bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among six culturally diverse communities in Sydney
Authors: DONATO‐HUNT CONNIE , MUNOT SONALI , COPELAND JAN
Published: March 2012

Introduction and Aims. A survey was conducted in 2004–2005 to investigate the risk of drug‐related harm among Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Pasifika, Arabic‐speaking and Spanish‐speaking communities in Sydney.

Design and Methods. A self‐completion questionnaire, available in six languages, was distributed by bilingual field staff. A representative multistage clustered sampling design was used. Comparisons were made with the New South Wales general population using the results from the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

Results. The obtained sample was 2212 respondents; 50% completed the questionnaire in English. Daily tobacco use was higher than the general population among Vietnamese men (30%), Italian men (22%) and Pasifika men and women (25%). Reported use of alcohol and other drugs was lower than the general population in all six surveyed communities. Of the six communities, Pasifika had the highest rate of short‐term risky drinking (22%).

Discussion and Conclusions. Smoking cessation programs should prioritise communities with higher or equal rates of daily smokers compared with the wider New South Wales population. Focus areas vary between the communities, and include increasing help seeking and improving quitting success rates. Short‐term risky drinking was not as prevalent among the surveyed communities; however, results suggest a need for prevention targeting Pasifika communities. Understanding the prevalence of substance use among culturally and linguistically diverse communities provides a crucial foundational component in developing culturally sensitive prevention and treatment programs. These results demonstrate the need for programs to be tailored to the needs and contexts of particular communities, rather than treating those from diverse backgrounds as one homogenous group.[Donato‐Hunt C, Munot S, Copeland J. Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among six culturally diverse communities in Sydney. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:881–889]
Transcultural adaptation of the filial responsibility interview schedule for Brazil*
Authors: Aires M. , Weissheimer A.‐M. , Rosset I. , de Oliveira F. A. , de Morais E. P. , Paskulin L. M. G.
Published: March 2012

AIRES M., WEISSHEIMER A.‐M., ROSSET I., DE OLIVEIRA F. A., DE MORAIS E. P. & PASKULIN L. M. G. (2012) Transcultural adaptation of the filial responsibility interview schedule for Brazil. International Nursing Review59, 266–273

Background:  In developed countries, filial responsibility in relation to caring for elderly parents has been systematically studied. In Brazil and other developing countries, however, it is a relatively new topic and has not yet been included in the research agenda on ageing.

Objective:  To describe the process of cross‐cultural adaptation of the qualitative phase of the filial responsibility interview schedule into Brazilian Portuguese.

Methods:  An expert committee of six team members participated in the study. In addition, individual interviews were held with 11 caregivers of older persons to evaluate the quality of the final Portuguese version of the schedule. The process included examining conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalencies. Conceptual and item equivalencies were based on a literature review and on discussions with the expert committee. Semantic equivalence was attained through translation, back‐translation, expert committee evaluation and pre‐testing. The final version was pre‐tested in caregivers of older persons enrolled in the home care programme of a primary health care service in Southern Brazil.

Results:  Conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalencies were attained. Through the interviews, responses to the open‐ended questions concerning filial responsibility in the care for elderly parents pertained to the following categories: possibility of institutionalization of elderly parents, caregiver expectations, difficulties in being a child caregiver and responsibility as a natural process.

Conclusion:  The Portuguese version presented good semantic equivalence and the results showed that the concepts and items are applicable to the Brazilian context.
Media governance and corporate social responsibility of media organizations: an international comparison
Authors: Ingenhoff Diana , Koelling A. Martina
Published: March 2012

Media companies are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of their reputation. In order to legitimate themselves, they are starting to present themselves as ‘good corporate citizens’ by engaging in media governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The communication of those activities is crucial for the building of reputation. However, to date, no comprehensive studies have been conducted to evaluate the communication of media governance and CSR activities of media organizations. This study aims to fill this gap and examined websites and reports of selected media organizations in Germany, Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. Results indicate that public service media organizations communicate proportionally more on media governance than private media organizations, which may be due to the fact that public service media organizations feel more accountable to the public as they have a public service obligation. Concerning the communication of their CSR activities, media organizations focus on society‐oriented measures.
Demanding Peace: The Impact of Prevailing Conflict on the Shift from Peacekeeping to Peacebuilding
Authors: Balas Alexandru , Owsiak Andrew P. , Diehl Paul F.
Published: March 2012

Once the Cold War ended, the international community expanded the mandates given to its peace operations. Traditional thinking suggests that this trend occurred because of an increase in the number and a shift in the type of conflicts prevalent in the international system. This “demand side” explanation argues that as predominant conflict in the system changes from interstate to intrastate, the tasks shift accordingly from traditional peacekeeping to peacebuilding. Despite the persistence of this argument, no systematic studies exist that empirically test its validity. Considering conflict and peace operation patterns since 1945, we analyze whether conflict occurrence, conflict type, negotiated agreements, and international intervention changed fundamentally after the Cold War. We find that patterns of interstate and intrastate conflicts provide some limited support for this demand side argument, but the greatest support comes from the proliferation of negotiated agreements that terminate conflicts, in which disputants often request peacebuilding assistance.
The Passing of Time and the Collective Memory of Conflicts: The Case of Israel and the 1948 Palestinian Exodus
Authors: Nets‐Zehngut Rafi
Published: March 2012

Collective memory is a general category that includes various kinds of memories such as popular, official, autobiographical, cultural, and historical (that produced by scholars). The impact of the passing of time on the collective memory of conflicts, despite its importance, is narrowly addressed in the literature. This article addresses that lack. Empirically, the article is based primarily on a study that examined Israeli collective memory from 1949 to 2004 regarding the causes for the 1948 Palestinian exodus. Methodologically, it is based mostly on content analysis of publications of seven main Israeli–Jewish institutions: the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the National Information Center, the Ministry of Education, newspapers, the research community, non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and 1948 war veterans’ memoirs, as well as interviews with key people in these institutions. Theoretically, the article offers various contributions, such as: it proposes that time is a meta‐factor which includes fifteen factors influencing collective memory and describes which kind of memory is influenced by each factor and in what way (with focus on the historical memory). The article also discusses the intra‐generational process that occurs within the direct‐experience generation, differentiates between different modes of influence of the factors (for example, direct and indirect), and proposes that time is an apolitical meta‐factor.
Institutional Features of Schooling Systems and Educational Inequality: Cross-Country Evidence From PIRLS and PISA*
Authors: Ammermueller Andreas
Published: March 2012

Educational opportunities determine the intergenerational mobility of human capital and affect the distribution of earnings on the labour market. This paper aims at explaining cross-country differences in educational opportunities by features of schooling systems. The theoretical model predicts that a greater differentiation of the schooling system as indicated by streaming and a large share of private schools decreases educational opportunities while more instruction time increases educational opportunities. The empirical results that are based on a difference-in-differences estimation approach to control for country-specific effects support these hypotheses.
Re‐evaluation of the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients treated with anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents for chronic plaque psoriasis: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Tzellos T. , Kyrgidis A. , Zouboulis C. C.
Published: March 2012

Objective  To detect a detrimental or beneficial effect of anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents (ustekinumab and briakinumab) for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).

Design  Systematic review and meta‐analysis MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, SciVerse Scopus and ongoing trial registries were searched from inception until December 2011. Search strategy, eligibility criteria, data and statistical analysis methods were defined prior to the literature search. Randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, monotherapy studies with safety data for MACEs of IL‐12/23 antibodies in adults were eligible for inclusion. Studies of psoriatic arthritis were excluded. Information from each study was extracted independently by two reviewers, using a standardized data extraction form. The primary outcome measure was the number of MACEs during the placebo‐controlled phase of treatment.

Results  MACEs include myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident or cardiovascular death. No statistical heterogeneity across the studies using the I2 statistic (I2 = 0) was found. We employed Peto one‐step method to determine odds ratios and quantify a possible detrimental or beneficial association of IL‐12/23 antibodies treatment with MACEs. We found a possible higher risk of MACEs in those patients treated with IL‐12/23 antibodies compared with those at placebo (OR = 4.23, 95% CI: 1.07–16.75, P = 0.04). This study is unaffected by non‐reporting of outcomes with no events.

Conclusion  Compared with placebo, there was a significant difference in the rate of MACEs observed in patients receiving anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents.
Who do you think they were? How family historians make sense of social position and inequality in the past
Authors: Bottero Wendy
Published: March 2012

How do social comparisons over time shape perceptions of inequality? In thinking about subjective inequality, it is important to ask which social comparisons matter in establishing people's sense of relative social position and wider inequalities. These issues are discussed by drawing on a qualitative study of popular genealogy, which examines how people make sense of social position in the past, and explores how social change affects people's sense of social hierarchies. The gaze of family history promotes certain sorts of social comparisons, between ‘then and now’, and between immediate kin, which can flatten the sense of social hierarchies. However, the ability to determine social position also depends on the quality of information available, and how different practical engagements facilitate ‘sideways’ comparisons between contemporaries, affording different fields of vision on relative inequalities. On this evidence, when exploring subjective inequality it is necessary to examine when and how people engage in social comparison as part of everyday practical activities.
The relationship between education and levels of trust and tolerance in Europe1
Authors: Borgonovi Francesca
Published: March 2012

In this article we explore the relationship between education and levels of trust and tolerance in Europe. More specifically we assess whether the relationship between years of schooling and the extent to which individuals trust others in their communities and are tolerant towards immigrants varies across European countries and attempt to identify possible sources of these variations. Findings based on data from the first three rounds of the European Social Survey indicate that the association between education and levels of trust and tolerance varies significantly across countries and that a major source of this variation lies in the way in which individuals react to the level of diversity in the country where they live.
Contemporary Anglo‐Jewish community leadership: coping with multiculturalism1
Authors: Gidley Ben , Kahn‐Harris Keith
Published: March 2012

In this article, drawing on qualitative interviews and documentary analysis, we argue that the Jewish community in Britain has undergone a fundamental shift since 1990 from a ‘strategy of security’, a strategy of communal leadership based on emphasizing the secure British citizenship and belonging of the UK's Jews, to a ‘strategy of insecurity’, where the communal leadership instead stresses an excess of security among Anglo‐Jewry. We demonstrate this based on two case studies: of the Jewish renewal movement in the 1990s and the ‘new antisemitism’ phenomenon of the 2000s. We conclude that this shift is tied to the shift from a monocultural Britain to an officially multicultural one, and that therefore there are lessons that can be taken from it for the study of British and other multiculturalisms.
Citizenship, immigration, and the European social project: rights and obligations of individuality
Authors: Soysal Yasemin Nuhoğlu
Published: March 2012

As envisioned by T.H. Marshall, social citizenship was a corrective to the injustices caused by the capitalist market. Entitlements and protections guaranteed by the welfare state would prevent social and economic exclusions that civil and political rights, on their own, simply could not. Such protections consequently would ensure social cohesion and solidarity, as well as a productive economy and market. European welfare states successfully followed this formula for the most part of the post‐World War II period, however the last couple of decades witnessed significant changes. For one, the very meaning of ‘work’ and ‘worker’ on which the welfare state is based has changed – flexibility, risk, and precariousness have become defining elements of working life. The welfare state itself has gone through a transformation as well, increasingly moving away from a system of ‘passive benefits’ to ‘social investment’ in human capital. These developments are coupled with an emphasis on education in ‘active citizenship’, which envisions participatory individuals who are adaptable in an increasingly globalized society, and ready to contribute at local, national and transnational levels. The emergent European social project draws on a re‐alignment between these strands: work, social investment, and active participation. In this article, I consider the implications of this project for immigrant populations in Europe in particular and for the conceptions of citizenship and human rights in general. In contrast to the recent commentary on the neoliberal turn and the return of nation‐state centered citizenship projects in Europe, I emphasize the broader trends in the post‐World War II period that indicate a significant shift in the very foundations of good citizenship and social justice. The new social project transpires a citizenship model that privileges individuality and its transformative capacity as a collective good. Thus, while expanding the boundaries and forms of participation in society, this project at the same time burdens the individual, rather than the state, with the obligation of ensuring social cohesion and solidarity, disadvantaging not only non‐European migrants but also the ‘lesser’ Europeans. The new social project brings into focus the relationship between universalistic individual rights and their effective exercise. I conclude that rather than treating human rights and citizenship as a dichotomy we should pay attention to their entangled practice in order to understand the contingent accomplishments and possible expansions of citizenship in Europe.
The mammalian bony labyrinth reconsidered, introducing a comprehensive geometric morphometric approach
Authors: Gunz Philipp , Ramsier Marissa , Kuhrig Melanie , Hublin Jean‐Jacques , Spoor Fred
Published: March 2012

The bony labyrinth in the temporal bone houses the sensory systems of balance and hearing. While the overall structure of the semicircular canals and cochlea is similar across therian mammals, their detailed morphology varies even among closely related groups. As such, the shape of the labyrinth carries valuable functional and phylogenetic information. Here we introduce a new, semilandmark‐based three‐dimensional geometric morphometric approach to shape analysis of the labyrinth, as a major improvement upon previous metric studies based on linear measurements and angles. We first provide a detailed, step‐by‐step description of the measurement protocol. Subsequently, we test our approach using a geographically diverse sample of 50 recent modern humans and 30 chimpanzee specimens belonging toPan troglodytes troglodytesandP. t. verus. Our measurement protocol can be applied to CT scans of different spatial resolutions because it primarily quantifies the midline skeleton of the bony labyrinth. Accurately locating the lumen centre of the semicircular canals and the cochlea is not affected by the partial volume and thresholding effects that can make the comparison of the outer border problematic. After virtually extracting the bony labyrinth from CT scans of the temporal bone, we computed its midline skeleton by thinning the encased volume. On the resulting medial axes of the semicircular canals and cochlea we placed a sequence of semilandmarks. After Procrustes superimposition, the shape coordinates were analysed using multivariate statistics. We found statistically significant shape differences between humans and chimpanzees which corroborate previous analyses of the labyrinth based on traditional measurements. As the geometric relationship among the semilandmark coordinates was preserved throughout the analysis, we were able to quantify and visualize even small‐scale shape differences. Notably, our approach made it possible to detect and visualize subtle, yet statistically significant (P = 0.009), differences between two chimpanzee subspecies in the shape of their semicircular canals. The ability to discriminate labyrinth shape at the subspecies level demonstrates that the approach presented here has great potential in future taxonomic studies of fossil specimens.
Female condition, egg shape and hatchability: a study on the grey partridge
Authors: Cucco M. , Grenna M. , Malacarne G.
Published: March 2012

Egg features are key components of egg quality that can influence future prospects of survival. Past studies have outlined the importance of egg size, but little is known about egg shape variation, differences among females, influence of external factors on shape and the importance of shape for hatchability. In this study of the grey partridge Perdix perdix, we examined shape characteristics (elongation and three indices derived from photographs). There was a significant individual difference in egg shape among females, and shape was influenced by the position in the laying order, with last‐laid eggs being less elongated. Egg shape indices were not influenced by food quality (experiment with two diets differing in β‐carotene content), nor by an immune challenge (experiment with two groups differing in Newcastle disease virus vaccine treatment). Eggs laid by females in poorer health conditions were more asymmetric and more pointed. Egg hatchability was higher for intermediate egg elongation values.
Response of Wood Supports in Panel Paintings Subjected to Changing Climate Conditions
Authors: Rachwał B. , Bratasz Ł. , Łukomski M. , Kozłowski R.
Published: March 2012

Abstract:  The finite element method was used to model the moisture movement and strain in the wood supports of panel paintings, in response to changing climate conditions – temperature and relative humidity (RH). The material properties of lime wood (Tilia sp.), determined experimentally, were used in the modelling. Critical amplitudes of cyclic sinusoidal RH fluctuations generating strain of 0.002 in the most responsive tangential direction of the unrestrained, single wood panel, which the pictorial layer was assumed to endure without damage, were derived for the mid‐RH region as a function of cycle duration, panel thickness and diffusion configuration. Panels do not respond significantly to diurnal fluctuations or shorter. The panels respond more and more significantly when the duration of the fluctuations increases until the panel fully responds to each cycle. These fluctuation periods are 14 and 90 days at 20 °C for a panel thickness of 10 and 40 mm, respectively, with two faces of a panel diffusively opened. Sinusoidal RH variations bringing about wood’s full response have the critical amplitude of ±6% RH, that is strain of 0.002 endangering the pictorial layer is produced at such amplitude in the tangential direction of the unrestrained panel.
Simultaneous measurement of soil water and soil hardness using a modified time domain reflectometry probe and a conventional cone penetrometer
Authors: Miyamoto T. , Fukami K. , Chikushi J.
Published: March 2012

Soil strength and water content are important indices for assessing soil resistance to root growth and soil compaction both of which affect other soil properties. Therefore, simultaneous measurement of soil penetration resistance (PR) and soil water content can aid agricultural land management. We measuredPRwith a conventional cone penetrometer, followed immediately by determining water content using a modified TDR probe inserted into the penetrometer hole. From the results of a field feasibility test, soil water content was measured satisfactorily and correlated well with data obtained by the gravimetric method, except for those data from near the surface owing to soil disturbance when the cone penetrometer was extracted after thePRmeasurements. Field results demonstrate thatPRand soil water content have three‐dimensional variability, with a markedly different distribution pattern between cultivated and subsoil layers at the field scale. Overall, the variability in thePRand soil water data is similar to that reported in previous studies. We conclude that our method produces results helpful to field management of soil and water because it is based on a simple and easy technique for the simultaneous measurement of soil water content andPR.
Pharmacological profile of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinases and related phosphatidylinositols mediating endothelinA receptor‐operated native TRPC channels in rabbit coronary artery myocytes
Authors: Shi J , Ju M , Large WA , Albert AP
Published: March 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE EndothelinA (ETA) receptor‐operated canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels mediate Ca2+ influx pathways, which are important in coronary artery function. Biochemical pathways linking ETA receptor stimulation to TRPC channel opening are unknown. We investigated the involvement of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinases (PI3K) in ETA receptor activation of native heteromeric TRPC1/C5/C6 and TRPC3/C7 channels in rabbit coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH A pharmacological profile of PI3K was created by studying the effect of pan‐PI3K, pan‐Class I PI3K and Class I PI3K isoform‐selective inhibitors on ETA receptor‐evoked single TRPC1/C5/C6 and TRPC3/C7 channel activities in cell‐attached patches from rabbit freshly isolated coronary artery VSMCs. The action of phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate‐ [PI(3)P], 4‐phosphate‐ [PI(4)P] and 5‐phosphate‐ [PI(5)P] containing molecules involved in PI3K‐mediated reactions were studied in inside‐out patches. Expression of PI3K family members in coronary artery tissue lysates were analysed using quantitative PCR.

KEY RESULTS ETA receptor‐operated TRPC1/C5/C6 and TRPC3/C7 channel activities were inhibited by wortmannin. However, ZSTK474 and AS252424 reduced ETA receptor‐evoked TRPC1/C5/C6 channel activity but potentiated TRPC3/C7 channel activity. All the PI(3)P‐, PI(4)P‐ and PI(5)P‐containing molecules tested induced TRPC1/C5/C6 channel activation, whereas only PI(3)P stimulated TRPC3/C7 channels.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ETA receptor‐operated native TRPC1/C5/C6 and TRPC3/C7 channel activities are likely to be mediated by Class I PI3Kγ and Class II/III PI3K isoforms, respectively. ETA receptor‐evoked and constitutively active PI3Kγ‐mediated pathways inhibit TRPC3/C7 channel activation. PI3K‐mediated pathways are novel regulators of native TRPC channels in VSMCs, and these signalling cascades are potential pharmacological targets for coronary artery disease.
Predictive Factors for Improvement of Atrophic Gastritis and Intestinal Metaplasia After Helicobacter Pylori Eradication: A Three‐Year Follow‐Up Study in Korea
Authors: Kang Jung Mook , Kim Nayoung , Shin Cheol Min , Lee Hye Seung , Lee Dong Ho , Jung Hyun Chae , Song In Sung
Published: March 2012

Background and Aims:  To date, data on the effects of anti‐Helicobacter therapy on the improvement of atrophic gastritis (AG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) have been conflicting. This study was performed to investigate whether eradication of H. pylori could lead to the improvement of AG and IM, and the prognostic factors associated with the improvement of AG and IM.

Methods:  Four hundred patients consisting of H. pylori‐negative (n = 116) and H. pylori‐positive (n = 284) groups were followed up 1 and 3 years after initial H. pylori tests. Serum levels of pepsinogen (PG), bacteria, environmental factors, and genetic polymorphisms were determined.

Results:  The grade of corpus atrophy decreased at 1 and 3 years after successful eradication (p < .001 and p = .033, respectively). However, there was no significant change in the IM in the antrum and in the corpus. Prediction factors for the improvement of corpus AG by H. pylori eradication were baseline low PG I/II ratio (≤3), high salt intake, and corpus‐predominant gastritis. IM improvement was also associated with spicy food intake and high baseline grade of IM, in addition to these factors. In addition, IL‐1B‐511 C/T and IL‐6‐572 C/G alleles were found to inhibit IM improvement. However, H. pylori‐negative and noneradicated group did not show any significant change in AG or IM.

Conclusion:  Corpus AG was reversed by H. pylori eradication, and improvement of IM by H. pylori eradiation was more definite in patients with severe IM, low PG I/II ratio, and corpus‐predominant gastritis, suggesting that H. pylori eradication is valuable even in severe cases.
Effects of Alpha Tocopherol and Ascorbic Acid on Helicobacter pylori Colonization and the Severity of Gastric Inflammation
Authors: Sezikli Mesut , Çetinkaya Züleyha Akkan , Güzelbulut Fatih , Çimen Burak , Özcan Ömer , Özkara Selvinaz , Yeşil Atakan , Gümrükçü Gülistan , İpçioğlu Osman Metin , Sezikli Hayrünnisa , Övünç Ayşe Oya Kurdaş
Published: March 2012

Background and Aim:  We aimed to evaluate the changes in histopathologic features, concentrations of vitamins C and E in gastric mucosa, and total antioxidant capacity of the body after ingestion of ascorbic acid and alpha tocopherol in patients with Helicobacter pylori.

Material and Method:  Patients with H. pylori‐positive nonulcer dyspepsia were included in this study. Tissue samples were taken from the lesser and greater curvature in both prepyloric antrum and corpus for histopathologic examination and measurement of vitamins C and E concentrations. Blood samples were obtained for measurement of the total antioxidant capacity of the body. The patients were given vitamin C 500 mg BID and vitamin E 200 IU BID for 4 weeks orally. At the end of the 4th week, the initial procedures were repeated. Histopathologic examination of the tissue samples were carried out by two pathologists.

Results:  The mean vitamins C and E concentrations in gastric mucosa at the 4th week were higher than those at the beginning (p = .000 and p = .006, respectively). Mean total antioxidant capacity of the body at the beginning and that at the 4th week were similar (p = .689). H. pylori intensity in the antrum at the beginning was higher than that at the 4th week for both pathologists (p = .007 and p = .039). Neutrophilic activity in the antrum at the beginning was higher than that at the 4th week for both pathologists (p = .000 and p = .025). Neutrophilic activity in the corpus at the beginning was higher than that at the 4th week for pathologist 1 (p = .033), and they were similar for pathologist 2 (p = .763).

Conclusion:  The findings that H. pylori intensity and neutrophilic activity decrease through increasing gastric ascorbic acid and alpha tocopherol concentrations suggest that supplementation with vitamins C and E increases the eradication rates via impairing the microenvironment created by the bacteria and facilitating the diffusion of antibiotics into gastric mucosa.
Skin/ned Politics: Species Discourse and the Limits of “The Human” in Nandipha Mntambo's Art
Authors: Lipschitz Ruth
Published: March 2012

In this paper I focus on recent artworks by South African artist Nandipha Mntambo. I read these for the ways in which the discourse of species works within and against the humanist sacrificial economy of the subject that Jacques Derrida calls “carno‐phallogocentric” (Derrida 1991). Drawing on Derrida's “metonymy of ‘eating well,’” Achille Mbembe's analysis of colonial violence, and Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection, I argue that these works inscribe and disturb a speciesist, sexual, and racial politics of animalization, and do so by figuring a transgressive animality that stalks the “origins” of “the human” and troubles its carnivorous and colonial relations of “eating the other.” The works render ambiguous the humanist border that separates “man” from what he calls “the animal” and thicken the singular division between edible and inedible bodies, and literal and figurative eating. I suggest that this figures what Haraway might call an “eccentric subject” (Haraway 1992), one that not only holds open the possibility of a nonanthropocentrism but, as Haraway would say, “nourishes indigestion” at the heart of “carno‐phallogocentric” power (Haraway 2008). But this is risky practice, as a recent controversy about reading Mntambo's work shows.
Methodology of the Privileged: White Anti‐racist Feminism, Systematic Ignorance, and Epistemic Uncertainty
Authors: Sholock Adale
Published: March 2012

This article addresses the impact of systematic ignorance and epistemic uncertainty upon white Western women's participation in anti‐racist and transnational feminisms. I argue that a “methodology of the privileged” is necessary for effective coalition‐building across racial and geopolitical inequities. Examining both self‐reflexivity and racial sedition as existing methods, I conclude that epistemic uncertainty should be considered an additional strategy rather than a dilemma for the privileged.
LGBTQ…Z?
Authors: Rudy Kathy
Published: March 2012

In this essay, I draw the discourses around bestiality/zoophilia into the realm of queer theory in order to point to a new form of animal advocacy, something that might be called, in shorthand, loving animals. My argument is quite simple: if all interdicts against bestiality depend on a firm notion of exactly what sex is (and they do), and if queer theory disrupts that firm foundation by arguing that sexuality is impossible to define beforehand and pervades many different kinds of relations (and it does), then viewing bestiality in the frame of queer theory can give us another way to conceptualize the limitations of human exceptionalism. By focusing on transformative connections between humans and animals, a new form of animal advocacy emerges through the revolutionary power of love.
Species Trouble: Judith Butler, Mourning, and the Precarious Lives of Animals
Authors: Stanescu James
Published: March 2012

This article utilizes the work of Judith Butler in order to chart a queer and feminist animal studies, an animal studies that celebrates our shared embodied finitude. Butler's commentary on other animals remains dispersed and fragmented throughout books, lectures, and interviews over the course of the last several years. This work is critically synthesized in conjunction with her work on mourning and precarious lives. By developing an anti‐anthropocentric understanding of mourning and precarious lives, this article hopes to create ontological, ethical, and political concepts that resist the violence of the present. In so doing, the article contrasts Butler's understanding of precarious life with Giorgio Agamben's understanding of bare life in order to conceive of precariousness as constitutive of social reality. This intellectual labor lays the groundwork for understanding mourning the lives of other animals as a political act that produces new communities, rather than as an individuating and isolating emotion.
Relation Over Time Between Facial Measurements and Cognitive Outcomes in Fetal Alcohol‐Exposed Children
Authors: Foroud Tatiana , Wetherill Leah , Vinci‐Booher Sophia , Moore Elizabeth S. , Ward Richard E. , Hoyme H. Eugene , Robinson Luther K. , Rogers Jeffrey , Meintjes Ernesta M. , Molteno Christopher D. , Jacobson Joseph L. , Jacobson Sandra W.
Published: March 2012

Background

The identification of individuals exposed prenatally to alcohol can be challenging, with only those having the characteristic pattern of facial features, central nervous system abnormality, and growth retardation receiving a clinical diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Methods

Seventeen anthropometric measurements were obtained at 5 and 9 years from 125 Cape Town, South African children, studied since birth. The children were divided into 3 groups: FAS or partial FAS (PFAS), heavily exposed nonsyndromal (HE), and non‐alcohol‐exposed controls (C). Anthropometric measurements were evaluated for mean group differences. Logistic regression models were used to identify the subset of anthropometric measures that best predicted group membership. Anthropometric measurements were examined at the 2 ages in relation to prenatal alcohol exposure obtained prospectively from the mothers during pregnancy. Correlation of these facial measurements with key neurobehavioral outcomes including Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children‐IV IQ and eyeblink conditioning was used to assess their utility as indicators of alcohol‐related central nervous system impairment.

Results

Significant group differences were found for the majority of the anthropometric measures, with means of these measures smaller in the FAS/PFAS compared with HE or C. Upper facial widths, ear length, lower facial depth, and eye widths were consistent predictors distinguishing those exposed to alcohol from those who were not. Using longitudinal data, unique measures were identified that predicted facial anomalies at one age but not the other, suggesting the face changes as the individual matures. And 41% of the FAS/PFAS group met criteria for microtia at both ages. Three of the predictive anthropometric measures were negatively related to measures of prenatal alcohol consumption, and all were positively related to at least 1 neurobehavioral outcome.

Conclusions

The analysis of longitudinal data identified a common set of predictors, as well as some that are unique at each age. Prenatal alcohol exposure appears to have its primary effect on brain growth, reflected by smaller forehead widths, and may suppress neural crest migration to the branchial arches, reflected by deficits in ear length and mandibular dimensions. These results may improve diagnostic resolution and enhance our understanding of the relation between the face and the neuropsychological deficits that occur.
Institutionalization of Brief Alcohol Intervention in Primary Health Care—The Finnish Case
Authors: Seppänen Kati K. , Aalto Mauri , Seppä Kaija
Published: March 2012

Background

There have been several research and practical projects to promote alcohol brief interventions (BIs) in healthcare settings, but no reports of nationwide outcome have so far been published. In Finland, these activities started in the early 1990s, and in the past years, the focus has been mainly on primary and occupational health care. The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether the extensive and long‐lasting implementation efforts have led to the institutionalization of this activity among primary healthcare physicians and to the identification of factors that may be associated with it.

Methods

The data were gathered by a questionnaire sent to all Finnish primary healthcare physicians in 2002 and 2007. In both years, the questionnaire contained questions on demographics, professional background and the physicians' own BI activity (regular, occasional, or none). In 2007, a question eliciting information about the change in BI activity during the past 5 years was added. The response rate was 67.1% (95% CI 65.4 to 68.8) (2,001/2,980) in 2002 and 50.9% (95% CI 49.2 to 52.6) (1,610/3,163) in 2007.

Results

The number of physicians offering BI had increased during the study years from 59.2 to 78.5%. Regular activity was reported in 2002 by 9.3% of physicians and in 2007 by 17.2% and occasional activity correspondingly by 49.9 and 61.3%. Of the physicians who offered BI in 2007, 52.4% reported increased activity and 42.6% similar activity to that reported 5 years earlier. Having a specialist's license in general practice or occupational health care or long experience as a primary healthcare physician predicted high activity.

Conclusions

The BI activity of Finnish primary healthcare physicians is reasonably high and rising. Training and motivating those with low BI activity remains future challenge.
Variation in Documented Care for Unhealthy Alcohol Consumption Across Race/Ethnicity in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System
Authors: Williams Emily C. , Lapham Gwen T. , Hawkins Eric J. , Rubinsky Anna D. , Morales Leo S. , Young Bessie A. , Bradley Katharine A.
Published: March 2012

Background

The VA Healthcare System has made progress implementing evidence‐based care for unhealthy alcohol use, but whether there are differences in care across race/ethnicity is unclear. We describe alcohol‐related care for 3 racial/ethnic groups among VA outpatients with unhealthy alcohol use.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study utilized secondary quality improvement data collected for the VA Office of Quality and Performance (July 2006 to June 2007) to identify a sample of 9,194 black (n = 1,436), Hispanic (n = 500), and white (n = 7,258) VA outpatients who screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT‐C score ≥4 men; ≥3 women). Alcohol‐related care was defined as medical record documentation of brief intervention (advice or feedback) and/or referral (discussion of or scheduled). Logistic regression models estimated the prevalence of alcohol‐related care among black, Hispanic, and white patients after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol use severity, other substance use, and mental health comorbidity.

Results

Among all eligible patients, 2,903 (32%) had documented alcohol‐related care. Adjusted prevalences were 35.3% (95% CI 30.0 to 40.5) for black, 27.3% (95% CI 21.1 to 33.5) for Hispanic, and 28.9% (95% CI 25.5 to 32.3) for white patients. Differences in documented alcohol‐related care between all racial/ethnic groups were significant (p‐values all < 0.05).

Conclusions

Among VA patients with unhealthy alcohol use, black patients had the highest, and Hispanic the lowest, prevalence of documented alcohol‐related care. Future research should evaluate contextual and system‐, provider‐, or patient‐level factors that may attenuate racial/ethnic differences in documented alcohol‐related care, as well as whether differences in documented care are associated with differences in outcomes.
The United States Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Study: evidence for vector‐borne transmission of the parasite that causes Chagas disease among United States blood donors
Authors: Cantey Paul T. , Stramer Susan L. , Townsend Rebecca L. , Kamel Hany , Ofafa Karen , Todd Charles W. , Currier Mary , Hand Sheryl , Varnado Wendy , Dotson Ellen , Hall Chris , Jett Pamela L. , Montgomery Susan P.
Published: March 2012

BACKGROUND: Screening US blood donors for Trypanosoma cruzi infection is identifying autochthonous, chronic infections. Two donors in Mississippi were identified through screening and investigated as probable domestically acquired vector‐borne infections, and the US T. cruzi Infection Study was conducted to evaluate the burden of and describe putative risk factors for vector‐borne infection in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood donors who tested enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay repeat reactive and positive by radioimmunoprecipitation assay, and whose mode of infection could not be identified, were evaluated with a questionnaire to identify possible sources of infection and by additional serologic and hemoculture testing for T. cruzi infection.

RESULTS: Of 54 eligible donors, 37 (69%) enrolled in the study. Fifteen (41%) enrollees had four or more positive serologic tests and were considered positive for T. cruzi infection; one was hemoculture positive. Of the 15, three (20%) donors had visited a rural area of an endemic country, although none had stayed for 2 or more weeks. All had lived in a state with documented T. cruzi vector(s) or infected mammalian reservoir(s), 13 (87%) reported outdoor leisure or work activities, and 11 (73%) reported seeing wild reservoir animals on their property.

CONCLUSION: This report adds 16 cases, including one from the Mississippi investigation, of chronic T. cruzi infection presumably acquired via vector‐borne transmission in the United States to the previously reported seven cases. The estimated prevalence of autochthonous infections based on this study is 1 in 354,000 donors. Determining US foci of vector‐borne transmission is needed to better assess risk for infection.
An automatic wash method for dimethyl sulfoxide removal in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation decreases the adverse effects related to infusion
Authors: Sánchez‐Salinas Andrés , Cabañas‐Perianes Valentín , Blanquer Miguel , Majado María Juliana , Insausti Carmen Luisa , Monserrat Jorge , Sánchez‐Ibáñez Maria Victoria , Menchón Pilar , García‐Hernández Ana , Gómez‐Espuch Joaquín , Morales Alfonso , Moraleda José M.
Published: March 2012

BACKGROUND: Products cryopreserved with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in stem cell transplant (SCT) often cause many adverse effects during their infusion (major cardiovascular events, dyspnea … even death). These are especially frequent in pediatric patients. We tested if a fully automated and closed wash procedure (Sepax S‐100, Biosafe) allowed us to maintain the absolute CD34+ cell number, cell viability, and engraftment potential, decreasing the untoward reactions.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Forty‐six washes of DMSO cryopreserved peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor (HP) apheresis were studied. Blood aliquots were taken both after thawing and after washing to assess the total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts, as well as cell viability. The washed products were infused in 26 autologous SCTs (ASCTs). Results were compared with the 53 previous SCTs performed without DMSO removal.

RESULTS: After washing there were no significant differences between the pre‐ and postwashing CD34+ cell counts (p = 0.08) or viability (p = 0.68). No significant differences were observed between washed and nonwashed infusions in relation to the day of the neutrophil (p = 0.46) and platelet (p = 0.26) engraftment. One adverse event, abdominal pain, occurred during the washed cells infusions. When compared with the 14 untoward reactions that took place during the nonwashed HP infusions, significance was reached (p = 0.00043).

CONCLUSIONS: The automatic method described is effective in terms of CD34+ cell recovery and viability in ASCT. Moreover, Sepax decreased significantly the untoward reactions during the infusion.
Too Scared or Too Capable? Why Do College Students Stay Away from the H1N1 Vaccine?
Authors: Yang Z. Janet
Published: March 2012

Although college students were among the populations that had the highest frequency of infection for H1N1 influenza, only 8% of them received H1N1 vaccine this past flu season nationwide. During the peak of this pandemic, information about H1N1 vaccine was widely available. However, knowledge test and behavioral data indicated that most college students were not equipped with basic facts about H1N1 and the H1N1 vaccine. To investigate socio‐psychological factors that might have deterred this high‐risk population from learning about and getting the H1N1 vaccine, this study tested the utility of a risk information seeking model in addressing this health communication problem. Data collected from an online survey of 371 college students showed that respondents seemed to overestimate how much they knew about the vaccine. Risk information seeking, however, positively influenced their intentions to get the vaccine. Results suggested that to communicate effectively to this population, it is important to emphasize the difference between perceived knowledge and actual knowledge, monitor emotional responses to potential risks, and promote getting flu vaccination as a socially desirable behavior.