bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compartmentalization increases food-web persistence
Authors: Stouffer Daniel B. , Bascompte Jordi
Published: February 2011

It has recently been noted that empirical food webs are significantly compartmentalized; that is, subsets of species exist that interact more frequently among themselves than with other species in the community. Although the dynamic implications of compartmentalization have been debated for at least four decades, a general answer has remained elusive. Here, we unambiguously demonstrate that compartmentalization acts to increase the persistence of multitrophic food webs. We then identify the mechanisms behind this result. Compartments in food webs act directly to buffer the propagation of extinctions throughout the community and augment the long-term persistence of its constituent species. This contribution to persistence is greater the more complex the food web, which helps to reconcile the simultaneous complexity and stability of natural communities.
‘Content’ versus ‘style’: Acquiescence in student evaluation of teaching?
Authors: Spooren Pieter , Mortelmans Dimitri , Thijssen Peter
Published: February 2011

Structural equation modelling is used to measure the existence of a response style (in particular, acquiescence) behind three balanced Likert scales measuring different concepts in a questionnaire for student evaluation of teaching in higher education. Exploration with one sample (n = 1125) and confirmation in a second sample (n = 710) from a different population (different students, different courses) shows the existence of a common factor behind these scales. However, the weak correlation with the variable ‘sum of agreements’ does not support the idea of acquiescence in student evaluation of teaching. Instead, the common factor could be interpreted as a halo factor influencing different scales in the questionnaire. The implications of this exploratory study for future research on acquiescence in student evaluations of teaching are discussed.
Modelling the ‘learning divide’: Predicting participation in adult learning and future learning intentions 2002 to 2010
Authors: White Patrick
Published: February 2011

This article presents multivariate analyses of the characteristics associated with both participation in adult education and the intention to participate in future learning. It uses questionnaire data from more than 47,000 individuals collected by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) over the course of nine annual surveys administered between 2002 and 2010. It reviews both recent and historical policy in the area of ‘lifelong learning’ and considers the findings of previous empirical research in the area. The results of the current study support previous findings suggesting that participation in ‘later’ learning is most strongly associated with positive ‘learning dispositions’ and extended participation in initial, full‐time education. While other socio‐economic factors were related to participation in adult learning, the explanatory power of these variables was much weaker. Despite dramatic changes in online technologies and a ‘massification’ of Internet access over the period studied, there was no evidence that information and communications technologies were either increasing or widening access to participation.
The contribution of phonological short-term memory to artificial grammar learning
Authors: Andrade Jackie , Baddeley Alan
Published: February 2011

Three experiments investigated the contribution of phonological short-term memory (STM) to grammar learning by manipulating rehearsal during study of an auditory artificial grammar made up from a vocabulary of spoken Mandarin syllables. Experiment 1 showed that concurrent, irrelevant articulation impaired grammar learning compared with a nonverbal control task. Experiment 2 replicated and extended this finding, showing that repeating the grammatical strings at study improved grammar learning compared with suppressing rehearsal or remaining silent during learning. Experiment 3 found no effects of rehearsal on grammar learning once participants had learned the component syllables. The findings suggest that phonological STM aids artificial grammar learning via effects on vocabulary learning.
Rapid communication: Seeing and doing: Ability to act moderates orientation effects in object perception
Authors: Yang Shu-Ju , Beilock Sian L.
Published: February 2011

We investigated whether the impact of an object's orientation on a perceiver's actions (an orientation effect) is moderated by the perceiver's ability to act on the object in question. To do this, we manipulated the physical location of presented objects (Experiment 1) and the perceiver's action capacity (Experiment 2). Regardless of the physical distance of the object, manual responses were sensitive to the object's orientation (the orientation effect) when the object was within the participant's action range but not when the object was outside of the action range. These results support an embodied view of object perception and shed light on peripersonal space representation.
Ethics of Practicing Forensic Social Work
Authors: Butters Rob , Vaughan-Eden Viola
Published: February 2011

Social work ethical codes help to define our profession as well as to provide guidelines for resolving challenging social work dilemmas. Forensic social work is a specialty area that is broadly defined as social work activities involving criminal or civil court proceedings, criminal offenders, victims of crime, or other systems of justice. Forensic social workers are most often involved with adversarial court proceedings and emotionally charged civil cases that require special attention to ethics. The National Organization of Forensic Social Workers (NOFSW) has maintained a Code of Ethics for its members since 1987. As the field continues to evolve a discussion of current ethical dilemmas and a revision of the code of ethics are needed. This article reviews the major ethical challenges faced by forensic social workers, discusses key considerations for practice, and presents a revised edition of the NOFSW Code of Ethics.
Testifying About Mitigation: When Social Workers and Other Mental Health Professionals Face Aggressive Cross-Examination
Authors: Brodsky Stanley , Terrell Joanne
Published: February 2011

Aggressive cross-examinations can be challenging and difficult for social workers and other mental health professionals who testify in court as expert witnesses. Although several sources of guidance for expert witnesses are available, responses to cross-examination can be understood especially clearly in case-specific contexts. This article describes the nature of mitigation assessments and presents cross-examination of a social worker offering psychosocial mitigation testimony in the sentencing phase of a capital murder trial. The cross-examination questions and answers are discussed in several categories, including challenges to objectivity, challenges to thoroughness and competence, challenges to validity, and differing findings by another expert. Each set of questions and answers is accompanied by interpretative comments about how to cope with the specific cross-examination strategies.
Discovery of a small arterivirus gene that overlaps the GP5 coding sequence and is important for virus production
Authors: Firth Andrew E. , Zevenhoven-Dobbe Jessika C. , Wills Norma M. , Go Yun Young , Balasuriya Udeni B. R. , Atkins John F. , Snijder Eric J. , Posthuma Clara C.
Published: February 2011

The arterivirus family (order Nidovirales) of single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses includes porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus and equine arteritis virus (EAV). Their replicative enzymes are translated from their genomic RNA, while their seven structural proteins are encoded by a set of small, partially overlapping genes in the genomic 3′-proximal region. The latter are expressed via synthesis of a set of subgenomic mRNAs that, in general, are functionally monocistronic (except for a bicistronic mRNA encoding the E and GP2 proteins). ORF5, which encodes the major glycoprotein GP5, has been used extensively for phylogenetic analyses. However, an in-depth computational analysis now reveals the arterivirus-wide conservation of an additional AUG-initiated ORF, here termed ORF5a, that overlaps the 5′ end of ORF5. The pattern of substitutions across sequence alignments indicated that ORF5a is subject to functional constraints at the amino acid level, while an analysis of substitutions at synonymous sites in ORF5 revealed a greatly reduced frequency of substitution in the portion of ORF5 that is overlapped by ORF5a. The 43–64 aa ORF5a protein and GP5 are probably expressed from the same subgenomic mRNA, via a translation initiation mechanism involving leaky ribosomal scanning. Inactivation of ORF5a expression by reverse genetics yielded a severely crippled EAV mutant, which displayed lower titres and a tiny plaque phenotype. These defects, which could be partially complemented in ORF5a-expressing cells, indicate that the novel protein, which may be the eighth structural protein of arteriviruses, is expressed and important for arterivirus infection.
Abstractions, algorithms and data structures for structural bioinformatics inPyCogent
Authors: Cieślik Marcin , Derewenda Zygmunt S. , Mura Cameron
Published: February 2011

To facilitate flexible and efficient structural bioinformatics analyses, new functionality for three-dimensional structure processing and analysis has been introduced intoPyCogent– a popular feature-rich framework for sequence-based bioinformatics, but one which has lacked equally powerful tools for handling stuctural/coordinate-based data. Extensible Python modules have been developed, which provide object-oriented abstractions (based on a hierarchical representation of macromolecules), efficient data structures (e.g.kD-trees), fast implementations of common algorithms (e.g.surface-area calculations), read/write support for Protein Data Bank-related file formats and wrappers for external command-line applications (e.g. Stride). Integration of this code intoPyCogentis symbiotic, allowing sequence-based work to benefit from structure-derived data and, reciprocally, enabling structural studies to leveragePyCogent's versatile tools for phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses.
Genetics of the association between intelligence and nicotine dependence: a study of male Swedish twins
Authors: Modig Karin , Silventoinen Karri , Tynelius Per , Kaprio Jaakko , Rasmussen Finn
Published: February 2011

Aims  Previous studies have found inverse associations between intelligence quotient (IQ) and cigarette smoking, but the causal pathways linking IQ with smoking status and nicotine dependence (ND) are not well understood. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between IQ and ND using a genetically informative twin design to detect whether any association is because of shared genetic or environmental factors.

Design  A population‐based twin cohort with IQ measured in adolescence and ND later in life, analysed by classical twin modeling based on linear structural equations.

Setting  Swedish national registry data.

Participants  A total of 5040 male twins born 1951–84.

Measurements  IQ was measured at military conscription at a mean age of 18 years. ND was self‐reported at the ages of 22–57 years using the Fagerström Test for ND scale (FTND). Both cigarette smoking and Swedish snus use were analysed.

Findings  Both IQ and ND showed moderate heritability (0.58 and 0.39, respectively). The heritability of ND was similar for cigarette smoking and snus use. The phenotypic correlation between IQ and ND was weak: −0.11 (−0.16, −0.06) for total ND. Bivariate analysis revealed that this correlation was mainly because of genetic factors, but still the genetic correlation between IQ and ND from cigarette smoking was only −0.24.

Conclusions  Nicotine dependence, as measured by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, shows moderate heritability in both smokers and snus users but is only weakly associated with intelligence quotient; common genetic factors underlying nicotine dependence and intelligence quotient probably account for little of the observed association between smoking and intelligence quotient.
The effect of decontamination procedures on the pharmacodynamics of venlafaxine in overdose
Authors: Kumar Venkata V. Pavan , Isbister Geoffrey K. , Duffull Stephen B.
Published: February 2011

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Single dose activated charcoal increases the clearance of venlafaxine in overdose. Combination of single dose activated charcoal and whole bowel irrigation decreases bioavailability of venlafaxine in overdose.

• There is an increased risk of seizures, a potential for cardiac toxicity and a higher rate of fatalities with venlafaxine overdose than other newer antidepressants.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• Single dose activated charcoal and combination of single dose activated charcoal and whole bowel irrigation decreases the probability of seizures that are caused by overdose of venlafaxine.

AIMS To investigate the relationship between decontamination procedures and seizure events caused by venlafaxine overdose and to estimate the time at which 90% of patients would have had their first seizure in the presence and absence of decontamination.

METHODS Data were collected from 319 patients who took an overdose of venlafaxine on 436 occasions. Seizures occurred on 24 of 436 occasions (5%). Patients received one of single dose activated charcoal (SDAC), whole bowel irrigation (WBI), a combination of either (SDAC/WBI) or no decontamination. Logistic regression and time to event analysis were used to investigate the influence of dose and decontamination on the probability of seizures and time to 90% (t90) of seizure, respectively.

RESULTS A linear logistic regression model described the data. Simulation from the model showed that the probability of seizure was 0.05 (0.03–0.08), 0.19 (0.09–0.35) and 0.75 (0.30–0.96) at 1000, 5000 and 10 000 mg, respectively (median and 95% credible interval). At the mean dose of 2100 mg the odds ratios (OR) in the presence of SDAC, WBI and SDAC/WBI were 0.48 (0.25–0.89), 0.71 (0.35–1.22) and 0.25 (0.08–0.62), respectively. A modified Gompertz model described the time to seizure events. Simulations from the Gompertz model showed that the t90 values for first seizure was 26 h and was not affected by dose or decontamination procedure.

CONCLUSION SDAC/WBI provided greater benefits than the sum of the independent effects of SDAC and WBI. Patients should be observed for at least 24 h for seizures based on the dose and risk of seizure occurring.
A theoretical framework of caring in the Chinese context: a grounded theory study
Authors: Meng Meng , Xiuwei Zhang , Anli Jiang
Published: February 2011

meng m., xiuwei z. & anli j. (2011) A theoretical framework of caring in the Chinese context: a grounded theory study. Journal of Advanced Nursing67(7), 1523–1536.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study describing the components of nurse caring in the Chinese cultural context.

Background.  The expressions, dimensions and patterns of caring vary in different cultures. Caring is deeply embedded in the Chinese culture and nurses are told to care for patients as if they were related by blood. However, to put caring in a professional and practical context, it must extend meaning with a deeper philosophical inspiration that is transcendent and described to guide nursing practices.

Methods.  A grounded theory research design and the Delphi method were adopted. First, a total of 16 individual non‐structured interviews were conducted with noted scholars on nursing education, clinical nursing, nursing administration, medical education and the humanities between January 2006 and June 2007. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using constant comparative data analysis. Secondly, 20 experts with the same inclusion criteria were recruited to conduct a two‐round Delphi study to enrich and validate the theoretical framework of caring. Experts were asked to score 0 = disagree or 1 = agree for each listed item and its description in a scale. Consensus was considered when 90% or more agreement was reached. Data were collected from May 2007 to February 2009 and calculated for the agreement rates using spss version 11.0.

Results.  Four attributes of caring including attitude of caring, knowledge of caring, ability of caring and perceptions of caring were determined, along with 8 associated subcategories and 22 statements. Among them, caring attitude is central for presenting care in daily practice. Professional knowledge of nursing, the humanities and social science give the basic theoretical guidance for nurses to exhibit caring behaviour. In the education process, perceptions of giving and receiving care are the key factors for cultivating care.

Conclusions.  The framework could be interpreted as a list of teaching objectives and could contribute to the further development of an integrated approach for teaching care in nursing curricula. It would also be beneficial for applying and evaluating care in the practice of clinical nursing and nursing education in the Chinese culture.
Improving family–staff relationships in assisted living facilities: the views of family
Authors: Bauer Michael , Nay Rhonda
Published: February 2011

bauer m. & nay r. (2011) Improving family–staff relationships in assisted living facilities: the views of family. Journal of Advanced Nursing67(6), 1232–1241.

Aims.  This article is a report of a study of the key influences on family–staff collaboration in low level residential aged care (assisted living) facilities in Australia as seen by the family carers of residents.

Background.  Collaboration with the willing family is widely acknowledged to be important in the care of the older person. Previous work in nursing homes has shown that staff‐family relationships are often ambiguous. Relatively little is known about the issue of staff‐family relationships in assisted living facilities.

Methods.  Using qualitative methodology twelve family carers from five assisted living facilities were interviewed and transcripts analysed thematically. Data were collected in 2006/2007.

Results.  Four factors important to the establishment and maintenance of collaborative staff–family relationships were identified: comfort, communication, consultation and confidence.

Conclusion.  Low level care facilities need to create environments that are conducive to the establishment and maintenance of constructive staff‐family relationships. A number of practice considerations for care staff to foster relationship‐centred care with the family in these types of facilities are presented.
Community vs. institutional elders’ evaluations of and preferences for yoga exercises
Authors: Chen Kuei‐Min , Wang Hsiu‐Hung , Li Chun‐Huw , Chen Ming‐Hsien
Published: February 2011

Aims.  To evaluate and compare the appropriateness of the Silver Yoga exercise programme for community and institutional elders and to determine their preferences towards yoga exercises.

Background.  Yoga has been used to promote the health of elders. The Silver Yoga was developed to accommodate the physical tolerance and body flexibility of elders and applied to community and institutional elders with positive health promotion benefits.

Design.  Descriptive design with quantitative programme evaluation and semi‐structured interviews.

Method.  A convenience sample of 97 participants (64 community elders; 33 institutional elders) was interviewed individually after six months of Silver Yoga exercises. Participants rated the level of difficulty, acceptability, feasibility and helpfulness of the Silver Yoga programme (four phases: warm‐up, hatha yoga, relaxation and guided‐imagery meditation) and the abdominal breathing technique, based on a 10‐point Cantril ladder scale. Further, participants expressed their preferences of yoga exercises based on four open‐ended questions.

Results.  The programme was fairly acceptable, feasible and helpful for community and institutional elders (means ranged from 8·33–9·70). The warm‐up, relaxation, guided‐imagery meditation and abdominal breathing are fairly easy to follow and perform (means ranged from 0·20–0·94). However, the postures in hatha yoga phase were relatively challenging but still manageable for the institutional elders (mean = 1·97, SD 2·33). Further, community elders preferred to practise yoga 61–90 minutes everyday in a group of 11–20, while the institutional elders preferred to practise yoga 31–60 minutes three times per week, in a group of <10.

Conclusions.  The Silver Yoga exercise programme is acceptable, feasible, helpful and manageable for community and institutional elders. However, different exercise protocols, such as practice intensity and group size, could be applied to different older populations.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The Silver Yoga exercise programme could be applied to both community and institutional elders to promote their health.
Birthgiving women’s feelings and perceptions of quality of intrapartal care: a nationwide Swedish cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wilde‐Larsson Bodil , Sandin‐Bojö Ann‐Kristin , Starrin Bengt , Larsson Gerry
Published: February 2011

Aim. The aim was to explore the relationships between the feelings of women who give birth and several birth‐related care conditions, the womens’ socio‐demographic background, personality and perceptions of the quality of intrapartum care.

Background. Childbirth is a highly significant emotional event for women and it is an explicit goal that each woman should have a positive childbirth experience.

Design. The nationwide study is cross‐sectional and was conducted at Swedish maternity units over two months in 2007.

Methods. The study group consisted of 739 women (63% response rate). A dimensionality analysis of six emotion items was performed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Non‐parametric tests and generalised linear mixed effects model analyses were used to study relationships and to make subgroup comparisons.

Results. In the SEM analysis, a positive and a negative feeling factor were identified. Strong associations between the feeling factors and the womens’ perceptions of the quality of care were found, particularly in regard to the so‐called identity‐oriented approach of the midwives and other health professionals. In addition, a higher intensity of negative feelings was associated with a personality pattern characterised by extraversion, emotional instability and lower degree of conscientiousness, a lower level of education and having had delivery through Caesarean section.

Conclusions. The positive and negative feelings of women who give birth strongly covary with the women’s perception of the quality of their intrapartum care. This pertains in particular to information issues, the midwives showing commitment, empathy and respect, being present during labour and allowing the women to actively participate as much as they want to.

Relevance to clinical practice. Subgroup differences indicate that midwives should pay increased attention to childbearing women who have primary school education only, a lower emotional stability and/or deliver through Caesarean section.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of relaxation therapy for patients receiving joint replacement surgery
Authors: Lin Pi‐Chu
Published: February 2011

Aim and objective.  To examine the effect of relaxation therapy on reducing patient anxiety and pain before and after total joint replacement.

Background.  Despite the use of analgesics, patients may feel anxiety and pain before and after surgery, delaying their recovery.

Design.  An experimental control group pretest–post‐test quasi‐experimental design was employed.

Method.  Subjects (n = 93) recruited from a medical centre in Taipei, Taiwan, from November 2006–March 2007 were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 45) and control (n = 48) groups. Subjects in the experimental group received relaxation therapy from the day before surgery to the third postoperative day. Researchers helped participants listen to a breath relaxation and guided imagery tape for 20 minutes daily. A pain and anxiety scale questionnaire, the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, blood pressure and heart rate were monitored before and after intervention.

Results.  The average age of the 93 patients was 71·0 (SD 11·1) years. The least pain severity scores in the experimental were lower than those in the control group (p < 0·05) but both experienced the same level of worst or average pain (p > 0·05). The mean difference in the pain score before and after intervention in the experimental group on the pre‐op day (t = 2·675, p = 0·009) and post‐op day one (t = 3·059, p = 0·003) was greater than that in the control group (0·48 SD 0·94 vs. 0·10 SD 0·30 and 0·93 SD 1·46 vs. 0·20 SD 0·71, respectively). The two groups differed significantly in systolic blood pressure (F = 6·750, p < 0·05) but not in mean blood pressure, heart rate, or State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory scores (p > 0·05). Patients reported that relaxation therapy helped them relax and promoted sleep.

Conclusion.  Relaxation therapy could complement analgesics to help postoperative patients better manage pain and anxiety.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Clinical practice should include complementary relaxation therapy to alleviate pain and anxiety in patients with joint replacement.
The SLC6A4 VNTR genotype determines transcription factor binding and epigenetic variation of this gene in response to cocaine in vitro
Authors: Vasiliou Sylvia A. , Ali Fahad R. , Haddley Kate , Cardoso M. Cristina , Bubb Vivien J. , Quinn John P.
Published: February 2011

We demonstrated that the genotype of the variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) in the linked polymorphic region (LPR) of the 5′ promoter and in the intron 2 (Stin2) transcriptional regulatory domains of the serotonin transporter SLC6A4 gene determined its promoter interactions with transcription factors and co‐activators in response to cocaine in the JAr cell line. The LPR variants contain 14 (short, s) or 16 (long, l) copies of a 22–23 bp repeat element, whereas the Stin2 VNTR exists as three variants containing 9, 10 or 12 copies of a 16–17 bp repeat. We observed a differential effect of cocaine on the association of the promoter with the transcription factor CTCF, which bound to both LPR alleles prior to cocaine exposure but only to the l‐allele following exposure. Significantly, this differential effect of cocaine was correlated with the binding of the transcriptional regulator MeCP2 specifically to the s‐allele and recruiting the histone deacetylase complex (HDAC). Concurrently, cocaine increased the association of positive histone marks over the SLC6A4 gene locus. At the Stin2 domain, we lost binding of the transcription factor YB‐1, while CTCF remained bound. Our biochemical data are consistent with differential reporter gene activity directed by the individual or dual domains in response to cocaine in an Epstein–Barr virus‐based episome model of stable transfections. These observations suggest that exposure of JAr cells to cocaine may result in differential binding of transcription factors and activators based on a specific genotype that might alter epigenetic parameters affecting gene expression after the initial challenge.
Epigenetics: deciphering its role in diabetes and its chronic complications
Authors: Villeneuve Louisa M , Reddy Marpadga A , Natarajan Rama
Published: February 2011

1. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic factors might regulate the complex interplay between genes and the environment, and affect human diseases, such as diabetes and its complications.

2. Clinical trials have underscored the long lasting beneficial effects of strict glycaemic control for reducing the progression of diabetic complications. They have also shown that diabetic complications, such as diabetic nephropathy, a chronic kidney disorder, can continue even after blood glucose normalization, suggesting a metabolic memory of the prior glycaemic state.

3. Dysregulation of epigenetic post‐transcriptional modifications of histones in chromatin, including histone lysine methylation, has been implicated in aberrant gene regulation associated with the pathology of diabetes and its complications. Genome‐wide studies have shown cell‐type specific changes in histone methylation patterns under diabetic conditions. In addition, studies in vascular cells have shown long lasting changes in epigenetic modifications at key inflammatory gene promoters after prior exposure to diabetic conditions, suggesting a possible mechanism for metabolic memory.

4. Recent studies have shown roles for histone methylation, DNA methylation, as well as microRNA in diabetic nephropathy. Whether these epigenetic factors play a role in metabolic memory of diabetic kidney disease is less well understood.

5. The incidence of diabetes is growing rapidly, as also the cost of treating the resulting complications. A better understanding of metabolic memory and the potential involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in this phenomenon could enable the development of new therapeutic targets for the treatment and/or prevention of sustained diabetic complications.
Negotiating “Doing the month”: An ethnographic study examining the postnatal practices of two generations of Chinese women
Authors: Holroyd Eleanor , Lopez Violeta , Chan Sally Wai‐Chi
Published: February 2011

In Chinese society, the specific set of postnatal practices called “doing the month” constitutes an integrated set of postnatal behaviors that provides cultural and maternal protection and identity. This study examines the cultural practice of “doing the month” by Chinese mothers for two generations of matrilineal datasets. Ethnographic interviews were undertaken with new mothers and their mother and/or mother‐in‐law. Then, the coded data were compared within matrilineal dyads, as well as within age cohorts. The new mothers highlighted a range of attitudinal and behavioral practices that was informed and enforced by the female family members. They found highly individualized ways of negotiating traditional practices. In contrast, their mothers and mothers‐in‐law testified to a custom‐bound approach. Support from family members appeared to be instrumental and was underscored by traditional notions of filial duty in the older generation of mothers. In comparison, their daughters and daughters‐in‐law indicated more autonomously directed behaviors. Recommendations are made in order to provide healthcare professionals with a more‐informed understanding of Chinese postnatal belief systems.
Perioperative management of low birth weight infants for open‐heart surgery
Authors: Williams Glyn D. , Cohen Ronald S.
Published: February 2011

Infants of birth weight ≤2500 g are termed low birth weight (LBW). These children often have considerable morbidity from prematurity and intra‐uterine growth restriction. Additionally, LBW infants have increased risk for cardiac and noncardiac congenital anomalies and may require surgery. Primary rather than palliative surgical repair of cardiac lesions has been preferred in recent years. However, LBW remains a risk factor for increased mortality and morbidity after open‐heart surgery (OHS). There is a paucity of information about the anesthetic challenges presented by LBW infants undergoing OHS. This review summarizes the perioperative issues of relevance to anesthesiologists who manage these high‐risk patients. Emphasis is placed on management concerns that are unique to LBW infants. Retrospective data from the authors’ institution are provided for those aspects of anesthetic care that lack published studies. Successful outcome often requires substantial hospital resources and collaborative multi‐disciplinary effort.
The Evolution of Ghana's Water Law and Policy
Authors: Agyenim Joseph B. , Gupta Joyeeta
Published: February 2011

Water law in most developing countries is shaped by a combination of global and local influences that have taken place throughout the centuries. This article examines the evolution of water law in Ghana from pre‐colonial through colonial to current times. It discusses the issues of legal pluralism and how the dynamics of internal law making are influenced by colonial practices and, in the post‐colonial era, through aid agencies and international agreements. In this evolutionary history, it focuses in particular on how access to water and sanitation services has been arranged. As can be seen, Ghana has taken a pragmatic approach, prioritizing the issue but not going so far as to recognize a right to water. Instead, it has adopted cost‐recovery as an integral part of the integrated water resources management approach. A critical question for the future will be how Ghana reconciles the global adoption of the right to water and sanitation in 2010, and its political acceptance of this right at the UN General Assembly, with its domestic policy making and implementation process.
The Contours of “Cap and Trade”: The Evolution of Emissions Trading Systems for Greenhouse Gases
Authors: Betsill Michele , Hoffmann Matthew J.
Published: February 2011

This article documents the evolution of “cap and trade” as a policy response to global climate change. Through an analysis of 33 distinct policy venues, the article describes how the cap and trade policy domain has developed along spatial, temporal, and institutional dimensions. This discussion demonstrates that following initial discussions of cap and trade in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, the idea quickly spread to other policy venues, creating a complex system of multilevel governance, where many questions about how to govern emissions trading remain contested. The analysis contextualizes recent questioning of emissions trading as an appropriate mechanism for controlling GHG emissions, as well as the ongoing debates about who should govern cap and trade and how it should be carried out. The findings highlight the value added of a domain‐level perspective and suggest the need for future research on the sociopolitical nature of cap and trade policy debates.
Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Developmental Programming of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Critical Appraisal
Authors: NEITZKE UTA , HARDER THOMAS , PLAGEMANN ANDREAS
Published: February 2011

Please cite this paper as: Neitzke, Harder, and Plagemann (2011). Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Developmental Programming of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Critical Appraisal. Microcirculation 18(4), 304–311.

According to the “small baby syndrome hypothesis,” low birthweight and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) occurring in westernized countries mainly through altered placental flow, have been linked to increased metabolic syndrome risk in later life. Independency and causal mechanisms of this phenomenological association are a matter of controversy. By means of epidemiological as well as experimental methods, using meta‐analyses and different rodent models of pre‐ and/or neonatal malnutrition and altered placental flow (uterine artery ligation; Lig), we systematically addressed the phenomenon. Our data and systematic literature analysis revealed that neither epidemiological nor experimental evidence seems to exist linking prenatal underfeeding, low birthweight, IUGR, or decreased placental flow in rats (Lig‐model) as independent risk factors to increased metabolic syndrome risk in later life. Rather, pre‐ and/or neonatal overfeeding, elevated birthweight, rapid neonatal weight gain, and especially increased adiposity during critical periods of perinatal life may increase long‐term risks. Perinatally acquired microstructural and epigenomic alterations in regulatory systems of metabolism and body weight seem to be critical, leading to a cardiometabolic risk disposition throughout life. While experimental data in Lig‐offspring seem to be considerably biased, prenatal stress and postnatal overfeeding/rapid neonatal weight gain might be causally linked to a long‐term deleterious outcome in growth restricted newborns. From a clinical point of view, prevention of causes of IUGR, as well as avoidance of perinatal overnourishment, might be prophylactic approaches to avoid perinatal programming of cardiometabolic risks.
Newman and Modernism: The Pascendi Crisis and its Wider Significances
Authors: Bullivant Stephen
Published: February 2011

Pope St Pius X's Pascendi dominici gregis, denouncing modernism as ‘the synthesis of all heresies’, was promulgated in September 1907. The (false) suspicion that its intended target was Cardinal Newman – a suggestion promoted by George Tyrrell, among others – sparked a protracted controversy in the British secular and religious press, with modernists and anti-modernists both fighting to claim Newman. After narrating the early skirmishes of this debate, this paper explores the controversy in light of two main themes: popular views regarding Newman's standing and esteem in the eyes of the curia and magisterium; and his central, symbolic role in the construction of English Catholicism. Both, I argue, fanned the flames engulfing the letters pages of the Times. Particular attention is also given to the key (and perhaps surprising) role of another great English Cardinal in defending Blessed John Henry: St Pius’‘uncompromising ultramontane’ Secretary of State, Rafael Merry del Val.
Newman, Conscience and Authority
Authors: Hansen Charlotte
Published: February 2011

This paper addresses Newman's understanding of conscience and authority, with the main emphasis on conscience. It asks how central a place conscience holds in his theological understanding? Is the general high esteem in which Newman's perception of conscience is held – and by some even regarded as one of the integral elements of his thinking, providing it with an inner consistency – justified? Finally the relationship between conscience and authority is explored. John Henry Newman's teaching on conscience and authority is a complex but highly pertinent question which continues to enthral many, not least Pope Benedict XVI who has hailed Newman's understanding of conscience as ‘an important foundation for theological personalism’. Newman denounced the modern secularized and purely subjective understanding of conscience as he perceived it to be ‘the voice of God’. He focused his writings on conscience within the contexts of morality and theology and considered the role that conscience may play in moral decision-making and in establishing a person's belief in God. In Newman's legendary dispute with W. E. Gladstone in the 1870s the Cardinal maintained that there is no contradiction between the conscience of the individual and the authority of the Pope or of the church, as they occupy two different spheres.
‘Haec Traditio proficit’: Congar's Reception of Newman in Dei Verbum, Section 8
Authors: Meszaros Andrew
Published: February 2011

The 1960s were an incredibly busy and productive time for the Dominican Yves Congar (1904–1995). In addition to drafting many seminal passages of Council documents, including Dei Verbum 8, which is the subject of this paper, he also wrote his historical-theological masterpiece, Tradition and Traditions between 1960 and 1963. Drawing on the latter's explicit references to John Henry Newman, this article unpacks the particular ways in which Newman's thought contributed to the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation through the reception by and writing of Congar. Particular attention is paid to the connatural way of knowing which stems from the gifts of the Holy Spirit, typically alluded to by Newman in his meditations on the faith of Mary.
PACKAGE HEADSPACE DYNAMICS FOR BABY CORN UNDER MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING WITH MACROPERFORATIONS
Authors: RAI DEEPAK RAJ , SINGH RAJBIR
Published: February 2011

Baby corn is highly perishable and requires appropriate postharvest technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to extend its shelf ife and maintain the nutritional content. However, MAP requires repetitive experimentation to arrive at suitable desired in‐pack partial pressures of O2 and CO2 for application of appropriate MAP mode viz. nonperforated, macroperforated or microperforated one. Microperforated MAP is an expensive proposition and so far has limited commercial applicability, except for high‐value commodities; therefore, macroperforated MAP is being tried to achieve higher gaseous diffusion across the film packages. Predictive modeling represents a physical phenomenon by means of mathematical equations; whose numerical solution can reliably predict transient and steady‐state parameters in a dynamic system and can avoid the need of repetitive experimentation. However, representation of the respiratory behavior of a crop is also of utmost importance as wrong selection or very straightforward assumptions can lead to inadequate predictions. In this study, the respiratory behavior and associated inhibition by CO2 as per established enzyme kinetics theory was first assessed within the temperature range of 5–15C for baby corn; which was then used to model‐predict the in‐pack partial pressures of O2 and CO2 at 10 and 15C; in nonperforated and macroperforated polypropylene film packages; utilizing baby corn, polymeric film, package and the storage environment parameters as input. Model validation during actual storage at 10 and 15C indicated that the model‐predicted, in‐pack partial pressures of O2 and CO2 agreed fairly well with the experimental observations at the selected temperatuers, which showed the appropriateness of the evaluated inhibitory mechanism of headspace CO2.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Baby corn has high rates of respiration and requires specialized packaging such as microperforated or macroperforated polymeric film packaging to affect larger gaseous diffusion to extend its shelf life and maintenance of various physicochemical constituents under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). As microperforated films are economically unviable in certain situations, the objective can be met through application of macroperforated films having customized macroperforations. However, the package headspace dynamics vary with the number of macroperforations. For a particular crop, the number of macroperforations required to generate the ideal in‐pack partial pressures of O2 and CO2 can be suitably predicted with this model, knowing the respiratory behavior and the kind of inhibition by CO2 experienced. Thus, results of the study have a potential application at the level of design of MAP for various crops requiring macroperforated packaging as well as these can be utilized alike for further academic interest in the area of packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables; using predictive modeling approach.
Health in All Policies: Addressing the Legal and Policy Foundations of Health Impact Assessment
Authors: Rajotte Benjamin R. , Ross Catherine L. , Ekechi Chinyere O. , Cadet Vladimir N.
Published: February 2011

The concept of Health in All Policies aims to improve the health outcomes associated with policies in an attempt to mitigate health disparities and provide optimal environments for healthier living. This multidisciplinary framework seeks to improve health through effective assessment and reformation of policy for organizations of any level and stature. The importance of integrating health in policy assessment and decision making is a key concept in the growing field of Health Impact Assessment.

The World Health Organization defines Health Impact Assessment (HIA) as “a combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population.” HIA provides a mechanism for collaboration between various sectors and disciplines bridging the gap between research, policymaking, and implementation of policies, programs, and projects affecting health outcomes. In the United States, while some HIA efforts have focused on proposed public policies, HIA has been used primarily to analyze the health effects of proposed development projects and plans related to community design and transportation.
Policy Issues in American Indian Health Governance
Authors: Warne Donald
Published: February 2011

Perhaps the most significant law affecting the provision of health services to the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population is the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA, PL 93-638). This Act allows tribes to assume the management and control of health care programs from Indian Health Service (IHS) and to increase flexibility in health care program development. Under ISDEAA, tribes have the option to contract or compact with IHS to deliver health services using pre-existing IHS resources (formula-based shares tables determine funding for various IHS sites), third party reimbursements, grants, and other sources. Typically, tribes develop their own non-profit health care corporations to provide services to their community, and as a result are eligible for grants and other types of funding not available to federal agencies like IHS.
National Health Care Reform and the Public's Health
Authors: Davis Corey S. , Somers Sarah
Published: February 2011

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or the Act) into law. ACA aims to improve access to care and health outcomes through a number of mechanisms, including requiring most individuals to carry health insurance, prohibiting insurers from denying health insurance coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and creating exchanges through which individuals and families not eligible for employer- or government-sponsored health insurance may purchase coverage. While the Act is aimed primarily at improving individual health by increasing access to health insurance, it also contains a number of provisions targeted directly at improving health at the population level. Most of these provisions, which encompass a variety of disease prevention and access-to-care initiatives, are found in ACA Title IV.
Implementing Health Reform at the State Level: Access and Care for Vulnerable Populations
Authors: Jacobi John V. , Watson Sidney D. , Restuccia Robert
Published: February 2011

The Affordable Care Act1 (ACA) promises to improve access to coverage and care for two vulnerable groups: low-income persons who are excluded by a lack of resources and chronically ill and disabled people who are excluded by the dysfunction of our existing insurance and care delivery systems. ACA’s sprawling provisions raise a wealth of implementation challenges that are exacerbated by the compromises required to move reform through Congress. In particular, the compromise between regulatory/public program advocates and advocates for private, market-driven programs requires thoughtful regulatory coordination between public and private health systems.
Rhetorical Federalism: The Role of State Resistance in Health Care Decision-Making
Authors: Leonard Elizabeth Weeks
Published: February 2011

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) represents the most significant reform of the United States health care system in decades. ACA also substantially amplifies the federal role in health care regulation. Among other provisions, ACA expands government health care programs, imposes detailed federal standards for commercial health insurance policies, creates national requirements on employers and individuals, and enlists state administrative capacity to implement various federal reforms. In response, a persistent voice in the protracted, contentious debate surrounding ACA was, and continues to be, resistance from states. The rhetoric of federalism — states’ rights, reserved powers, state sovereignty, limited government, and local diversity — resonates deeply even around provisions of ACA that do not specifically implicate state interests. For example, the loudest and most persistent state objections target the new mandate that individuals maintain health insurance, a requirement imposed by ACA and enforced through federal tax penalties.