bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Appropriate use of personal protective equipment among healthcare workers in public sector hospitals and primary healthcare polyclinics during the SARS outbreak in Singapore
Authors: Chia S E , Koh D , Fones C , Qian F , Ng V , Tan B H , Wong K S , Chew W M , Tang H K , Ng W , Muttakin Z , Emmanuel S , Fong N P , Koh G , Lim M K
Published: June 2005

Background:Singapore was affected by an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from 25 February to 31 May 2003, with 238 probable cases and 33 deaths.

Aims:To study usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) among three groups of healthcare workers (HCWs: doctors, nurses, and administrative staff), to determine if the appropriate PPE were used by the different groups and to examine the factors that may determine inappropriate use.

Methods:A self-administered questionnaire survey of 14 554 HCWs in nine healthcare settings, which included tertiary care hospitals, community hospitals, and polyclinics, was carried out in May–July 2003. Only doctors, nurses, and clerical staff were selected for subsequent analysis.

Results:A total of 10 236 valid questionnaires were returned (70.3% response); 873 doctors, 4404 nurses, and 921 clerical staff were studied. A total of 32.5% of doctors, 48.7% of nurses, and 77.1% of the administrative staff agreed that paper and/or surgical masks were “useful in protecting from contracting SARS”. Among this group, 23.6% of doctors and 42.3% of nurses reported working with SARS patients. The view that a paper and/or surgical mask was adequate protection against SARS was held by 33.3% of doctors and 55.9% of nurses working at the A&E unit, 30.5% of doctors and 49.4% of nurses from medical wards, and 27.5% of doctors and 37.1% of nurses from intensive care units. Factors which predicted for agreement that paper and/or surgical masks were protective against SARS, included HCW’s job title, reported contact with SARS patients, area of work, and Impact Events Scale scores.

Conclusion:A variety of factors determine appropriate use of personal protective equipment by HCWs in the face of a major SARS outbreak.
A randomised controlled trial of postural interventions for prevention of musculoskeletal symptoms among computer users
Authors: Gerr F , Marcus M , Monteilh C , Hannan L , Ortiz D , Kleinbaum D
Published: June 2005

Aims:To examine the effect of two workstation and postural interventions on the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms among computer users.

Methods:Randomised controlled trial of two distinct workstation and postural interventions (an alternate intervention and a conventional intervention) among 376 persons using computer keyboards for more than 15 hours per week. The incidence of neck/shoulder symptoms and hand/arm symptoms during six months of follow up among individuals in the intervention groups was compared to the incidence in computer users who did not receive an intervention (comparison group). For individuals in the intervention groups, study staff adjusted workstations, where possible, and trained individuals to assume the intervention postures. Individuals reported musculoskeletal symptoms in a weekly diary. Participants who reported discomfort intensity of 6 or greater on a 0–10 visual analogue scale or who reported musculoskeletal symptoms requiring use of analgesic medication were considered symptomatic.

Results:There were no significant differences in the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms among the three intervention groups. Twenty two (18.5%) participants in the alternate intervention group, 25 (20.2%) in the conventional intervention group, and 25 (21.7%) in the comparison group developed incident arm or hand symptoms. Thirty eight (33.3%) participants in the alternate intervention group, 36 (31.0%) in the conventional intervention group, and 33 (30.3%) in the comparison group developed incident neck or shoulder symptoms. Compliance with all components of the intervention was attained for only 25–38% of individuals, due mainly to the inflexibility of workstation configurations.

Conclusions:This study provides evidence that two specific workplace postural interventions are unlikely to reduce the risk of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms among computer users.
Cancer incidence in the Swedish leather tanning industry: updated findings 1958–99
Authors: Mikoczy Z , Hagmar L
Published: June 2005

Aims:To assess how a 10 year extension of the follow up period affected cancer incidence in the Swedish leather tanning cohort.

Methods:A cohort of 2027 tannery workers (of which 482 were women) who had been employed for at least one year between 1900 and 1989 at one of three Swedish leather tanneries, was established. The start of observation varied between 1958 and 1966 for the three plants. Through linkage with the Swedish Cancer Registry, incident cancer cases were recorded up to 1999. Cause specific expected cancer incidence was calculated for 1958–99 based on calendar year, sex, and five year age group specific incidence rates for the counties where the plants had been located. Altogether 56 022 person-years at risk were generated.

Results:A total of 351 incident cancer cases were observed compared to 302 expected, which resulted in an increased standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of 1.16 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.29). An enhanced risk for prostate cancer was observed (SIR 1.44, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.86), mainly attributable to the later part of the observation period (1990–99). In this updated analysis the previously observed risk excess for soft tissue sarcomas was no longer significant (SIR 2.62, 95% CI 0.96 to 5.70). For multiple myelomas and sinonasal cancer the slight non-significant excesses remained, still based on very few cases.

Conclusions:The increased risk for prostate cancer in the present study might be a chance finding, but is noteworthy, since it is in acccordance with the finding of increased SIR for prostate cancer among leather workers in another recent Swedish study. Moreover, excess risks for prostate cancer among farmers have been reported, indicating pesticides as possible causative agents. Leather tanners have also been exposed to pesticides.
Mortality in the UK industrial silica sand industry: 2. A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Brown T P , Rushton L
Published: June 2005

Aims:To evaluate the mortality experience of a cohort of employees in the UK silica sand industry exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Methods:A retrospective cohort mortality study followed all workers to 2001 with at least one year’s employment at one of seven UK silica sand producing quarries between 1950 and 1986. Each worker was assigned a job category and cumulative exposure to RCS was estimated using a job-exposure matrix.

Results:A total of 764 deaths were identified in 2703 cohort members. The overall mortality rate for the cohort was lower than would be expected in the general population. Mortality from circulatory and respiratory disease was also less than expected, but death due to pneumoconiosis was slightly raised (two deaths). Mortality from all cancers was slightly decreased. Mortality was not raised in any job category. Cancer mortality was raised at one quarry due to a significant increase in lung (standardised mortality rate (SMR) 162.0, 95% CI 113.5 to 224.3) and bladder (SMR 366.5, 95% CI 167.6 to 695.7) cancers. Mortality from lung cancer and other causes did not show a trend with cumulative exposure to RCS.

Conclusions:This study did not show any consistent relation between RCS exposure (in the absence of other known carcinogens) and the development of lung cancer. This contrasts with a number of studies that have shown positive findings in similar and related industries.
Identifying public water facilities with low spatial variability of disinfection by-products for epidemiological investigations
Authors: Hinckley A F , Bachand A M , Nuckols J R , Reif J S
Published: June 2005

Background and Aims:Epidemiological studies of disinfection by-products (DBPs) and reproductive outcomes have been hampered by misclassification of exposure. In most epidemiological studies conducted to date, all persons living within the boundaries of a water distribution system have been assigned a common exposure value based on facility-wide averages of trihalomethane (THM) concentrations. Since THMs do not develop uniformly throughout a distribution system, assignment of facility-wide averages may be inappropriate. One approach to mitigate this potential for misclassification is to select communities for epidemiological investigations that are served by distribution systems with consistently low spatial variability of THMs.

Methods and Results:A feasibility study was conducted to develop methods for community selection using the Information Collection Rule (ICR) database, assembled by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The ICR database contains quarterly DBP concentrations collected between 1997 and 1998 from the distribution systems of 198 public water facilities with minimum service populations of 100 000 persons. Facilities with low spatial variation of THMs were identified using two methods; 33 facilities were found with low spatial variability based on one or both methods. Because brominated THMs may be important predictors of risk for adverse reproductive outcomes, sites were categorised into three exposure profiles according to proportion of brominated THM species and average TTHM concentration. The correlation between THMs and haloacetic acids (HAAs) in these facilities was evaluated to see whether selection by total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) corresponds to low spatial variability for HAAs. TTHMs were only moderately correlated with HAAs (r = 0.623).

Conclusions:Results provide a simple method for a priori selection of sites with low spatial variability from state or national public water facility datasets as a means to reduce exposure misclassification in epidemiological studies of DBPs.
DARK MATTER DYNAMICS AND INDIRECT DETECTION
Authors: BERTONE GIANFRANCO , MERRITT DAVID
Published: June 2005

Non-baryonic, or "dark", matter is believed to be a major component of the total mass budget of the Universe. We review the candidates for particle dark matter and discuss the prospects for direct detection (via interaction of dark matter particles with laboratory detectors) and indirect detection (via observations of the products of dark matter self-annihilations), focusing in particular on the Galactic center, which is among the most promising targets for indirect detection studies. The gravitational potential at the Galactic center is dominated by stars and by the supermassive black hole, and the dark matter distribution is expected to evolve on sub-parsec scales due to interaction with these components. We discuss the dominant interaction mechanisms and show how they can be used to rule out certain extreme models for the dark matter distribution, thus increasing the information that can be gleaned from indirect detection searches.
ON THE ANALYTIC PROPERTIES OF THE z-COLOURED JONES POLYNOMIAL
Authors: MARTINS JOÃO FARIA
Published: June 2005

We analyse the possibility of defining ℂ-valued Knot invariants associated with infinite-dimensional unitary representations of SL(2,ℝ) and the Lorentz Group taking as starting point the Kontsevich integral and the notion of infinitesimal character. This yields a family of knot invariants whose target space is the set of formal power series in ℂ, which contained in the Melvin–Morton expansion of the coloured Jones polynomial. We verify that for some knots the series have zero radius of convergence and analyse the construction of functions of which this series are asymptotic expansions by means of Borel re-summation. Explicit calculations are done in the case of torus knots which realise an analytic extension of the values of the coloured Jones polynomial to complex spins. We present a partial answer in the general case.
THE CASSON–WALKER–LESCOP INVARIANT AND LINK INVARIANTS
Authors: JOHANNES JEFF
Published: June 2005

Formulas previously presented for the Casson–Walker invariant are generalized to Lescop's extension. These formulas in terms of linking numbers and surgery coefficients compute the change in Lescop's invariant under crossing changes in a framed link presenting a 3-manifold. This leads us to revisit an old formula for a coefficient of the Conway polynomial. Finally we compute Lescop's invariant of several lens spaces.
A METHOD FOR COMPUTING FAMILIES OF DISCRETE KNOTS USING KNOT NUMBERS
Authors: BRIBIESCA ERNESTO
Published: June 2005

A method for generating families of particular 3D curves which differs from random self-avoiding walks is presented. This method is based on a chain code called knot numbers. The knot-number notation describes discrete knots. A discrete knot is the digitalized representation of a knot and is composed of constant orthogonal straight-line segments. The orthogonal direction changes of the contiguous straight-line segments of the knot define the chain elements. There are only five possible orthogonal direction changes for representing any discrete knot. Thus, the chain elements are considered as one base-five integer number (knot number). In this manner, we obtain a unique knot descriptor. This description is invariant under translation, rotation, starting point, and coding direction of the discrete knot.

By evaluating all possible combinations of chain elements of curves and considering some restrictions, we obtain interesting families of curves which allow us to find the smallest nontrivial knot. Finally, we present a modest attempt at building the table of minimal discrete knots.
ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BODY
Authors: Joyce Rosemary A.
Published: June 2005

Under the influence of phenomenological approaches, a semiotic perspective on the body is being replaced in archaeology by analysis of the production and experience of lived bodies in the past through the juxtaposition of traces of body practices, idealized representations, and evidence of the effects of habitual gestures, postures, and consumption practices on the corporal body. On the basis of a shared assumption that social understandings of the body were created and reproduced through associations with material culture, archaeology of the body has proceeded from two theoretical positions: the body as the scene of display and the body as artifact. Today, the body as a site of lived experience, a social body, and site of embodied agency, is replacing prior static conceptions of an archaeology of the body as a public, legible surface.
AREAL LINGUISTICS AND MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA
Authors: Enfield N.J.
Published: June 2005

Mainland Southeast Asia provides a dramatic demonstration of the areal phenomenon in linguistics: When languages are spoken historically in the same location they often show significant parallels in the organization of a wide range of structural domains, whether the languages descend from the same historical source. The effects of areal diffusion raise fundamental questions for the traditional essentialist vision of languages as entities with offspring that diverge, with shared innovations marking divergent branches and internal processes of evolution accounting for diversity among modern languages. Recent theoretical and empirical research on linguistic diversity, language change, and social diffusion of innovation argues for a unit-based approach to language change and relatedness, where the units of analysis are individual speakers and individual linguistic items. This review begins with discussion of the language situation in Mainland Southeast Asia, where the language “genealogies” have been dramatically permeated by socio-historical contact, then explores theoretical and methodological implications for research on language both generally and in its areal context.
THE EFFECT OF MARKET ECONOMIES ON THE WELL-BEING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND ON THEIR USE OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES
Authors: Godoy Ricardo , Reyes-García Victoria , Byron Elizabeth , Leonard William R. , Vadez Vincent
Published: June 2005

Assessing the effects of markets on the well-being of indigenous peoples and their conservation of natural resources matters to identify public policies to improve well-being and enhance conservation and to test hypotheses about sociocultural change. We review studies about how market economies affect the subsistence, health, nutritional status, social capital, and traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples and their use of renewable natural resources. Market exposure produces mixed effects on well-being and conservation. Unclear effects arise from the small sample size of observations; reliance on cross-sectional data or short panels; lack of agreement on the measure of key variables, such as integration to the market or folk knowledge, or whether to rely on perceived or objective indicators of health; and endogeneity biases. Rigorous empirical studies linking market economies with the well-being of indigenous peoples or their use of renewable natural resources have yet to take off.
RACE AND ETHNICITY IN PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH: Models to Explain Health Disparities
Authors: Dressler William W. , Oths Kathryn S. , Gravlee Clarence C.
Published: June 2005

The description and explanation of racial and ethnic health disparities are major initiatives of the public health research establishment. Black Americans suffer on nearly every measure of health in relation to white Americans. Five theoretical models have been proposed to explain these disparities: a racial-genetic model, a health-behavior model, a socioeconomic status model, a psychosocial stress model, and a structural-constructivist model. We selectively review literature on health disparities, emphasizing research on low birth weight and high blood pressure. The psychosocial stress model and the structural-constructivist model offer greatest promise to explain disparities. In future research, theoretical elaboration and operational specificity are needed to distinguish among three distinct factors: (a) genetic variants contributing to disease risk; (b) ethnoracial or folk racial categories masquerading as biology; and (c) ethnic group membership. Such elaboration is necessary to move beyond the conflation of these three distinct constructs that characterizes much of current research.
Functional expression of Kir2.x in human aortic endothelial cells: the dominant role of Kir2.2
Authors: Fang Yun , Schram Gernot , Romanenko Victor G. , Shi Congzhu , Conti Lisa , Vandenberg Carol A. , Davies Peter F. , Nattel Stanley , Levitan Irena
Published: June 2005

Inward rectifier K+channels (Kir) are a significant determinant of endothelial cell (EC) membrane potential, which plays an important role in endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. In the present study, several complementary strategies were applied to determine the Kir2 subunit composition of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Expression levels of Kir2.1, Kir2.2, and Kir2.4 mRNA were similar, whereas Kir2.3 mRNA expression was significantly weaker. Western blot analysis showed clear Kir2.1 and Kir2.2 protein expression, but Kir2.3 protein was undetectable. Functional analysis of endothelial inward rectifier K+current ( IK) demonstrated that 1) IKcurrent sensitivity to Ba2+and pH were consistent with currents determined using Kir2.1 and Kir2.2 but not Kir2.3 and Kir2.4, and 2) unitary conductance distributions showed two prominent peaks corresponding to known unitary conductances of Kir2.1 and Kir2.2 channels with a ratio of ∼4:6. When HAECs were transfected with dominant-negative (dn)Kir2.x mutants, endogenous current was reduced ∼50% by dnKir2.1 and ∼85% by dnKir2.2, whereas no significant effect was observed with dnKir2.3 or dnKir2.4. These studies suggest that Kir2.2 and Kir2.1 are primary determinants of endogenous K+conductance in HAECs under resting conditions and that Kir2.2 provides the dominant conductance in these cells.
Assembly, activation, and signaling by kinin-forming proteins on human vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Fernando Anthony N. , Fernando Lawrence P. , Fukuda Yu , Kaplan Allen P.
Published: June 2005

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are an important constituent of the vessel wall that can bring about pathological changes leading to vascular disease. Depending on the environment, the function of VSMC can deviate profoundly from its normal contractile role. Despite advances in research, the underlying mechanisms that activate VSMC toward vascular disease are poorly understood. For the first time, we have observed that factor XII and high-molecular-weight kininogen, constituents of the blood plasma, can bind to VSMC in a Zn2+-dependent manner. In the presence of prekallikrein, this assembly of factor XII and high-molecular-weight kininogen on VSMC leads to the activation of prekallikrein to kallikrein with a rapid formation of bradykinin. The amount of bradykinin in the culture medium then decreases, presumably because of the presence of a kininase activity. p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase is rapidly phosphorylated in response to in situ-generated or in vitro-added bradykinin and is inhibited by bradykinin antagonist HOE-140. Binding of factor XII to VSMC also results in a concentration-dependent phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase. This early mitogenic signal, which is also implicated in atherogenesis, may change the metabolic and proliferative activity of VSMC, which are key steps in the progression of atherosclerosis.
TTX-sensitive voltage-gated Na+ channels are expressed in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells
Authors: Berra-Romani Roberto , Blaustein Mordecai P. , Matteson Donald R.
Published: June 2005

The presence and properties of voltage-gated Na+ channels in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were studied using whole cell patch-clamp recording. SMCs from mouse and rat mesenteric arteries were enzymatically dissociated using two dissociation protocols with different enzyme combinations. Na+ and Ca2+ channel currents were present in myocytes isolated with collagenase and elastase. In contrast, Na+ currents were not detected, but Ca2+ currents were present in cells isolated with papain and collagenase. Ca2+ currents were blocked by nifedipine. The Na+ current was insensitive to nifedipine, sensitive to changes in the extracellular Na+ concentration, and blocked by tetrodotoxin with an IC50 at 4.3 nM. The Na+ conductance was half maximally activated at −16 mV, and steady-state inactivation was half-maximal at −53 mV. These values are similar to those reported in various SMC types. In the presence of 1 μM batrachotoxin, the Na+ conductance-voltage relationship was shifted by 27 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction, inactivation was almost completely eliminated, and the deactivation rate was decreased. The present study indicates that TTX-sensitive, voltage-gated Na+ channels are present in SMCs from the rat and mouse mesenteric artery. The presence of these channels in freshly isolated SMC depends critically on the enzymatic dissociation conditions. This could resolve controversy about the presence of Na+ channels in arterial smooth muscle.
Neuronal Activity in Primate Orbitofrontal Cortex Reflects the Value of Time
Authors: Roesch Matthew R. , Olson Carl R.
Published: June 2005

Neurons in monkey orbitofrontal cortex (OF) are known to respond to reward-predicting cues with a strength that depends on the value of the predicted reward as determined 1) by intrinsic attributes including size and quality and 2) by extrinsic factors including the monkey's state of satiation and awareness of what other rewards are currently available. We pose here the question whether another extrinsic factor critical to determining reward value—the delay expected to elapse before delivery—influences neuronal activity in OF. To answer this question, we recorded from OF neurons while monkeys performed a memory-guided saccade task in which a cue presented early in each trial predicted whether the delay before the monkey could respond and receive a reward of fixed size would be short or long. OF neurons tended to fire more strongly in response to a cue predicting a short delay. The tendency to fire more strongly in anticipation of a short delay was correlated across neurons with the tendency to fire more strongly before a large reward. We conclude that neuronal activity in OF represents the time-discounted value of the expected reward.
Examining White Counselor Trainees’ Reactions to Racial Issues in Counseling and Supervision Dyads
Authors: Utsey Shawn O. , Gernat Carol A. , Hammar Lawrence
Published: June 2005

This study examined the reactions of White counselor trainees to hypothetical, provocative, cross-racial counseling and supervision dyads. It employed a qualitative methodology of inquiry to explore the underlying dynamics associated with cross-racial counseling and supervision dyads. Working with a sample of 8 White male and female counselor trainees, a focus group interview was conducted using vignettes that depicted racial issues in counseling and supervision situations. The focus group interview was transcribed, and themes and categories that captured the complexity of the trainees’ reactions to racially charged situations in counseling and supervision were identified. The implications of the study’s findings are discussed and direction is offered for future research in this area.
Pirates, Patriots, and Public Meetings
Authors: Greenberg Amy S.
Published: June 2005

Public meetings have been an understudied aspect of mid-nineteenth-century urban political culture and public life, despite the fact that large public meetings attracted hundreds or thousands of people, monopolizing the largest urban public spaces on a not-infrequent basis. This article looks closely at some of the largest public meetings ever held in nineteenth-century America, political meetings in support of the mercenary Narciso López and his American filibustering army in the wake of their failure to capture Cuba in 1851. The Lópezmeetings, held in cities across America, shed light on the functions and practices of the public meeting generally and provide a lens into the violent masculine culture of the urban men who supported aggressive expansionism and filibustering. Urban male culture and aggressive expansionism were mutually constituted at the urban public meeting.
Modern Dilemmas
Authors: Lipkin Zwia
Published: June 2005

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Chinese social and political concepts began to change, partly as a result of exposure to ideas and policies imported from Western countries. One example of this was the attitude toward beggary, a regrettable yet legitimate pursuit in late imperial times, which was now considered by states as a “problem,” a threat to social order, an antimodern eyesore, a hazard to national pride and the reputation of the Han race, and an outright illegitimate activity. This changed attitude was clearly apparent in Nanjing, the capital ofthe new Nationalist-led Republic of China, where a municipal government was established for the first time in 1927. At the beginning, municipal politicians wished to simply remove beggars from the streets, preferably into Western-style institutions, so as to protect the capital’s—and thus the nation’s—image. Several years later, when the numbers of mendicants drastically mounted as a result of disasters, adding an anxiety over the future of the national economy to the existing concern for “face,” officials began promoting vocational training as the main solution for mendicants’ problem, wishing to turn them from “useless beings” into “useful members of society.”
The Politics of Race and Public Space
Authors: Kruse Kevin M.
Published: June 2005

Focusing on the city of Atlanta in the late 1950s and early 1960s, this article examines the ways in which the desegregation of public spaces, such as golf courses, buses, and parks, helped crystallize two central elements of suburban conservatism—privatization and the “tax revolt.” As such spaces desegregated, white Atlantans fled from them and created private alternatives instead. As they did, they also fought to take their finances with them, staging an early, though often overlooked, tax revolt, rebelling against the use of their taxes to support municipal spaces and services they no longer used. As this article demonstrates, white flight was not merely a physical retreat of whites from the city to the suburbs. Their withdrawal first unfolded in a less literal sense, as they withdrew their support—political, social, and financial—from a city and a society that they believed had already abandoned them.
Protection, Virtue, and the “Power to Detain”
Authors: Johnson Val Marie
Published: June 2005

This article examines why and how anxiety about Jewish migration and settlement in New York City was expressed through exotic stories of gendered and sexualized danger. In the early twentieth century, these tales became crucial elements in the regulation of women’s urban political activism. I investigate how native-born Jewish and Gentile women used protective work with immigrants and ideas about race and sexual danger as strategies for producing female citizenship. Women could invent moral and racialized hierarchies among women because of the unequal power relations among reformers and immigrants. Their activities confirm scholarship that has analyzed the history of white and racially “in-between” identity, power struggles among women, and the regulation and citizenship of women in cities and within and between nations. Analyzing the creation of urban citizens through the diversity of participants in moral reform movements and work with immigrants moves our understanding of city- and nation-building beyond the development of traditionally conceived infrastructures, policies, and systems of governance.
Duce/Divo
Authors: Bertellini Giorgio
Published: June 2005

This article compares the politics and masculinity of two Italian men—political leader Benito Mussolini and immigrant film star Rodolfo Valentino—who in the early 1920s arguably became the first important media “stars” for New York’s growing Italian American population. Rather than mere icons of a predetermined and “given” Italianness, the two men’s simultaneous popularity, representing such differing political beliefs and embodying such starkly different masculine ideals, points to the complexity of the “Americanization” of urban Italian Americans in the 1920s. Mussolini’s new, heroic manhood offered immigrants an opportunity to celebrate stereotypically male and American values in a self-consciously Italian form. Despite the totalitarianism and racism of the Fascist regime, the Duce’s iconic modernity contributed to his depoliticization. Likewise, Valentino’s exotic, sophisticated, and explicitly vulnerable masculinity participated in the restructuring of gender relationships in the United States. American and Italian American commentators were apparently more nervous about the gender-bending and apolitical yet also vaguely anti-Fascist divo than they were about the Fascist dictator.
Adam: The Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberal?
Authors: Parker Kim Ian
Published: June 2005

This paper explores the connection between the early chapters of the book of Genesis and a kind of postmodern liberalism, suggested by Richard Rorty, by focusing on the themes of integration and differentiation. Thus, despite the appearance of a very stable structure, Genesis reveals a tension between too much integration on the one hand, and too much differentiation on the other, just as liberalism (in its postmodern form) is at pains to preserve individual human rights (differentiation) alongside of a stable social order (integration). Striking the balance between integration and differentiation is the key to both the Genesis account of human ordering and to postmodern liberalism.
Reading in the Dark: Zechariah, Daniel and the Difficulty of Scripture
Authors: Pyper Hugh S.
Published: June 2005

The relationship between the difficulty of a text and its function as scripture is explored in a juxtaposition of the books of Zechariah, Daniel, A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and the diaries of Sibelius. On this basis, the argument is made that the difficulty of a text for its readers may reflect the difficulty its writers had in reading precursor texts. Zechariah enacts the difficulty that the post-exilic community had in reading its own documents which were coming to be regarded as scripture. The discourse of revelation and immediate vision is itself dependent on previous reading. This, however, does not vitiate the claims of a text to be scripture, as this is a matter not for the author but for the readership to decide. For a text to be scripture describes a mode of reading rather than content. The difficulty of scripture is its point, and what it reveals is the inadequacy of the human grasp of revelation.
Voltaire’s Précis of Ecclesiastes: A Case Study in the Bible’s Afterlife
Authors: Christianson Eric S. , McWilliams Terry
Published: June 2005

In 1756 Voltaire was invited to write a paraphrase of the Psalms for the recent Christian convert, and influential mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour. With the subtlest touch of satire, Voltaire reportedly replied that he was ‘not the right man for the Psalms’. The idea likely took root in some form, since in 1759, in what appears to be an unsolicited act, he wrote two striking précis of biblical texts that perhaps suited his temperament more clearly: Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. In his Ecclesiastes text Voltaire translated portions from the Hebrew and arranged them by theme, with opposing stanzas of reflective verse. Voltaire’s reading is remarkably free from the polemical and satirical approach he takes in almost all of his other published work on the Bible. It is also unorthodox in its empathetic and inventive approach to Qoheleth’s themes, and as such is a valuable reading for stimulating reflection on Ecclesiastes. Providing a fulsome account of the context for the composition of the Précis, making use of the Précis itself and undertaking some exposition of the Zeitgeist of Voltaire’s era, this article reflects on the significance of this unusual example of the Bible’s reception. Also included is a full translation of the Précis by Terry McWilliams, with critical notes.
Trouble with Conscription, Entertaining Soldiers
Authors: Moon Seungsook
Published: June 2005

Gender and military studies focus on Western postconscription societies, overlooking the significance of military service to gender order in the larger society. Concerned with the military’s changing form in industrial and democratic society, military sociology literature argues for the broad trend toward the decline of the conscription-based military and highlights not only economic factors but also geopolitical factors influencing this trend. Yet this literature overlooks the significance of gender in interpreting such geopolitical factors. Focusing on the problem of equity in conscription in contemporary South Korea and on one popular cultural response to that problem, this article examines the importance of men’s conscription to the organization of meanings and practices of masculinity (and femininity) in larger society and argues that the geopolitical reality in Korea that justifies militarized national security and the existence of conscription is embedded in the gendered interpretation of what is being threatened and to be protected.
A Narrative Approach to Developing Standards for Trauma-Informed Peer Support
Authors: MacNeil Cheryl , Mead Shery
Published: June 2005

It is the era of evidence-based practices. Now more than ever, social programs are challenged to clearly describe their ideal frameworks and empirically demonstrate fidelity to their standards. In this study, the authors implemented a narrative approach to developing standards in a peer support program for people accessing mental health services. In an attempt to broaden the scope of evidence-based practices, emphasis was placed on developing standards that characterize the helping processes in peer support. Seven helping standards and their related indicators were identified. When is narrative inquiry an effective approach for developing standards? Should similar kinds of social programs have to adopt the same standards? What role do contextual factors play in the development of standards? Whose criteria should standards represent? These are but a few of the broader issues the study attempted to address.
How Much More Likely? The Implications of Odds Ratios for Probabilities
Authors: Liberman Akiva M.
Published: June 2005

Binary outcome data are common in research and evaluation. They are often analyzed using logistic regression, and results of these analyses are often reported in the form of odds ratios (ORs). However, ORs are not directly interpretable in the metric commonly used in policy-relevant discussions, which concerns probabilities. ORs are unfamiliar to nonresearchers, and their relationship to probability implications is not well understood by researchers. For example, the common practice of taking ORs as direct estimates of changes in probabilities (i.e., as risk ratios) systematically inflates effect sizes in probability terms. Fortunately, the probability implications of ORs can be derived simply and can be presented concretely as contrasting pairs of probabilities. These probability pairs are easily understandable by both the research and the lay audiences for evaluation results. After reviewing the relationship between probabilities, odds, and their ratios, this article shows how to explore ORs’ implications for probabilities, illustrating with recent examples from the literature.
Evaluating Democracy
Authors: Dorn Charles
Published: June 2005

Following World War II, a group of American educators was assigned the task of evaluating the U.S. military government’s program for reconstructing Germany’s educational system. Although issuing a generally positive report, this education mission identified a number of persistent tensions that ultimately undermined America’s efforts to rehabilitate and reform German schooling. As with the American occupation of Germany during the postwar era, current U.S. foreign policy directives include establishing educational institutions in the “broader Middle East” as a primary mechanism for inculcating democratic values and ideals. Determining America’s success with these efforts, especially in ideologically conservative nations, poses a significant challenge to evaluators. Through an analysis of the 1946 Report of the United States Education Mission to Germany, this article presents a historical case study of the stumbling blocks, failings, and successes of one attempt to evaluate efforts in infusing democratic values into educational institutions in a fallen totalitarian state.
Systemic Education Evaluation
Authors: Supovitz Jonathan A. , Taylor Brooke Snyder
Published: June 2005

Recent reforms in K-12 education have increasingly emphasized the educational system as the unit of change. The theory underlying systemic or system wide educational reform is that powerful improvements in teaching and learning can come from developing coherence and alignment across the complex and different elements and components of an educational system. The growth of systemic reform efforts has led to a rise in attempts to systemically evaluate these initiatives. Systemic evaluations involve several distinct challenges for evaluators including capturing the system as the unit of intervention, assessing the alignment and coherence between components within the system, and identifying reasonable external comparison groups. Using the example of a school district’s systemic reform initiative, the authors examine the challenges and implications of systemic evaluation.
Circulating plasma cells detected by flow cytometry as a predictor of survival in 302 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
Authors: Nowakowski Grzegorz S. , Witzig Thomas E. , Dingli David , Tracz Michal J. , Gertz Morie A. , Lacy Martha Q. , Lust John A. , Dispenzieri Angela , Greipp Philip R. , Kyle Robert A. , Rajkumar S. Vincent
Published: June 2005

We detected circulating plasma cells (PCs) by flow cytometry in 302 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) by gating on CD38+CD45- cells. The number of circulating PCs per 50 000 mononuclear cells was reported. In 80 (27%) patients, no circulating PC were seen; 106 (35%) patients had 1 to 10 and 115 (38%) patients had more than 10 circulating PCs. Median overall survival for the 302 patients was 47 months. Patients with 10 or fewer circulating PCs had a median survival of 58.7 months, whereas patients with more than 10 circulating PCs had a median survival of 37.3 months (P = .001). On multivariate analysis, the prognostic value of circulating PCs was independent of β2-microglobulin, albumin, and C-reactive protein. There was only a weak correlation between tumor mass and circulating PCs, suggesting that the appearance of circulating PCs may be a reflection of tumor biology. We conclude that the number of circulating PCs measured by flow cytometry in patients with newly diagnosed MM is an independent predictor of survival.
Tree measures and the number of segregating sites in time-structured population samples
Authors: Forsberg Roald , Drummond Alexei J , Hein Jotun
Published: June 2005

Background

Time-structured genetic samples are a valuable source of information in population genetics because they provide several correlated observations of the underlying evolutionary processes. In this paper we study basic properties of the genetic variation in time-structured samples as reflected in the genealogies relating individuals and the number of segregating sites observed. Our emphasis is on "measurably evolving populations" i.e. populations from which it is possible to obtain time-structured samples that span a significant interval of evolutionary time.

Results

We use results from the coalescent process to derive properties of time-structured samples. In the first section we extend existing results to attain measures on coalescent trees relating time-structured samples. These include the expected time to a most recent common ancestor, the expected total branch length and the expected length of branches subtending only ancient individuals. The effect of different sampling schemes on the latter measure is studied. In the second section we study the special case where the full sample consists of a group of contemporary extant samples and a group of contemporary ancient samples. As regards this case, we present results and applications concerning the probability distribution of the number of segregating sites where a mutation is unique to the ancient individuals and the number of segregating sites where a mutation is shared between ancient and extant individuals.

Conclusion

The methodology and results presented here is of use to the design and interpretation of ancient DNA experiments. Furthermore, the results may be useful in further development of statistical tests of e.g. population dynamics and selection, which include temporal information.
Evidence for abundant transcription of non-coding regions in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome
Authors: Havilio Moshe , Levanon Erez Y , Lerman Galia , Kupiec Martin , Eisenberg Eli
Published: June 2005

Background

Recent studies in a growing number of organisms have yielded accumulating evidence that a significant portion of the non-coding region in the genome is transcribed. We address this issue in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Results

Taking into account the absence of a significantly large yeast EST database, we use microarray expression data collected for genomic regions erroneously believed to be coding to study the expression pattern of non-coding regions in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. We find that at least 164 out of 589 (28%) such regions are expressed under specific biological conditions. In particular, looking at the probes that are located opposing other known genes at the same genomic locus, we find that 88 out of 341 (26%) of these genes support antisense transcription. The expression patterns of these antisense genes are positively correlated. We validate these results using RT-PCR on a sample of 6 non-coding transcripts.

Conclusion

1. The yeast genome is transcribed on a scale larger than previously assumed. 2. Correlated transcription of antisense genes is abundant in the yeast genome. 3. Antisense genes in yeast are non-coding.
Comparative 3-D Modeling of tmRNA
Authors: Burks Jody , Zwieb Christian , Müller Florian , Wower Iwona , Wower Jacek
Published: June 2005

Background

Trans- translation releases stalled ribosomes from truncated mRNAs and tags defective proteins for proteolytic degradation using transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA). This small stable RNA represents a hybrid of tRNA- and mRNA-like domains connected by a variable number of pseudoknots. Comparative sequence analysis of tmRNAs found in bacteria, plastids, and mitochondria provides considerable insights into their secondary structures. Progress toward understanding the molecular mechanism of template switching, which constitutes an essential step in trans- translation, is hampered by our limited knowledge about the three-dimensional folding of tmRNA.

Results

To facilitate experimental testing of the molecular intricacies of trans- translation, which often require appropriately modified tmRNA derivatives, we developed a procedure for building three-dimensional models of tmRNA. Using comparative sequence analysis, phylogenetically-supported 2-D structures were obtained to serve as input for the program ERNA-3D. Motifs containing loops and turns were extracted from the known structures of other RNAs and used to improve the tmRNA models. Biologically feasible 3-D models for the entire tmRNA molecule could be obtained. The models were characterized by a functionally significant close proximity between the tRNA-like domain and the resume codon. Potential conformational changes which might lead to a more open structure of tmRNA upon binding to the ribosome are discussed. The method, described in detail for the tmRNAs of Escherichia coli, Bacillus anthracis, and Caulobacter crescentus, is applicable to every tmRNA.

Conclusion

Improved molecular models of biological significance were obtained. These models will guide in the design of experiments and provide a better understanding of trans- translation. The comparative procedure described here for tmRNA is easily adopted for the modeling the members of other RNA families.
Differential localization of HPV16 E6 splice products with E6-associated protein
Authors: Vaeteewoottacharn Kulthida , Chamutpong Siriphatr , Ponglikitmongkol Mathurose , Angeletti Peter C
Published: June 2005

High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the etiological agent associated with the majority of anogenital cancers. The primary HPV oncogenes, E6 and E7, undergo a complex splicing program resulting in protein products whose purpose is not fully understood. Previous mouse studies have confirmed the existence of a translated product corresponding to the E6*I splice product. In terms of function, the translated E6*I protein has been shown to bind to E6 protein and to E6 associated protein (E6AP). E6*I has an inhibitory effect on E6-mediated p53 degradation in E6 expressing cells. In order to analyze the relationship between E6*I and full-length E6 in relation to localization, we created a series of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion products. The localization of these proteins with reference to E6AP in vivo remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the cellular distribution of different forms of E6 with reference to E6AP. E6 and E6*I proteins, expressed from a wild type E6 gene cassette, were dispersed in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Whereas, the E6 splice donor mutant (E6MT) was primarily localized to the nucleus. E6*I protein and E6AP were found to co-localize mainly to the cytoplasm, whereas the co-localization of full-length E6 protein and E6AP, if at all, was found mainly at the perinuclear region. These results suggest a functional relationship between the E6*I and full-length E6 protein which correlates with their localization and likely is important in regulation of the E6-E6AP complex.