied concomitantly but in several cases even synergistic when applied consecutively. In summary, we suggest that the Aurora A kinase might represent a promising target of well‐designed novel antimelanoma strategies.
Beneficial effects of melatonin on obesity and lipid profile in young Zucker diabetic fatty rats
Authors: Agil Ahmad , Navarro‐Alarcón Miguel , Ruiz Rosario , Abuhamadah Sawsan , El‐Mir Mohamad‐Yehia , Vázquez Gumersindo Fernández
Published: November 2010

Abstract:  The study objective was to investigate the effects of melatonin on obesity and obesity‐associated systolic hypertension and dyslipidemia in young male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, an experimental model of the metabolic syndrome. ZDF rats (n = 30) and lean littermates (ZL) (n = 30) were used. At 6 wk of age, both lean and fatty animals were subdivided into three groups (n = 10): naive (N), vehicle‐treated (V), and melatonin‐treated (M) (10 mg/kg/day) for 6 wk. Vehicle and melatonin were added to the drinking water. Melatonin reduced mean weight gain (51 ± 2/100 g BW) versus N‐ZDF group (58 ± 3, P < 0.05) without food intake differences. M‐ZDF rats showed an apparent reduction in systolic hypertension that proved not to be statistically significant, and a significant improvement in dyslipidemia, with a reduction in hypertriglyceridemia from 580 ± 40 to 420.6 ± 40.9 mg/dL (P < 0.01). Melatonin raised high‐density‐lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in ZDF (from 81.6 ± 4.9 to 103.1 ± 4.5 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and ZL rats (from 62.8 ± 4.8 to 73.5 ± 4.8 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and significantly reduced low‐density‐lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in ZDF rats from 5.20 ± 0.4 to 4.14 ± 0.3 mg/dL (P < 0.05) but had no effect on total cholesterol levels. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of a positive effect of melatonin on overweight and lipid pattern of obese Zucker diabetic rats, supporting the proposition that melatonin administration may ameliorate overweight and lipid metabolism in humans. Because these benefits occurred in youth, before advanced metabolic and vascular complications, melatonin might help to prevent cardiovascular disease associated with obesity and dyslipidemia.
Role of Semen in HIV‐1 Transmission: Inhibitor or facilitator?
Authors: Doncel Gustavo F. , Joseph Theresa , Thurman Andrea R.
Published: November 2010

Citation Doncel GF, Joseph T, Thurman AR. Role of semen in HIV‐1 transmission: inhibitor or facilitator? Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 65: 292–301

Sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) accounts for 60‐90% of new infections, especially in developing countries. During male‐to‐female transmission, the virus is typically deposited in the vagina as cell‐free and cell‐associated virions carried by semen. But semen is more than just a carrier for HIV‐1. Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies supports both inhibitory and enhancing effects. Intrinsic antiviral activity mediated by cationic antimicrobial peptides, cytotoxicity, and blockage of HIV–dendritic cell interactions are seminal plasma properties that inhibit HIV‐1 infection. On the contrary, neutralization of vaginal acidic pH, enhanced virus–target cell attachment by seminal amyloid fibrils, opsonization by complement fragments, and electrostatic interactions are factors that facilitate HIV‐1 infection. The end result, i.e., inhibition or enhancement of HIV mucosal infection, in vivo, likely depends on the summation of all these biological effects. More research is needed, especially in animal models, to dissect the role of these factors and establish their relevance in HIV‐1 transmission.
Judicial Setbacks, Material Gains: Terror Litigation at the Israeli High Court of Justice
Authors: Hofnung Menachem , Margel Keren Weinshall
Published: November 2010

Recent research indicates that even in countries with strong judicial review, supreme courts have proved reluctant to oppose restrictions on civil liberties in times of war, or in crises that resemble war‐like emergencies. Accordingly, most research conducted on the Israeli High Court of Justice argues that despite using the rhetoric of human rights, the HCJ rarely intervenes in security‐based decisions targeted to prevent terrorist activity. Our research, based on an empirical sample of cases litigated at the HCJ in 2000–2008, argues that the picture is more complex, and that in fact the Israeli court does play a significant role in reducing human rights violations. Although in most cases the HCJ does not overtly intervene in the decisions of the security authorities, we show that the court's decisions on terror contain an implicit, yet no less important, facet in preventing numerous harmful decisions. We further test the relationship between the overt and latent nature of the HCJ's power, and show how different political and security conditions, such as the public mood or the occurrence of deadly terror attacks, affect justices' decisions to reject a petition, openly accept it, or intervene more latently in the security authorities' policies.
OPTIMIZATION OF EMULSIFICATION AND MICROENCAPSULATION OF EVENING PRIMROSE OIL AND ITS OXIDATIVE STABILITY DURING STORAGE BY RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY
Authors: LIU TAI‐TI , YANG TSUNG‐SHI
Published: November 2010

Microencapsulation is a technique by which small droplets of liquid or solid particles are coated with a thin film of wall materials to protect susceptible ingredients in food products to assure their quality or effectiveness. Microencapsulation of liquid lipid into powdery matrixes of wall materials includes two unit operations: emulsification of the lipid with an aqueous solution of wall material and drying of the emulsion. The effects of hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB) value, emulsifier content and oil content on the evening primrose oil‐in‐water emulsion stability were studied by response surface methodology (RSM). The HLB value, emulsifier content and oil content all had significant effects on the emulsion stability (P < 0.05). Of them, the HLB value and emulsifier content contributed more effects than the oil content. The optimized HLB value, emulsifier content and oil content were used to mix with wall materials: gum arabic (GA), maltodextrin (MD) and/or sodium caseinate (NaC). The oil was encapsulated with these materials individually or in combination by spray‐drying, and their oxidative stability during storage was compared. The microcapsules with a single wall material were relatively susceptible to oxidation than those with multiple wall materials. The most desirable composition of the mixture of GA, MD and NaC by RSM was 17.2, 75 and 7.8%, respectively.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Response surface methodology (RSM) provided a valuable means to help us understand the relative or interactive effects of three important parameters: HLB value, emulsifier content and oil content on the emulsion stability of the oil‐in‐water (o/w) system. The information obtained would be useful for the preparation of similar o/w emulsion system as needed in some product development for foods. In addition, the effects of gum arabic, maltodextrin and sodium caseinate on the oxidative stability of microencapsulated oil were also studied by RSM. The results revealed the relative or interactive effects of these materials and gave the optimal conditions in minimizing the oxidative instability in this study. Since these wall materials are readily available and widely used in a variety of products, the information provided by this study would be useful for product‐developing professionals to use these materials more efficiently in terms of obtaining optimal microencapsulated products against lipid oxidation and cost effectiveness.
SOURCES OF PRODUCTIVITY GAINS FROM FDI IN INDONESIA: IS IT EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT OR TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS?
Authors: SUYANTO  , SALIM Ruhul A.
Published: November 2010

This article investigates the spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on productivity growth in the Indonesian food‐processing (ISIC 311) and electrical machinery industries (ISIC 383). Total factor productivity (TFP) growth is decomposed into efficiency change and technological change by using the Malmquist productivity index. The empirical results show that efficiency improvement is the major driver of TFP growth in the food‐processing industry, whereas technological progress is the dominant contributor in the electrical machinery industry. There are positive spillovers on efficiency change but negative spillovers on technological change in the food‐processing industry. However, FDI spillovers turn out to be negative in efficiency change while positive in technological progress in the electrical machinery industry. These findings demonstrate that different industries experience different sources of productivity gains, which are dependent on the characteristics of firms in the industry.
Natural products for cancer chemotherapy
Authors: Demain Arnold L. , Vaishnav Preeti
Published: November 2010

For over 40 years, natural products have served us well in combating cancer. The main sources of these successful compounds are microbes and plants from the terrestrial and marine environments. The microbes serve as a major source of natural products with anti‐tumour activity. A number of these products were first discovered as antibiotics. Another major contribution comes from plant alkaloids, taxoids and podophyllotoxins. A vast array of biological metabolites can be obtained from the marine world, which can be used for effective cancer treatment. The search for novel drugs is still a priority goal for cancer therapy, due to the rapid development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, the high toxicity usually associated with some cancer chemotherapy drugs and their undesirable side‐effects increase the demand for novel anti‐tumour drugs active against untreatable tumours, with fewer side‐effects and/or with greater therapeutic efficiency. This review points out those technologies needed to produce the anti‐tumour compounds of the future.