bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Who Are the Long-QT Syndrome Patients Who Receive an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator and What Happens to Them?
Authors: Schwartz Peter J. , Spazzolini Carla , Priori Silvia G. , Crotti Lia , Vicentini Alessandro , Landolina Maurizio , Gasparini Maurizio , Wilde Arthur A.M. , Knops Reinoud E. , Denjoy Isabelle , Toivonen Lauri , Mönnig Gerold , Al-Fayyadh Majid , Jordaens Luc , Borggrefe Martin , Holmgren Christina , Brugada Pedro , De Roy Luc , Hohnloser Stefan H. , Brink Paul A.
Published: September 2010

Background—

A rapidly growing number of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) patients are being treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). ICDs may pose problems, especially in the young. We sought to determine the characteristics of the LQTS patients receiving an ICD, the indications, and the aftermath.

Methods and Results—

The study population included 233 patients. Beginning in 2002, data were collected prospectively. Female patients (77%) and LQT3 patients (22% of genotype positive) were overrepresented; mean QTc was 516±65 milliseconds; mean age at implantation was 30±17 years; and genotype was known in 59% of patients. Unexpectedly, 9% of patients were asymptomatic before implantation. Asymptomatic patients, almost absent among LQT1 and LQT2 patients, represented 45% of LQT3 patients. Patients with cardiac symptoms made up 91% of all study participants, but only 44% had cardiac arrest before ICD implantation. In addition, 41% of patients received an ICD without having first been on LQTS therapy. During follow-up, 4.6±3.2 years, at least 1 appropriate shock was received by 28% of patients, and adverse events occurred in 25%. Appropriate ICD therapies were predicted by age <20 years at implantation, a QTc >500 milliseconds, prior cardiac arrest, and cardiac events despite therapy; within 7 years, appropriate shocks occurred in no patients with none of these factors and in 70% of those with all factors.

Conclusions—

Reflecting previous concepts, ICDs were implanted in some LQTS patients whose high risk now appears questionable. Refined criteria for implantation, reassessment of pros and cons, ICD reprogramming, and consideration for other existing therapeutic options are necessary.
Homogeneity of Gridded Precipitation Datasets for the Colorado River Basin
Authors: Guentchev Galina , Barsugli Joseph J. , Eischeid Jon
Published: September 2010

Inhomogeneity in gridded meteorological data may arise from the inclusion of inhomogeneous station data or from aspects of the gridding procedure itself. However, the homogeneity of gridded datasets is rarely questioned, even though an analysis of trends or variability that uses inhomogeneous data could be misleading or even erroneous. Three gridded precipitation datasets that have been used in studies of the Upper Colorado River basin were tested for homogeneity in this study: that of Maurer et al., that of Beyene and Lettenmaier, and the Parameter–Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) dataset of Daly et al. Four absolute homogeneity tests were applied to annual precipitation amounts on a grid cell and on a hydrologic subregion spatial scale for the periods 1950–99 and 1916–2006. The analysis detects breakpoints in 1977 and 1978 at many locations in all three datasets that may be due to an anomalously rapid shift in the Pacific decadal oscillation. One dataset showed breakpoints in the 1940s that might be due to the widespread change in the number of available observing stations used as input for that dataset. The results also indicated that the time series from the three datasets are sufficiently homogeneous for variability analysis during the 1950–99 period when aggregated on a subregional scale.
Variations of the East Asian Mei-Yu and Simulation and Prediction by the NCEP Climate Forecast System
Authors: Gao Hui , Yang Song , Kumar Arun , Hu Zeng-Zhen , Huang Bohua , Li Yueqing , Jha Bhaskar
Published: September 2010

The East Asian mei-yu (EAMY), which includes the mei-yu over eastern China, baiu over Japan, and changma over Korea, is an important component of the Asia summer monsoon system. The EAMY rain belt jumps northward to the Yangtze and Huaihe River valleys (in China), Japan, and Korea from mid-June to mid-July, with remarkable interannual variability. In this study, the variability and predictability of EAMY are investigated using the retrospective ensemble predictions of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS). The CFS reasonably captures the centers, magnitude, northward jump, and other features of EAMY over most regions. It also reasonably simulates the interannual variations of EAMY and its main influencing factors such as the western Pacific subtropical high, the East Asian monsoon circulation, and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The CFS is skillful in predicting EAMY and related circulation patterns with a lead time of one month. An empirical orthogonal function analysis with maximized signal-to-noise ratio is applied to determine the most predictable patterns of EAMY. Furthermore, experiments in which the CFS is forced by observed sea surface temperature (SST) exhibit lower skill in EAMY simulation, suggesting the importance of ocean–atmosphere coupling in predicting EAMY.

The CFS, which exaggerates the precipitation over the southern–southeastern hills of the Tibetan Plateau, overestimates the relationship between EAMY and tropical–subtropical atmospheric circulation due to the overly strong ENSO signals in the model, whereas the experiments forced by observed SST produce a weaker relationship. On the contrary, the CFS underestimates the link of EAMY to higher-latitude processes. An increase in the horizontal resolution of the CFS is expected to reduce some of these errors.
Early Death Perception in Adolescence: Identifying Factors Associated With Change From Pessimism to Optimism About Life Expectancy
Authors: Duke Naomi N. , Skay Carol L. , Pettingell Sandra L. , Borowsky Iris W.
Published: September 2010

US teens overestimate risk for early death. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with an adolescent’s change from early death perception to a belief in living into adulthood. Data are from 9140 adolescents participating in waves 1 (1995) and 2 (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Logistic regression models were used to determine contexts of healthy and unhealthy change associated with the likelihood of early death perception change. Youth report of increased caring and connection to other adults and increased self-esteem were associated with greater likelihood of moving from pessimism to optimism about life expectancy ( P = .003 and P = .038, respectively). Reductions in self-esteem and poorer perception of health were associated with decreased odds of death perception change ( P = .017 and P = .011, respectively). Nurturing positive connections with adults and strategies that improve a youth’s self-esteem offer 2 opportunities to facilitate adolescent early death perception change.
Tularemia: Retrospective Review of 10 Years’ Experience in Arkansas
Authors: Snowden Jessica , Stovall Stephanie
Published: September 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review all cases of tularemia, a tick-borne illness, among inpatients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) from 1996-2006 to discuss clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment. Records of the Infectious Disease Section were reviewed to identify cases of suspected or proven tularemia.

Results: Seventeen patients presented with ulceroglandular tularemia and thirteen with glandular disease. Most patients had been ill for 10-14 days prior to admission and were evaluated at least once by another physician. Serology was positive in 77% of patients, including several positive on convalescent testing alone. Most patients responded well to treatment with gentamicin. Conclusions: This series emphasizes the importance of tularemia as an early consideration among children with fever and lymphadenopathy in Arkansas. Convalescent serology is an important tool, as many patients will remain seronegative early in illness. Gentamicin remains effective treatment and should be considered first-line therapy for suspected tularemia.
Racial Differences in Eighth Grade Students’ Identification With Academics
Authors: Smith Joshua S. , Estudillo Antonio G. , Kang Hyunchang
Published: September 2010

Having a positive attitude about school, valuing school, and being intrinsically motivated is associated with higher grades, graduation, and college attendance. However, the literature reveals that these characteristics and attitudes are not uniform across race, class, and gender. The purpose of the current study was to examine racial differences in student identification with middle school. Specifically the study looked at the ways in which African American and White students described abstract and concrete components of identification. A total of 256 African American and 208 White eighth grade students from four middle schools in the Midwest completed a 13-item Identification with Academics survey as part of a large study of the transition from middle school to high school. Results show that African American students held higher abstract identification with academics than White students. Step-wise linear regression analysis demonstrates that the abstract identification is associated with academic achievement controlling for demographic characteristics. The findings of the study have implications for developing and assessing programs that help students to think about their identification with academics.
Selected Demographics, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Diversity of Preservice Teachers
Authors: Dedeoglu Hakan , Lamme Linda L.
Published: September 2010

In this study, preservice teachers’ demographic variables such as race, innercity program experiences, religious affiliation, and cross-cultural friendships are examined to see if they influence the preservice teachers’ beliefs on issues of diversity. The data are from a Personal Beliefs About Diversity Scale and a Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale. Analyses of the data indicate that religious denomination and cross-cultural friendship involvement as demographic variables significantly predicted scores on all the surveys. Another important finding of these analyses is a closing gap between students who had lower scores and higher scores on the presurveys by the end of the course.
An Inconvenient Identity: Paradox, Complexity, and Strategies in a Social Foundations Classroom
Authors: Cao Wei
Published: September 2010

This article addresses the paradox and complexity of the interactions of the social-cultural context of my students and my identity, as a female Chinese junior professor in social foundations/diversity in my predominantly European American urban classroom. This article will describe the hidden dimensions of teaching diversity courses, the challenges, and strategies to bring multicultural and international education awareness to the students of education majors. Suggestions for the future of multicultural education will be discussed.
The Effect of the Experience Corps® Program on Student Reading Outcomes
Authors: Lee Yung Soo , Morrow-Howell Nancy , Jonson-Reid Melissa , McCrary Stacey
Published: September 2010

A randomized field trial involving 883 students at 23 schools in three urban cities assessed the effectiveness of Experience Corps® (EC), a program that places older adult volunteers in elementary schools to tutor students who are poor readers. Students were assessed at the beginning and end of the academic year with standardized reading measures. Program effects were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to adjust for clustering effects. Findings demonstrated that EC students made statistically greater gains over the academic year on passage comprehension and grade-specific reading skills. The gains were stronger for students who received at least 35 tutoring sessions. These findings indicate that older community volunteers can be effectively deployed to improve reading achievement in low income, ethnic minority children who are at risk of reading failure.
Can Health Insurance Reduce School Absenteeism?
Authors: Yeung Ryan , Gunton Bradley , Kalbacher Dylan , Seltzer Jed , Wesolowski Hannah
Published: September 2010

Enacted in 1997, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) represented the largest expansion of U.S. public health care coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid 32 years earlier. Although the program has recently been reauthorized, there remains a considerable lack of thorough and well-designed evaluations of the program. In this study, we use school attendance as a measure of the program’s impact. Utilizing state-level data and the use of fixed-effects regression techniques, we conclude that SCHIP has had a positive and significant effect on state average daily attendance rates, as measured by both SCHIP participation and eligibility rates. The results support the renewal and expansion of the program.
The Canaanite Woman: Meeting Jesus as Sage and Lord: Matthew 15:21-28 & Mark 7:24-30
Authors: Hart Lawrence D.
Published: September 2010

This article looks at the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 and Mark 7 as a spiritual formation event in process, and examines Jesus’ ‘offending’ comment as a wisdom saying. Viewed in this way the Canaanite woman’s encounter is not with a rude healer from Nazareth, but with the sage and savior who throws everything out of balance so that she can discover her true balance.
A ‘Political Soldier’ and ‘Practitioner of Violence’: The Concentration Camp Commandant Hans Loritz
Authors: Riedel Dirk
Published: September 2010

This article builds on the growing body of literature on SS perpetrators. It explores the career of Hans Loritz, one of the most influential commandants of the pre-war nazi camps (and, from 1936, commandant of Dachau). The present article explores Loritz’s career within the small network of senior camp officials — many of whom would become key players of nazi extermination policy in the second world war — that emerged before the war. In addition, the article places Loritz into his social context: in spite of his responsibility for major atrocities, he led a perfectly ‘normal’ life and was not stranded on the margins of society.
Literary Fiction as a Tool for Teaching Social Theory and Critical Consciousness
Authors: Weber Christina D.
Published: September 2010

In this paper, I discuss the possibilities that emerge from using literary fiction as a tool for teaching social theory and critical consciousness. Focusing on data from a social theory course I taught in fall 2007, along with my experiences teaching social theory, I evaluate the utility of utilizing literary fiction in the social theory classroom. Serving as a mechanism to encourage the development of critical consciousness, literary fiction can expand classroom dynamics and establish engaged dialogue between students and teachers. In particular, it has the potential to make social theory interesting and meaningful to students who are often anxious about learning social theory.
Using Nail Polish to Teach about Gender and Homophobia
Authors: Edwards Nelta M.
Published: September 2010

How might teachers help students investigate the relationship between gender and homophobia? This article describes an exercise that uses fingernail polish to do just that. The authors uses anecdotal evidence to describe the exercise in which students pair with someone of the opposite gender and paint each other’s fingernails. Additionally, the author uses a randomly selected sample of 19 students to formally evaluate the teaching goals of this assignment. Students regard the nail polish assignment favorably, with average scores ranging from 3.37 to 4.26 (out of 5). The evaluation and anecdotal evidence confirms a continuing need to address homophobia in everyday life and in the classroom. This activity offers an innovative approach to doing so.
Teaching a Global Sociology
Authors: Sohoni Deenesh , Petrovic Misha
Published: September 2010

Increasingly, educators have called on colleges and universities to prepare their students for a more interdependent world. While sociology has begun to heed the message to globalize the curriculum, efforts to implement relevant teaching practices are hampered by lack of consensus on what “internationalizing” or “globalizing” the classroom actually means and the most effective ways to accomplish this goal. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to identify the multiple meanings of internationalizing or globalizing the classroom, and second, to suggest teaching strategies relevant to the specific pedagogical goals of teaching a more globalized version of the discipline. Three sociology courses—Race and Ethnic Relations, Classical Social Theory, and Migration in a Global Context—are used to illustrate how a more systematic understanding of globalizing the curriculum can improve course design.
A Process Model of Affect Misattribution
Authors: Payne B. Keith , Hall Deborah L. , Cameron C. Daryl , Bishara Anthony J.
Published: September 2010

People often misattribute the causes of their thoughts and feelings. The authors propose a multinomial process model of affect misattributions, which separates three component processes. The first is an affective response to the true cause of affect. The second is an affective response to the apparent cause. The third process is when the apparent source is confused for the real source. The model is validated using the affect misattribution procedure (AMP), which uses misattributions as a means to implicitly measure attitudes. The model illuminates not only the AMP but also other phenomena in which researchers wish to model the processes underlying misattributions using subjective judgments.
The Predictive Validity of the Early Warning System Tool
Authors: Johnson Evelyn , Semmelroth Carrie
Published: September 2010

The Early Warning System is a tool developed by the National High School Center to collect data on indicators including attendance, grade point average, course failures, and credits earned. These indicators have been found to be highly predictive of a student’s likelihood of dropping out of high school in large, urban areas. The Early Warning System tool was studied in two suburban schools. With the exception of attendance data, findings suggest that the indicators and suggested threshold for risk determination are predictive in suburban contexts.
The possible contributory role of the S allele of 5-HTTLPR in the emergence of suicidality
Authors: Gonda Xenia , Fountoulakis Konstantinos N , Harro Jaanus , Pompili Maurizio , Akiskal Hagop S , Bagdy Gyorgy , Rihmer Zoltan
Published: September 2010

Suicide is a complex and challenging human phenomenon, and, although knowledge is expanding concerning its risk factors, its background is still not fully understood. There is currently an increasing interest in genetic factors associated with suicide, since these may lead to the emergence of personality traits and temperaments that may be long-term predictors of suicidal behaviour. One of the most likely genetic candidates in the background of suicide is the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene. This review focused on papers published on the association of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene and suicidal behaviour as well as research on possible endophenotypes related to suicide. Although there are contradictory results, several studies and meta-analyses support the idea that the S allele plays a role in the background of violent suicide. However, in order to be able to delineate the genetic background of suicide, different types of suicidal behaviour should be distinguished, since studies indicate that these may have different genetic factors. Also, personality traits and temperaments should be identified that may play a modulating role between genetic factors and suicidal behaviour. So far, neuroticism, affective temperaments, and impulsive aggression have been found to be associated with both the S allele and suicidal behaviour. This study aimed to integrate findings concerning possible endophenotypes modulating between genetic factors and manifested suicidal behaviour.
Overexpression of CB2 cannabinoid receptors decreased vulnerability to anxiety and impaired anxiolytic action of alprazolam in mice
Authors: García-Gutiérrez María S , Manzanares Jorge
Published: September 2010

Mice overexpressing CB2r (CB2xP) were exposed to open field (OF), light–dark box (LDB) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA were measured in paraventricular (PVN) and arcuate (ARC) nuclei of the hypothalamus after 30 minutes of restraint stress (RS). Anxiolytic effects of alprazolam (45 or 70 µg/kg, ip) were evaluated. GABAAα2and GABAAγ2mRNA were measured in the hippocampus (HIPP) and amygdala (AMY) of CB2xP and wild type (WT) mice. No differences were observed in the total distance travelled by CB2xP and WT mice in OF. Central and peripheral distances travelled significantly increased and decreased in CB2xP mice. Overexpression of CB2r reduced anxiety-like behaviours in LDB and EPM. In WT mice, RS increased CRF (82%) and POMC (42%) mRNA in the PVN and ARC nuclei, respectively. In CB2xP mice, RS also increased POMC (22%) mRNA in the ARC nucleus, but had no effect on CRF mRNA in the PVN nucleus. Administration of alprazolam was without effect in CB2xP mice. An increase of GABAAα2and GABAAγ2mRNA in the hippocampus and amygdala of CB2xP mice was observed. Our findings revealed that increased expression of CB2r significantly reduced anxiogenic-related behaviours, modified the response to stress and impaired the action of anxiolytic drugs.
Lithium differentially affects clock gene expression in serum-shocked NIH-3T3 cells
Authors: Osland Teresa M , Fernø Johan , Håvik Bjarte , Heuch Ivar , Ruoff Peter , Lærum Ole Didrik , Steen Vidar M
Published: September 2010

Bipolar disorder has been associated with disturbances in circadian rhythms. Lithium is frequently used in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, and has been shown to prolong such rhythms in animals and humans. To examine whether lithium affects the expression of genes regulating the circadian clock, cultured NIH-3T3 cells were synchronized by serum-shocking, and the relative expression of the clock genes Period1 ( Per1), Period2 ( Per2), Period3 ( Per3), Cryptochrome1 ( Cry1), Cryptochrome2 ( Cry2), Brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator-like 1 ( Bmal1), Circadian locomotor output cycles kaput ( Clock), Rev-Erb-α ( Nr1d1), RAR-related orphan receptor α ( Ror-α), Glycogen synthase kinase-3β ( Gsk-3β), Casein kinase 1−ε ( CK1-ε; Csnk1ε), E4 binding protein 4 ( E4BP4; Nfil-3) and albumin D-binding protein ( Dbp) was examined for three consecutive days in the presence of lithium (20 mM) or vehicle (20 mM NaCl). We found that lithium significantly increased the expression of Per2 and Cry1, whereas Per3, Cry2, Bmal1, E4BP4 and Rev-Erb-α expression was reduced. We also found that lithium prolonged the period of Per2. Taken together, these effects on clock gene expression may be relevant for the effects of lithium on biological rhythms and could also give new leads to further explore its mood-stabilizing actions in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
Metaphors of Synchrony: Emergence and Differentiation of Online Chat Devices
Authors: Latzko-Toth Guillaume
Published: September 2010

Through a detailed account of the history of online chat devices, this article shows the emergence, over time, of two distinct interactional formats underlying these social media. They may be captured by two generic metaphors of synchrony: conference (a gathering in a virtual place where unfocused interactions and group sociability occur) and copresence (where practices are centered on the sustainment of contact between individuals who know each other). Internet Relay Chat (IRC) appears as the archetype of the conference format. This notion of chat involves the existence of a relatively persistent shared space—conjured up by various specific metaphors: room, channel, and so on—inside which users get together and through which they are able to find other users, with whom they may weave electronic social ties that may possibly lead to offline relationships. The other format is associated with instant messaging (IM) devices, on the model of “ICQ” software. Although there seems to be a decline in interest for devices based on the former format, those based on the latter benefit from a growing popularity, possibly indicating deeper sociological implications.
Logging On and Letting Out: Using Online Social Networks to Grieve and to Mourn
Authors: Carroll Brian , Landry Katie
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this article is to explore how and why younger Internet users of social networking platforms such as MySpace and Facebook maintain connections with those who have died or been killed. This article, therefore, examines the blurring or blending of interpersonal communication and mass communication via the web as what once was very private communication—messages to the deceased—becomes very public. The findings suggest that these online social networks enable or empower individuals marginalized by more traditional forms of memorialization.
Recycling of aluminium scrap for secondary Al-Si alloys
Authors: Velasco Eulogio , Nino Jose
Published: September 2010

An increasing amount of recycled aluminium is going into the production of aluminium alloy used for automotive applications. In these applications, it is necessary to control and remove alloy impurities and inclusions. Cleaning and fluxing processes are widely used during processing of the alloys for removal of inclusions, hydrogen and excess of magnesium. These processes use salt fluxes based in the system NaCl—KCl, injection of chlorine or mixture of chlorine with an inert gas. The new systems include a graphite wand and a circulation device to force convection in the melt and permit the bubbling and dispersion of reactive and cleaning agents. This paper discusses the recycling of aluminium alloys in rotary and reverberatory industrial furnaces. It focuses on the removal of magnesium during the melting process. In rotary furnaces, the magnesium lost is mainly due to the oxidation process at high temperatures. The magnesium removal is carried out by the reaction between chlorine and magnesium, with its efficiency associated to kinetic factors such as concentration of magnesium, mixing, and temperature. These factors are also related to emissions generated during the demagging process. Improvements in the metallic yield can be reached in rotary furnaces if the process starts with a proper salt, with limits of addition, and avoiding long holding times. To improve throughput in reverberatories, start the charging with high magnesium content material and inject chlorine gas if the molten metal is at the right temperature. Removal of magnesium through modern technologies can be efficiently performed to prevent environmental problems.
Fluorescent lamp recycling initiatives in the United States and a recycling proposal based on extended producer responsibility and product stewardship concepts
Authors: Silveira Geraldo TR , Chang Shoou-Yuh
Published: September 2010

This paper presents an overview of mercury-containing lamp (MCL) recycling initiatives currently available in the world, especially in the United States. The majority of MCLs contain mercury which is a neurotoxin, a persistent pollutant in the environment, and can bioaccumulate in the food chain. Although there are some recycling options in the United States, collection rates are still at 23% of all potential used MCLs. This shows that citizens are either indifferent to or unaware of the recycling alternatives. On the other hand, MCL recycling seems not to be a cost-effective process and, for this reason, in the United States, take-back programmes are still sponsored only by consumers or municipalities. A few retailers have recently initiated limited take-back alternatives and manufacturers have not yet supported financially any consistent recycling alternative in the country. Considering successful experiences, this paper makes a suggestion for an MCL recycling system based on the concepts of extended producer responsibility and product stewardship. A manufacturer-importer advance recycling fee is proposed to finance the collection and recycling system while a MCL-energy recycling fee supported by the energy sector creates a lamp refund process. ‘PRO Lamp’, a producer responsibility organization, will manage the entire system through a widespread public—private agreement.
Rethinking Composing in a Digital Age: Authoring Literate Identities Through Multimodal Storytelling
Authors: Vasudevan Lalitha , Schultz Katherine , Bateman Jennifer
Published: September 2010

In this article, the authors engage the theoretical lens of multimodality in rethinking the practices and processes of composing in classrooms. Specifically, they focus on how learning new composing practices led some fifth-grade students to author new literate identities—what they call authorial stances—in their classroom community. Their analysis adds to the current research on the production and analysis of multimodal texts through an analysis of the interrelationships between multimodal composing processes and the development of literate identities. They found that by extending the composing process beyond print modalities students’ composing shifted in significant ways to reflect the circulating nature of literacies and texts and increased the modes of participation and engagement within the classroom curriculum.These findings are based on an ethnographic study of a multimodal storytelling project in a fifth-grade urban classroom.
Secret Sauce and Snake Oil: Writing Monthly Reports in a Highly Contingent Environment
Authors: Spinuzzi Clay
Published: September 2010

At a search marketing company, each search engine optimization (SEO) specialist writes up to 10 to 12 complex 20-page monthly reports in the first ten business days of each month. These SEO specialists do not consider themselves to be writers, yet they generate these structurally and rhetorically complex reports as a matter of course, while negotiating a constantly changing landscape of a contingent, rapidly changing business sector. Under these conditions, how did the SEO specialists manage to write these reports so quickly and so well? What is the standing set of transformations that they enact in order to develop and produce these reports? And given the multiple contingencies, rapid changes, and high individual discretion at this organization—seemingly a recipe for discohesive practices—how did they maintain and develop this standing set of transformations in order to turn out consistent reports? In this article, I draw on writing, activity, and genre research (WAGR) to examine how Semoptco’s SEO specialists produced monthly reports, specifically in terms of their constant networking, audience analysis, and ethos building. Finally, I draw implications for applying WAGR to knowledge work organizations.
Aflatoxin B1 and ethanol co-exposure induces hepatic oxidative damage in mice
Authors: Adedara IA , Owumi SE , Uwaifo AO , Farombi EO
Published: September 2010

The present study investigated the effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ethanol co-exposure on biomarkers of hepatic damage in mice. Four groups of adult male mice were treated for 7 consecutive days. Control mice received corn oil alone at a dose of 2 mL/kg bw. One group was treated with ethanol at a dose of 500 µL/kg bw and another group administered 9 mg/kg bw of AFB1 dissolved in corn oil. The fourth group was co-administered with ethanol and AFB 1. The body and liver weights of treated mice decreased significantly when compared with corresponding control. Alone, ethanol and AFB1 treatment separately increased serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Alcohol dehydrogenase (ALD) activity was markedly elevated in ethanol-treated mice but was unaffected by AFB1 treatment. Co-exposure of AFB1 and ethanol escalated the activities of these serum enzymes. Administration of ethanol and AFB1 separately resulted in significant decrease in both non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH) level and enzymatic antioxidant catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities, whereas lipid peroxidation was markedly elevated. Superoxide dismutase activity and vitamin C level remained unaffected in all treatment groups. Co-exposure of animals to ethanol and AFB1 showed additive effects on the activities of GST and CAT as well as on the GSH level. Histopathological study revealed that these compounds interact together to exacerbate their individual effects on the liver. In summary, the data presented showed that AFB1 and ethanol co-exposure induced severe oxidative damage to the liver of mice and as such humans consuming excessive amount of ethanol and diets contaminated with AFB1 simultaneously may be at greater risk of the hepatotoxic effects of these compounds.
Antimicrobial Treatment and Clinical Outcomes of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Authors: Chan Jeannie D. , Graves Joseph A. , Dellit Timothy H.
Published: September 2010

Objectives: Carbapenem-resistant (CR) Acinetobacter baumannii is an important pathogen in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), but therapeutic options are limited. We describe the clinical outcomes of the largest case series of CR-Acinetobacter VAP reported to date. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 55 participants with CR-Acinetobacter VAP from July 2004 to December 2007 was undertaken. The primary endpoint was clinical response or microbiological eradication. Secondary endpoint was treatment-associated nephrotoxicity defined as ≥50% increase in serum creatinine or an increase of ≥0.5 mg/dL during therapy. Results: Forty-two (76.4%) participants achieved clinical response at the completion of therapy. Clinical responses were achieved in 60.0% of sulbactam-based, 66.7% of polymyxin-based, 77.8% of aminoglycoside-based, 80.6% of minocycline-based, and 90.0% of tigecycline-based regimens. Follow-up sputum cultures were available in 6 of 10 tigecycline-treated participants with 4 of 6 isolates developing intermediate resistance to tigecycline while on therapy. Ten (18.2%) participants without preexisting renal disease developed treatment-associated nephrotoxicity. Baseline serum creatinine was 0.9 ± 0.1 mg/dL (range: 0.6-1.0 mg/dL) at the start of therapy and peaked at 1.9 ± 0.5 mg/dL (range: 1.6-3.0 mg/dL) during therapy. After excluding other potential concomitant renal toxic agents, nephrotoxicity developed in 6 of 30 (20.0%) and 4 of 7 (57.1%) participants treated with an aminoglycoside-or polymyxin-based regimen, respectively. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that CR-Acinetobacter VAP can be effectively treated with second-line agents. However, colistin-related nephrotoxicity was much higher than recently reported and decreased susceptibility to tigecycline emerged on therapy demonstrating the limitations of alternative regimens.
Assessment of Poplar Seed Hair Fibers as a Potential Bulk Textile Thermal Insulation Material
Authors: Chen Hsiou-Lien , Cluver Brigitte
Published: September 2010

Poplar seed hair fibers, harvested from the seed pods of one of the most common trees grown in the United States, have properties that make them ideal fibers for thermal insulation applications. This preliminary study examines some physical, chemical, and thermal characteristics of poplar fiber in relation to wool, down, and polyester. Results show that when compared to wool and down, poplar fiber has a finer diameter, is lighter in weight, and exhibits the highest fill power, a measure of a fiber’s ability to retain bulk. Thermal insulation tests reveal that although slightly less than down, poplar fiber has similar thermal resistance value (Rct) to that of wool and hollow polyester. In addition, the poplar fiber’s exceptionally large hollow core and its ability to resist wetting after treatments of solvents and laundering strongly suggest that poplar fiber has great potential as an environmentally friendly, effective, and lightweight textile bulk insulator.
Machine Systems and the Unique Nature of Industrial Capitalism
Authors: Fish Kenneth
Published: September 2010

The notion that industrialization occurs in opposition to nature has deep roots in environmental thought. Drawing on Marx’s analysis of machine systems, this paper highlights a unique characteristic of industrial capitalism that is obscured by this technology/nature dualism. It argues that machinery is unique — not simply in its relation to nature — but in the way that it is nature. Where pre-industrial technologies are simply natural materials modified to meet human needs, machine systems constitute a force of nature whose ‘metabolism’ becomes increasingly central to the movement of nature as a whole. The productive force of industrial capitalism, then, is premised not on a technological foundation that is other than, or opposed to, what is natural; on the contrary, it is premised on a unique humanization of nature. The paper concludes by suggesting the value of this conceptual framework for understanding contemporary environmental problems and developing a transformative environmental politics.
Earth Charter Education for Sustainable Ways of Living
Authors: Clugston Rick
Published: September 2010

This introductory article frames the sustainability challenges we face and explores the meaning of sustainable development and education for sustainable development through the lens of the Earth Charter, drawing on the experiences of a range of Earth Charter educators. It introduces the reports of projects using the Earth Charter in ESD, including teacher training programs, university reform and community and youth education in Brazil, the USA, Belarus, Costa Rica, Canada and Germany. It describes how Earth Charter education for sustainable ways of living can help realise and deepen the emerging understanding of ESD in the context of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Earth Charter, ESD and Chinese Philosophies
Authors: Liu Yunhua , Constable Alicia
Published: September 2010

This article examines the relationship between the Earth Charter and education for sustainable development (ESD), as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The areas of shared interest between the two are assessed and the invaluable nature of the Earth Charter as a resource outlining global values and principles for a sustainable, peaceful Earth asserted. Through an examination of the traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, symmetries with the Earth Charter principles are explored and the importance of linking the Earth Charter and ESD with local culture, belief systems and indigenous knowledge is emphasised. Methods for infusing these values and principles in education are proposed and the role of the Earth Charter as a base for linking the local and global in order to foster knowledge, values and skills for sustainable development at the individual, institutional and societal levels through formal, nonformal and informal learning settings is highlighted.
Living in the Earth
Authors: Sterling Stephen
Published: September 2010

The importance of recognising the mismatch between a shared perception of separateness in Western thinking and the systemic and inevitably participative nature of the world is outlined. The article then traces the development of forms of ‘education for change’ that seek to address sustainability issues that stem from dissociation, and notes that diversity of forms has led to a degree of fragmentation, while calls for an integrative and coherent approach to educational reform are becoming stronger. Less attention and loyalty should be paid to labels, and more to meaning and values informing educational thinking and practice. Whilst diverse forms of education for change have value, an imperative remains to rethink education more widely so that it is fully responsive to the times we live in. A plea for ‘Sustainable education’ denoting a change of educational culture that is at heart relational and in accord with the Earth Charter, is made.
The Earth Charter Goes Interactive and Live with e-GLO
Authors: Sheehan Mike , Laitinen Jaana
Published: September 2010

For ten years now the Earth Charter has been inspiring global citizens to engage in conversations and actions that benefit everybody. This article describes e-GLO, the Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity, the Earth Charter International’s semester-long, online leadership course inspired by the Earth Charter. It is developed and implemented in collaboration with BeatBoard Education and Training and Heart in Action Enterprises.
The Methodist University Sustainable Program
Authors: Matarazzo-Neuberger Waverli Maia , Filho Vicente Manzione
Published: September 2010

This article describes a pioneering initiative of a Brazilian university to introduce sustainability in all undergraduate curricula and in its operations. The Methodist University Sustainable Program was developed in a bottom-up way and began with the introduction of sustainability as a core value in the Institutional Political-Pedagogical Plan, followed by the creation of a Sustainability Committee and actions defined in an Education Program and a Structural Diagnosis of three environmental resources: water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. The first step of the Education Program was to establish how and where sustainability could be included within the curricula of undergraduate courses. The second step was to prepare the professors and lecturers of the identified subjects to mainstream sustainability in their curricula using the Earth Charter as a guideline. The first module of an education leadership program was conducted and resulted in the Sustainability Academy seed. The second module is already planned and will be implemented soon.
Using EC-Assess to Assess a Small Biofuels Project in Honduras
Authors: Ngassa Franklin Chamda
Published: September 2010

Biofuels may contribute to both rural economic development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Gota Verde Project in Yoro, Honduras, attempts to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale biofuel production for local use by implementing a distinctive approach to feedstock production that encourages small farm sizes, mixed cropping of biofuel feedstock from Jatropha and food crops, particularly corn and beans, grown side by side on the same farmland and the total involvement of small rural farmers. But is the project sustainable? Using EC-Assess, the Earth Charter ethics-based assessment tool, to assess the sustainability of this project, the author found that in some assessment categories the actions surpassed the intended objectives, showing that the project was achieving certain Earth Charter goals without specifically stating its intention to address them.
The Earth Charter and the ESDinds Initiative
Authors: Podger Dimity , Piggot Georgia , Zahradnik Martin , Janoušková Svatava , Velasco Ismael , Hak Tomas , Dahl Arthur , Jimenez Alicia , Harder Marie K.
Published: September 2010

This descriptive report outlines an innovative project in which Earth Charter International is actively involved. The project aims to develop approaches, indicators and tools for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to be able to measure values-based aspects and impacts of their work at the project level. Many CSOs have an intuitive feeling that their projects are more successful when there is a resonance of values with those involved; this project aims to make such aspects tangible, measurable and transferable to other CSOs. The two year, EU-funded project called ESDinds is characterised by a collaborative partnership between a geographically and culturally diverse consortium consisting of four CSOs (including the Earth Charter International Secretariat) and two universities. The research design takes an iterative, grounded research approach to indicator development.
Relational Genre Knowledge and the Online Design Critique: Relational Authenticity in Preprofessional Genre Learning
Authors: Dannels Deanna P.
Published: September 2010

This study explores the types of feedback and implicated relational systems in an online design critique using an inductive analysis of an online critique about a project focused on designing a new food pyramid. The results reveal eight types of feedback and three implied relational systems, all of which suggest relational archetypes that are disconnected from typical preprofessional activity systems. These results illustrate the potential for the online medium to be a space in which participants pursue idealized relational identities and interactions that are not necessarily authentic approximations of actual relational systems. Using these results as a foundation, the author discusses the potential relevance of the online medium to this setting and the implications of relational authenticity and genre knowledge on oral genre teaching and learning.
Seeking a Direct Pipeline to Practice: Four Guidelines for Researchers and Practitioners
Authors: Cotugno Marianne , Hoffman Mark
Published: September 2010

The authors of this article, a researcher and a practitioner, revisit the collaborative process by which a training program addressing report writing for police officers was developed and implemented as a means of understanding why and how this collaboration was successful. From this reflection, the authors offer four guidelines for others involved in similar efforts to help them obtain a direct pipeline to practice.
The CAPA Integrative Online System for College Major Exploration
Authors: Betz Nancy E. , Borgen Fred H.
Published: September 2010

Career assessment has advanced on several fronts, enabling a CAPA integrative online system for exploring college majors with unprecedented precision and utility. The key inventories in the system are the CAPA Confidence Inventory (CCI), with its 6 general and 27 specific scales, and the CAPA Interest Inventory, with its 6 general and 35 specific scales. Results for these inventories are displayed online when they are completed, enhanced with extensive interpretive materials. With regression models, college major clusters with best fit are displayed based on high scores on the specific confidence and interest scores. Several studies of the inventories and the CAPA assessment system with several thousand college students have demonstrated their validity and utility.
The Virtual Counseling Center: Its Niche, Resources, and Ongoing Research and Development Activity
Authors: Horan John J.
Published: September 2010

Thomas Friedman’s best sellers have raised awareness of our nation’s need to remain competitive in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. However, advances in these fields cannot occur without the proper cultivation of human potential. The usual costs of career assessment and planning systems preclude their scalability to non-wealthy populations and their services are inevitably not integrated with supportive counseling interventions. In contrast, the Virtual Counseling Center (VCC) is freely available to everyone and contains a comprehensive array of resources including career exploration tests scored online with results linked to massive occupation and education databases; programs for stimulating interest and persistence in STEM studies and careers; academic and life skill programs; and resources for counseling research and practice. The VCC has received considerable support from the National Science Foundation; this article describes its niche, resources, and ongoing research and development activity.