bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a tripolar approach to the relationship between the religions
Authors: Saayman W.A.
Published: April 2008

This article emphasises the need for ongoing reflection on interreligious relationships. The author proposes that such reflection should take account of three religious realities (or 'poles'): (what is considered as) divine revelation, human religious experience, and the possibility of the demonic. On this basis, and with full respect for other people's religious commitments, it may be possible to move to a satisfying relationship between the religions.
Feminist studies in religion and a radical democratic ethos 1
Authors: Schüssler Fiorenza Elizabeth
Published: April 2008

Feminist studies in religion contribute to the fashioning of a radical democratic political culture and the creation of an egalitarian politics of meaning. In the South African context feminist studies are important elements in the emergence of a democratic and just society since they provide a theoretical framework and intellectual space for transforming kyriarchal knowledges and deeply inculcated values of oppression. Several issues are addressed, namely the nature of feminist religious studies, feminist religious studies as a knowledge producing discourse, and the institutional location of feminist studies in religion.
Derrida and Nagarjuna A double-register deconstruction
Authors: le Roux C. du P.
Published: April 2008

This article tracks cross-culturally the methodological deconstructive path of thought of Jacques Derrida and the Buddhist thinker Nāgārjuna.
Spiritual healing A comparison between New Age groups and African Initiated Churches in South Africa
Authors: Steyn H.C.
Published: April 2008

This article explores and compares spiritual healing in two contemporary guises: the New Age movement and African Initiated Churches (AICs). A third component which cannot be ignored is the traditional African healing practices which (to a large extent) have shaped practices in the AICs. Firstly, the current growth in the prevalence of these groups is considered. Secondly, the two major components are compared with regard to illness and its causes, gifted healers, rituals, and transformation. And finally, the possible effects of these practices on the restoration of the country is considered.
Beyond the debate: an agenda for biblical studies in the new South Africa
Authors: Speckman Rev M. T.
Published: April 2008

New Testament methods are products of the contexts out of which they have emerged. Any attempt at devising new ways of teaching Biblical Studies should be cognisant of this. The different methods used are not naive but are in the service of the user's interests. Hence fragmentation and sectarianism. A common departure point is suggested as a prerequisite for any meaningful alternative to the teaching of Biblical Studies in South Africa.
Participatory Democracy the Case of the Brazilian Ecclesial Base Communities: 1981-1991
Authors: Maclean Iain S.
Published: April 2008

In the early stages of Brazil's democratisation, ecclesial base communities (CEBs) were regarded by liberation theologians as models for a participatory democracy. However, as democratisation advanced, this model became increasingly difficult to uphold. Reasons for this included differences among liberation theologians on how to approach the fact of political options presented by political parties, the increasing polarisation in the institutional Catholic Church which had previously supported the CEBs, and weaknesses within the CEBs themselves which effectively limited national political participation.
Biblical Archaeology as an Academic Discipline in Search of Its Academic Identity
Authors: Craffert Pieter F.
Published: April 2008

While the history of the term 'biblical archaeology' shows that it has no single meaning, debates on the disciplinary status of biblical archaeology point towards its long-standing struggle to define itself as a scholarly discipline. A critical discussion of these two aspects results in a rejection of the recent trend to define biblical archaeology as a subsidiary of biblical studies. Instead, it is suggested that biblical archaeology should be defined as a subspecies of general archaeology. This argument finds support in three features of general archaeology: the impetus Of new archaeology, the nature of archaeological scholarship and its interdisciplinary features.
Social Location of Transformative Orientations Among South African Youth
Authors: Pieterse Hendrik J.C. , Van Der Ven Johannes A. , Dreyer Jaco S.
Published: April 2008

In the previous article we asked the question of to what extent a group of 538 Grade 11 students from Anglican and Catholic church-affiliated schools in the Johannesburg/Pretoria region show transformative orientations in the fields of ecology, economics and politics. In this article we deal with the question of what the social location of these transformative orientations is. The more transformatively oriented students are to be found among female, ANCoriented, transethnically directed, postmaterialistic, self-controlling, non-religious, and sometimes Anglican (in each case non-Catholic) students who regard work as something interesting, participate in political communication and consensus building, and see politics and study as a value. Students who favour socio-economic equality more specifically are to be found among the more religiously inspired and motivated students.
'Ilahle Elinothuthu'?* the Lay Reader and /or the Critical Reader- Some Remarks On Africanisation
Authors: Snyman Gerrie F.
Published: April 2008

This article intends to link Africanisation, lay readings and critical scholarship. Its point of departure is the dialectic of colonial inferiority complexes and the realisation of a Babelesque confusion as a defining element of South Africanness. Within this socio-political context the focus falls on Semeia 73 ('Reading with': an exploration of the interface between critical and ordinary readings of the Bible), drawing some implications for a grassroots reading of Esther 9 as well as the role of critical scholarship in the Afrikaans Reformed tradition. Bearing in mind the work of Edward Said on the subject of intellectuality, the article suggests that as long as the renewed focus on the lay reader represents only a change in political grid and power relations, it does not initiate a new trend in hermeneutics. A fundamental shift will only occur when the underlying reading strategies of lay reading are revealed and critically assessed. Instead of merely reproducing the ideological mechanisms and alignments whereby description becomes prescription and the local is represented as universal, it is suggested that these mechanisms should be challenged by the critical reader, even when and while socially engaged.
Toward the Truth About the Trc: a Response To Key Moral Criticisms of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Authors: Verwoerd Wilhelm J.
Published: April 2008

In this article the 'genre' of the TRC Report is clarified in order to answer some of the criticisms of the TRC. It is argued that the TRC conceptualised its role as the promotion of restorative justice rather than retributive justice. Justice and reconciliation is served not by isolating perpetrators of gross human rights violations but by restoring human community. Different aspects of the effects of the TRC's work are considered, namely reconciliation, amnesty and forgiveness Justice-based and reconciliation-based criticisms of the TRC are answered.
Metastable Decomposition of High-Dimensional Meteorological Data with Gaps
Authors: Horenko Illia , Dolaptchiev Stamen I. , Eliseev Alexey V. , Mokhov Igor I. , Klein Rupert
Published: April 2008

This paper presents an extension of the recently developed method for simultaneous dimension reduction and metastability analysis of high-dimensional time series. The modified approach is based on a combination of ensembles of hidden Markov models (HMMs) with state-specific principal component analysis (PCA) in extended space (guaranteeing that the overall dynamics will be Markovian). The main advantage of the modified method is its ability to deal with the gaps in the high-dimensional observation data. The proposed method allows for (i) the separation of the data according to the metastable states, (ii) a hierarchical decomposition of these sets into metastable substates, and (iii) calculation of the state-specific extended empirical orthogonal functions simultaneously with identification of the underlying Markovian dynamics switching between those metastable substates. The authors discuss the introduced model assumptions, explain how the quality of the resulting reduced representation can be assessed, and show what kind of additional insight into the underlying dynamics such a reduced Markovian representation can give (e.g., in the form of transition probabilities, statistical weights, mean first exit times, and mean first passage times). The performance of the new method analyzing 500-hPa geopotential height fields [daily mean values from the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) dataset for a period of 44 winters] is demonstrated and the results are compared with information gained from a numerically expensive but assumption-free method (Wavelets–PCA), and the identified metastable states are interpreted w.r.t. the blocking events in the atmosphere.
Effects of TRMM Boost on Oceanic Rainfall Estimates Based on Microwave Emission Brightness Temperature Histograms (METH)
Authors: Shin Dong-Bin , Chiu Long S.
Published: April 2008

A physical–statistical algorithm for estimating space–time average oceanic rainfall has been applied to microwave measurements taken by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) on board the TRMM satellite. The algorithm is based on Microwave Emission Brightness Temperature Histograms (METH) and produces monthly rainfall over 5° × 5° latitude–longitude boxes as a TRMM standard product (3A11). The TRMM satellite was boosted from an altitude of 350–402 km in August 2001 to extend its mission life. The orbit boost affected the orbital parameters, rain-rate–brightness temperature relations, and then rain-rate parameters. Using oceanic rain rates derived from SSM/I, the difference between 3A11 and SSM/I for the preboost and postboost periods was analyzed. The difference shows a significant jump from the preboost to the postboost data if no adjustments were made for the postboost TRMM data. The jumps in rain-rate parameters are attributed to the changes in earth’s incidence angle of TMI, affecting the brightness temperature in the TMI channels, the retrieved altitude of the freezing level, and the beam-filling correction factor. The changes in the brightness temperature (and freezing level) estimates and the beam-filling correction factor accounted for differences of approximately 4.9% and 1.5%, respectively. After the orbital and radiometric parameters are corrected for the boost, there is no detectable jump between the pre- and postboost 3A11 rain rates. The intersatellite calibration results demonstrate the robustness of the technique in producing a long record of climate-scale oceanic rainfall.
The Otherness of Sexuality: Excess
Authors: Stein Ruth
Published: April 2008

The present essay, the second of a series of three, aims at developing an experience-near account of sexuality by rehabilitating the idea of excess and its place in sexual experience. It is suggested that various types of excess, such as excess of excitation (Freud), the excess of the other (Laplanche), excess beyond symbolization and the excess of the forbidden object of desire (Leviticus; Lacan) work synergistically to constitute the compelling power of sexuality. In addition to these notions, further notions of excess touch on its transformative potential. Such notions address excess that shatters psychic structures and that is actively sought so as to enable new ones to evolve (Bersani). Work is quoted that regards excess as a way of dealing with our lonely, discontinuous being by using the “excessive” cosmic energy circulating through us to achieve continuity against death (Bataille). Two contemporary analytic thinkers are engaged who deal with the object-relational and intersubjective vicissitudes of excess.
Masturbation, Sexuality, and Adaptation: Normalization in Adolescence
Authors: Shapiro Theodore
Published: April 2008

During adolescence the central masturbation fantasy that is formulated during childhood takes its final form and paradoxically must now be directed outward for appropriate object finding and pair matching in the service of procreative aims. This is a step in adaptation that requires a further developmental landmark that I have called normalization. The path toward airing these private fantasies is facilitated by chumship relationships as a step toward further exposure to the social surround. Hartmann's structuring application of adaptation within psychoanalysis is used as a framework for understanding the process that simultaneously serves intrapsychic and social demands and permits goals that follow evolutionary principles. Variations in the normalization process from masturbatory isolation to a variety of forms of sexual socialization are examined in sociological data concerning current adolescent sexual behavior and in case examples that indicate some routes to normalized experience and practice.
Affect Integration in Dreams and Dreaming
Authors: Grenell Gary
Published: April 2008

The processes by which dreaming aids in the ongoing integration of affects into the mind are approached here from complementary psychoanalytic and nonpsychoanalytic perspectives. One relevant notion is that the dream provides a psychological space wherein overwhelming, contradictory, or highly complex affects that under waking conditions are subject to dissociation, splitting, or disavowal may be brought together for observation by the dreaming ego. This process serves the need for psychological balance and equilibrium. A brief discussion of how the mind processes information during dreaming is followed by a consideration of four component aspects of the integrative process: the nature and use of the dream-space, the oscillating “me / not me” quality of the dream, the apparent reality of the dream, and the use of nonpathological projective identification in dreaming. Three clinical illustrations are offered and discussed.
Saying it with feeling: Analysing speakable emotions
Authors: Coupland Christine , Brown Andrew D. , Daniels Kevin , Humphreys Michael
Published: April 2008

In this article we examine accounts of emotional experiences in one organization. Drawing upon data from interviews across a range of employees, we analyse aspects of emotion, identity and power. Adopting a constructionist perspective we use a method of discourse analysis to analyse how participants constructed emotions according to tacitly understood rules regarding appropriate emotional displays. These rules were made visible through an examination of the participants' positioning strategies as they described emotional experiences. Our findings suggest that, rather than an institutionally held level of appropriate articulations of emotionality, there was a role-related, socially located rule system linked to separate categories of teachers, managers and administrative employees. The contribution of the article is threefold. First, we use in-depth case data from 44 semi-structured interviews to analyse how teachers and managers/administrators in a UK-based further education (FE) college constructed emotions according to certain rules (informal norms) regarding appropriate kinds of emotional displays. Teachers acknowledged and upgraded labelled emotions, while managers and administrators denied and downgraded accounts of emotional experiences. Second, we discuss the implications of talk about emotion for the (re)production of teachers' and managers/administrators' work identities. Third, we consider how people's talk about emotions was bound-up in relations of power.
Negative emotions in supervisory relationships: The role of relational models
Authors: Game Annilee M.
Published: April 2008

The reasons why supervisory/line management relationships are one of the most frequently cited causes of workplace negative emotions are poorly understood. Existing research on emotions at work provides some clues but largely omits the role of relational context. Drawing on attachment theory, the present research develops a model suggesting that employees hold differing relational models of their supervisory relationship in conjunction with global relational models that they bring with them to the workplace. Together, these relational models are associated with different interpretations of supervisor behaviour, which in turn are associated with differences in emotional reactions. The model was tested with a survey of 174 nurses employed in a UK NHS Trust. Some support was found for the propositions. The research highlights that in order to understand why negative emotions occur in supervisory relationships it is important to examine affective events within the historical relational context in which they occur.
Collapsing categories
Authors: Armstrong Chris
Published: April 2008

This article examines Nancy Fraser's attempt to repair the apparent schism between economic and cultural struggles for justice. Fraser has argued that the only analysis equipped to theorize the relationship between economic and cultural injustices is a `perspectival dualist' one, which treats the two forms of injustice as analytically separate and irreducible, at the same time as providing tools for theorizing potential harmonies between the claims of groups agitating for economic and cultural justice. Fraser's contribution has been hugely influential, but this article investigates how a series of significant shifts in her position have cast doubt on the coherence and utility of her approach. Specifically, it examines recent revisions to the social theory underpinning Fraser's account, and shows how a number of (necessary) concessions to `anti-dualist' positions call into question the diagnosis of the schism that her framework seeks to resolve, and undercut her arguments for a `perspectival dualist' approach to social theory. In light of concerns over Fraser's social theory, this article also questions whether the political ideals of recognition and redistribution retain their critical or analytical value.
The effect of exercise on adrenocortical responsiveness of patients with chronic low back pain, controlled for psychological strain
Authors: Chatzitheodorou Dimitris , Mavromoustakos Savvas , Milioti Styliani
Published: April 2008

Objective: To investigate the effects of high-intensity aerobic exercise on adrenocortical responsiveness and on standard outcome measures in patients with chronic low back pain.

Design: Controlled clinical trial.

Setting: Physical therapy department of a university general hospital.

Subjects: Sixty-four patients with chronic low back pain were randomly allocated into positive and negative suppression test groups and assigned to exercise protocol.

Interventions: Subjects in the positive and negative dexamethasone suppression test groups received a 12-week high-intensity aerobic exercise programme.

Main outcome measures: Dexamethasone suppression test as an index of adrenocortical responsiveness, pain measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire, functional status measured with the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, and psychological strain measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results: Data analysis in the positive group identified a significant reduction of pain by 30% (t 30 = 11.2, P<0.001), a recovery of the lost functioning by 34% (t 30 = 19.7, P<0.001), a reduction of anxiety/depression by 25% (t 30 = 10.2, P<0.001), and a change in adrenocortical responsiveness by 40% (t30 = 14.1, P<0.001). In the dexamethasone suppression test negative group, data analysis identified a significant reduction of pain by 8% (t31 = 4.2, P<0.001), a recovery of lost functioning by 10% (t31 = 4.8, P<0.001), a reduction of anxiety/depression by 11% (t31 = 5.0, P<0.001), and no change in adrenocortical responsiveness (t31 = 1.2, P=0.22). In univariate analysis between-subject differences were significant for dexamethasone suppression test (F61 = 163, P<0.001), and for anxiety/depression (F61 = 21.3, P<0.001).

Conclusion: Exercise alleviated pain, functional disability and anxiety/depression, also improved adrenocortical responsiveness in patients with chronic low back pain with dexamethasone suppression test positive values.
Short-term effects on mobility, activities of daily living and health-related quality of life of a Conductive Education programme for adults with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke
Authors: Brittle Nicola , Brown Melanie , Mant Jonathan , McManus Richard , Riddoch Jane , Sackley Catherine
Published: April 2008

Objective: To evaluate the impact of 10 sessions of Conductive Education on mobility, functional independence and health-related quality of life in adults with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke.

Design: Observational, pretest—posttest design.

Setting: The National Institute of Conductive Education, Birmingham, UK.

Participants: One hundred and twenty-nine self-referred community-living individuals with moderate disability.

Intervention: Following an individual consultation, participants attended 10 diagnostic-specific group sessions of Conductive Education, scheduled daily or less commonly weekly.

Outcome measures: All participants were assessed using the Barthel Index and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily living Index. Stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease patients also completed the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey, the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life 54 questionnaire (MSQoL-54) and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) respectively.

Results: One hundred and five individuals completed the programme as well as all pre and post-assessments. Of these, 34 had suffered a stroke, 55 had Parkinson's disease and 16 had multiple sclerosis. Stroke patients demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily living Index (mean change 3.4, P<0.001) and the SF-36 mental health subsection (mean change 7.8, P<0.001). Non-significant trends towards improved physical and mental function were demonstrated by other outcome measures across all three diagnoses.

Conclusions: The results emphasize potential benefits of Conductive Education for individuals with stroke. The results will inform further randomized comparisons of the effects of Conductive Education in neurologically disabled people.
Balance improvement in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Authors: Chang Wen-Ching , Yang Yea-Ru , Hsu Li-Chi , Chern Chang-Ming , Wang Ray-Yau
Published: April 2008

Objective: To investigate the effect of an additional vestibular stimulated exercise programme on balance for patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Medical centre.

Subjects: Twenty-six subjects with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo involving the unilateral posterior semicircular canal.

Interventions: Subjects were randomized into experimental or control groups. Thirteen subjects in the experimental group received the canalith repositioning manoeuvre and vestibular stimulated exercise training three times a week for four weeks. Thirteen subjects in the control group received only the canalith repositioning manoeuvre.

Main measures: Static balance tests, tandem walk test, Dynamic Gait Index and subjective rating of the intensity of vertigo were measured at baseline, two-week and four-week assessments.

Results: Compared with the control group, subjects in the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in single leg stance with eyes closed at the two-week assessment (P<0.05). Furthermore, stance on foam surface with eyes closed, single-leg stance with eyes closed, and Dynamic Gait Index at the four-week assessment were also significantly improved (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that additional exercise training, which emphasizes vestibular stimulation, can improve balance ability and functional gait performance among patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo who had already undergone the canalith repositioning manoeuvre.
Removal of immune-stimulatory components from surfaces by plasma discharges
Authors: Hasiwa Marina , Kylián Ondřej , Hartung Thomas , Rossi Francois
Published: April 2008

Immune-stimulating microbiological components like lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and zymosan bound onto surfaces lead to severe problems when brought in contact with the organism via surgical instruments or implants. We have shown, in recent studies, that it is possible to detect different immune-stimulating components directly on the surface, via an indirect detection method, using human whole-blood and the monocyte reaction to measure the inflammatory mediator release (IL-1β) by ELISA. With regard to the inactivation of pyrogenic substances, we present a method based on the application of a low-pressure microwave plasma discharge working at low temperatures. We found a fast (10 s to a few minutes) removal rate of the immune-stimulating competence for LPS, LTA and zymosan. To mimic the bacterial cell-wall, LPS in combination with muramyl dipeptide was employed and the decreasing rate of the inflammatory signal did not differ from pure LPS.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis induces IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 production by THP-1 cells in a way different from that of Escherichia coli LPS
Authors: Diya Zhang  , Lili Chen  , Shenglai Li  , Zhiyuan Gu  , Jie Yan
Published: April 2008

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis has been shown to differ from enterobacterial LPS in structure and function; therefore, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the intracellular inflammatory signaling pathways are accordingly different. To elucidate the signal transduction pathway of P. gingivalis, LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the human monocytic cell line THP-1 was measured by ELISA, and the TLRs were determined by the blocking test using anti-TLRs antibodies. In addition, specific inhibitors as well as Phospho-ELISA kits were used to analyze the intracellular signaling pathways. Escherichia coli LPS was used as the control. In this study, P. gingivalis LPS showed the ability to induce cytokine production in THP-1 cells and its induction was significantly ( P < 0.05) suppressed by anti-TLR2 antibody or JNK inhibitor, and the phosphorylation level of JNK was significantly increased ( P < 0.05). These results indicate that TLR2—JNK is the main signaling pathway of P. gingivalis LPS-induced cytokine production, while the cytokine induction by E. coli LPS was mainly via TLR4—NF-κB and TLR4—p38MAPK. This suggests that P. gingivalis LPS differs from E. coli LPS in its signaling pathway in THP-1 cells, and that the TLR2—JNK pathway might play a significant role in P. gingivalis LPS-induced chronic inflammatory periodontal disease.
PERCEPTION OF TONAL AND TEMPORAL STRUCTURES IN CHORD SEQUENCES BY PATIENTS WITH CEREBELLAR DAMAGE
Authors: LEBRUN-GUILLAUD GÉRALDINE , TILLMANN BARBARA , JUSTUS TIMOTHY
Published: April 2008

OUR STUDY INVESTIGATED THE PERCEPTION of pitch and time dimensions in chord sequences by patients with cerebellar damage. In eight-chord sequences, tonal relatedness and temporal regularity of the chords were manipulated and their processing was tested with indirect and direct investigation methods (i.e., priming paradigm in Experiment 1; subjective judgments of completion and temporal regularity in Experiments 2 and 3). Experiment 1 replicated a musical relatedness effect despite cerebellar damage (see Tillmann, Justus, & Bigand, 2008) and Experiment 2 extended it to completion judgments. This outcome suggests that an intact cerebellum is not mandatory to access tonal knowledge. However, data on temporal manipulations suggest that the cerebellum is involved in the processing of temporal regularities in music. The comparison between task performances obtained for the same sequences further suggests that the altered processing of temporal structures in patients impairs the rapid development of musical expectations on the time dimension.
New professional development system for UK engineers
Authors: Marsh L.
Published: April 2008

In July 2007, the Engineering and Technology Board launched a pilot professional development system to guide and support UK engineers through the process of registration and beyond. The system, which manages the process by which engineers record their progress against professional objectives, has since been reviewed and updated in accordance with extensive user trials. It now provides a comprehensive, step-by-step framework for achieving recognition as either a chartered engineer (CEng), an incorporated engineer (IEng) or an engineering technician (Eng Tech). By mapping its users' progress against the requirements laid down in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-Spec), and identifying individual gaps and challenges, the professional development system supports and guides its users along a structured career path.
Potential environmental contaminant risks to avian species at important bird areas in the Northeastern United States
Authors: Rattner Barnett A , Ackerson Betty K
Published: April 2008

Environmental contaminants can have profound effects on birds, acting from the molecular through population levels of biological organization. An analysis of potential contaminant threats was undertaken at 52 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) within the northeastern Atlantic coast drainage. Using geographic information system methodology, data layers describing or integrating contamination (impaired waters, fish or wildlife consumption advisories, toxic release inventory sites, and estimates of pesticide use) were overlaid on buffered IBA boundaries, and the relative threat at each site was ranked. Some species of birds residing at Jefferson National Forest (NF), Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Great Dismal Swamp NWR, Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park (NP), Adirondack Park, Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, George Washington NF, Green Mountain NF, Long Island Piping Plover Beaches, and Merrymeeting Bay may be threatened by environmental contaminants. These sites exhibited moderate to high percentages of impaired waters and had fish consumption advisories related to mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, and were located in counties with substantial pesticide use. Endangered, threatened, and Watch List bird species are present at these sites. The Contaminant Exposure and Effects–Terrestrial Vertebrates database was searched within buffered IBA boundaries, and for a moderate number of sites there was concordance between the perceived risk and contaminant exposure. Several of the IBAs with apparently substantial contaminant threats had no avian ecotoxicological data (e.g., George Washington NF, Shenandoah NP). Based upon this screening level risk assessment, contaminant biomonitoring of birds is warranted at such sites, and data generated from these efforts could foster natural resource management activities.
Mini-Review: Factors Affecting Multiple Invasions of Erythrocytes in Plasmodium and other Malaria-like Parasites. A Neglected Characteristic of Infections
Authors: Martínez-de la Puente Josué , Merino Santiago
Published: April 2008

Multiple invasions (MIs) are produced when the same erythrocyte is infected by more than one parasite cell.
These MIs commonly occur in different haemosporidia species including Plasmodium and other malaria-like parasites.
However, the frequency of MIs has been traditionally considered in studies both in vivo and in vitro as an artefact produced
by high parasite densities, leading most researchers to think that MIs does not have a true biological meaning but
they are merely the product of chance. Other proposed explanations for the occurrence of MIs include an adaptive host
strategy to reduce parasite damage and hinder parasite transmission success and an adaptive parasite strategy which favours
parasite transmission success. Here we review the relevant literature supporting or rejecting these hypotheses proposed
to explain the occurrence of MIs. Although the possibility that MIs being due to higher parasite densities has received
much support, more studies are clearly necessary to reveal the potential importance of host defences and parasite
strategies on the occurrence of MIs in nature.
The Death of Mourning: From Victorian Crepe to the Little Black Dress
Authors: Bedikian Sonia A.
Published: April 2008

Mourning is a natural response to loss. In the late eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century, in England and France, the bereaved was expected to follow a complex set of rules, particularly among the upper classes, with women more bound to adhere to these customs than men. Such customs involved wearing heavy, concealing, black costume and the use of black crepe veils. Special black caps and bonnets were worn with these ensembles. Widows were expected to wear these clothes up to four years after their loss to show their grief. Jewelry often made of dark black jet or the hair of the deceased was used. To remove the costume earlier was thought disrespectful to the deceased. Formal mourning culminated during the reign of Queen Victoria. Her prolonged grief over the death of her husband, Prince Albert, had much to do with the practice. During the succeeding Edwardian rule, the fashions began to be more functional and less restrictive, but the dress protocol for men and women, including that for the period of mourning, was still rigidly adhered to. When World War I began, many women joined the workforce. Most widows attempted to maintain the traditional conventions of mourning, but with an increase in the number of casualties, it became impractical for them to interrupt their work in order to observe the seclusion called for by formal mourning etiquette. Never had the code of mourning been less strictly applied than during this period. The mourning outfits of the time were modest and made of practical materials. Little jewelry and few other accessories were used. Certain aspects of traditional mourning were still followed, such as the use of jet beading, crepe trim, and widows' caps. However, the hemlines fell above the ankle, the veil was used to frame the face instead of cover it, and the v-neckline left the chest and neck bare. During the following decades, gradually the rules were relaxed further and it became acceptable for both sexes to dress in dark colors for up to a year after a death in the family.
Turkish Health Professional's Attitude Toward Euthanasia
Authors: Karadeni̇z Gülten , Yanikkerem Emre , Pi̇ri̇nçci̇ Edibe , Erdem Ramazan , Esen Aynur , Ki̇tapçioğlu Gül
Published: April 2008

The cross-sectional study was administrated between April and September 2006. Participants are doctors, nurses, and midwives. Between these dates we met only 750 health staff (doctor, nurse, and midwife). Six hundred thirty-two of them responded to our questionnaire, 122 of them were in Manisa city, and 510 of them in Erciyes. We sought to identify variables that contribute to euthanasia attitude, including demographics, in order to demonstrate Turkish doctors', nurses', and midwives' attitudes toward euthanasia and to compare their attitudes in this regard. The data was collected by a two-part questionnaire. The first part included questions about the health personnel; the second part comprised the euthanasia (Medical Staff's Attitude toward Euthanasia) scale. The scale was developed by the researcher to measure the attitude of healthy staff euthanasia. The SPSS was used to analyze the data. Student t-test, ANOVA, Mann Whitney U, and Kruskal Wallis were used to evaluate the data. The p value 0.05 (95% confidence interval) was accepted as significant. In our study, professional groups are compared with all the factors but there is a significant difference only between social cost and professional groups.
Histological investigations of Eimeria infection in large-scaled gurnards, Lepidotrigla cavillone (Lacepède, 1801) from the Novigrad Sea, Croatia
Authors: Gjurčević Emil , Kozarič Zvonimir , Bambir Slavko , Petrinec Zdravko , Kužir Snježana , Gudan Andrea , Baždarić Branimir
Published: April 2008

The presence of an Eimeria sp. was found in adult large-scaled gurnards Lepidotrigla cavillone (Lacepède, 1801) from the Novigrad Sea, in Croatia. The detection of Eimeria sp. in the pyloric caeca and intestines of the large-scaled gurnards is also the first report of the parasite in this fish species. The analysis of histopathological changes in the digestive tract led to the conclusion that the parasite could be a serious pathogen in heavily infected large-scaled gurnards.
Adiposity, Body Composition Measures, and Breast Cancer Risk in Korean Premenopausal Women
Authors: Tran Thi Xuan Mai , Chang Yoosoo , Choi Hye Rin , Kwon Ria , Lim Ga-Young , Kim Eun Young , Ryu Seungho , Park Boyoung
Published: April 2024

Objective

To investigate the association between body composition parameters and breast cancer (BC) risk in premenopausal women.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Prospective cohort study using data from the Kangbuk Samsung Cohort Study. Participants were women aged 20 to 54 years who were enrolled from 2011 to 2019 and followed up for BC development until December 31, 2020. Data were analyzed from June to August 2023.

Exposures

Trained nurses conducted anthropometric measurements and assessed body composition using segmental bioelectric impedance analysis. The analysis encompassed adiposity measures such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and body composition parameters, including muscle mass, fat mass, ratio of muscle mass to weight, ratio of fat mass to weight, and fat mass index.

Main outcomes and measures

Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for BC during the follow-up period.

Results

Among 125 188 premenopausal women, the mean (SD) age was 34.9 (6.3) years. During a mean (range) follow-up of 6.7 (0.5-9.9) years, 1110 incident BC cases were identified. The mean (SD) BMI and waist circumference were 21.6 (3.1) and 75.3 (8.2) cm, respectively. Higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with decreased risk, with an aHR of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.84-0.95) per SD increase in BMI and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.86-0.98) per SD increase in waist circumference. A higher ratio of fat mass to weight was associated with decreased BC risk (aHR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.99 per SD increase), whereas the opposite trend was observed for the ratio of muscle mass to weight, with an aHR of 1.08 (95% CI, 1.02-1.15) per SD increase. The results remained consistent even after additional adjustments for height in the model. The fat mass index was also inversely associated with BC risk, with an HR of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.85-0.97) per SD increase.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of premenopausal women, a higher level of adiposity, represented by increased BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass, was consistently associated with decreased breast cancer risk. Conversely, muscle mass and its ratio to weight displayed opposite or inconsistent patterns. These findings suggest an inverse association between excess adiposity and the risk of BC in premenopausal women, confirming earlier findings that BMI is an indirect measure of adiposity.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Prostate Cancer Screening
Authors: Fazekas Tamás , Shim Sung Ryul , Basile Giuseppe , Baboudjian Michael , Kói Tamás , Przydacz Mikolaj , Abufaraj Mohammad , Ploussard Guillaume , Kasivisvanathan Veeru , Rivas Juan Gómez , Gandaglia Giorgio , Szarvas Tibor , Schoots Ivo G. , van den Bergh Roderick C. N. , Leapman Michael S. , Nyirády Péter , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Rajwa Pawel
Published: April 2024

Importance

Prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly integrated within the prostate cancer (PCa) early detection pathway.

Objective

To systematically evaluate the existing evidence regarding screening pathways incorporating MRI with targeted biopsy and assess their diagnostic value compared with prostate-specific antigen (PSA)–based screening with systematic biopsy strategies.

Data Sources

PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane/Central, Scopus, and Web of Science (through May 2023).

Study Selection

Randomized clinical trials and prospective cohort studies were eligible if they reported data on the diagnostic utility of prostate MRI in the setting of PCa screening.

Data Extraction

Number of screened individuals, biopsy indications, biopsies performed, clinically significant PCa (csPCa) defined as International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade 2 or higher, and insignificant (ISUP1) PCas detected were extracted.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was csPCa detection rate. Secondary outcomes included clinical insignificant PCa detection rate, biopsy indication rates, and the positive predictive value for the detection of csPCa.

Data Synthesis

The generalized mixed-effect approach with pooled odds ratios (ORs) and random-effect models was used to compare the MRI-based and PSA-only screening strategies. Separate analyses were performed based on the timing of MRI (primary/sequential after a PSA test) and cutoff (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System [PI-RADS] score ≥3 or ≥4) for biopsy indication.

Results

Data were synthesized from 80 114 men from 12 studies. Compared with standard PSA-based screening, the MRI pathway (sequential screening, PI-RADS score ≥3 cutoff for biopsy) was associated with higher odds of csPCa when tests results were positive (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 2.93-5.88; P ≤ .001), decreased odds of biopsies (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.22-0.36; P ≤ .001), and insignificant cancers detected (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.23-0.49; P = .002) without significant differences in the detection of csPCa (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.75-1.37; P = .86). Implementing a PI-RADS score of 4 or greater threshold for biopsy selection was associated with a further reduction in the odds of detecting insignificant PCa (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.05-0.97; P = .048) and biopsies performed (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.09-0.38; P = .01) without differences in csPCa detection (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.49-1.45; P = .22).

Conclusion and relevance

The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that integrating MRI in PCa screening pathways is associated with a reduced number of unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis of insignificant PCa while maintaining csPCa detection as compared with PSA-only screening.
Contributions and problems of mathematical models in COVID‐19 prevention in Japan
Authors: Kakehashi Masayuki , Matsuda Hiroyuki
Published: April 2024

This article reviews the essential role of mathematical models in understanding and combatting the pandemic of novel coronaviruses, in particular focusing the advance in the use of mathematical models in disease control in Japan. Highlighting the integral role of mathematical models in public health, the article introduces a model that factors in the heterogeneity of infectious contacts, concentrating on the effectiveness of testing and isolation, alongside a model that involves economic losses. The models exhibit how, given such heterogeneity, milder behavioral restrictions can still achieve suppression, rigorous testing and isolation can effectively curb the spread, and containment measures can mitigate economic losses. These models aid in grasping the complicated dynamics of disease transmission and optimizing interventions. The knowledge of population ecology is also considered effective for public health in statistical analysis, organizing concepts using dynamic mathematical models, which lead to policy proposals and deepen understanding. Evolution theory may help the understanding of virulence subject to change. However, effective prevention necessitates not only models but also the practical implementation of efficacious measures. The cooperation of various disciplines is particularly crucial in achieving a balance between health measures, economic interests, and human rights. Moreover, the article acknowledges the limitations of models and underscores the significance of real‐world execution. Overall, the article advocates for a broader outlook to tackle future pandemics and related challenges, underscoring the importance of ongoing academic cooperation and global governance to effectively address emerging infectious diseases and their far‐reaching implications.
Audiences, automation, and AI: From structured news to language models
Authors: Caswell David
Published: April 2024

The appearance of large language models (LLMs) and other forms of generative AI portend a new era of disruption and innovation for the news industry, this time focused on the production and consumption of news rather than on its distribution. Large news organizations, however, may be surprisingly well‐prepared for at least some of this disruption because of earlier innovation work on automating workflows for personalized content and formats using structured techniques. This article reviews this work and uses examples from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other large news providers to show how LLMs have recently been successfully applied to addressing significant barriers to the deployment of structured approaches in production, and how innovation using structured techniques has more generally framed significant editorial and product challenges that might now be more readily addressed using generative AI. Using the BBC's next‐generation authoring and publishing stack as an example, the article also discusses how earlier innovation work has influenced the design of flexible infrastructure that can accommodate uncertainty in audience behavior and editorial workflows – capabilities that are likely to be well suited to the fast‐approaching AI‐mediated news ecosystem.
Tumor‐On‐A‐Chip Model Incorporating Human‐Based Hydrogels for Easy Assessment of Metastatic Tumor Inter‐Heterogeneity
Authors: Monteiro Cátia F. , Deus Inês A. , Silva Inês B. , Duarte Iola F. , Custódio Catarina A. , Mano João F.
Published: April 2024

The coordinated migration of invasive tumor cells is a complex and dynamic mechanism driven by diverse cellular and molecular events. Unfortunately, the inherent heterogeneity within tumors raises multiple challenges in deciphering key biomarkers and novel therapeutic approaches to prevent tumor metastasis. Here, a microengineered tumor‐on‐a‐chip system incorporating human platelet lysate hydrogels is proposed to recreate the early metastatic process of tumor invasion and drug response. By co‐culturing human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with two tumor cell lines with distinct metastatic capability, the developed model can emulate the 3D tumor microarchitecture and inter‐heterogeneity regarding its intrinsic metastatic ability. The recreated microenvironment supports tumor and stromal cell movement, evidencing the synergistic tumor‐stromal cell and cell‐extracellular matrix interactions of an invading tumor. Through gene and protein expression analysis and exometabolomic profiling, this tumor‐on‐a‐chip platform provides evidence for the role of a dynamic environment as a key regulator of tumor metastatic ability. Additionally, the effect of doxorubicin treatment on tumor invasiveness and biomarker profile highlights the suitability of the established models for therapy assessment. Overall, this study presents a tumor‐on‐a‐chip model useful to pursue mechanistic studies on early metastatic events in a fully human‐derived microenvironment, while contributing with fundamental insights into biomolecular profiling.