bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PSAPP mice exhibit regionally selective reductions in gliosis and plaque deposition in response to S100B ablation
Authors: Roltsch Emily , Holcomb Leigh , Young Keith A , Marks Alexander , Zimmer Danna B
Published: November 2010

Background

Numerous studies have reported that increased expression of S100B, an intracellular Ca2+receptor protein and secreted neuropeptide, exacerbates Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, the ability of S100B inhibitors to prevent/reverse AD histopathology remains controversial. This study examines the effect of S100B ablation onin vivoplaque load, gliosis and dystrophic neurons.

Methods

Because S100B-specific inhibitors are not available, genetic ablation was used to inhibit S100B function in the PSAPP AD mouse model. The PSAPP/S100B-/-line was generated by crossing PSAPP double transgenic males with S100B-/-females and maintained as PSAPP/S100B+/-crosses. Congo red staining was used to quantify plaque load, plaque number and plaque size in 6 month old PSAPP and PSAPP/S100B-/-littermates. The microglial marker Iba1 and astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were used to quantify gliosis. Dystrophic neurons were detected with the phospho-tau antibody AT8. S100B immunohistochemistry was used to assess the spatial distribution of S100B in the PSAPP line.

Results

PSAPP/S100B-/-mice exhibited a regionally selective decrease in cortical but not hippocampal plaque load when compared to PSAPP littermates. This regionally selective reduction in plaque load was accompanied by decreases in plaque number, GFAP-positive astrocytes, Iba1-positive microglia and phospho-tau positive dystrophic neurons. These effects were not attributable to regional variability in the distribution of S100B. Hippocampal and cortical S100B immunoreactivity in PSAPP mice was associated with plaques and co-localized with astrocytes and microglia.

Conclusions

Collectively, these data support S100B inhibition as a novel strategy for reducing cortical plaque load, gliosis and neuronal dysfunction in AD and suggest that both extracellular as well as intracellular S100B contribute to AD histopathology.
Carcinogen metabolism, cigarette smoking, and breast cancer risk: a Bayes model averaging approach
Authors: Stephenson Nadine , Beckmann Lars , Chang-Claude Jenny
Published: November 2010

Background

Standard logistic regression with or without stepwise selection has the disadvantage of not incorporating model uncertainty and the dependency of estimates on the underlying model into the final inference. We explore the use of a Bayes Model Averaging approach as an alternative to analyze the influence of genetic variants, environmental effects and their interactions on disease.

Methods

Logistic regression with and without stepwise selection and Bayes Model Averaging were applied to a population-based case-control study exploring the association of genetic variants in tobacco smoke-related carcinogen pathways with breast cancer.

Results

Both regression and Bayes Model Averaging highlighted a significant effect ofNAT1*10 on breast cancer, while regression analysis also suggested a significant effect for packyears and for the interaction of packyears andNAT2.

Conclusions

Bayes Model Averaging allows incorporation of model uncertainty, helps reduce dimensionality and avoids the problem of multiple comparisons. It can be used to incorporate biological information, such as pathway data, into the analysis. As with all Bayesian analysis methods, careful consideration must be given to prior specification.
Associations between depressive symptoms, sexual behaviour and relationship characteristics: a prospective cohort study of young women and men in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Authors: Nduna Mzikazi , Jewkes Rachel K , Dunkle Kristin L , Shai Nwabisa P Jama , Colman Ian
Published: November 2010

Background

Psychological factors are often neglected in HIV research, although psychological distress is common in low‐ to middle‐income countries, such as South Africa. There is a need to deepen our understanding of the role of mental health factors in the HIV epidemic. We set out to investigate whether baseline depressive symptomatology was associated with risky sexual behaviour and relationship characteristics of men and women at baseline, as well as those found 12 months later.

Methods

We used prospective cohort data from a cluster randomized controlled trial of an HIV prevention intervention in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Our subjects were 1002 female and 976 male volunteers aged 15 to 26. Logistic regression was used to model the cross‐sectional and prospective associations between baseline depressive symptomatology, risky sexual behaviors and relationship characteristics. The analysis adjusted for the clustering effect, study design, intervention and several confounding variables.

Results

Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 21.1% among women and 13.6% among men. At baseline, women with depressed symptoms were more likely to report lifetime intimate partner violence (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.89‐3.46) and have dated an older partner (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.03‐1.83). A year later, baseline depressive symptomatology was associated with transactional sex (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.37, 4.92) and intimate partner violence (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.18‐2.36) in the previous 12 months. Men with depressive symptoms were more likely to report ever having had transactional sex (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.01‐2.17), intimate partner violence perpetration (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI 0.98‐2.28) and perpetration of rape (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.14‐2.87). They were less likely to report correct condom use at last sex (AOR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.32‐0.78). A year later, baseline depressive symptomatology was associated with failure to use a condom at last sex among men (AOR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.40‐0.89).

Conclusions

Symptoms of depression should be considered as potential markers of increased HIV risk and this association may be causal. HIV prevention needs to encompass promotion of adolescent mental health.
Promise and Challenge of RNA Interference–Based Therapy for Cancer
Authors: Petrocca Fabio , Lieberman Judy
Published: November 2010

Cancer therapeutics still fall far short of our goals for treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease. Until recently, almost all cancer drugs were crude cytotoxic agents that discriminate poorly between cancer cells and normally dividing cells. The development of targeted biologics that recognize tumor cell surface antigens and of specific inhibitors of pathways dysregulated in cancer cells or normal cellular pathways on which a cancer cell differentially depends has provided hope for converting our increasing understanding of cellular transformation into intelligently designed anticancer therapeutics. However, new drug development is painfully slow, and the pipeline of new therapeutics is thin. The discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), a ubiquitous cellular pathway of gene regulation that is dysregulated in cancer cells, provides an exciting opportunity for relatively rapid and revolutionary approaches to cancer drug design. Small RNAs that harness the RNAi machinery may become the next new class of drugs for treating a variety of diseases. Although it has only been 9 years since RNAi was shown to work in mammalian cells, about a dozen phase I to III clinical studies have already been initiated, including four for cancer. So far there has been no unexpected toxicity and suggestions of benefit in one phase II study. However, the obstacles for RNAi-based cancer therapeutics are substantial. This article will discuss how the endogenous RNAi machinery might be harnessed for cancer therapeutics, why academic researchers and biotech and pharmaceutical companies are so excited, and what the obstacles are and how they might be overcome.
The Evolving Role of Histology in the Management of Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Langer Corey J. , Besse Benjamin , Gualberto Antonio , Brambilla Elizabeth , Soria Jean-Charles
Published: November 2010

Until recently, non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was treated as a single disease despite recognition of its histologic and molecular heterogeneity. Recent clinical trials, however, demonstrate that histology is an important factor for individualizing treatment, based on either safety or efficacy outcomes. For example, the labeling of the licensed agents bevacizumab and pemetrexed is restricted to patients with nonsquamous cell NSCLC. For bevacizumab, this restriction is due to an apparent association between squamous cell histology and severe pulmonary hemorrhage, whereas for pemetrexed, superior treatment effects have been observed in patients with nonsquamous cell histology. Given fewer agents are both active and tolerable in patients with squamous cell carcinoma compared with adenocarcinoma, and the nature of this particular phenotype of NSCLC, new drugs are needed for this histology. In this new histology-based treatment era, questions persist. Can pathology accurately distinguish the histologic subtypes of NSCLC? Can we use cytologic diagnosis? In the future, will molecular profiling of tumors trump histologic analysis? Herein we describe how therapy for NSCLC is evolving on the basis of a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying NSCLC histologic heterogeneity and tumorigenesis.
European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Recommendations for Planning and Delivery of High-Dose, High-Precision Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer
Authors: De Ruysscher Dirk , Faivre-Finn Corinne , Nestle Ursula , Hurkmans Coen W. , Le Péchoux Cécile , Price Allan , Senan Suresh
Published: November 2010

Purpose

To derive recommendations for routine practice and clinical trials for techniques used in high-dose, high-precision thoracic radiotherapy for lung cancer.

Methods

A literature search was performed to identify published articles considered both clinically relevant and practical to use. Recommendations were categorized under the following headings: patient selection, patient positioning and immobilization, tumor motion, computed tomography and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission technology scanning, generating target volumes, radiotherapy treatment planning, treatment delivery, and scoring of response and toxicity. The American College of Chest Physicians grading of recommendations was used.

Results

Recommendations were identified for each of the recommendation categories. Although most of the recommended techniques have not been evaluated in multicenter clinical trials, their use in high-precision thoracic radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) appears to be justified on the basis of available evidence.

Conclusion

Recommendations to facilitate the clinical implementation of high-precision conformal radiotherapy and SBRT for lung tumors were identified from the literature. Some techniques that are considered investigational at present were also highlighted.
Does Multidisciplinary Care Enhance the Management of Advanced Breast Cancer?: Evaluation of Advanced Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team Meetings
Authors: Chirgwin Jacquie , Craike Melinda , Gray Christine , Watty Kathy , Mileshkin Linda , Livingston Patricia M.
Published: November 2010

In recent years, the multidisciplinary approach has become the standard of care in cancer management. However, evidence demonstrating the value of multidisciplinary care and team meetings remains scarce.
Do Multidisciplinary Meetings Follow Guideline-Based Care?
Authors: Vinod Shalini K. , Sidhom Mark A. , Delaney Geoff P.
Published: November 2010

Multidisciplinary meeting recommendations are largely concordant with guidelines in the treatment of lung cancer.
A Patient's Perspective on the Multidisciplinary Liver/Pancreas Tumor Clinic: An All-in-One Resort
Authors: Gantos-O'Brien Elaine
Published: November 2010

A patient reflects on the distinctive culture of the multidisciplinary care clinic, and how its philosophy of care helped make her treatment for pancreatic cancer as emotionally painless as possible.
Effect of Initiating a Multidisciplinary Care Clinic on Access and Time to Treatment in Patients With Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Gardner Timothy B. , Barth Richard J. , Zaki Bassem I. , Boulay Brian R. , McGowan Margit M. , Sutton John E. , Ripple Gregory H. , Colacchio Thomas A. , Smith Kerrington D. , Byock Ira R. , Call Marsha , Suriawinata Arief A. , Tsapakos Michael J. , Mills Jeannine B. , Srivastava Amitabh , Stannard Maureen , Lisovsky Mikhail , Gordon Stuart R. , Pipas J. Marc
Published: November 2010

The establishment of a multidisciplinary pancreas tumor clinic led to improved patient access to consultations and shorter time to initial treatment in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma undergoing neoadjuvant therapy.
Enhancing Prostate Cancer Care Through the Multidisciplinary Clinic Approach: A 15-Year Experience
Authors: Gomella Leonard G. , Lin Jianqing , Hoffman-Censits Jean , Dugan Patricia , Guiles Fran , Lallas Costas D. , Singh Jaspreet , McCue Peter , Showalter Timothy , Valicenti Richard K. , Dicker Adam , Trabulsi Edouard J.
Published: November 2010

The multidisciplinary clinic approach to prostate cancer may enhance outcomes and reduce “treatment regret” through a coordinated presentation of all therapeutic options. This model serves as an interdisciplinary educational tool for patients and their families, and supports clinical trial participation.
Multidisciplinary Reference Centers: The Care of Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Singh Simron , Law Calvin
Published: November 2010

As providers at a neuroendocrine tumor multidisciplinary reference center, the authors believe these centers have a positive effect on patient and provider experience, and the creation of specialty centers with a focus on improving outcomes and quality of care should be a goal of health care systems.
American Society of Clinical Oncology/American Society of Hematology Clinical Practice Guideline Update on the Use of Epoetin and Darbepoetin in Adult Patients With Cancer
Authors: Rizzo J. Douglas , Brouwers Melissa , Hurley Patricia , Seidenfeld Jerome , Somerfield Mark R. , Temin Sarah
Published: November 2010

This guideline update addresses two clinical questions: (1) What are the defining features of patients with a malignancy who are appropriate candidates for ESA treatment? (2) For patients who are appropriate candidates for treatment with ESAs, what are the optimal approaches to ESA therapy?
The Theory of Paper: Skepticism, Common Sense, Poststructuralism
Authors: Lupton Christina
Published: November 2010

This article explores two sets of convergences: one between skeptical and commonsense philosophies in the eighteenth century, and the other between poststructuralist and eighteenth-century philosophies. It argues that all of these forms of reasoning share an interest in the paper on which they are printed. Although they use the case in point of paper quite differently, James Beattie, David Hume, Paul de Man, and Jacques Derrida all end up in terrain on which paper shows the connection of high theory to the common sense of material cultural studies. They all demonstrate, in other words, how paper and the ink it holds offer evidence of an irrefutable reality even as their example introduces an inevitable slipperiness to the field of example.
Revisiting García Márquez among the Bananas
Authors: Janes Regina
Published: November 2010

An exercise in rereading, “Revisiting Garc'a Márquez among the Bananas” takes up the case of bananas in One Hundred Years of Solitude to explore the representation, subversion, and prolepsis of literature of memory, literature of witness. A historical episode represented by the novel as erased, is recovered by the novel for history, and produces effects in the world beyond the novel. Yet such recovery fails to affect the world beyond the novel. In the articulation of that contradiction, intertwining fiction and history, invention and reality, the novel proposes an enduring and essential myth for our time: that recovering violence from oblivion is useful to the present.
Fabrication of Novel Reflective–Emissive Dual-mode Display Cell Based on Electrochemical Reaction
Authors: Watanabe Yuichi , Nakamura Kazuki , Kobayashi Norihisa
Published: November 2010

We successfully demonstrated a novel reflective–emissive dual-mode display (DMD) cell with electrochromic and electrochemiluminescence reactions. This DMD cell has simple structure and allows the selection of reflective or emissive mode by selecting DC or AC driving, respectively.
Rapid Adsorption of Rh(III) by Polyamine-functionalized Cellulose Fiber Combined with Microwave Irradiation
Authors: Yousif Ahmed M , Nishioka Masateru , Wakui Yoshito , Suzuki Toshishige M
Published: November 2010

New fibrous adsorbents were prepared by modification of cellulose fiber by graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate followed by introduction of diethylenetriamine and 2-pyridylmethylamine as the metal-binding site. Rapid and high adsorption of Rh(III) was achieved using the fibrous adsorbents, combining with microwave irradiation.
Inverting the PROSAIL canopy reflectance model using neural nets trained on streamlined databases
Authors: Atzberger Clement
Published: November 2010

The widely used PROSAIL radiative transfer model was coupled with a simple soil reflectance parameterisation to
estimate the leaf area index (LAI) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) from ground-based spectrometer data. To avoid
time-consuming numerical optimisations, a neural net (NN) was used for model inversion. The NN was trained on 3000
spectral patterns generated by the reflectance model. The training database was previously streamlined to provide good
approximation of the response surface while keeping the net compact. Streamlining was achieved by retaining only those
synthetic spectra that belong both to the simulated and actual measurement spaces. The estimated LAI (nobs = 15)
compared well with completely independent reference measurements taken four times during the 2000 growing season in
four commercial winter wheat fields (1.8 ≤ LAI ≤  8.1). The coefficient of determination (R2) between measured and
estimated LAI was 0.87 with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.89 (m2 m–2). Even for LAIs exceeding 3–4, saturation
effects were low. Three measurement dates yielded RMSE lower than 0.8. Only during stem elongation did RMSE exceed
1. Higher errors for this time period were attributed to abrupt changes in the canopy structure (i.e. average leaf angle) not
taken into account. Compared to the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), the inversion of PROSAIL using
hyperspectral reflectances performed well, with errors reduced by more than 50% as compared to the NDVI model
(RMSE: 1.91 m2 m–2).
Thomas Linacre at the University of Padua
Authors: Porzionato Andrea , Macchi Veronica , De Caro Raffaele
Published: November 2010

The Bo (meaning ‘ox’ in the Venetian dialect) is the historic seat of the University of Padua, founded in 1222. A full-length portrait of Thomas Linacre stands in its prestigious Sala dei Quaranta (Hall of the Forty), so called because of the portraits of forty great foreign scholars of the University, painted by Giacomo dal Forno in 1942. Thomas Linacre came to Italy in 1485, following an embassy by Henry VII to the Vatican. Linacre visited Bologna, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vicenza and Padua, where he took his degree in medicine in 1496 with great distinction. During his stay in Italy he met illustrious humanists and physicians, including Poliziano, Hermolaus Barbarus and Aldus Manutius Romanus, and Nicolaus Leonicenus who further stimulated him to the translation of classic works by Hippocrates and Galen. In 1518 Linacre played a pivotal role in the foundation of the Royal College of Physicians in London which, as first President, he organized on the basis of Italian models. With his portrait, the University of Padua celebrates the life and work of an astonishing figure linking the Italian and English medical cultures.
Medical heroes at Postman's Park
Authors: Sykes Alan H
Published: November 2010

An account of three doctors whose deaths while saving lives in danger are recorded on an unusual memorial in London.
Jane Austen's (1775–1817) references to headache: fact and fiction
Authors: Larner A J
Published: November 2010

References to headache in Jane Austen's works, both fictional and non-fictional, and in biographical works undertaken by Austen family members have been collated. These multiple references suggest that Jane Austen used headache as a narrative device to reflect not only physiological bodily processes but also psychological states, possibly based on her own experience of headache and that of female relations and acquaintances.
Victor Horsley (1857–1916) in World War I
Authors: Dunnill M S
Published: November 2010

In 1914 Victor Horsley, 56 years old, pioneer neurosurgeon, politician and ardent supporter of the temperance movement volunteered for active service. After a brief period in France he was posted to the Middle East, initially to Egypt and then to Mesopotamia. There he witnessed the horrors of that campaign. His attempts to alleviate the appalling conditions to which the wounded were subjected took toll of his own health and the official cause of his death in 1916 at Amara was heat stroke.
The Croonian lectures of 1917: a McGill pathologist confronts the biologists of England
Authors: Buttolph Mike
Published: November 2010

John George Adami (1862–1926) qualified in medicine at Manchester and in 1892 was appointed professor of pathology at McGill University. At the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians (in London) he delivered the Croonian Lectures in 1917. He chose the title ‘Adaptation and disease; the contribution of medical research to the study of evolution’. Adami believed that medical work had brought to light important facts about heredity that had not been communicated adequately to biological scientists. He used the lectures to describe this work, placing particular emphasis on his contention that acquired characters are inherited. At this time the medical audience at Adami's lectures would have been generally sympathetic to the idea that acquired characters can be inherited, though many leading British biologists were not sympathetic. Adami hoped that a concise review of the medical findings would persuade the biologists to his point of view or at least would be the starting point for a serious discussion of his evidence. However, the biologists were not persuaded and, although there were acrimonious personal exchanges, there was no scientific debate.
The diary of Alice Maud Batt (1889–1969)
Authors: Cruse Audrey
Published: November 2010

Alice Batt while working as a VAD1 nurse in 1918 during World War I was awarded the Albert Medal.2 She was also awarded the British Red Cross Society Special Service Cross in 1919 for ‘exceptionally meritorious service’ and earlier, in 1915, had been awarded the Royal Humane Society Medal for saving a girl from drowning in the sea. This account is based on her own wartime diary, published privately by a family member, Arthur Batt.
The Use of Scan Statistics and Control Charts in Assessing Ventilator‐Associated Pneumonia Quality Control Programs
Authors: Nathanson Brian H. , Higgins Thomas L.
Published: November 2010

Scan statistics are concerned with clusters of events over time. In the realm of critical care medicine, such clusters might include the occurrence of ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP). Given N patients over time, the number of observations in a “moving window” of fixed length can be counted and the maximum cluster value becomes a scan statistic for which both parametric and exact methods exist to calculate its rarity. A statistically unusual cluster may indicate a breakdown in quality. Another approach to monitoring rare events is a g‐type statistical process control chart where prospectively observing unusually long periods of time between events can indicate a significant improvement in quality. Both methods are presented in detail and applied to a 24‐bed medical/surgical ICU′s experience with VAP during a 27‐month period.
Do pre‐admonition suggestions moderate the effect of unbiased lineup instructions?
Authors: Quinlivan Deah S. , Neuschatz Jeffrey S. , Cutler Brian L. , Wells Gary L. , McClung Joy , Harker Devin L.
Published: November 2010

We examined the additive and interactive effects of pre‐admonition suggestion and lineup instructions (biased or unbiased) on eyewitness identification rates. Participants watched a mock crime video, completed a target‐absent lineup identification, and completed a retrospective memory questionnaire. Prior to attempting an identification, participants were either exposed or not exposed to pre‐admonition suggestions and received biased or unbiased lineup instructions. The pre‐admonition suggestion indicated that it was likely that the perpetrator was in the lineup (surely, you can pick the perpetrator). The pre‐admonition suggestion increased false identification in the unbiased lineup condition. Furthermore, those who received the pre‐admonition suggestion were more certain in their identifications as well as other testimony‐relevant judgments than were those who did not receive the pre‐admonition suggestion. These results suggest that pre‐lineup suggestion can mitigate the beneficial effects of unbiased lineup instructions.
The initial post-authoritarian period in Portugal (197482) and Spain (197582): A suitable framework for a sports democratization process of shared similarities and characteristics
Authors: Naud Sixte Abada i , Mart Xavier Pujadas i
Published: November 2010

In an international context of economic recession, a transitional process towards democracy in Portugal (1974) and Spain (1975) began within the framework of the third wave of democratization. Until then, the Portuguese and Spanish dictatorships had conditioned the political, social
and economic development of both countries and prevented, for instance, the adoption of a welfare state model. Similarly, the spread of sport among the population was postponed for several decades. The development of a separate transition process facilitated the incorporation of sport among
the habits of the population. In this process, the association movement and governmental sports policies were very important, the latter mainly after the approval of the Portuguese Republic Constitution (1976) and the Spanish Constitution (1978). This article aims to highlight some key similarities
and common features of the development and dissemination of sport during Portugal's Ongoing Revolutionary Process (197476) and first constitutional governments (197682) and the Spanish Transition to Democracy (197582).
Boom to bust reconstructing the Spanish economy
Authors: Salmon Keith
Published: November 2010

In 2008, a decade of strong and sustained growth in Spain came to an end as the economy fell into recession. This article charts the passage of the economy into recession and examines conditions in the financial system, property market and labour market that were peculiar to Spain.
Half the financial system was subject to considerable political interference, a property market bubble was allowed to develop and the labour market had developed a dual character in which one segment remained very rigid. These factors contributed to a protracted recession, accompanied by rapidly
increasing sovereign debt and exceptionally high unemployment.
Impact of the Bologna process on Spanish students' expectations
Authors: Elias Marina
Published: November 2010

This article discusses the situation in Spain, the region of Catalonia and, more specifically, the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), which has been leading the way in introducing the changes proposed by the Bologna Process. This process has involved changing various aspects
of teaching and learning practices and implementing the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The new practices are now being extended to other universities all over Spain. This process has been very controversial with demonstrations by students at UAB and other Spanish universities. This
article considers student experiences of the Bologna Process.
Gender and homosexuality in Takarazuka theatre: Twelfth Night and Epiphany
Authors: Chen Yilin
Published: November 2010

Since it was founded in 1913, the all-female theatre, the Takarazuka Revue, has attracted a largely female audience. The Meiji modernization (18681912) occasioned the appearance of actresses on the Japanese stage, the emergence of a Japanese feminist movement and a disapproval of homosexual practices. These changes contributed to the founding of Takarazuka theatre, and influenced its policies on gender and sexuality. In two Takarazuka productions of Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night(1999), the portrayals of female roles negotiated with the dichotomy of gender stereotypes and affected the display of homoerotic attractions on the stage. Furthermore, the androgynous charms in the performances became a medium to transform homosexual desires into acceptable homoeroticism in the Japaneseshjofashion. The homosexual implication on the stage, therefore, could be pardoned or interpreted as an expression of temporary adolescent confusion about sexuality.
Whose story is it anyway? Exploring ethical dilemmas in performed research
Authors: White Vincent , Belliveau George
Published: November 2010

As researchers in the field of education continue to expand the use of theatre as a device for inquiry-related purposes, increased attention is being paid to important methodological and ethical implications related to performatively representing and disseminating research findings. This article examines some of these issues within the context of a research project that used theatre to fictionalize the inner voices of educators in an attempt to reveal the multiple perspectives and loyalties that significantly characterize interpersonal dynamics within educational settings. The article begins with a scene from an ethnotheatre play that was designed by the researchers to serve as a site of inquiry that would enable researcher-participants, performers and audience members to performatively explore these inner voices. Who these inner voices belong to and the ethical implications involved in fictionalizing them are issues that are explored in some detail by the authors as these attempt to bring greater clarity to the process of theatricalizing and performing research.
Static Testing of Pile-Base Post-Grouting Piles of the Suramadu Bridge
Authors: Dai Guoliang , Gong Weiming , Zhao Xueliang , Zhou Xiangqin
Published: November 2010

Pile-base post-grouting is a method in which solidifiable cement slurry is injected into the base of the pile through grouting pipes after the strength of the concrete reaches a certain value to strengthen the loose sediment at the hole base and the soil around the pile. The roles of grouting are to eliminate the influence of the technological defects of bored piles, to recover the bearing capacities of strata, and to improve the bearing capacities of piles. Pile-base post-grouting piles technology and Osterberg Cell load testing were applied to some test piles of the Suramadu Bridge. Based on test results of the bearing capacity, side frictional resistance, and base resistance of piles before and after grouting, post-grouting was found to have an obvious role in improving the quality, bearing capacity, and load transfer characteristics of the piles. An equation for calculating post-grouting piles under specific grouting conditions was obtained based on the statistical analysis of more than 50 test piles. The ranges of the improvement coefficients of side frictional and pile-base resistance for different soils are given. Key technologies and parameters of post-grouting are also suggested. The results of this research can be applied to designing bridge pile foundations, which may tap the bearing potential of the piles and result in notable economic benefits.
Influence of Laser Shock Processing on Surface Microstructures and Properties of Carbon Steel
Authors: Luo Xinmin , Yang Kun , Yuan Chunzhi , Zhang Jingwen , Ma Hui , Zhang Yongkang
Published: November 2010

In order to understand the correlations between the laser shock processing and materials’ response, an as annealed plain carbon steel 45 (equivalent to AISI 1045) was investigated by means of a Nd:glass laser setup with 1054 nm wavelength and 20 ns short pulse. The microstructure evolution was analyzed with optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, etc. The experimental results indicate that the strengthening effects can be obtained under the used confinement conditions and the ultra-high strain rate of laser shock. After laser shocking, the cementite in pearlite crashes the subject to their orientations, and the pro-eutectoid ferrite produces a great number of dislocation etched pits and lens-like twins. The hardness of pearlite and pro-eutectoid ferrite increases by 70 and 55 Hv, respectively, and the residual compressive stress of the steel reaches 425 MPa on the shocked spot.
Interior Metal Components and the Thermal Performance of Window Frames
Authors: Flock Sarah K. , Hall Garth D.
Published: November 2010

In an effort to reduce the likelihood of condensation at metal window frames and glazing, methods to improve the thermal performance are now readily available, such as thermal breaks and warm edge technology. Despite technological improvements, metal window frames may still exhibit interior surface condensation if the installation details or interior environmental conditions create circumstances that compromise or breach thermal breaks. The U-factor, condensation resistance (CR) factor, and CR are often utilized to compare the thermal performance of fenestration products. However, these performance parameters do not necessarily result in adequate CR of windows in service. As a result, remedial measures are commonly required to alter or modify the window details after installation. Computer software programs can be used to evaluate the thermal performance of window components and various installation details under steady-state conditions are available, as well as approaches to correcting condensation/frost formation issues. Computer simulated repair approaches indicated that the application of additional metal components on the interior may effectively raise the interior surface temperatures of the window frame. Our study will evaluate the feasibility of the “metal fin” in practice, the impact of installation techniques, as well as relate the findings of simulations to mockups. In summary, this paper explores the affect of in situ repair efforts to raise the interior surface temperatures of metal window frames and indirectly on the likelihood of surface condensation on the frame.
Simulation of Obstacles in a Longitudinal Road Profile Based on the Weibull Distribution
Authors: Múčka Peter , Kropáč Oldřich
Published: November 2010

This paper solves the question of the generation of a longitudinal road profile with randomly distributed local obstacles. For the simulation of local road obstacles, three dimensions are necessary: The length, the maximum height/depth, and the distance between neighboring obstacles. For the specification of these dimensions, results from processing the Long Term Pavement Performance program were used. Obstacles were identified from the measured roads by median filtering. Probability density functions of obstacle dimensions were fitted using Weibull distribution functions. Distinctions between asphalt concrete and Portland cement concrete surfaces and between bumps and potholes were considered. A proposed profile simulation procedure is described in detail. The applicability of the procedure was demonstrated using a series of simulated road profiles. The procedure allows the specification of all relevant road surface parameters according to the requirements of the user.
Engaging Participatory Literacy through Science Zines
Authors: YANG ANDREW
Published: November 2010

Fostering science literacy by engaging students as active participants and communicators of scientific ideas can enhance learning as well as a sense of personal investment. Science “zine” projects can be an effective way to structure this kind of participatory science literacy and flexibly build on specific course content as well as skills in the research, conceptualization, and communication of scientific ideas. When students are engaged as media producers and educators, their role and responsibility in the “ecology of scientific information” becomes more apparent and potentially more rewarding.
Using Scientific Purposes to Improve Student Writing & Understanding in Undergraduate Biology Project-Based Laboratories
Authors: Kosinski-Collins Melissa , Gordon-Messer Susannah
Published: November 2010

Understanding the scientific reasoning behind a laboratory procedure is critical to the student's understanding of the scientific process and has become increasingly important. In the introductory project-based laboratory curriculum at Brandeis University, we ask our students to write true scientific purposes for each laboratory in place of learning objectives. With discussion, feedback, and practice, we find that this simple exercise increases our students' understanding of the material and their ability to write abstracts and solidifies the underlying connections between multiweek procedures.
Viewing Plant Systematics through a Lens of Plant Compensatory Growth
Authors: Rea Roy V. , Massicotte Hugues B.
Published: November 2010

Plant compensatory growth is a phenomenon of exaggerated vegetative growth that occurs in plants as a result of mechanical damage (e.g., cutting or browsing). Because shoots, leaves, and other plant parts grow larger on plants undergoing compensation, they typically fall outside of the normal ranges given in plant identification keys and confuse students who are attempting to classify them. Here, we describe the conundrum faced by students collecting compensatory materials and offer suggestions on how to help students identify their “plant-in-hand” and how to seize a teaching moment to examine and explain the underlying processes that lead to this fascinating plant response.
Using Critical-Thinking Skills to Substantiate or Challenge Controversial Claims Endorsing a Myriad of Weight-Loss Products
Authors: DeGolier Teresa F.
Published: November 2010

This exercise engages students in critically evaluating weight-loss products and programs. Specific objectives are to investigate, analyze, and substantiate claims made by the weight-loss industry and interpret how these claims may be fraudulent, misleading, or perhaps even truthful.
Dust Thou Art Not & unto Dust Thou Shan't Return: Common Mistakes in Teaching Biogeochemical Cycles
Authors: O'Connell Dan
Published: November 2010

When describing biogeochemical transfers, textbook authors have often overstated the role of soil while neglecting the role of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, these errors align with naive biogeochemical intuitions. This article aims to increase awareness of the prevalence of such misconceptions and offers countermeasures. Avoiding these misconceptions becomes increasingly important as concerns over carbon emissions grow. In addition, because an accurate understanding of biogeochemical cycles can transform deeply held beliefs, successfully teaching this topic can have the collateral benefit of inspiring lasting interest in science.
A Lantern-Slide-Inspired Look into Biology Teaching's Past
Authors: Reiser Frank
Published: November 2010

Using visual aids in the instruction of biology is a technique with deep roots. Collections of historical images, many now in the public domain, are currently being digitized and made available online by several academic and commercial organizations. Unfortunately, the original indexes, guides, and catalogs for the materials are frequently inadequate, and in some instances border on the fraudulent. Careful examination of these archives by the skilled eyes of present-day biology educators is needed to uncover historical imagery that will contribute valuable information useful for contextualizing contemporary topics in the classroom.
A Play of Protein Synthesis in the Classroom
Authors: Ong Bessie
Published: November 2010

A role-play of transcription and translation to synthesize a short polypeptide was enacted in the classroom. At the end, students were quizzed about what they had learned and surveyed for their satisfaction with the activity. Most students performed well on the factual-comprehension questions. Students' satisfaction with the activity was generally high.
Video-Gaming Among High School Students: Health Correlates, Gender Differences, and Problematic Gaming
Authors: Desai Rani A. , Krishnan-Sarin Suchitra , Cavallo Dana , Potenza Marc N.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE:

Video game playing may negatively impact youth. However, the existing literature on gaming is inconsistent and often has focused on aggression rather than the health correlates of gaming and the prevalence and correlates of problematic gaming.

METHODS:

We anonymously surveyed 4028 adolescents about gaming and reported problems with gaming and other health behaviors. A total of 51.2% of the sample reported gaming (76.3% of boys and 29.2% of girls).

RESULTS:

There were no negative health correlates of gaming in boys and lower odds of smoking regularly; however, girls who reported gaming were less likely to report depression and more likely to report getting into serious fights and carrying a weapon to school. Among gamers, 4.9% reported problematic gaming, defined as reporting trying to cut back, experiencing an irresistible urge to play, and experiencing a growing tension that could only be relieved by playing. Boys were more likely to report these problems (5.8%) than girls (3.0%). Correlates of problematic gaming included regular cigarette smoking, drug use, depression, and serious fights. Results suggest that gaming is largely normative in boys and not associated with many health factors. In girls, however, gaming seems to be associated with more externalizing behaviors and fewer internalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:

The prevalence of problematic gaming is low but not insignificant, and problematic gaming may be contained within a larger spectrum of externalizing behaviors. More research is needed to define safe levels of gaming, refine the definition of problematic gaming, and evaluate effective prevention and intervention strategies.
Youth Motorcycle-Related Hospitalizations and Traumatic Brain Injuries in the United States in 2006
Authors: Weiss Harold , Agimi Yll , Steiner Claudia
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives were to provide national injury and health care cost estimates for youth motorcycle injuries in traffic and nontraffic settings and to focus on the burden of serious motorcycle-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults.

METHODS:

The 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database is a sample of inpatient discharges for US patients <21 years of age from 38 states. This cross-sectional analysis of the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database included comparisons of TBI versus non-TBI and traffic versus nontraffic motorcycle-related crashes for ages 12 to 20, with national estimates of hospital charges and costs, length of stay, severity, and long-term disability rates.

RESULTS:

Motorcycle-related crashes accounted for 5662 discharges (95% confidence interval: 5201–6122 discharges), which amounts to 3% of injury hospitalizations among youths and 5% of TBI diagnoses; two-thirds of cases were traffic-related, and one-third of patients sustained a TBI (1793 patients [95% confidence interval: 1631–1955 patients]). Among patients with TBIs, the overall probability of long-term disability was 24%. Patients with TBIs were 3.6 times more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility and >10 times more likely to die in the hospital than were patients without TBIs.

CONCLUSIONS:

Motorcycle injuries are a substantial cause of youth injury hospitalizations. The large proportion, costs, and morbidity of TBI diagnoses in youth motorcycle crashes emphasize the need for effective crash prevention and head protection.
Variability in Antibiotic Use at Children's Hospitals
Authors: Gerber Jeffrey S. , Newland Jason G. , Coffin Susan E. , Hall Matt , Thurm Cary , Prasad Priya A. , Feudtner Chris , Zaoutis Theoklis E.
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND:

Variation in medical practice has identified opportunities for quality improvement in patient care. The degree of variation in the use of antibiotics in children's hospitals is unknown.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 556 692 consecutive pediatric inpatient discharges from 40 freestanding children's hospitals between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008. We used the Pediatric Health Information System to acquire data on antibiotic use and clinical diagnoses.

RESULTS:

Overall, 60% of the children received at least 1 antibiotic agent during their hospitalization, including >90% of patients who had surgery, underwent central venous catheter placement, had prolonged ventilation, or remained in the hospital for >14 days. Even after adjustment for both hospital- and patient-level demographic and clinical characteristics, antibiotic use varied substantially across hospitals, including both the proportion of children exposed to antibiotics (38%–72%) and the number of days children received antibiotics (368–601 antibiotic-days per 1000 patient-days). In general, hospitals that used more antibiotics also used a higher proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

CONCLUSIONS:

Children's hospitals vary substantially in their use of antibiotics to a degree unexplained by patient- or hospital-level factors typically associated with the need for antibiotic therapy, which reveals an opportunity to improve the use of these drugs.
Street ballets in magic cities
Authors: O'Keeffe Tadhg
Published: November 2010

Written from the perspective of an urban specialist rather than a musicologist, this paper is a series of three inter-linked reflections on attempts in popular and ‘semi-popular’ music to represent the modern, later twentieth-century, American metropolis. Using a number of urban soundtracks as case studies, culminating in the soundtrack to Shaft, an early 1970s Blaxploitation movie, the suggestion is made that musics purporting to represent urbanism are better understood as constructions of virtual, parallel, urbanisms, reflecting the cultural imaginations of their creators and responding to the cultural needs of their audiences. It is suggested that the value of music research in Urban Studies derives not from the potential of music to capture the nature of urban life but from its potential to illuminate subtle, but sometimes politically potent, cultural conceptualizations of the city as a concept of place.
Rorty and contemporary social theory
Authors: Prodanovic Srdjan
Published: November 2010

The aim of this paper is to show certain aspects of Rorty?s philosophy that
are relevant to social theory, and also to point out the most important
divergences of Rorty?s insights from postmodern understanding of social
reality. Therefore, in the first part of the paper I will examine both
Rorty?s philosophy of edification and all relevant criticisms to his view of
philosophy ?as a communication of mankind?. Furthermore, I will try to
establish to which extent Rorty?s understanding of contingency and its
implications really falls close to postmodern thought. I will also argue
that the impossibility of philosophical justification of social reality,
according to Rorty, does not entail impossibility of moral progress and that
the role of social theory is actually in raising the level of inclusion of
social interaction and in providing social hope. Moreover, it will be shown
that Rorty, unlike Foucault and Derrida, thought that the institutions of
Western democracy and liberalism are quite capable to achieve these goals
and that accomplishment of this liberal utopia greatly depends on the degree
of commitment to moral progress that all actors (writers, social scientists
and philosophers) within the cultural field share.