bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Job Placement and Job Accommodation for Handicapped Workers in Taiwan
Authors: Chi Chia-Fen
Published: January 2012

The current paper addressed two separate studies on the issue of job placement and job accommodation. The first study on job placement determined job titles which can be adequately performed by various types of handicapped workers. These job titles were chosen based on their loading scores on five critical job elements derived from a factor analysis on job analysis data. The sample of jobs consisted of 1,285 occupations from the Employment and Vocational Training Administration (EVTA) which were summarized into 112 job titles. The results can help to expand the perspectives about job possibilities and job requirements for handicapped workers. The second study proposed a hierarchical coding scheme which can be referenced by the vocational counselors and employers to determine feasible job accommodation options for the handicapped workers. Based on the hierarchical coding scheme, a database containing job accommodation case examples of employers who had received financial support from the EVTA was constructed. The database can help to provide in-depth analysis of the job accommodation and employment opportunities for various types of handicapped workers.
Assistive Technology, Technology Transfer and Ergonomics
Authors: Lane Joseph P. , Bauer Stephen M.
Published: January 2012

Assistive technology for people with disabilities is an industry characterized by small companies and small markets. There are significant opportunities for professionals in human factors to contribute to the design and development of the user interfaces for assistive technology products. Technology transfer is a process for applying known technologies to new applications. The term is widely recognized but the process is not well understood. Technology transfer's economic advantage is in applying existing technology to avoid the full cost of new research and development. The cost savings of successful technology transfer, offers significant value for small companies and for products with small markets. This paper presents information to facilitate links between the fields of assistive technology, technology transfer and ergonomic design. Participants will and gain essential contact information for the field of assistive technology, and acquire a reference model of technology transfer.
Tests for Screening Product Designs Prior to User Testing by People with Functional Limitations
Authors: Law Chris M. , Vanderheiden Gregg C.
Published: January 2012

A set of inexpensive to implement usability ‘screening tests’ are proposed which would be administered by designers on their colleagues or acquaintances. Test subjects, who have no prior knowledge of a product, conduct every day use tasks while having their sensory, physical and cognitive capabilities limited through various techniques. The tests have been assembled to provide minimum set which cover a wide range of functional limitation experiences. For each test the concept, usability questions, and suggested procedure and materials are given. A hierarchy of test priorities is suggested. The tests should be conducted by experts who are aware of the safety and ethics issues concerning inducing sensory, physical, and cognitive limitations. The set of tests incorporate new, existing, and exploratory ideas A number of outstanding research issues are introduced, which are discussed briefly.
Presentation Level and the Attentional Workload of Comprehending Verbal Messages: Implications for Design of Verbal Warnings
Authors: Baldwin Carryl L. , Struckman-Johnson David , Galinsky Angela M. , Williams Eric H.
Published: January 2012

Verbal warnings are designed to alert as well as provide information to an operator who is likely to be performing several simultaneous tasks. Yet, research generally ignores the potential of presentation intensity to alter the attentional demands placed on the operator by verbal warnings in multi-task environments. Results of the current investigation demonstrate that as the presentation intensity of speech stimuli decreased from 70 to 50 dB, participants made more auditory processing errors, but only when required to perform a simultaneous simulated driving task. Auditory task performance did not differ significantly between conditions in single task trials. However, as signal presentation level decreased, participants made significantly more incorrect responses in both an auditory mental arithmetic task and a sentence processing task while driving performance remained unchanged. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the design of verbal displays and warnings for use in transportation settings particularly with older, hearing impaired listeners.
Applying Usability Engineering Principles to the Design and Testing of Warning Messages
Authors: Wogalter Michael S. , Conzola Vincent C. , Vigilante William J.
Published: January 2012

Very little has been published on methods for creating and testing text messages for product warnings. This paper describes how the three main principles of usability engineering (prototyping, empirical user testing, and iterative design) can be applied to the design and evaluation of warning text. Pre-prototype activities that help define the warning requirements are described, followed by a discussion of guidelines for creating and testing design prototypes. Finally, a methodology for formally testing the effectiveness of warning text is presented. The procedure described should be useful to human factors practitioners who are responsible for creating or evaluating textual warnings.
Rapid Transit Operations Control Center State-of-Technology Review
Authors: Walecki Kurt F.
Published: January 2012

A human factors study team recently conducted a state-of-technology review of numerous transit and non-transit operations control centers. This study was conducted in order to address the current technological advancements in modern operations control centers and the issues associated with the current reduction of operators required to perform transit system operations. Key technical advancements are creating an operations control center environment that when performing within system boundaries requires virtually no attention. Yet, when the system strays from these operational boundaries (i.e., emergency situations) the complexity of the numerous systems stresses the capabilities of the individual human component. Identification and utilization of operator capabilities paired with optimum equipment selection is critical albeit often discounted. Therefore, a comprehensive state-of-technology review is a critical path towards utilizing numerous operations control center sites and their individual implementation of human factors related design considerations. This paper presents the methodology, findings, and conclusions from the state-of-technology review as relating to operational human factors issues.
Power, Perception and Performance: From Usability Engineering to Technology Acceptance with the P3 Model of User Response
Authors: Dillon Andrew , Morris Michael
Published: January 2012

Understanding the dynamics of technology acceptance by intended users has proved a very difficult problem but it remains a key question for developers, implementers and system procurers. In the present paper we draw on existing findings from two independent research traditions (HCI and MIS) to propose a unified model of the factors that seem to be important determinants of use. This model is represented in conceptual terms and it is proposed as an enabling framework for human factors practitioners to apply the basic principles of acceptance throughout the development and implementation process.
HFE Design Practices in System Development
Authors: Meister David , Enderwick Thomas P.
Published: January 2012

A survey, consisting of about 50 questions concerning design practices, was sent by mail to selected members of the System Development and Computer System technical groups of the HFES. The results suggest that design is a highly variable activity, heavily influenced by many factors and by personal perception.
Software Tools to Support Task-Based Operational Test and Evaluation
Authors: Mitta Deborah A. , Mykityshyn Amy L.
Published: January 2012

The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) is implementing a new approach to the operational test and evaluation (OT&E) process. This approach, task-based OT&E, focuses on the tasks performed by users of a system under test. Operator tasks will be analyzed and used to evaluate C4I systems by “rolling up” task performance in a larger, mission-level framework. As a means of evaluating the system's operational effectiveness, operational testers will assess the system's contribution to overall mission accomplishment. The Test and Evaluation Research and Education Center (TEREC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology was contracted by AFOTEC to characterize and evaluate the task-based OT&E process and then propose a set of commercially available software tools to support the operational tester. This paper describes the task-based OT&E process and the results of a tool requirements analysis. Based on requirements derived from this analysis, a set of commercially available software tools was recommended. From a human factors perspective, task-based OT&E presents an interesting challenge. Specifically, it requires human factors support at two user levels: the system operator level and the operational tester level.
U.S. Navy Head Anthropometry for Helmet Design
Authors: Gross Mary E. , Bradtmiller Bruce
Published: January 2012

The U.S. Navy, like other organizations, requires a good anthropometric data base for the development of helmets and other head protective equipment. We develop a requirements list for an anthropometric data base for protective helmets, and then test four available data bases against it. Where existing data bases do not meet current and future needs, we recommend strategies for appropriate additional data collection. Specifically we propose the collection of 3D digital data sets which contain scans of heads without helmets, and scans of those same heads wearing current and prototype helmets. This approach allows the registration of the 3D data sets, and allows the calculation of a helmet-to-head transformation matrix. Such a matrix is critical for the successful design of well fitting new helmet systems.
A Structured Approach for Scenario-Based Training
Authors: Oser Randall L.
Published: January 2012

Increasingly, organizations are using simulations to provide opportunities for individuals to practice skills learned in the classroom in realistic and dynamic synthetic environments. Unfortunately, while much is known about how to construct classroom-based instructional materials to support learning, few methods, strategies, and tools exist to support the development of simulation for pedagogical purposes. This panel will describe a methodology that has demonstrated considerable potential for supporting practice and feedback in simulated environments. The panel will also examine limitations of the methodology and challenges for implementation of the methodology.
Is it Old Wine in a New Bottle?: The Issues and Challenges of Distributed Team Training
Authors: Bergondy Maureen L. , Salas Eduardo
Published: January 2012

Several important questions and challenges face the cognitive and training research communities to develop effective strategies for training large distributed teams.

1. Development of a conceptual framework or model of distributed team performance. Are there unique features of distributed teams? How do we represent the behavioral and cognitive aspects of these complex entities? 2. Challenges in developing effective strategies for large distributed teams. How to structure training opportunities to maximize the development of team skills/knowledge? 3. How to construct an effective distributed training environment? 4. How we approach performance measurement and feedback in distributed environment? What are the methodological, logistical, and technological challenges?

The panel's objective is to raise important issues about distributed team training and to discuss what is new? what is different? and what we already know? We will discuss the challenges faced developing conceptual frameworks, team models, training strategies, training environments, and performance measurement for distributed teams.
Can Audio Enhance Visual Perception and Performance in a Virtual Environment?
Authors: Davis Elizabeth T. , Scott Kevin , Pair Jarrell , Hodges Larry F. , Oliverio James
Published: January 2012

Does the addition of audio enhance visual perception and performance within a virtual environment? To address this issue we used both a questionnaire and an experimental test of the effect of audio on recall and recognition of visual objects within different rooms of a virtual environment. We tested 60 college-aged students who had normal visual acuity, color vision, and hearing. The between-participants factor was audio condition (none, low fidelity, and high fidelity). The questionnaire results showed that ambient sounds enhanced the sense of presence (or “being there”) and the subjective 3D quality of the visual display, but not the subjective dynamic interaction with the display. We also showed that audio can enhance recall and recognition of visual objects and their spatial locations within the virtual environment. These results have implications for the design and use of virtual environments, where audio sometimes can be used to compensate for the quality of the visual display.
Virtual Environment Exposure Drop-Out Thresholds
Authors: Stanney Kay M. , Lanham D. Susan , Kennedy Robert S. , Breaux Robert
Published: January 2012

The use of a virtual environments (VE) for training purposes has the potential to create motion sickness-like symptoms in participants; in some, these symptoms are so severe that the user drops out of the VE training. The purpose of this study is to characterize the frequency of VE dropouts as well as the thresholds and associated symptoms experienced by those who cannot complete their VE exposure. When 245 students interacted with a VE for varying amounts of time performing a variety of tasks, 19% consistently could not complete their assigned VE exposure, even though all participants were exposed to the same virtual world and completed the same tasks. Dropouts experienced symptoms such as nausea, oculomotor disturbances, and disorientation. Insights into the potential differences between dropouts and finishers emerge via an examination of their interaction with the virtual world and suggest that controlling, streamlining, and limiting VE interaction may reduce the number of dropouts.
The Effect of Symbology Location and Format on Attentional Deployment within a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information
Authors: Johnson Walter W. , Liao Min-Ju , Tse Stephen
Published: January 2012

The present experiment employed target detection tasks to investigate attentional deployment during visual search for target aircraft symbols on a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI). Targets were defined by either a geometric property (aircraft on a collision course with Ownship) or a textual property (aircraft with associated altitude tags indicating an even altitude level). Effects of target location and target brightness (highlighting) were examined. Target location was systematically related to target detection time, and this interacted with the target's defining property (collision geometry or associated text). Highlighting (which was not linked to whether an aircraft symbol was the target) did not influence target detection time.
A Componential Model of Human Interaction with Graphs. IV: Holistic and Analytical Perception of Star Graphs
Authors: Gillan Douglas J. , Harrison Charles
Published: January 2012

Multivariate graphs, such as star graphs, are increasingly popular displays for complex data sets. One advantage claimed for these graphs is that users can engage perceive the data holistically. This experiment used star graphs to examine whether subjects' performance improved when they had an object cue as part of the stars in a task that involved selecting an outlier from a display of four stars. The outlier star differed only on one of five legs with the position of the differing leg varying systematically. Individual subject's response times (RT's) showed two patterns: sensitivity to the position of the different leg (suggesting an analytical strategy) and insensitivity to position (suggesting a holistic strategy). The object cue improved performance for the “holistic perceivers”, but not for the “analytical perceivers”. The research suggests that an object cue can help some, but not all users of a multivariate graph and that assessing users' perceptual processing strategy can be important in evaluating the effectiveness of display design features.
Using 2-D vs. 3-D Displays: Gestalt and Precision Tasks
Authors: St. John Mark , Cowen Michael B.
Published: January 2012

Research on when and how to use three-dimensional (3-D) perspective views on flat screens for operational tasks such as air traffic control is confusing and contradictory. We stepped back to consider the basic qualities and capabilities of two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D views. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that 3-D views are better for shape understanding and 2-D views are better for precisely judging relative positions. Participants viewed simple block shapes in 2-D or 3-D and either performed a shape understanding task (e.g. identification, mental rotation) or a relative position task (e.g. directions and distances between objects). Results confirmed the hypothesis.
Developing Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders
Authors: Ogunbawo Dolapo
Published: January 2012

The provision of customized black and minority ethnic (BME) leadership courses and programmes is one of the measures being employed to address the under-representation of teachers and school leaders from minority ethnic backgrounds. This strategy has always attracted controversy as opinions have been divided about its value and benefits. Yet there is paucity of literature on the content and impact of customized BME leadership programmes. This paper examines the perception and reported experiences of participants of Equal Access to Promotion (EAP) and Investing in Diversity (IiD), two BME leadership development programmes, for the benefits and value-added by customized BME leadership development programmes. The paper also draws attention to current statistics on the positioning of BME teachers and school leaders within the school system in England and the perceived impact of customized BME programmes in addressing the barriers faced by BME teachers in their drive for development and progression.
Attribute agenda setting, priming and the media’s influence on how to think about a controversial issue
Authors: Kim Sei-Hill , Han Miejeong , Choi Doo-Hun , Kim Jeong-Nam
Published: January 2012

Using a controversial issue in South Korea, a government plan to relocate the administrative capital, this study examines attribute agenda setting. Linking survey data to an analysis of news coverage, more specifically, the article explores how television news has influenced the way the public evaluates the plan and its various attributes, i.e. potential benefits and problems of the relocation. Findings support the idea that the media could increase public salience of certain attributes by placing them more prominently in news coverage. An important outcome of attribute agenda setting was its priming effect. Issue attributes emphasized in the media were functioning as important standards by which the audience evaluated the plan. These findings, taken together, enhance the intercultural validity of attribute agenda setting by demonstrating that the theory can be applied to South Korea, a country with a unique cultural tradition.
Discovery of novel variants in genotyping arrays improves genotype retention and reduces ascertainment bias
Authors: Didion John P , Yang Hyuna , Sheppard Keith , Fu Chen-Ping , McMillan Leonard , de Villena Fernando Pardo-Manuel , Churchill Gary A
Published: January 2012

Background

High-density genotyping arrays that measure hybridization of genomic DNA fragments to allele-specific oligonucleotide probes are widely used to genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genetic studies, including human genome-wide association studies. Hybridization intensities are converted to genotype calls by clustering algorithms that assign each sample to a genotype class at each SNP. Data for SNP probes that do not conform to the expected pattern of clustering are often discarded, contributing to ascertainment bias and resulting in lost information - as much as 50% in a recent genome-wide association study in dogs.

Results

We identified atypical patterns of hybridization intensities that were highly reproducible and demonstrated that these patterns represent genetic variants that were not accounted for in the design of the array platform. We characterized variable intensity oligonucleotide (VINO) probes that display such patterns and are found in all hybridization-based genotyping platforms, including those developed for human, dog, cattle, and mouse. When recognized and properly interpreted, VINOs recovered a substantial fraction of discarded probes and counteracted SNP ascertainment bias. We developed software (MouseDivGeno) that identifies VINOs and improves the accuracy of genotype calling. MouseDivGeno produced highly concordant genotype calls when compared with other methods but it uniquely identified more than 786000 VINOs in 351 mouse samples. We used whole-genome sequence from 14 mouse strains to confirm the presence of novel variants explaining 28000 VINOs in those strains. We also identified VINOs in human HapMap 3 samples, many of which were specific to an African population. Incorporating VINOs in phylogenetic analyses substantially improved the accuracy of aMusspecies tree and local haplotype assignment in laboratory mouse strains.

Conclusion

The problems of ascertainment bias and missing information due to genotyping errors are widely recognized as limiting factors in genetic studies. We have conducted the first formal analysis of the effect of novel variants on genotyping arrays, and we have shown that these variants account for a large portion of miscalled and uncalled genotypes. Genetic studies will benefit from substantial improvements in the accuracy of their results by incorporating VINOs in their analyses.
Is increasing complexity of algorithms the price for higher accuracy? virtual comparison of three algorithms for tertiary level management of chronic cough in people living with HIV in a low-income country
Authors: Mukabatsinda Constance , Nguyen Jasmine , Bisig Bettina , Lynen Lutgarde , Coppens Yerma D , Asiimwe Anita , Van den Ende Jef
Published: January 2012

Background

The algorithmic approach to guidelines has been introduced and promoted on a large scale since the 1970s. This study aims at comparing the performance of three algorithms for the management of chronic cough in patients with HIV infection, and at reassessing the current position of algorithmic guidelines in clinical decision making through an analysis of accuracy, harm and complexity.

Methods

Data were collected at the University Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) in a total of 201 HIV-positive hospitalised patients with chronic cough. We simulated management of each patient following the three algorithms. The first was locally tailored by clinicians from CHUK, the second and third were drawn from publications by Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Semantic analysis techniques known as Clinical Algorithm Nosology were used to compare them in terms of complexity and similarity. For each of them, we assessed the sensitivity, delay to diagnosis and hypothetical harm of false positives and false negatives.

Results

The principal diagnoses were tuberculosis (21%) and pneumocystosis (19%). Sensitivity, representing the proportion of correct diagnoses made by each algorithm, was 95.7%, 88% and 70% for CHUK, MSF and WHO, respectively. Mean time to appropriate management was 1.86 days for CHUK and 3.46 for the MSF algorithm. The CHUK algorithm was the most complex, followed by MSF and WHO. Total harm was by far the highest for the WHO algorithm, followed by MSF and CHUK.

Conclusions

This study confirms our hypothesis that sensitivity and patient safety (i.e. less expected harm) are proportional to the complexity of algorithms, though increased complexity may make them difficult to use in practice.
Significance of CO2 donor on the production of succinic acid by Actinobacillus succinogenes ATCC 55618
Authors: Zou Wei , Zhu Li-Wen , Li Hong-Mei , Tang Ya-Jie
Published: January 2012

Background

Succinic acid is a building-block chemical which could be used as the precursor of many industrial products. The dissolved CO2 concentration in the fermentation broth could strongly regulate the metabolic flux of carbon and the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase, which are the important committed steps for the biosynthesis of succinic acid by Actinobacillus succinogenes. Previous reports showed that succinic acid production could be promoted by regulating the supply of CO2 donor in the fermentation broth. Therefore, the effects of dissolved CO2 concentration and MgCO3 on the fermentation process should be investigated. In this article, we studied the impacts of gaseous CO2 partial pressure, dissolved CO2 concentration, and the addition amount of MgCO3 on succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes ATCC 55618. We also demonstrated that gaseous CO2 could be removed when MgCO3 was fully supplied.

Results

An effective CO2 quantitative mathematical model was developed to calculate the dissolved CO2 concentration in the fermentation broth. The highest succinic acid production of 61.92 g/L was obtained at 159.22 mM dissolved CO2 concentration, which was supplied by 40 g/L MgCO3 at the CO2 partial pressure of 101.33 kPa. When MgCO3 was used as the only CO2 donor, a maximal succinic acid production of 56.1 g/L was obtained, which was just decreased by 7.03% compared with that obtained under the supply of gaseous CO2 and MgCO3.

Conclusions

Besides the high dissolved CO2 concentration, the excessive addition of MgCO3 was beneficial to promote the succinic acid synthesis. This was the first report investigating the replaceable of gaseous CO2 in the fermentation of succinic acid. The results obtained in this study may be useful for reducing the cost of succinic acid fermentation process.
LogSpin: a simple, economical and fast method for RNA isolation from infected or healthy plants and other eukaryotic tissues
Authors: Yaffe Hila , Buxdorf Kobi , Shapira Illil , Ein-Gedi Shachaf , Moyal-Ben Zvi Michal , Fridman Eyal , Moshelion Menachem , Levy Maggie
Published: January 2012

Background

Rapid RNA extraction is commonly performed with commercial kits, which are very expensive and can involve toxic reagents. Most of these kits can be used with healthy plant tissues, but do not produce consistently high-quality RNA from necrotic fungus-infected tissues or fungal mycelium.

Findings

We report on the development of a rapid and relatively inexpensive method for total RNA extraction from plants and fungus-infected tissues, as well as from insects and fungi, based on guanidine hydrochloride buffer and common DNA extraction columns originally used for the extraction and purification of plasmids and cosmids.

Conclusions

The proposed method can be used reproducibly for RNA isolation from a variety of plant species. It can also be used with infected plant tissue and fungal mycelia, which are typically recalcitrant to standard nucleic acid extraction procedures.
Frances Whipple, Elleanor Eldridge, and the Politics of Interracial Collaboration
Authors: Moody Joycelyn
Published: January 2012

This essay examines the second of two virtually unknown texts coauthored by Frances Whipple (Green McDougal) and Elleanor Eldridge, both of Providence, Rhode Island: Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge (1838) and Elleanor's Second Book (1839). Whereas the Memoirs exclusively chronicles Eldridge's life and misfortunes, Elleanor's Second Book contains only an abbreviated biography of its eponymous African and indigenous heroine. After its biographical opening section, Elleanor's Second Book shifts to several stories about white women representing a variety of class locations. These characters are juxtaposed against the “colored” Eldridge, as Whipple, Eldridge's de facto amanuensis, conforms to Rhode Island's rhetorical institutionalization of a black-white racial binary. This label and Whipple's condescending and unguarded use of racist terminology and stereotypes of black and indigenous people expose the differences that the two women bring to their collaborative project. Whipple's ambivalence about her literary subject becomes apparent in the descriptions of Eldridge she offers through the narrator and white female characters in Elleanor's Second Book. The essay argues that despite the rhetorical failures in both texts that ensue from Whipple's complicated race politics, contemporary scholars of American literature should not ignore the biographies' sociopolitical and economic underpinnings, as the latter provide crucial insights into the study of early African American literature as well as early U.S. women's literature.
Ch'ixinakax utxiwa: A Reflection on the Practices and Discourses of Decolonization
Authors: Cusicanqui Silvia Rivera
Published: January 2012

Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui explores the possibilities for decolonization through an analysis of the “multicultural” state as an ongoing practice of coloniality that recognizes and incorporates indigenous people but only as static, archaic figures defined by a continuous relationship to an idealized past. As Cusicanqui demonstrates, this truncated recognition subordinates indigenous people, depriving them of their contemporaneity, complexity, and dynamism and, therefore, of their potential to challenge the given order. Coloniality and its relations of domination, she claims, are also reproduced in the knowledge production of academic scholars of decoloniality, primarily from the global North. These academics, she argues, appropriate the language and ideas of indigenous scholars without grappling with the relations of force that define their relationships to them, thus decontextualizing and depoliticizing these concepts and marginalizing indigenous scholars from their own debates. Counterposing the Aymara concept of ch'ixi—a parallel coexistence of difference—to multiculturalism and hybridity, which incorporates and flattens or distorts difference, Cusicanqui shows that decolonization must be not only a discourse but also an affirmative practice.
Closures and Openings in the Impasse
Authors: Situaciones Colectivo
Published: January 2012

What lies beyond neoliberalism? This essay proposes to examine this question within the effects of those struggles that, through the creation of collective spaces, significantly contributed to delegitimizing neoliberalism and breaking its hegemony. In Argentina, ten years after the original crisis of neoliberal order, this discussion remains at a boiling point. Does neoliberalism live on in new forms? Can those same people who put its legitimacy into question propose a different order? What can we call this current phase, which, since 2003 has been filled with fluctuations between “closures” and “openings” and is now characterized by a government that aims to merely administer over the situation that has resulted from the crisis of neoliberalism? Here, Colectivo Situaciones does not attempt to answer these questions (which still remain open) but rather proposes to read the last decade of events in Argentina and Latin America from the perspective of the effects of the movement on the current situation. As this essay attempts to show, this moment is marked by an ambivalent dynamic in which novelties and archaisms stand juxtaposed in a situation best characterized as an “impasse.” This process seems to close and reopen in each new phase, requiring a continuous new art of questioning that will subtly construct a path to take us deeper into the limitations and potentialities of this situation.
Counterhegemonies and Emancipations: Notes for a Debate
Authors: Ornelas Raúl
Published: January 2012

Raúl Ornelas sets out to describe the parameters of the political debate that has taken center stage in Latin America between those who see political action within the lens of counterhegemony and those who see the most recent antisystemic movements as the emergence of a new logic of political action under the banner of “autonomy.” Ornelas attempts to avoid the oppositional reactions with which proponents of each position have met the other in the Latin American context and instead attempts an evenhanded evaluation of the vision and actions of each position, placing emphasis on the fact that unlike the conceptual debate that seems to surround them, in practice these positions have often overlapped within the same organizations and movements. By outlining the characteristics of each position, Ornelas then goes on to draw a conclusive evaluation of the strength and weaknesses of each in the face of the contemporary function of the neoliberal state.
Kill the Bill
Authors: Grant Judith
Published: January 2012

Recent political actions in several Midwestern states have been reported as struggles between newly elected Republican governors and labor. However, the highly coordinated attacks reach beyond labor issues and can be read as the domestic face of the post-9/11 security state. “Gateway laws” push the limits of American tolerance for increased state authority that is rooted in the logic of the security state. Recent protests can be read as American resistance against the use of the language of austerity that is cynically used to increase antidemocratic state power.
The clinical value of routine whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in palliative care
Authors: Geitung Jonn Terje , Eikeland Joakim , Rosland Jan Henrik
Published: January 2012

Background

Whole-body MRI (WBMRI) has become an accessible method for detecting different types of pathologies both in the skeleton and the viscera, which may explain painful conditions, for example tumors and inflammation.

Purpose

To assess a possible value of using WBMRI in order to improve palliative care.

Material and Methods

Twenty patients (all eligible patients) admitted to the Department for Palliative Care were consecutively included in this study. They underwent a modified WBMRI, with fewer and shorter pulse sequences than in a standard WBMRI, to reduce patient stress. However, the patients' physicians were to exclude patients where little might be obtained and discomfort, distress, and pain could be induced. The treating physicians registered clinical utility directly after receiving the MRI report in a questionnaire. The registration was repeated after ended treatment.

Results

Eighty percent had new findings detected, and 40% of the patients had a change in treatment due to the MRI result, mainly changes in analgesics and/or radiation therapy.

Conclusion

The WBMRI helped the clinicians to improve treatment and a majority of the patients benefited from this. In eight patients the treatment was changed due to the results. The clinical value (utility) was indicated to be high.
Production of actinium, thorium and radium isotopes from natural thorium irradiated with protons up to 141 MeV
Authors: Ermolaev S. V. , Zhuikov B. L. , Kokhanyuk V.M. , Matushko V. L. , Kalmykov Stepan N. , Aliev Ramiz A. , Tananaev Ivan G. , Myasoedov Boris F.
Published: January 2012

Cross sections of 225Ac, 227Ac, 227Th and 228Th in thorium-232 targets irradiated with protons in the energy range 21–141 MeV have been measured. Based on these data, production yields of 225Ac and 223Ra in thick thorium targets have been calculated. It is possible to produce in proton energy range 60–140 MeV about 96 GBq (2.6 Ci) 225Ac per 10-d irradiation with 100 μA proton beam current and 10-d decay, and much higher amount of 223Ra. The impurities of 227Ac and 224Ra are important and need to be assessed for further medical applications.
The Poetry in Donne's Sermons
Authors: Sloane Thomas O.
Published: January 2012

The poetry in Donne's sermons is not to be found in sudden flashes of heightened imagery, conspicuous patterns of sound, or unique turns of phrase, qualities often featured when “selected passages” from the sermons are published. It is to be found, rather, in the use Donne made of homiletic form, with an effect the poet-priest himself associated with harmony and beaten gold. The act of achieving this effect, moreover, is not inconsistent with Donne's stated beliefs concerning God's creativity.
Uncoupling protein 2 negatively regulates glucose-induced glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion
Authors: Zhang Hongjie , Li Jing , Liang Xiangying , Luo Yun , Zen Ke , Zhang Chen-Yu
Published: January 2012

It is known that endogenous levels of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) can be enhanced by various secretagogues, but the mechanism underlying GLP1 secretion is still not fully understood. We assessed the possible effect of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) on GLP1 secretion in mouse intestinal tract and NCI-H716 cells, a well-characterized human enteroendocrine L cell model. Localization of UCP2 and GLP1 in the gastrointestinal tract was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Ucp2 mRNA levels in gut were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. Human NCI-H716 cells were transiently transfected with siRNAs targeting UCP2. The plasma and ileum tissue levels of GLP1 (7–36) amide were measured using an ELISA kit. UCP2 was primarily expressed in the mucosal layer and colocalized with GLP1 in gastrointestinal mucosa. L cells secreting GLP1 also expressed UCP2. After glucose administration, UCP2-deficient mice showed increased glucose-induced GLP1 secretion compared with wild-type littermates. GLP1 secretion increased after NCI-H716 cells were transfected with siRNAs targeting UCP2. UCP2 was markedly upregulated in ileum tissue from ob/ob mice, and GLP1 secretion decreased compared with normal mice. Furthermore, GLP1 secretion increased after administration of genipin by oral gavage. Taken together, these results reveal an inhibitory role of UCP2 in glucose-induced GLP1 secretion.
Experiences of dry soil mixing in highly organic soils
Authors: Timoney Martin J. , McCabe Bryan A. , Bell Alan L.
Published: January 2012

Soil mixing, or soil stabilisation, is a method of enhancing the geotechnical properties of suitable host soil through the addition of cementitious and/or pozzolanic binders in either dry or slurry forms. In dry soil mixing, the binder is injected into the soil in powder form using compressed air. Published laboratory experiences of stabilising highly organic soils in dry soil mixing laboratory trials are collated in this paper. A large database of stabilised strengths is compiled from which it emerges that cement and a cement/ground granulated blast furnace slag combination are the most suitable binders for peat soils, and that the ratio of mass of water to mass of binder and the von Post classification H value are important indicators of stabilised strength. The data provide a useful frame of reference for practitioners wishing to select an appropriate binder type and content for mixing trials in peat. Stabilised strength gain over time is discussed, as are issues such as soil temperature, binder temperature sensitivity and prestressing.
Life Course Outcomes on Mental and Physical Health: The Impact of Foster Care on Adulthood
Authors: Zlotnick Cheryl , Tam Tammy W. , Soman Laurie A.
Published: January 2012

Objective. We compared the prevalence rates of mental health and physical health problems between adults with histories of childhood foster care and those without.

Methods. We used 2003–2005 California Health Interview Survey data (n = 70 456) to test our hypothesis that adults with childhood histories of foster care will report higher rates of mental and physical health concerns, including those that affect the ability to work, than will those without.

Results. Adults with a history of childhood foster care had more than twice the odds of receiving Social Security Disability Insurance because they were unable to work owing to mental or physical health problems for the past year, even after stratifying by age and adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Conclusions. Childhood foster care may be a sentinel event, signaling the increased risk of adulthood mental and physical health problems. A mental and physical health care delivery program that includes screening and treatment and ensures follow-up for children and youths who have had contact with the foster care system may decrease these individuals’ disproportionately high prevalence of poor outcomes throughout their adulthood.
Dual Loyalty in Prison Health Care
Authors: Pont Jörg , Stöver Heino , Wolff Hans
Published: January 2012

Despite the dissemination of principles of medical ethics in prisons, formulated and advocated by numerous international organizations, health care professionals in prisons all over the world continue to infringe these principles because of perceived or real dual loyalty to patients and prison authorities.

Health care professionals and nonmedical prison staff need greater awareness of and training in medical ethics and prisoner human rights. All parties should accept integration of prison health services with public health services.

Health care workers in prison should act exclusively as caregivers, and medical tasks required by the prosecution, court, or security system should be carried out by medical professionals not involved in the care of prisoners.
Understanding Barriers to and Facilitators of Diabetes Control and Prevention in the New York City Bangladeshi Community: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Authors: Islam Nadia Shilpi , Tandon Darius , Mukherji Runi , Tanner Michael , Ghosh Krittika , Alam Gulnahar , Haq Mamnunal , Rey Mariano Jose , Trinh-Shevrin Chau
Published: January 2012

We have reported results from the formative stage of a community health worker intervention designed to improve diabetes management among Bangladeshi patients in New York City. Trained community health workers conducted focus groups (n = 47) and surveys (n = 169) with Bangladeshi individuals recruited from community locations. Results indicated that participants faced numerous barriers to care, had high rates of limited English proficiency, and had low levels of knowledge about diabetes. Most participants expressed interest in participating in a community health worker intervention.
Informed Consent and Cluster-Randomized Trials
Authors: Sim Julius , Dawson Angus
Published: January 2012

We argue that cluster-randomized trials are an important methodology, essential to the evaluation of many public health interventions.

However, in the case of at least some cluster-randomized trials, it is not possible, or is incompatible with the aims of the study, to obtain individual informed consent. This should not necessarily be seen as an impediment to ethical approval, providing that sufficient justification is given for this omission.

We further argue that it should be the institutional review board’s task to evaluate whether the protocol is sufficiently justified to proceed without consent and that this is preferable to any reliance on community consent or other means of proxy consent.
A 2-Phase Labeling and Choice Architecture Intervention to Improve Healthy Food and Beverage Choices
Authors: Thorndike Anne N. , Sonnenberg Lillian , Riis Jason , Barraclough Susan , Levy Douglas E.
Published: January 2012

Objectives. We assessed whether a 2-phase labeling and choice architecture intervention would increase sales of healthy food and beverages in a large hospital cafeteria.

Methods. Phase 1 was a 3-month color-coded labeling intervention (red = unhealthy, yellow = less healthy, green = healthy). Phase 2 added a 3-month choice architecture intervention that increased the visibility and convenience of some green items. We compared relative changes in 3-month sales from baseline to phase 1 and from phase 1 to phase 2.

Results. At baseline (977 793 items, including 199 513 beverages), 24.9% of sales were red and 42.2% were green. Sales of red items decreased in both phases (P < .001), and green items increased in phase 1 (P < .001). The largest changes occurred among beverages. Red beverages decreased 16.5% during phase 1 (P < .001) and further decreased 11.4% in phase 2 (P < .001). Green beverages increased 9.6% in phase 1 (P < .001) and further increased 4.0% in phase 2 (P < .001). Bottled water increased 25.8% during phase 2 (P < .001) but did not increase at 2 on-site comparison cafeterias (P < .001).

Conclusions. A color-coded labeling intervention improved sales of healthy items and was enhanced by a choice architecture intervention.
Maternal Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and the Risk of Undernutrition Among Children Younger Than 5 Years in Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Mosiur , Poudel Krishna C. , Yasuoka Junko , Otsuka Keiko , Yoshikawa Kayoko , Jimba Masamine
Published: January 2012

Objectives. We examined the association between maternal experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the risk of undernutrition among children younger than 5 years in Bangladesh.

Methods. We used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. Our analyses were based on the responses of 1851 married women living with at least 1 child younger than 5 years. Exposure was determined from maternal reports of physical and sexual IPV. Outcomes included underweight, stunting, and wasting.

Results. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents had experienced IPV in the year preceding the survey. Maternal experience of any physical or sexual IPV was associated with an increased risk of stunting (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23, 2.08) and underweight (AOR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.71) but was not significantly associated with wasting (AOR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.78, 1.49).

Conclusions. The association between maternal exposure to physical or sexual IPV and child underweight and stunting suggests that partner violence plays a significant role in compromising child health by impairing child nutrition. Our findings reinforce the evidence that improving child nutrition is an additional reason to strengthen efforts to protect women from physical and sexual IPV.
Use of Design Effects and Sample Weights in Complex Health Survey Data: A Review of Published Articles Using Data From 3 Commonly Used Adolescent Health Surveys
Authors: Bell Bethany A. , Onwuegbuzie Anthony J. , Ferron John M. , Jiao Qun G. , Hibbard Susan T. , Kromrey Jeffrey D.
Published: January 2012

Objectives. We assessed how frequently researchers reported the use of statistical techniques that take into account the complex sampling structure of survey data and sample weights in published peer-reviewed articles using data from 3 commonly used adolescent health surveys.

Methods. We performed a systematic review of 1003 published empirical research articles from 1995 to 2010 that used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 765), Monitoring the Future (n = 146), or Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (n = 92) indexed in ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science.

Results. Across the data sources, 60% of articles reported accounting for design effects and 61% reported using sample weights. However, the frequency and clarity of reporting varied across databases, publication year, author affiliation with the data, and journal.

Conclusions. Given the statistical bias that occurs when design effects of complex data are not incorporated or sample weights are omitted, this study calls for improvement in the dissemination of research findings based on complex sample data. Authors, editors, and reviewers need to work together to improve the transparency of published findings using complex sample data.