bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bridging circuit for the resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma involving the aorta and the IVC - veno-venous to veno-arterial perfusion
Authors: Miraziz R , Hines L , Brouwer M , Steel R , Klineberg P
Published: August 2008

A 50-year-old female underwent surgery for removal of a massive retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) involving the right hepatic lobe and the inferior vena cava (IVC), abdominal aorta, right lung, right hemi-diaphragm and pericardium. Resection of the RPS necessitated cross-clamping of the abdominal aorta, IVC and the hepatic artery. Cross-clamp time cannot be predicted prior to tumour resection and vascular re-construction. To prevent complications of prolonged cross-clamp time and distal hypo-perfusion, circulatory support was sought to facilitate the procedure. A perfusion circuit was designed to accommodate an easy and immediate redirection of blood flow from veno-venous bypass (VVB) to veno-arterial bypass (VAB) without requiring a change of circuit and with minimum heparin administration. Furthermore, this circuit provides the added safety of an oxygenator and a heat-exchanger. Utilising the circuit enabled successful resection of the RPS. The patient was discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) seven days later without any post-operative complications. This case report of a design of a perfusion circuit for the resection of RPS made use of a perfusion approach that had not previously been described and allowed for a reduction in the duration of ischaemic time and retroperitoneal bleeding.
A cognitive behavioural group therapy for patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and their significant others: feasibility and preliminary results
Authors: Joosten-Weyn Banningh Liesbeth WA , Kessels Roy PC , Olde Rikkert Marcel GM , Geleijns-Lanting Caroline E , Kraaimaat Floris W
Published: August 2008

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and present preliminary results of a cognitive behavioural group therapy for patients with mild cognitive impairment and their significant others.

Design: One group pretest—posttest design.

Subjects: Twenty-two patients with mild cognitive impairment and their significant others, running in four group programmes.

Intervention: The main goal of the cognitive behavioural group therapy was to strengthen adaptive behaviour in 10 weekly 2-hour sessions.

Main measures: Distress and mood: The RAND-36, Geriatric Depression Scale — short form; Acceptance and helplessness: Subscales Acceptance and Helplessness from the Illness Cognition Questionnaire; Marital satisfaction: Maudsley Marital Questionnaire; Alertness to memory failure and behaviour changes: Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly and the Revised Memory and Behaviour Problems Checklist Burden. The burden of caregiving reported by the significant others: Sense of competence Questionnaire and Behaviour Problems Checklist Burden, Hindrance subscale.

Results: No changes were found on distress and mood measures in both patients and their significant others. Patients showed a significant increased level of acceptance (P<0.05) and a trend for an increased marital satisfaction (P<0.1). The significant others reported an increased awareness of memory and behavioural problems (P<0.05). Attendance was high, indicating a high motivation for this intervention.

Conclusion: Preliminary results show evidence for positive changes after a cognitive behavioural group therapy for patients with mild cognitive impairment and their significant others. In addition, the developed programme is applicable and feasible. The programme's effectiveness should be studied further, with an estimated sample size of 70 couples in a controlled study design.
Ethical Conduct and Public Service
Authors: Quill Lawrence
Published: August 2008

Over the past two decades, a variety of approaches to teaching and encouraging public administration ethics have been advanced. To that end, theories of social justice, citizenship claims, integrity-based approaches, moral leadership, and a renewed emphasis on professionalism have all made significant contributions to the discussion. This article offers a different approach through a reading of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. Ishiguro's characterization of moral conflict, as it appears within this novel, is particularly interesting and relevant for those engaged in public service. What emerges from the analysis provided here is an appraisal of the moral conflicts inherent within public administration, an appreciation of the moral fragility of individual decision making, and a basis for a new understanding of loyalty within public service that is, or ought to be, intelligently bestowed.
Transportation Commissions as Accountability Structures
Authors: O'Connell Lenahan , Yusuf Juita-Elena , Hackbart Merl
Published: August 2008

As of 2004, 36 of the 50 states had created, by statute, some type of external body (such as boards or commissions) to work with their departments of transportation (DOTs). The authors review the authorizing statutes that establish these boards and commissions to identify their statutorily defined responsibilities and attributes. From the literature on governance structures and accountability, three propositions are derived about their likely structure and roles. The authors propose that commissions are designed to (a) ensure broader stakeholder representation, (b) possess oversight roles and responsibilities relevant to resource allocation, and (c) encourage more open discussion and public involvement. The content analysis of the statutes and interviews with DOT officials and commission members provide support for the propositions.
Kinematic and Static Analysis of a Three-degree-of-freedom Spatial Modular Tensegrity Mechanism
Authors: Arsenault Marc , Gosselin Clément M.
Published: August 2008

Tensegrity mechanisms benefit from a reduced inertia due to their extensive use of cables and springs. However, they must be prestressed at all times in order to keep the cables in tension. For a given mechanism architecture, this is only possible in a specific set of configurations such that the analysis of these mechanisms is relatively complex. This paper presents the development and analysis of a new three-degree-of-freedom positional tensegrity mechanism that has a modular architecture. The mechanism, actuated by cables, has a relatively large workspace. For the special case where external and gravitational forces are neglected, solutions are given for the mech anism's equilibrium configuration both for given actuator positions as well as for a specified position of its effector. It is shown that the mechanism can be considered as an assembly of construction ele ments based on Snelson's X-shape tensegrity system and that these behave independently from one another.
On Signature Invariants for Effective Motion Trajectory Recognition
Authors: Shandong Wu  , Li Y.F.
Published: August 2008

Motion trajectory can be an informative and descriptive clue that is suitable for the characterization of motion. Studying motion trajectory for effective motion description and recognition is important in many applications. For instance, motion trajectory can play an im portant role in the representation, recognition and learning of most long-term human or robot actions, behaviors and activities. However, effective trajectory descriptors are lacking and most reported work just uses motion trajectory in its raw data form. In this paper, we propose a novel motion trajectory signature descriptor and study its rich descriptive invariants which benefit effective motion trajectory recognition. These invariants are key measures of the flexibility and effectiveness of a descriptor. Substantial descriptive invariants can be deduced from the proposed trajectory signature, which is attributed to the computational locality of the signature components. We first present the signature definition and its robust implementation. Then the signature's invariants are elaborated. A non-linear inter-signature matching algorithm is developed to measure the signature's similarity for trajectory recognition. Experiments are conducted to recognize human sign language, in which both synthetic and real data are used to verify the signature's invariants, and to illustrate the effectiveness in the signature recognition.
Effect of Tunnel-Graft Length on the Biomechanics of Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Reconstructed Knees
Authors: Zantop Thore , Ferretti Mario , Bell Kevin M. , Brucker Peter U. , Gilbertson Lars , Fu Freddie H.
Published: August 2008

Background

In anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using hamstring grafts, the graft can be looped, resulting in an increased graft diameter but reducing graft length within the tunnels.

Hypothesis

After 6 and 12 weeks, structural properties and knee kinematics after soft tissue ACL reconstruction with 15 mm within the femoral tunnel will be significantly inferior when compared with the properties of ACL reconstruction with 25 mm in the tunnel.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

In an intra-articular goat model, 36 ACL reconstructions using an Achilles tendon split graft were performed with 15-mm (18 knees) and 25-mm (18 knees) graft length in the femoral tunnel. Animals were sacrificed 6 weeks and 12 weeks after surgery and knee kinematics was tested. In situ forces as well as the structural properties were determined and compared with those in an intact control group. Histologic analyses were performed in 2 animals in each group 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Statistical analysis was performed using a 2-factor analysis of variance test.

Results

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions with 15 mm resulted in significantly less anterior tibial translation after 6 weeks ( P < .05) but not after 12 weeks. Kinematics after 12 weeks and in situ forces of the replacement grafts at both time points showed no statistically significant differences. Stiffness, ultimate failure load, and ultimate stress revealed no statistically significant differences between the 15-mm group and the 25-mm group.

Conclusion

The results suggest that there is no negative correlation between short graft length (15 mm) in the femoral tunnel and the resulting knee kinematics and structural properties.

Clinical Relevance

Various clinical scenarios exist in which the length of available graft that could be pulled into the bone tunnel (femoral or tibial) could be in question. To address this concern, this study showed that reducing the tendon graft length in the femoral bone tunnel from 25 mm to 15 mm did not have adverse affects in a goat model.
Changes in the Length of Virtual Anterior Cruciate Ligament Fibers during Stability Testing
Authors: Brophy Robert H. , Voos James E. , Shannon Fintan J. , Granchi Carinne C. , Wickiewicz Thomas L , Warren Russell F. , Pearle Andrew D.
Published: August 2008

Background

Conventional tunnel positions for single-bundle (SB) transtibial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are located in the posterolateral (PL) tibial footprint and the anteromedial (AM) femoral footprint, resulting in an anatomic mismatch graft that is more vertical than native fibers. This vertical mismatch position may significantly influence the ability of an ACL graft to stabilize the knee.

Hypothesis

Anatomic ACL fibers undergo a greater change in length during anterior translation and internal rotation than a conventional SB reconstruction from the PL tibial footprint to the AM femoral footprint.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

The Praxim ACL Surgetics navigation system was used to acquire kinematic data during a flexion/extension cycle and to register all points within the ACL footprint from 5 fresh-frozen cadaveric knees. Virtual fibers were placed in the center of the AM and PL bundles as well as central and conventional SB positions. After transection of the ACL, the absolute length change and apparent strain of the fibers were computed for each knee during the Lachman and anterior drawer tests and internal rotation at 0° and 30° of flexion.

Results

Each of the anatomic fibers (AM, PL, and central) had more elongation and apparent strain than the conventional SB fiber during the Lachman maneuver. During the anterior drawer test, the AM and central (but not the PL) fibers lengthened significantly more and the AM had more apparent strain than the conventional SB fiber. During internal rotation at 0° and 30° of flexion, anatomic fibers elongated significantly more than the conventional fiber. Except for the AM fiber with the knee at full extension, apparent strain was greater in all anatomic fibers than in the conventional SB fiber during internal rotation maneuvers.

Conclusion

In ACL-deficient cadaveric knees, anatomic fibers undergo greater elongation and apparent strain in response to anterior translation and internal rotation maneuvers than a conventional SB graft. Because of their optimal orientation, anatomic fibers may resist pathologic anterior translation and internal rotation more than the conventional SB position.

Clinical Relevance

Conventional placement of a single-bundle graft results in suboptimal changes in fiber length and strain, suggesting that alternatives such as anatomic placement of an SB graft or double-bundle reconstruction may result in greater control of translation and rotation.
Modification of the Dynamic Damping Behavior of Fly Ash Filled Unsaturated Polyester Resin/SBR Latex Blend Composites
Authors: Ray Dipa
Published: August 2008

An attempt has been made to develop fly ash filled polymer matrix composites with high damping behavior. Fly ash filled polymer matrix composites do not show very high damping property and this limits their application in many fields. Hence, unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) was blended with SBR latex in three proportions and this blend was used as the matrix for making the composites. Both 40 and 50 wt% fly ash loaded blend matrix composites were prepared by the room temperature casting method. Flexural properties were investigated. The damping behaviors of the composites were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The presence of latex particles significantly enhanced the damping property. The combination of damping behavior with good mechanical property was optimized. UPE resin blended with 5wt% SBR latex was found to have good strength with enhanced damping property. Very high damping can be achieved with the UPE/10 wt% SBR latex blend matrix having 50 wt% fly ash loading. The fracture surfaces examined under SEM revealed good compatibility between the various components of the systems.
Effect of Gamma Radiation on the Physico-Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites
Authors: Khan Mubarak A. , Khan Ruhul A. , Haydaruzzaman  , Hossain Abul , Khan A.H.
Published: August 2008

Hessian cloth (jute fiber)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by compression molding. The fiber content in the composites was about 50%. The resulting composites and also PP sheets were irradiated under gamma radiation of various total doses (250—1000 krad) at the rate of 600 krad/h. It was found that by using gamma radiation, the mechanical properties of the PP sheets and composites were improved. Gamma radiation dose of 500 krad showed better mechanical properties than that of other doses. Tensile strength and tensile modulus of the PP sheets improved 28% and 26%, respectively, and for composites 16% and 45%, respectively. On the other hand, bending strength and bending modulus of the PP sheet improved 16% and 125%. For composites, bending strength, bending modulus, and impact strength improved 12%, 38%, and 62%, respectively. Water uptake of the composites at 25°C was measured and it was found that treated samples had lower water uptake properties. It was found that the dielectric constant is higher for the treated composite than that of the untreated one. The transition temperatures were found to be 80°C for untreated and 75°C for irradiated composites, respectively. Conductivity of the composites decreases due to irradiation.
Nanocarbon Film as a Percolation Network for Nanocarbon/Polymer Composites
Authors: Sandu Ion , Florescu Lavinia Gavrila , Fleaca Claudiu , Dragomirescu Adriana
Published: August 2008

Starting with a nanocarbon film, which has some special characteristics, the present study uses this film as a cluster of connected particles that induces the percolation of electrical carrier in composites. The composite is formed through the free infiltration of the polymer through the filler’s aggregates. This method forms nanocarbon/polymer composites which have an electrical conductivity more than three orders of magnitude greater than those prepared by mixing.
GIS-based modelling for the estimation of municipal solid waste generation and collection
Authors: Karadimas Nikolaos V. , Loumos Vassili G.
Published: August 2008

In the present paper, an innovative model for the estimation of municipal solid waste generation and collection is proposed. This model is part of an extended solid waste management system and uses a spatial Geodatabase, integrated in a GIS environment. It takes into consideration several parameters of waste generation, such as population density, commercial activities, road characteristics and their influence on the location and allocation of waste bins. Ground-based analysis was applied for the estimation of the inter-relations between the aforementioned factors and the variations in waste generation between residential and commercial areas. Therefore, the proposed model follows a unified categorization approach for residential and commercial activities and focuses on the dominant factors that determine waste generation in the area under study. The most important result of the research work presented in the current paper is an accurate estimation of the optimal number of waste bins and their allocation. A new methodology and an appropriate algorithm have been developed for this purpose in order to facilitate routing and waste collection. By using these results, municipalities aware of social, economical and environmental factors, related to waste management, can achieve optimal usage of their resources and offer the best possible services to their citizens.
The performance of Spanish solid waste collection
Authors: García-Sánchez I.M.
Published: August 2008

In this paper we examine street cleaning and waste collection services in Spanish municipalities with a population exceeding 50 000. The purpose is to identify factors that influence the efficiency of these services. Three input variables (staff, vehicles and containers) and four outputs variables (tonnage, collection points, collection point density and kilometres of surface area washing) are analyzed using an analytical model based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology. These variables, along with non-controllable input variable ( Tourist Index), were chosen because they were shown, based on a Tobit regression analysis, to have a statistically significant impact on municipality behaviour. The results obtained show that scale inefficiency was lower than pure technical efficiency, the latter is linked to service management. It was observed that the street-cleaning activity was performed more inefficiently than that of waste collection. Furthermore, it was detected that municipalities can reduce the resources used in rendering this service by 8%. Finally, an estimation using the Mann—Whitney test allows us to conclude that there is no difference between the inefficiencies observed in municipalities managed directly by town councils and those which have been transferred to private companies.
Metal releases from a municipal solid waste incineration air pollution control residue mixed with compost
Authors: Van Praagh M. , Persson K.M.
Published: August 2008

The influence of 10 wt.% mature compost was tested on the heavy metal leachate emissions from a calcium-rich municipal solid waste incineration air pollution control residue (MSWI APC). Apart from elongated columns (500 and 1250 mm), an otherwise norm compliant European percolation test setup was used. More than 99% of the metals Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Ni were left in the APC residue after leaching to a liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S) of 10. Apparent short-term effects of elevated leachate DOC concentrations on heavy metal releases were not detected. Zn and Pb leachate concentrations were one order of magnitude lower for L/S 5 and 10 from the pure APC residue column, which suggests a possible long-term effect of compost on the release of these elements. Prolonging the contact time between the pore water and the material resulted in elevated leachate concentrations at L/S 0.1 to L/S 1 by a factor of 2. Only Cr and Pb concentrations were at their maxima in the first leachates at L/S 0.1. Equilibrium speciation modelling with the PHREEQC code suggested portlandite (Ca(OH)2) to control Ca solubility and pH.
Using Performance Monitoring to Improve the Accountability, Operations, and Effectiveness of Juvenile Justice
Authors: Mears Daniel P. , Butts Jeffrey A.
Published: August 2008

The juvenile justice system has been transformed in recent years with a range of policies designed to hold youth accountable, but how does society hold this system accountable? Calls for governmental accountability are common, yet few jurisdictions can provide comprehensive information about the basic operations of juvenile justice and the effectiveness of system reforms. Most elements of the juvenile justice system operate on faith—managers and policy makers have to assume that their programs are based on sound evidence and that reform efforts are fully implemented with fidelity to their designs. Performance monitoring provides a way to address this situation, but it is unlikely to occur without a substantial commitment of resources. This article describes performance measurement and monitoring; their relevance for improving the accountability, operations, and effectiveness of juvenile justice; and three examples of how the techniques are currently being applied in the United States.
Public Amnesia and Multiple Modernities in Shanghai
Authors: Wing Chung Ho  , Ng Petrus
Published: August 2008

In contemporary Shanghai, one key phenomenon that marks the disappearance of the status and benefits once promised by Maoist socialism has been the spread of consumer values among the populace. This article draws from the ethnographic observations of Cucumber Lane—an urban slum turned into a socialist “model community” in the 1960s—and the post-socialist cultural landscape of urban Shanghai to explore the different interests, agendas, and rationales of the residents in terms of multiple narrative forms that underlie the fabric of reformist China in transitioning toward a post-socialist future. The author concludes that, despite the state-led efforts to articulate a new course of transition, ostensibly by encouraging public amnesia of the socialist past, the “multiple modernities” expressed by the residents represent an “informal privatization of time” through which individuals come to lay claims on the control of their previously collectively shared future.
A “Perversion” of Choice
Authors: Rosen Eva , Venkatesh Sudhir Alladi
Published: August 2008

In an apartment building on Chicago's Southside, fifty of the seventy-five residents are sex workers. Our study uses in-depth interviews and participant observation of Chicago's sex work economy to argue that sex work is one constituent part of an overall low-wage, off-the-books economy of resource exchange among individuals in a bounded geographic setting. To an outsider, the decision to be a sex worker seems irrational; in this article we argue that specific localized conditions invert this decision and render it entirely rational. For the men and women in our study, sex work acts as a short-term solution that “satisfices” the demands of persistent poverty and instability, and it provides a meaningful option in the quest for a job that provides autonomy and personal fulfillment.
“My Regular Spot”
Authors: Britton Marcus
Published: August 2008

Employing ethnographic data from a diverse Chicago neighborhood, this article examines how and why a group of Black men asserted exclusive claims to a street corner in explicitly racial terms. The analysis focuses on why racial-ethnic categories became the basis for social and spatial segregation in public spaces but not in a less conspicuous indoor setting. Consistent with prior research by urban ethnographers, the evidence indicates that the dynamics of interaction in public space encourage individuals to rely on categoric knowledge, which triggers stereotypes and provokes intergroup suspicions and hostilities. However, beliefs about how third parties evaluate whether or not specific interactions in visible public spaces are suspicious can also promote racially charged territorial behavior and thereby limit intergroup contact.
The Social Construction of “Sophisticated” Adolescents
Authors: Harris Alexes
Published: August 2008

This study investigates the types of decision-making models that frame people-processing decisions. An analysis of the judicial waiver hearing will be used as an example of such institutional processing. I investigate how decision makers engage in practical reasoning by exploring the methods they use to organize information about youth and accomplish their judicial duties. Observational and interview data from a case study of three juvenile courthouses in a California county are used to investigate official case processing. The study offers three important theoretical insights for research in sociology and criminology; a revised theoretical framework for understanding juvenile justice decision making that incorporates criminal justice frameworks, an analysis of how substantive factors (e.g., values, stereotypes, assumptions) can enter into decision making, and an illustration of how decision making is organizationally situated.
Humanizing Capitalism
Authors: Renesch John
Published: August 2008

As a global futurist, I believe that humanizing capitalism means to make it ‘people friendly’. Market fundamentalism has twisted capitalism from Adam Smith's mid-1700s vision of a truly free market to a system that has devolved into one that serves one master, short-term exploitation of people and the earth for the sole purpose of making profits for the few. This incredible economic system needs to be changed so it nurtures the human spirit, affirms life, and offers sustainable options we can feel proud to pass on to our children and grandchildren. We must envision a world where people are engaged in a truly free marketplace, with truly fair competition, where people feel excited and nourished by their work, and where technology serves humanity. I make the case that people have the power to change this system so it serves humanity instead of the other way around. This is a call for transcendence.
Industrial Social Work to Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Sarkar Santanu
Published: August 2008

The transformation from industrial social work to corporate social responsibility points out a definite shift in the realm of social work vis-á-vis goal, objective and priorities of business. Over the past several decades social workers around the world have successfully been able to integrate with the modern production and business processes, particularly in addressing the emergent needs of the industrial population like those arising out of the psychosocial impact of workforce alienation, over-specialization, competitiveness, and stress and fatigue on their life. Over all these years, as there has been a major transformation in defining human beings in the context of business from human resource to human capital, the corporate has also been restructuring its role in revitalizing its human resources alongside taking care of the vast external stakeholders (customers) through its new slogan of ‘corporate social responsibility’. But this new configuration lends itself to the process of self-examination and the litmus test remains: Is corporate social responsibility a new area structured to delineate the corporate's idea of greater variety of social services for humankind; or just one more catchphrase used to establish the fact that business houses are doing ‘a lot more’ than mere expansion of industrial social work; or has there been a change in the principal objective and priority of the corporate at the back of starting these programmes—from curbing loss to ‘just making profit’?
Corporate Stakeholder Management
Authors: Shah Shashank , Bhaskar A. Sudhir
Published: August 2008

In recent times there have been scores of corporate failures all over the world due to moral turpitude, lack of good governance, and erosion of values. The need for a change in corporates’ approach towards stakeholder management is greater now than ever before. Though the term ‘stakeholder’ was first used in the West in the 1930s, this concept has been highlighted in the ancient Indian scriptures written centuries ago. These highlight the methodologies the kings used to ensure the welfare of all their stakeholders. The kings of yore, who considered themselves as trustees of their kingdom, can be compared to the top management in corporates of this era. Thus, the concepts highlighted in these ancient scriptures find as much relevance and applicability even in today's times. This article takes a brief look at few of the studies undertaken in this area and also highlights excerpts from the ancient Indian scriptures to prove that the concept of stakeholder management owes its origin to India.
Mr. Justice Holmes: A Reappraisal
Authors: Hickman Martin B.
Published: August 2008

If American law were to be represented by a single figure, said Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1901, "skeptic and worshipper alike would agree without dispute that the figure could be one alone, and that one John Marshall." ... But half a century later it would be rather Holmes himself upon whose pre-eminence skeptic and worshipper alike would agree. Nor would the acknowledgment of pre-eminence be limited to the juristic field alone. Holmes was indubitably the greatest jurist that the English speaking world produced in two generations, but he was, for all his dedication to the law, more than a jurist, and his greatness in the law was a product of greatness of mind and of spirit that encompassed more than law. "The law is not the place for the artist or the poet," he once said, yet he himself was artist and poet as well as jurist and philosopher. That his was the most distinguished mind of its time was acknowledged, and to a mind flexible, sophisticated, and spacious, Holmes joined a character humane, affluent, and magnanimous. If a civilization may be judged by its best rather than by its average, the career and character of Holmes suggest that American civilization had in two centuries achieved a maturity and distinction which few nations of the Old World could match.1
Neighborhood Environment and Adherence to a Walking Intervention in African American Women
Authors: Zenk Shannon N. , Wilbur JoEllen , Wang Edward , McDevitt Judith , Oh April , Block Richard , McNeil Sue , Savar Nina
Published: August 2008

This secondary analysis examined relationships between the environment and adherence to a walking intervention among 252 urban and suburban, midlife African American women. Participants received an enhanced or minimal behavioral intervention. Walking adherence was measured as the percentage of prescribed walks completed. Objective measures of the women's neighborhoods included walkability (land use mix, street intersection density, housing unit density, public transit stop density), aesthetics (physical deterioration, industrial land use), availability of outdoor (recreational open space) and indoor (recreation centers, shopping malls) walking facilities/spaces, and safety (violent crime incidents). Ordinary least squares regression estimated relationships. The presence of one and especially both types of indoor walking facilities were associated with greater adherence. No associations were found between adherence and other environmental variables. The effect of the enhanced intervention on adherence did not differ by environmental characteristics. Aspects of the environment may influence African American women who want to be more active.
Evidence Suggesting the Existence of Asperger Syndrome in the Mid-1800s
Authors: Kern Koegel Ashley
Published: August 2008

Originally published in Putnam's Monthly Magazine in 1853, nearly a century before autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was formally recognized, Herman Melville's Bartleby is the naïve tale of a nonconforming, socially awkward character. However, when placed into contemporary context, retrospective analysis indicates that Bartleby may in fact have been a victim of the modern diagnosis of ASD, more specifically, a high-functioning form of autism termed Asperger syndrome . In 1853, it is unlikely that individuals who would now be characterized as having ASD would have been accepted by society. Without proper diagnosis and any appropriate form of treatment, such individuals had little chance of improvement or inclusion. The following is a modern case study, proposing that Melville's Bartleby was affected with the modern syndrome of ASD, and his work was thus suggesting the existence of Asperger Syndrome in the mid-1800s.
Victimization of youth with type-1 diabetes by teachers: relations with adherence and metabolic control
Authors: Peters Christine D. , Storch Eric A. , Geffken Gary R. , Heidgerken Amanda D. , Silverstein Janet H.
Published: August 2008

This study examined rates of teacher victimization and relationships between teacher victimization, adherence and metabolic control in 167 young people with type-1 diabetes. Questions that assessed diabetes-related victimization from teachers were administered to young people with type-1 diabetes. Metabolic control was measured with HbA1c values and diabetes self-management was assessed using the parent version of the Diabetes Self-Management Profile (DSMP). The results indicated that teacher victimization was associated significantly and negatively with the DSMP Diet Subscale ( p = .03), DSMP Insulin Adherence Subscale ( p = .00) and overall adherence ( p = .01) for younger children (aged 8—11 years), but not for older youth (12—17 years). The implications and recommendations for practitioners are discussed.
Physical activity levels, exercise attitudes, self-perceptions and BMI type of 11 to 12-year-old children
Authors: Kamtsios Spiridon , Digelidis Nikolaos
Published: August 2008

This study examined elementary school pupils with different body mass index (BMI) as to attitudes towards exercise, self-perception, lesson satisfaction in physical education and participation in physical activity. Seven hundred and seventy-five pupils participated in this study, aged 11—12 years. The study was conducted through questionnaires. Students were divided according to their BMI: normal, overweight and obese. Two-way analysis of variance was used, with gender and BMI type as independent variables. The results revealed that when compared to students with a normal BMI, the obese and overweight students had lower scores in lesson satisfaction, negative views of their body and reduced levels of physical activity. Also, the results showed that the obese and overweight students adopted more sedentary daily habits, such as many hours of TV watching and PC usage. The results of this study imply the need for necessary school interventions in order to encourage healthier behaviours and habits.
Empathetic Repair after Mass Trauma
Authors: Gobodo-Madikizela Pumla
Published: August 2008

This article explores the phenomenon of empathy and examines its manifestation in the context of encounters between victims/survivors of gross human rights violations and perpetrators who are perceived by victims/survivors as showing signs of remorse. The article considers the factors that mediate the development of empathy through, on the one hand, the examination of the external dynamics of victim-perpetrator encounters, and on the other, the analysis of the intrapsychic dynamics of these encounters. The article argues that the defining elements of empathic experience emerge within the relational, intersubjective realm of the victim-perpetrator encounter. The article engages an interdisciplinary dialogue between Emmanuel Levinas' ethics of responsibility for `the Other' and a psychoanalytic conceptualization of the capacity for empathy. It asserts that the emotional state of empathy shared by victims and perpetrators is a result of a pivotal turn to perspective taking and gaining an integrated view of the other. The article concludes that `empathic repair' is a useful concept for understanding the process of forgiveness in the context of gross human rights violations.
Healing from History
Authors: Prager Jeffrey
Published: August 2008

How to mobilize a traumatic national history on behalf of a less fractured polity? How to gain closure over a past that bifurcates the nation and establishes (at least) two national histories — history as told by the victims and by the perpetrators, now to be replaced by a history, as Mark Sanders (2003: 79) describes it, not of `bare facts but, at a crucial level, a history judged, and thus shaped, according to norms of universal human rights'. How to engineer through politics the creation of new national selves, no longer pathologically attached to old and circumscribed forms of identification? These are now the critical questions confronting many elites: the overcoming of traumatic memory through various publicly mandated `technologies of the self'. To heal the nation requires the curing of the self. The politics of social repair understands itself largely through a psychologically inflected vocabulary of regret, apology, and forgiveness — the language of reconciliation. `Social cure', or reconciliation is understood as a process of social healing. In the face of traumatic ruptures in the body politic, in short, governments have sought to repair past wrongs and to heal an emotionally infirmed community. Such politics imply that societies have the capacity to repair themselves, to overcome traumatic pasts, just as an individual possesses the potential to overcome his or her own psychic trauma and fragmentation. But what evidence is there to support the claim that trauma — even for the individual — can be overcome, that history can be overridden, that forgiveness is possible? Psychoanalysis offers the most fully developed systematic body of work embracing a concept of the healing of the self. The article's aim, based upon an empirically derived (case-based) psychoanalysis, is to move toward a more robust theory of self-transformation and political reconciliation in post-traumatic communities. Thus, the article considers contemporary psychoanalytic evidence and asks of it the following questions: How is traumatic experience in the past recovered, and disabled, in the present? Is it necessary through memory to `return to the scene of the crime', in order to move beyond it? What features in the present-day therapeutic setting and in the therapeutic relationship promote healing? The objective is a grounded theory of reconciliation that includes discussion for whole societies of the role of historical recovery in social repair, the relation of the present to the past in self-constitution, and the requisite structure of the present-day reparative community to promote self-transformations.
Personal losses and relationship quality in dementia caregiving
Authors: Betts Adams Kathryn , McClendon Mckee J. , Smyth Kathleen A.
Published: August 2008

Models of the dementia caregiving stress process specify that the impairments and behavioral problems of the person with Alzheimer's disease or related disorder (ADRD) and primary subjective stressors, such as burden, along with secondary stressors and appraisals, lead to negative outcomes such as depression. This cross-sectional study focused on the affective and relational aspects of this process, examining the associations of personal and relational losses and perceived relationship quality to ADRD caregivers' depressive symptoms, using a series of multiple regressions to specify a path model. This theoretical model specified personal losses and the subjective relationship quality as intervening variables between the care recipient impairments and subsequent subjective stressors, overload and role captivity. Loss of intimate exchange, current quality of relationship, and loss of self each had direct effects or indirect effects on caregiver depression that suggest the important role of personal and relational losses in the stress process.
The second sight
Authors: Aadlandsvik Ragna
Published: August 2008

This article aims at showing poetry's potential to help us understand the inner world of a person with dementia and our own reactions and values in this encounter. The theory is inspired by works of Elliot W. Eisner and John Dewey. The discussion is made on the reading of texts by two Norwegian poets, Aase-Marie Nesse and Odveig Klyve. In addition, I refer to an empirical project in creative writing with persons with early dementia. The discussion involves learning at life's outermost and vulnerable limits, and what we as a society need to learn about our relationship with this growing group of people.
Carers perspectives on the activity patterns of people with dementia
Authors: Chung Pat Y.F. , Ellis-Hill Caroline , Coleman Peter G.
Published: August 2008

Participation in activity is essential for the psychological well-being of people with dementia. The potential benefits of home-based activity programmes may depend on family carers, but little is known about their experience. This study aimed to elicit carers' experiences of involving the person with dementia in activity. Thirty in-depth interviews (i.e. initial and follow-up) were carried out with 15 co-resident carers of people with dementia who were recruited through local community mental health teams. Data were analysed using a grounded theory method. Overall, findings from initial interviews were taken back to the participants at the follow-up interviews. Five activity patterns were identified, which ranged from their usual activity patterns along a continuum through recognizable, illogical, irresponsible and finally reaching a dispossessed pattern. Carers used particular strategies and experienced particular emotional responses along this continuum. This work highlights the complex, temporal and dynamic nature of family carers' involvement in activity engagement. Clinician's interventions could be enhanced by: (1) recognizing the long-term experience of carers in decision making; (2) understanding the strategies used; (3) allowing carers to talk through and share their experiences in a non-judgmental way; (4) ensuring that carers are happy with any suggested interventions.
Awareness, knowledge and application of memory rehabilitation among community psychiatric nurses working with dementia
Authors: Cross Susan M.B. , Broomfield Niall M. , Davies Rachel , Evans Jonathan J.
Published: August 2008

This paper aims to establish the extent to which memory rehabilitation is carried out by Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs) working with dementia; to investigate awareness and knowledge of memory rehabilitation and memory processes amongst CPNs; and to explore the factors that influence deployment of memory rehabilitation advice. Participants, consisting of sixty five Community Psychiatric Nursing staff working in Community Mental Health Teams for the Elderly (CMHTEs) in Greater Glasgow NHS, completed specially developed questionnaires exploring knowledge of memory processes and knowledge of memory strategies. Data were collected in a structured group format. It was found that CPNs consider delivery of memory rehabilitation strategies as part of their role, but report limited knowledge of the wide range of potential memory strategies and aids. Specialist training should address this gap.
Genomic analysis of the TRIM family reveals two groups of genes with distinct evolutionary properties
Authors: Sardiello Marco , Cairo Stefano , Fontanella Bianca , Ballabio Andrea , Meroni Germana
Published: August 2008

Background

The TRIM family is composed of multi-domain proteins that display the Tripartite Motif (RING, B-box and Coiled-coil) that can be associated with a C-terminal domain. TRIM genes are involved in ubiquitylation and are implicated in a variety of human pathologies, from Mendelian inherited disorders to cancer, and are also involved in cellular response to viral infection.

Results

Here we defined the entire human TRIM family and also identified the TRIM sets of other vertebrate (mouse, rat, dog, cow, chicken, tetraodon, and zebrafish) and invertebrate species (fruitfly, worm, and ciona). By means of comparative analyses we found that, after assembly of the tripartite motif in an early metazoan ancestor, few types of C-terminal domains have been associated with this module during evolution and that an important increase in TRIM number occurred in vertebrate species concomitantly with the addition of the SPRY domain. We showed that the human TRIM family is split into two groups that differ in domain structure, genomic organization and evolutionary properties. Group 1 members present a variety of C-terminal domains, are highly conserved among vertebrate species, and are represented in invertebrates. Conversely, group 2 is absent in invertebrates, is characterized by the presence of a C-terminal SPRY domain and presents unique sets of genes in each mammal examined. The generation of independent sets of group 2 genes is also evident in the other vertebrate species. Comparing the murine and human TRIM sets, we found that group 1 and 2 genes evolve at different speeds and are subject to different selective pressures.

Conclusion

We found that the TRIM family is composed of two groups of genes with distinct evolutionary properties. Group 2 is younger, highly dynamic, and might act as areservoirto develop novel TRIM functions. Since some group 2 genes are implicated in innate immune response, their evolutionary features may account for species-specific battles against viral infection.
Rgcs1, a dominant QTL that affects retinal ganglion cell death after optic nerve crush in mice
Authors: Dietz Joel A , Li Yan , Chung Lisa M , Yandell Brian S , Schlamp Cassandra L , Nickells Robert W
Published: August 2008

Background

Intrinsic apoptosis of neuronal somas is one aspect of neurodegenerative diseases that can be influenced by genetic background. Genes that affect this process may act as susceptibility alleles that contribute to the complex genetic nature of these diseases. Retinal ganglion cell death is a defining feature of the chronic and genetically complex neurodegenerative disease glaucoma. Previous studies using an optic nerve crush procedure in inbred mice, showed that ganglion cell resistance to crush was affected by the Mendelian-dominant inheritance of 1–2 predicted loci. To assess this further, we bred and phenotyped a large population of F2 mice derived from a resistant inbred strain (DBA/2J) and a susceptible strain (BALB/cByJ).

Results

Genome wide mapping of the F2 mice using microsatellite markers, detected a single highly significant quantitative trait locus in a 25 cM (58 Mb) interval on chromosome 5 (Chr5.loc34-59 cM). No interacting loci were detected at the resolution of this screen. We have designated this locus as Retinal ganglion cell susceptible 1, Rgcs1. In silico analysis of this region revealed the presence of 578 genes or expressed sequence tags, 4 of which are highly expressed in the ganglion cell layer of the mammalian retina, and 2 of which are suspected susceptibility alleles in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, 25 genes contain 36 known single nucleotide polymorphisms that create nonsynonymous amino acid changes between the two parental strains. Collectively, this analysis has identified 7 potential candidate genes that may affect ganglion cell death.

Conclusion

The process of ganglion cell death is likely one of the many facets of glaucoma susceptibility. A novel dominant locus has been identified that affects sensitivity of ganglion cells to optic nerve crush. The allele responsible for this sensitivity may also be a susceptibility allele for glaucoma.