bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global Risk Profile Verification in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism (GRIP VTE) in 5 Gulf Countries
Authors: Al Sayegh Faisal , Almahmeed Wael , Al Humood Salah , Marashi Mahmoud , Bahr Ahmed , Al Mahdi Hasan , Bakir Sherif , Al Farhan Maha
Published: April 2008

Background: The Global Risk Profile Verification in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism was the first prospective multicenter registry conducted in Arabian Gulf countries to explore the epidemiology of venous thromboembolic (VTE) disorders and to provide data on diagnosis and disease management. Methods: Data on 242 patients with confirmed VTE were submitted between September 2003 and November 2003 from 28 contributing hospitals in the Arabian Gulf region. Differences between groups were assessed by the χ2 test or Fisher exact test for categorical variables. The Student's t test was used for testing proportions. Results: The frequency of VTE cases is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), 187 (77.27%); pulmonary embolism (PE), 35 (14.46%); and DVT with PE, 20 (8.26%). The most common symptoms of DVT and DVT/PE patients were calf pain (72%), calf swelling (63.8%), and localized tenderness (52.2%). The most common symptoms in patients with PE alone and DVT/PE were dyspnea (83.6%), thoracic pain (69.1%), and cough (40%). Risk factors for VTE were immobilization (41.3%), age >65 years (28.9%), a history of VTE (20.7%), and trauma (19%). Among surgical interventions, orthopedic procedures induced the greatest number of VTE cases, followed by general surgery and gynecological procedures. Low-molecular-weight heparins were chosen to treat 33.7% of DVT cases, whereas unfractionated heparin was used in 21.9% of cases. Conclusion: VTE remains a common problem in medical and surgical patients in the Arabian Gulf states. Recognition of the common risk factors is of extreme importance to implement the appropriate prophylactic strategy according to the published guidelines.
Vigilance and Sustained Attention in Children and Adults With ADHD
Authors: Tucha Lara , Tucha Oliver , Walitza Susanne , Sontag Thomas A. , Laufkötter Rainer , Linder Martin , Lange Klaus W.
Published: April 2008

Objective: The present article tests the hypothesis of a sustained attention deficit in children and adults suffering from ADHD. Method: Vigilance and sustained attention of 52 children with ADHD and 38 adults with ADHD were assessed using a computerized vigilance task. Furthermore, the attentional performance of healthy children ( N = 52) and healthy adults ( N = 38) was examined. Results: Children and adults with ADHD performed significantly less well in the vigilance task than healthy participants (main effect for group). Furthermore, children and adults showed a significant decrease of performance over time (time-on-task effects). However, there was no greater decrement of performance with the passage of time in patient groups than in control groups (group-by-time interaction). Conclusion: The present results do not support the hypothesis of a sustained attention deficit in children and adults with ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2009; 12(5) 410-421)
The Influence of Gender Inequality and Marginalization on Types of Female Offending
Authors: Reckdenwald Amy , Parker Karen F.
Published: April 2008

Gender inequality and economic marginalization contribute to female crime, but little research has explored how these predictors differentially influence female offending at the macrolevel. Building on Steffensmeier and Haynie's work on the relationship between structural disadvantage and urban female crime rates, we explore whether structural indicators differentially influence women's involvement in crimes against those persons in close proximity (intimate partners) versus their participation in the drug trade and robberies. Using the 2000 census, Supplemental Homicide Files, and Uniform Crime Report (UCR) arrest data for a large sample of U.S. cities, we examine the influence of gender inequality and economic marginalization on these offenses while also providing a statistical test to determine whether these indicators differ significantly across offense types. Our findings reveal that some indicators of structural disadvantage vary across types of female offending while other indicators do not. This finding further adds to the important role economic marginalization plays in female offending.
Nodes of Desire
Authors: Nahman Michal
Published: April 2008

This article presents qualitative research conducted in an Israeli ova `extraction' clinic in Romania. Following on from a piece written by Jyotsna Gupta and published in this journal in February 2006, this article asks what kinds of feminist alliances can or should be made in the arena of reproductive technologies. In conversation with Gupta, the author asks whether `an ethic of universal human dignity' is possible or desirable. This article looks to the voices of Romanian egg sellers themselves as a source of theoretical and political direction for transnational feminists who try to think about responses to reproductive technologies.
Gendered Spaces and Intimate Citizenship
Authors: Smyth Lisa
Published: April 2008

This article situates breastfeeding politics in the context of intimate citizenship, where women's capability to care in a range of social spaces is at stake. Drawing on the work of Lefebvre and Fenster, the article considers the extent to which recent breastfeeding promotion work by the Health Promotion Agency in Northern Ireland has sought to reconceive of social spaces in ways that have the potential to improve intimate citizenship for breastfeeding women.
'Your Window-on-the-World'
Authors: Bennett James
Published: April 2008

Interactive television (iTV) has enjoyed increasing penetration within the UK's emerging digital television market. As with many new media technologies, its initial marketing positioned iTV as a spectacular new form of television. This has since given way to representations and applications that rely increasingly on a positioning of iTV as `everyday'. Drawing on the work of Tom Gunning, William Boddy and Lyn Spigel, I suggest that the discursive formation of iTV is not simply one of the now familiar stories of a new technology's movement `from the spectacular and astonishing to the convenient and unremarkable' (Gunning, 2004). Rather, this movement is one that is facilitated by the prominence of `window-on-the-world' discourses that not only relate television's digitalization to the initial inception of television into everyday life, but are also illustrative of the particular institutional backdrop of the UK's television landscape and, in turn, suggestive of particular gendered assumptions and positionings.
The Practical Politics of Step-Stealing and Textual Poaching
Authors: Carroll Samantha
Published: April 2008

Since their revival in the 1980s, lindy hop and other swing dances have become increasingly popular with middle-class youth. There are hundreds of vibrant local swing-dance communities throughout the developed world, and in each, dancing is the most important form of social interaction. Yet despite this emphasis on embodied cultural practice, swing dancers make great use of digital online technology, from YouTube and the exchange of digital audio-visual clips to discussion boards, instant messaging and email. Despite the transgressive and subversive history of swing dances in African American communities, the extent to which these legacies are taken up by contemporary swing dancers is a matter of debate. This article considers the uses of online audio-visual media by contemporary swing dancers and the extents to which they might realize their resistant history.
Time Well Spent
Authors: Ingham Deena , Weedon Alexis
Published: April 2008

This article compares the uses of the print and online versions of the same magazine by its readership. Combining surveys of the readership and commercial data from the publisher and web designer, the study examines how one magazine has developed an online publication for its readers. Group Leisure is a niche magazine which has been in print for over a decade and online for two years. This article analyses the usage of the magazine in terms of age, gender and modal occupation of its readers and examines how their understanding of spending and saving time on the magazine underpins their perceptions of its value. The results and conclusions of this research have relevance to the publishing industry and to the study of online journalism.
Integrated and Cross-Media Newsroom Convergence
Authors: Avilés José Alberto García , Carvajal Miguel
Published: April 2008

This article deals with the work of journalists in newsrooms that produce content for multiple media: print, radio, television, the internet and others. It builds on the relevant literature about the implementation of newsroom convergence in Europe and the USA. Specifically, the study analyses change in journalistic practice and newsroom workflow in the newsrooms of two Spanish multimedia groups: (a) La Verdad Multimedia, a regional media group owned by Vocento, which publishes the newspaper La Verdad, the online site La Verdad.es, the local radio station Punto Radio and the television station Punto TV; and (b) Novotécnica, a regional independent company which publishes the newspaper La Voz de Almería and also owns both Radio Almería (Cadena Ser) and Localia television. Researchers interviewed reporters and news directors and observed newsroom practices. The results suggest the emergence of two different models of newsroom convergence: the integrated model and the cross-media model, each with a different production system, newsroom organization, degree of journalists' multi-skilling and business strategy.
Organizational Crisis Management and Human Resource Development: A Review of the Literature and Implications to HRD Research and Practice
Authors: Hutchins Holly M. , Jia Wang
Published: April 2008

The problem and the solution. From the post-9/11 effect on financial and transportation industries to the corporate fraud scandals involving Enron and Tyco, organizational crises are a pervasive threat to organizational performance and sustainability.The authors' review of the literature suggests that although the impact of crises on organization effectiveness has been increasingly recognized, it has not attracted much attention from human resource development (HRD) scholars and practitioners. As a result, HRD has not considered how learning, change, and performance interventions might be used to support crisis management processes. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of HRD in organizational crisis management. Specifically, the authors review the theoretical underpinnings of organizational crisis management research, identify opportunities for HRD to be involved in crisis management processes, and explore how HRD research and practice may contribute to supporting organizations' crisis management efforts.
High School Coaches’ Assessments, Intentions to Use, and Use of a Concussion Prevention Toolkit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports
Authors: Sawyer Richard J. , Hamdallah Myriam , White Debbie , Pruzan Marcia , Mitchko Jane , Huitric Michele
Published: April 2008

This study evaluated school coaches’ perceptions, assessments, and use of a toolkit to prevent and manage concussions among school athletes. A computer-assisted telephone survey was conducted with a stratified, random sample of high school coaches (n = 497; response rate = 39.3%; cooperation rate = 81.5%) from five states. Most reported that they had used or planned to use kit materials. Most (81%) in schools with a written plan for preventing and managing concussions indicated that the toolkit could be used to improve it and 96% of coaches in schools without a plan indicated that the kit could be used to develop one. Most assessed the kit as visually appealing, easy to use, and containing appropriate content. There were no significant differences among coaches with differing professional experience or for sports with different injury rates. Among those with other concussion-prevention materials, most indicated greater satisfaction with the toolkit.
Addressing Individual Client Needs in Manualized Treatment
Authors: Herman-Smith Robert , Pearson Beth , Cordiano Tori Sacha , Aguirre-McLaughlin AnnaMaria
Published: April 2008

One consequence of the evidence-based practice movement is the proliferation of manualized interventions. Clinicians voice a number of concerns about the use of treatment manuals. These include concerns that manuals impede the therapeutic relationship and discourage flexibility in addressing the individual needs of clients. One manualized intervention called parent—child interaction therapy (PCIT) has shown exceptional promise in the treatment of child behavioral problems. PCIT is a parent-mediated behavioral intervention aimed at reducing externalizing behaviors in children by changing parenting practices. The manual includes session scripts for clinicians, a proscribed sequence of intervention activities, and checklists for clinicians and parents to document that intervention is completed in the prescribed manner. Three cases are presented in which clients vary by personal characteristics and individual needs. Case descriptions reveal how this manualized intervention was adapted successfully to address the needs of a variety of families. Implications for therapeutic relationship are also discussed.
Rapid short-duration hypothermia with cold saline and endovascular cooling before reperfusion reduces microvascular obstruction and myocardial infarct size
Authors: Götberg Matthias , Olivecrona Goran K , Engblom Henrik , Ugander Martin , van der Pals Jesper , Heiberg Einar , Arheden Håkan , Erlinge David
Published: April 2008

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the combination of a rapid intravenous infusion of cold saline and endovascular hypothermia in a closed chest pig infarct model.

Methods

Pigs were randomized to pre-reperfusion hypothermia (n = 7), post-reperfusion hypothermia (n = 7) or normothermia (n = 5). A percutaneous coronary intervention balloon was inflated in the left anterior descending artery for 40 min. Hypothermia was started after 25 min of ischemia or immediately after reperfusion by infusion of 1000 ml of 4°C saline and endovascular hypothermia. Area at risk was evaluated by in vivo SPECT. Infarct size was evaluated by ex vivo MRI.

Results

Pre-reperfusion hypothermia reduced infarct size/area at risk by 43% (46 ± 8%) compared to post-reperfusion hypothermia (80 ± 6%, p < 0.05) and by 39% compared to normothermia (75 ± 5%, p < 0.05). Pre-reperfusion hypothermia infarctions were patchier in appearance with scattered islands of viable myocardium. Pre-reperfusion hypothermia abolished (0%, p < 0.001), and post-reperfusion hypothermia significantly reduced microvascular obstruction (10.3 ± 5%; p < 0.05), compared to normothermia: (30.2 ± 5%).

Conclusion

Rapid hypothermia with cold saline and endovascular cooling before reperfusion reduces myocardial infarct size and microvascular obstruction. A novel finding is that hypothermia at the onset of reperfusion reduces microvascular obstruction without reducing myocardial infarct size. Intravenous administration of cold saline combined with endovascular hypothermia provides a method for a rapid induction of hypothermia suggesting a potential clinical application.
Comparison between conventional and "clinical" assessment of experimental lung fibrosis
Authors: Ask Kjetil , Labiris Renee , Farkas Laszlo , Moeller Antje , Froese Aaron , Farncombe Troy , McClelland Grant B , Inman Mark , Gauldie Jack , Kolb Martin RJ
Published: April 2008

Background

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a treatment resistant disease with poor prognosis. Numerous compounds have been demonstrated to efficiently prevent pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in animal models but only a few were successful when given to animals with established fibrosis. Major concerns of current PF models are spontaneous resolution and high variability of fibrosis, and the lack of assessment methods that can allow to monitor the effect of drugs in individual animals over time. We used a model of experimental PF in rats and compare parameters obtained in living animals with conventional assessment tools that require removal of the lungs.

Methods

PF was induced in rats by adenoviral gene transfer of transforming growth factor-beta. Morphological and functional changes were assessed for up to 56 days by micro-CT, lung compliance (measured via a mechanical ventilator) and VO2max and compared to histomorphometry and hydroxyproline content.

Results

Standard histological and collagen assessment confirmed the persistent fibrotic phenotype as described before. The histomorphological scores correlated both to radiological (r2 = 0.29, p < 0.01) and functional changes (r2 = 0.51, p < 0.0001). VO2max did not correlate with fibrosis.

Conclusion

The progression of pulmonary fibrosis can be reliably assessed and followed in living animals over time using invasive, non-terminal compliance measurements and micro-CT. This approach directly translates to the management of patients with IPF and allows to monitor therapeutic effects in drug intervention studies.
Shaping optimal transmitter waveforms for marine CSEM surveys
Authors: Mittet Rune , Schaug-Pettersen Tor
Published: April 2008

The square wave is frequently used as the transmitter waveform in marine controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) surveys. This waveform has the advantage of transferring maximum energy to the subsurface because the transmitter current is running at its peak amplitude at all times. However, a limitation of the square wave is that most of the transmitted energy is in the first harmonic. Processing methods such as depth migration and inversion have shown improved results if a transmitter waveform with substantial amounts of energy at multiple frequencies is used. We propose a method for designing transmitter waveforms where current amplitudes as a function of frequency can have an approximate predefined or desired distribution. At the same time, we require that the transmitter operate at its peak current at all times to maximize the energy transferred to the subsurface. To obtain the desired current spectra, the number of switching times in a period is allowed to be larger than two, which is the number of switching times per period for a standard square wave. The method is based on matching the desired frequency spectra with the spectra obtained from these generalized square waves. This optimization problem is solved by a Monte Carlo method. The resultant waveforms can be used for an electric-dipole transmitter.
Development of a New Production Process for N-Vinyl-2-pyrrolidone
Authors: Shimasaki Yuuji , Yano Hitoshi , Sugiura Hideto , Kambe Hideyuki
Published: April 2008

We describe the first continuous production process for N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP). The starting materials are γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and monoethanolamine (MEA). The process consists of two stages: the synthesis of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone (HEP) from GBL and MEA, and the vapor-phase dehydration of HEP to NVP. The key features of this technology are the dehydration catalyst and the vapor-phase reaction system. The catalyst is of very simple composition, being alkali (or alkaline earth) metal oxides–SiO2. Though its acid and base strengths are very weak, its catalytic performance is high. We presume that the excellent catalytic performance is due to the selective adsorption of HEP to the catalyst. Moreover, an IR spectroscopic study of the HEP-adsorbed catalyst indicated that the isolated silanol of the catalyst surface plays an important role. This account describes the progress made from the laboratory study to the industrial process, along with the experimental results and discussion.
Ferromagnetic Interactions in Non-Kekulé Polymers. II
Authors: Hatanaka Masashi , Shiba Ryuichi
Published: April 2008

Ferromagnetic interactions in two-dimensional non-Kekulé polymers were theoretically analyzed under periodic boundary conditions. We constructed two-dimensional Wannier functions in the non-bonding crystal orbitals (NBCOs), and PNBCO (product of NBCO) were their products. Ferromagnetic interactions were attributed to anti-parallel-spin instabilities in PNBCO, similar to one-dimensional non-Kekulé polymers. The instabilities consisted of on-site terms and through-space terms. The former resulted from the squared amplitude of the same atomic site in PNBCO, and the latter resulted from antibonding-through-space interactions between second-nearest-neighbor carbon atomic sites in PNBCO.
Evaluation of Metal Toxicity in Chlorella kessleri from the Perspective of the Periodic Table
Authors: Fujiwara Kitao , Matsumoto Yoshiko , Kawakami Hayato , Aoki Motohide , Tuzuki Mikio
Published: April 2008

The toxicities of 33 metals (36 species of metal ions) in Chlorella kessleri were investigated and compared to several parameters such as ion radii, stability constants with several ligands, solubility products, and heats of formation (enthalpy). Although a universal parameter that could explain the toxicities of all of the metal ions was not identified, the Irving–Williams series and the HSAB (hard and soft Lewis acidity and basicity) are related to the toxicity of metal ions. With regard to aluminum group elements, the amount of free ion determines the toxicity. Metal absorption was also investigated, including its time dependence (transient absorption). The absorption (adsorption) of anionic species (oxoacid) is lower than that of cationic species which in some cases shows a high collection rate of over 90%. Furthermore, absorptivity varies during the different growth regimes of the cell. Among green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is much more resistant to metal toxicity than Chlorella kessleri. Intracellular distribution of zinc was also determined by using a zinc-fluorescent probe under a confocal laser microscope, and the result shows the intracellular distribution of pH could be an important factor for the intracellular distribution of zinc.
Measurement and Identification of Acoustic Impulse Response
Authors: Mekarzia M. , Guerti M.
Published: April 2008

A description is given of an implementation of a system of measurement for acoustic impulse responses. The acoustic impulse response of a room is measurable with a dynamic range of 48 dB by cross correlation of the test signals. This proved to be better than by the identification by the algorithm of the stochastic gradient with decreasing step especially in noisy environments.
Noise Generation in Ventilation Systems by the Interaction of Airflow with Duct Discontinuities: Part 2 Take-offs
Authors: Waddington D. C. , Oldham D. J.
Published: April 2008

Earlier work on devising generalised noise prediction techniques for ventilation system elements based upon simple bend configurations has been extended to the study of the noise generated by branch take-offs. These configurations are more complex than simple bends as there is a divergence of the airflow. The simple semi-empirical technique proposed by Oldham and Ukpoho, based upon a modified version of the Nelson and Morfey equations, has been employed to collapse the experimental data. A good collapse of normalised data is seen for each component. Furthermore, a single collapsed data curve is proposed for each main/branch diameter ratio for all circular junctions. The resulting curves were found to be very similar for most configurations examined and to have a form similar to those of the bends considered in the earlier work. The general form is characterized by a region for which the Strouhal number is less than two over which the value of 20log[K(St)] falls at a rate of approximately 40 dB per decade. For Strouhal numbers greater than two the curve is approximately linear and falls with increasing Strouhal number at a rate of approximately 65 dB per decade. The results indicate that a method based upon pressure loss characteristics could form the basis of a technique for predicting the airflow-generated noise due to branch take-offs in circular ductwork. However, it is not proven that a single universal curve for the prediction of the airflow generated noise due to any duct component exists, but this work lends support to the theory that a range of component specific curves might exist and provide a means of accurately predicting airflow generated noise in ventilation systems.
Log-PCR: A New Tool for Immediate and Cost-Effective Diagnosis of up to 85% of Dystrophin Gene Mutations
Authors: Trimarco Amelia , Torella Annalaura , Piluso Giulio , Maria Ventriglia Vega , Politano Luisa , Nigro Vincenzo
Published: April 2008

Background: Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophies are caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Despite the progress in the technologies of mutation detection, the disease of one third of patients escapes molecular definition because the labor and expense involved has precluded analyzing the entire gene. Novel techniques with higher detection rates, such as multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and multiplex amplifiable probe hybridization, have been introduced.

Methods: We approached the challenge of multiplexing by modifying the PCR chemistry. We set up a rapid protocol that analyzes all dystrophin exons and flanking introns (57.5 kb). We grouped exons according to their effect on the reading frame and ran 2 PCR reactions for DMD mutations and 2 reactions for BMD mutations under the same conditions. The PCR products are evenly spaced logarithmically on the gel (Log-PCR) in an order that reproduces their chromosomal locations. This strategy enables both simultaneous mapping of all the mutation borders and distinguishing between DMD and BMD. As a proof of principle, we reexamined samples from 506 patients who had received a DMD or BMD diagnosis.

Results: We observed gross rearrangements in 428 of the patients (84.6%; 74.5% deletions and 10.1% duplications). We also recognized a much broader spectrum of mutations and identified 14.6% additional cases.

Conclusions: This study is the first exhaustive investigation of this subject and has made possible the development of a cost-effective test for diagnosing a larger proportion of cases. The benefit of this approach may allow more focused efforts for discovering small or deep-intronic mutations among the few remaining undiagnosed cases. The same protocol can be extended to set up Log-PCRs for other high-throughput applications.
Ethnic Differences in C-Reactive Protein Concentrations
Authors: Kelley-Hedgepeth Alyson , Lloyd-Jones Donald M , Colvin Alicia , Matthews Karen A , Johnston Janet , Sowers MaryFran R , Sternfeld Barbara , Pasternak Richard C , Chae Claudia U ,   for the SWAN Investigators
Published: April 2008

Background: Limited data exist regarding the ethnic differences in C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, an inflammatory marker associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that known CVD risk factors, including anthropometric characteristics, would explain much of the observed ethnic variation in CRP.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 3154 women, without known CVD and not receiving hormone therapy, enrolled in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multiethnic prospective study of pre- and perimenopausal women.

Results: The study population was 47.4% white, 27.7% African-American, 8.5% Hispanic, 7.7% Chinese, and 8.6% Japanese; mean age was 46.2 years. African-American women had the highest median CRP concentrations (3.2 mg/L), followed by Hispanic (2.3 mg/L), white (1.5 mg/L), Chinese (0.7 mg/L), and Japanese (0.5 mg/L) women (all pairwise P < 0.001 compared with white women). Body mass index (BMI) markedly attenuated the association between ethnicity and CRP. After adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, BMI, and other risk factors, African-American ethnicity was associated with CRP concentrations >3 mg/L (odds ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.07–1.75), whereas Chinese and Japanese ethnicities were inversely related (0.58, 0.35–0.95, and 0.43, 0.26–0.72, respectively).

Conclusions: Modifiable risk factors, particularly BMI, account for much but not all of the ethnic differences in CRP concentrations. Further study is needed of these ethnic differences and their implications for the use of CRP in CVD risk prediction.
Design and Application of Noncontinuously Binding Probes Used for Haplotyping and Genotyping
Authors: Pont-Kingdon Genevieve , Margraf Rebecca L , Sumner Kelli , Millson Alison , Lyon Elaine , Schütz Ekkehard
Published: April 2008

Background: Many methods for genotyping use melting temperature (Tm) of sequence-specific probes. Usually the probes hybridize to a continuous stretch of DNA that contains the variant(s). In contrast, hybridization of noncontinuous probes to a template can form bulges. This report generates guidelines for the design of noncontinuous probes.

Methods: We used software to predict hybridization structures and Tms from 10 noncontinuous probes and 54 different templates. Predicted Tms were compared to existing experimental data. The bulging template’s sequences (omitted in the probe) ranged in size from 1 to 73 nucleotides. In 36 cases, we compared observed and predicted ΔTms between alleles complementary to the probe and mismatched alleles. In addition, using software that predicts effects of bulges, we designed a probe and then tested it experimentally.

Results: The mean differences between predicted and observed Tms were 0.65 (2.51) °C with the Visual OMP software and 0.28 (1.67) °C with the MeltCalc software. ΔTms were within a mean (SD) of 0.36 (1.23) °C (Visual OMP) and −0.01 (1.02) °C (MeltCalc) of observed values. An increase in the size of the template bulge resulted in a decrease in Tms. In 2 templates, the presence of a variant in the bulge influenced the experimental Tm of 2 noncontinuous probes, a result that was not predicted by the software programs.

Conclusions: The use of software prediction should prove useful for the design of noncontinuous probes that can be used as tools for molecular haplotyping, multiplex genotyping, or masking sequence variants.
In situ Monitoring of Pavement Stresses on the A1 in Switzerland
Authors: Morgan G. C. J. , Poulikakos L. D. , Arraigada M. , Partl M. N. , Muff R.
Published: April 2008

A large number of sensors installed as part of the European cooperative project, Eureka Logchain Footprint, are used to examine the effects of individual vehicles on the road pavement and the environment. The weigh-in-motion data recorded at the Footprint Monitoring Site near Lenzburg, Switzerland are analyzed and figures are presented which describe the nature of the traffic experienced at the monitoring site. The weigh-in-motion data are matched to data from a prototype stress-in-motion sensor from the same site and the two datasets are compared. The ability of the stress-in-motion sensor to record the contact stress distribution is discussed and procedures are proposed for describing the shape of the distribution using a relatively small number of parameters. A method for quantifying distribution shape in terms of an “m”-ness value is proposed. A finite element model of the road is constructed, validated, and used to predict the stresses and strains in the pavement related to particular contact stress distributions. It is demonstrated that, for all but the heaviest tires, the shape of the stress distribution has a significant effect on the stresses and strains within the pavement.
Working Condition Factors Associated with Time Pressure of Nurses in Japanese Hospitals
Authors: Seki Yukiko
Published: April 2008

Working Condition Factors Associated with Time Pressure of Nurses in Japanese Hospitals: Yukiko Seki. Faculty of Education, Saitama University—In Japan, the most common reason for medical errors is a lack of cross‐checking. To prevent errors, efforts to strengthen cross‐checking behaviors are being adopted. However, time pressures also lead to errors, and increasing cross‐checking activities leads to an increased workload and even greater time pressures. The purpose of this study was to identify working conditions that lead to time pressure for nurses, and to find ways to reduce time pressure and prevent subsequent errors. Self‐reporting questionnaires were distributed over 10 days to 416 nurses working in 17 wards at two hospitals; 357 nurses (85.8%) responded anonymously, providing data on 2,150 person‐days. In multivariate analyses, medical support services and the number of nurse calls answered were associated with subjective assessments of time pressures and nursing service delays due to busyness. Moreover, working the “evening‐day shift” (when a nurse works a day shift after working the evening shift with no days off in between) led to a high level of fatigue before work and was associated with nursing service delays due to busyness. Reducing time pressures and preventing errors requires an adequate number of nurses, shift plans that consider rest periods and order of rotation, increased task discretion for nurses, and the prevention of chronic fatigue.
Musculoskeletal Disorder among 52,261 Chinese Restaurant Cooks Cohort: Result from the National Health Insurance Data
Authors: Shiue Huei‐Sheng , Lu Chih‐Wei , Chen Chiou‐Jong , Shih Tung‐Shen , Wu Shiao‐Chi , Yang Chun‐Yuh , Yang Ya‐Hui , Wu Trong‐Neng
Published: April 2008

Musculoskeletal Disorder among 52,261 Chinese Restaurant Cooks Cohort: Result from the National Health Insurance Data: Huei‐Sheng Shiue, et al. Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan—To investigate the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the particular MSDs to which Chinese restaurant cooks are most at risk in Taiwan, National Health Insurance Data from1998 to 2002 were used to identify MSDs for study populations, including 52,261 certified cooks and 209,044 references matched for age and sex. The annual incidence of MSDs was around 25% and 20% for cooks and references, respectively, and the cook‐to‐reference risk ratios ranged from 1.29 to 1.35 (p<0.001). The most frequently affected body part was the low back, but the epicondyle was at higher risk (OR>2) than other sites for the cooks. Cooks are at higher risk of having MSDs complaints and MSDs related to the elbow show the highest risk.
High Prevalence of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases among Turkish Tinners
Authors: Dikensoy Oner , Kervancioglu Resat , Ege Ibrahim , Uysal Nevin , Elbek Osman , Ozkur Ayhan
Published: April 2008

High Prevalence of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases among Turkish Tinners: Oner Dikensoy, et al. Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Gaziantep University, Turkey—The objective is to investigate the prevalence of parenchymal lung diseases among tinners. Twenty‐four tinners who signed an informed consent form in the Gaziantep area were the subjects of this study. Demographics, spirometric test results, and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans were obtained for all the tinners. Out of 24 tinners, eleven tinners (46%) had HRCTs consistent with DPLD. Of these 11 subjects, HRCT findings were consistent with respiratory bronchiolitis interstitial lung disease in nine, usual interstitial pneumonia pattern in one, and non‐specific interstitial pneumonia in one. HRCT patterns consistent with DPLDs are significantly prevalent among Turkish tinners. This is the first field study reporting this occupational lung hazard in tinners. Future research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms.
Characterization of Liver Injury Associated with Hypersensitive Skin Reactions Induced by Trichloroethylene in the Guinea Pig Maximization Test
Authors: Tang Xiaojiang , Que Bingling , Song Xiangrong , Li Senhua , Yang Xiaojun , Wang Hailan , Huang Hanlin , Kamijima Michihiro , Nakajima Tamie , Lin Yongcheng , Li Laiyu
Published: April 2008

Characterization of Liver Injury Associated with Hypersensitive Skin Reactions Induced by Trichloroethylene in the Guinea Pig Maximization Test: Xiaojiang Tang, et al. Guangdong Poison Control Center, China—Trichloroethylene (TCE) can induce non‐dose‐related hepatitis, possibly classified as delayed‐type hypersensitivity (immune‐mediated hepatitis), as well as dose‐related toxic liver injury. However, the difference in pathophysiology between the two kinds of hepatitis remains unknown. This study aimed to characterize the liver injury associated with hypersensitive skin reactions induced by TCE in guinea pigs. As a model of dose‐related acute toxic liver injury, the animals were treated with intradermal injection (ii) (0, 167, 500, 1500 or 4500 mg/kg of TCE) or dermal patch (dp) (0 or 900 mg/kg of TCE). The guinea pig maximization test (GPMT) was also carried out as a model of immune‐mediated liver injury, in which the total TCE dosage was below 340 mg/kg. In the group of TCE 4500 mg/kg (ii), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased (p<0.01), while total protein and globulin decreased (p<0.05). Evident fatty degeneration, hepatic sinusoid dilation and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed. No significant change was found in animals treated with TCE of doses below 500 mg/kg (ii) or 900 mg/kg (dp). In the GPMT, sensitization rates of TCE‐induced dermal allergy were 66%. ALT, AST, lactate dehydrogenase and the relative liver weight increased significantly (p<0.05) while albumin, IgA and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase decreased significantly (p<0.05). Lesions of ballooning changes were observed in liver pathology. Thus, TCE could cause both acute‐type toxic liver injury and immune‐mediated liver injury, the so‐called delayed‐type hypersensitivity at doses below the dosage for toxic liver injury. Interestingly, the histopathological features were quite different: fatty degeneration was most prominent in the former, and ballooning in the latter.
Asthma Mortality in Male Workers of the Dye Industry in Korea
Authors: Koh Dong‐Hee , Won Jonguk , Ahn Yeon‐Soon , Kim Hyoung‐Ryoul , Koh Sang‐Beak
Published: April 2008

Asthma Mortality in Male Workers of the Dye Industry in Korea: Dong‐Hee Koh, et al. Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Korea—Workers in the dye industry are exposed to various chemicals, of which reactive dye is a well‐known occupational asthmagen. This study examined the relationship between asthma mortality and occupational exposure in the dye industry. The cohort comprised 66,089 male workers, including 904 workers in the dye industry, who underwent medical examinations from 1995 to 2003 at a medical service institute located in Incheon, Korea. Deaths were also observed during the 1995 to 2003 period. The mortality was analyzed using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) compared to the Korean general population, and the mortalities from asthma in dye manufacturing workers and other workers were compared using the standardized rate ratio (SRR). The all‐cause mortality in dye industry workers was significantly lower than in the general population (SMR=0.40, 95% CI 0.24–0.63), while the asthma mortality (SMR=9.03, 95% CI 1.86–26.39) was significantly higher. Deaths from nonmalignant respiratory diseases were higher in dye industry workers, but were not statistically significant (SMR=2.0, 95% CI 0.41–5.86). In the internal comparison, the all‐cause mortality was the same in both groups, while the mortalities from non‐malignant respiratory diseases (SRR=6.04, 95% CI 4.00–9.44) and asthma (SRR=23.29, 95% CI 11.05–58.83) were higher in dye industry workers than in workers in other industries. Because asthma is a life‐threatening disease, special consideration and preventive measures must be taken for workers in the dye industry.
Re-Imagining Inanna: The Gendered Reappropriation of the Ancient Goddess in Modern Goddess Worship
Authors: Thomas Paul
Published: April 2008

'Re-Imagining Inanna: The Gendered Reappropriation of the Ancient Goddess in Modern Goddess Worship' examines the specifically gendered reconstruction of the ancient Mesopotamian deity Inanna in modern Goddess worship. This paper argues that the reconstruction of Inanna in modern Goddess worship is an imaginative process based upon unexamined gendered assumptions of what is properly feminine for a great goddess. The result of this process is a constructed image of Inanna that is incongruent with the personality of Inanna as imagined in ancient Mesopotamia. Moreover, this incongruence leads to an examination of the Pagan approach to history and an analysis of the sociological features present in contemporary Paganism that allows for these selective reconstructions.
Raising the Dragon
Authors: Letcher Andy
Published: April 2008

This article traces how a motif from folklore, that of the marauding dragon, became reinterpreted by UK Pagans and Earth Mystics-for whom it symbolised a mysterious 'dragon energy' circulating harmoniously through the landscape-and by a radically motivated branch of Paganism, namely Eco-Paganism. Eco-Paganism, which emerged during the environmental anti-road protests of the 1990s, advocated a blend of direct and magical action in the form of 'dragon-raising' rituals for the protection of threatened pieces of land. The history of this idea of the dragon is presented, with examples of political and dragon-raising rituals, with particular reference to those performed by the Dragon Environmental Group.
Making Magic Modern
Authors: Butler Alison
Published: April 2008

At the end of the nineteenth century, in the midst of the intellectual battle between science and religion, a curious group emerged in Victorian Britain. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was unusual in that it was established to further the learning and practical techniques of ritual magic. In response to a growing interest in the esoteric and the occult, the Order opened its first temple in London in 1888. By drawing upon aspects of traditional Western magic and reformulating a Renaissance synthesis of cabalistic magic, the Golden Dawn brought together several systems of thought and technique resulting in a unique blend that is still practised by thousands of men and women worldwide. In its adaptation of traditional Western magic, the Order succeeded in creating a popular and suitable system of magic for the modern world. In identifying these changes and analysing their origins in late nineteenth-century magic as well as their relevancy for modern practitioners, the secret to the success of Golden Dawn magic, as well as the unique contribution made by the Order to the history of Western magic, will be established.
Joanne Pearson, ed., Belief beyond Boundaries: Wicca, Celtic Spirituality and the New Age
Authors: Ezzy Douglas
Published: April 2008

Joanne Pearson, ed., Belief beyond Boundaries: Wicca, Celtic Spirituality and the New Age (Milton Keynes: Ashgate and The Open University, 2002), 358 pp., $79.95/£45 (cloth); $29.95/£15.99 (paper).
Ann Suter, The Narcissus and the Pomegranate: An Archaeology of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Authors: Pike Sarah M
Published: April 2008

Ann Suter, The Narcissus and the Pomegranate: An Archaeology of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002), 328 pp., $65 (cloth).
The Theological Interpretation of Myth
Authors: Butler Edward P
Published: April 2008

This article seeks in the Platonic philosophers of late antiquity insights applicable to a new discipline, the philosophy of Pagan religion. An important element of any such discipline would be a method of mythological hermeneutics that could be applied cross-culturally. The article draws particular elements of this method from Sallust and Olympiodorus. Sallust’s five modes of the interpretation of myth (theological, physical, psychical, material and mixed) are discussed, with one of them, the theological, singled out for its applicability to all myths and because it interprets myth in reference exclusively to the nature of the Gods and their relationship to a model of the cosmos in its totality. The other modes of interpretation, while useful in particular contexts, are not uniformly applicable to all myths, interpret the myths as concerning things other than the Gods themselves, and interpret the myths with reference to particular sectors of the cosmos. Accordingly, it is from Sallust’s theological mode of interpretation that the new method draws its inspiration. From Olympiodorus the method derives strategies for interpreting basic narrative attributes that myths share with all stories. Thus temporal sequence is interpreted as an ascent, from our perspective, from less perfect to more perfect manifestations of the powers of the Gods. Passivity, conflict, and transitive relations in general between the Gods are interpreted as expressing attributes of the cosmos to the constitution of which the Gods dedicate their energies, rather than as placing constraint upon the Gods themselves. The article concludes with a series of broad principles meant to guide the new method.
‘I would rather be a god/dess than a cyborg’ A Pagan Encounter with Donna Haraway
Authors: Van Dooren Thom
Published: April 2008

Through a close textual analysis of relevant sections of Donna Haraway’s 1985 paper, ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, and with specific reference to her closing remark in that article, I explore the compatibility of Haraway’s work with a Pagan political philosophy. After a general introduction to what I take to be the key concepts for a Pagan politics in Haraway’s work, I offer a brief outline of her use of the figure of the ‘cyborg’. With this background established, I begin my consideration of the final line of ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, which reads: ‘Though both are bound in the spiral dance, I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess’. Through my unpacking of this comment I offer an explanation of the type of position that Haraway is attempting to adopt, a position that takes into account both the unique opportunities that we are offered, and the risks that we are exposed to, by technologies in the modern world. Equipped with this understanding of Haraway’s position, we are able more clearly to see her critical perspective on Paganism (which I argue is part of what is represented by the ‘goddess’ figure in the above quote). I then offer a re-reading of this goddess figure in light of the political and philosophical reality of contemporary Paganism’s engagement with the technological, and argue that the cyborg and the goddess should be understood as kin, not as adversaries. Finally, I present what I take to be the most important challenge that Haraway’s paper offers to contemporary Paganism, namely the challenge to think carefully about powerful dualisms—like those between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ and between the ‘organic’ and the ‘technological’—and to ask ourselves about the roles that they might play in our Paganism and our politics more generally.
Jacob Rabinowitz, The Rotting Goddess: The Origin of the Witch in Classical Antiquity’s Demonization of Fertility Religion
Authors: Jones Ieuen
Published: April 2008

Jacob Rabinowitz, The Rotting Goddess: The Origin of the Witch in Classical Antiquity’s Demonization of Fertility Religion (Brooklyn, NY: Autonomedia, 1998), 153 pp., $14.00 (paper).
Why “God” as “She” Provokes us
Authors: Coleman Kristy
Published: April 2008

Why does the idea of the divine feminine result in such intense fear in some people and excitement in others? Writings on the Goddess movement consistently document that adherents sense the power of symbols and use them intentionally to create something profoundly different. My approach employs semiotic theory to offer a terminology and established theoretical base that imparts an understanding of “what” and “how” Goddess spirituality and its alternative cosmology pose for some such a risk and for others such promise. Replacing the established transcendental signified of “God” with “Goddess” ruptures and displaces the systemic and totalizing structure of Western metaphysics. This is why, I believe, reactions to the idea of the feminine divine can be so pronounced. For some, the Goddess promises to solve Western culture’s problems by creating a new, more female-valuing symbolic structure. For others, She threatens the very core of the current system of signification and everything within it.