bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Factor Structure of the CIBS-II-Readiness Assessment
Authors: Gotch Chad M. , French Brian F.
Published: September 2010

The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-II (CIBS-II)-Readiness form is a diagnostic battery intended for children aged 5 and 6 years. The CIBS-II-Readiness is a new version of the CIBS-Revised-Readiness and includes updated normative information on a larger representative sample in comparison to the CIBS-Revised-Readiness. Empirical support for the CIBS-Revised-Readiness was lacking, especially score validity evidence. Adequate score validity information needs to be provided. The purpose of this study was to investigate evidence of construct validity of the composite scores on the CIBS-II-Readiness by examining the internal structure of the instrument and correlations with external measures. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to compare the model implied by the composite score structure of the assessment to other plausible models. A six-factor model was supported. CIBS-II-Readiness scores had significant correlations with the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills scores, another widely used measure assessing five major components of early literacy.
Lipid-like Diblock Copolymer as an Additive for Improving the Blood Compatibility of Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)
Authors: Xiaofen Hu  , Gongyan Liu  , Jian Ji  , Dezeng Fan  , Xinhao Yan
Published: September 2010

To optimize the blood biocompatibility of poly(lactide-coglycolide) (PLGA), lipid-like diblock copolymer poly(DL-lactide)-block-poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PLA-b-PMPC) was employed as a surface-modifying additive. The blends of PLGA and PLA-b-PMPC coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) membranes were prepared by dip-coating. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy showed the incorporation of phosphorylcoline groups in the blends and contact angle results indicated that the hydrophilicity of the blends improved with increasing PLA-b-PMPC content. The plasma recalcification time of polymer coating was prolonged and the amount of adherent platelets on coating surface was decreased by introducing PLA-b-PMPC. The adhesion of polymer coating on the gold electrode of quartz crystal microbalance was monitored and PLGA containing PLA-b-PMPC additives showed excellent polymer—metal adhesion. These results show that the blends of PLGA and lipid-like PLA-b-PMPC could be used as high performance biodegradable polymer coatings for blood contact medical devices.
Global Compensation and Benefits Management: The Need for Communication and Coordination
Authors: Baeten Xavier
Published: September 2010

The author reports the results of a survey on global compensation management practices in multinational firms, most of them headquartered in continental Europe and the United Kingdom. The study focuses on whether decisions on different compensation and benefits issues in these firms are taken at a headquarters or at the regional, business unit or country/local level. In addition, the author provides more qualitative information on the degree to which the respondents are satisfied with the decision-making process as well as their concrete suggestions for improvement. Finally, the author deals with the question of whether centralization or decentralization is the preferable option.
A Practitioner’s Guide to Negotiating Good Reason Clauses for Executives
Authors: Belosa Evan A.
Published: September 2010

Good Reason clauses in executive employment contracts are a flexible tool for a diligent negotiator to utilize for a variety of reasons. By framing the concepts underlying a resignation for Good Reason to the specific needs of an executive, a practitioner can best protect the executive from actions of the employer which would undercut the executive’s ability to succeed. Furthermore, by examining the legal and practical pitfalls of certain aspects of a good reason definition during the negotiating stage, a drafter can avoid issues before they emerge.
The Challenge of Project Team Incentives
Authors: Taylor Tom
Published: September 2010

Project teams have been around since the 1980s but lost popularity because of our limited knowledge of how to make them effective. Today, project teams have been successfully accomplishing mission-critical projects accompanied by a growing understanding of team dynamics. But what have we learned about rewarding project teams? This article addresses the challenge of using project team incentives in today’s environment. It discusses the advantages of project teams and how they are typically rewarded, how to develop an architectural framework for effective team incentives, how to involve best practices and what pitfalls to avoid when implementing project team incentives.
Lost in Translation: Cultural Interpretations of Performance Pay
Authors: Merriman Kimberly K.
Published: September 2010

No pay system should be put into practice unless it is congruent with the values of the people it will affect. Cross-cultural research suggests performance pay is a poor fit for some cultures, although its actual use is rising throughout these very same cultures. This seeming contradiction is investigated through an exploratory, qualitative analysis to understand how performance pay translates across cultures. Findings call for (a) appropriate level of cultural aggregation, (b) focus on pay equity construal rather than preference and (c) attention to specific dimensions of culture identified as potentially most predictive of equity construal.
Confidence in Critical Care Nursing
Authors: Evans Jeanne , Bell Jennifer L. , Sweeney Annemarie E. , Morgan Jennifer I. , Kelly Helen M.
Published: September 2010

The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the nursing phenomenon, confidence, from the experience of nurses in the nursing subculture of critical care. Leininger’s theory of cultural care diversity and universality guided this qualitative descriptive study. Questions derived from the sunrise model were used to elicit nurses’ perspectives about cultural and social structures that exist within the critical care nursing subculture and the influence that these factors have on confidence. Twenty-eight critical care nurses from a large Canadian healthcare organization participated in semistructured interviews about confidence. Five themes arose from the descriptions provided by the participants. The three themes, tenuously navigating initiation rituals, deliberately developing holistic supportive relationships, and assimilating clinical decision-making rules were identified as social and cultural factors related to confidence. The remaining two themes, preserving a sense of security despite barriers and accommodating to diverse challenges, were identified as environmental factors related to confidence. Practice and research implications within the culture of critical care nursing are discussed in relation to each of the themes.
A Conceptual Model of Nursing
Authors: McCarthy Geraldine M. , Landers Margaret G.
Published: September 2010

A model of personhood for nursing in Ireland based on Celtic society, Irish language, Irish customs, and the Catholic religion is discussed. Concepts central to the model are presented bilingually as a means of capturing the essence of nursing care in an Irish context. The adequacy of the model is considered from the perspective of the following evaluative criteria: social utility, social congruence, and social significance.
Quality of Nursing Worklife
Authors: Clarke Pamela N. , Brooks Beth
Published: September 2010

A critical appraisal of the construct of quality of nursing worklife is presented in an interview with Dr. Beth Brooks. Dr Brooks makes a strong case for better understanding of nursing worklife as essential to healthcare in the future.
Evidence
Authors: Eriksson Katie
Published: September 2010

“To see or not to see” is an allusion to the classical Shakespearean quotation “to be or not to be, that is the question.” Evidence as a concept pertains to truth, reality, and being in the world; it involves seeing, realizing, making visible, and clothing thoughts into words. A new interpretation of the concept of evidence in caring science is presented in this column, based on the etymology of the concept and Gadamer’s hermeneutical philosophy. Ontological or absolute evidence is based on being and the true reality that extends beyond the immediate reality. The truth, or the substance, lies concealed within the true reality. Evidence includes envisioning, seeing, knowing, attesting, and revising.
An examination of sport fandom in Australia: Socialization, team identification, and fan behavior
Authors: Melnick Merrill J , Wann Daniel L
Published: September 2010

To examine sport fandom in Australia, a convenience sample of 163 university students (62% males, 38% females, M = 21.3) attending a large, multi-sector institution located in a western suburb of Melbourne voluntarily completed a 25-item questionnaire survey which included the Sport Fandom Questionnaire ( Wann, 2002 ) and the Sport Spectator Identification Scale ( Wann and Branscombe, 1993 ). Descriptive and inferential statistics revealed that males chose ‘friends’ as their most influential sport fan socialization agent while females ranked friends, parents and school about the same. Male socialization agents were very important for both sexes with ‘father’ chosen most influential. Males scored higher on every measure of sport fandom behavior including attending sports events, watching sports on television, listening to sports on the radio, engaging in a sports conversation with others, and accessing sport information via the Internet. Australian Football League teams were chosen ‘favorite team’ by 81 percent of the total sample; selection was unrelated to the respondent’s sex. Compared with similar data obtained from US, Norwegian and Greek university student samples, these Australian students were judged greater sport consumers and more heavily identified with the sport fan role and a favorite team.
Cultural Factors Related to the Hidden Curriculum for Students With Autism and Related Disabilities
Authors: Hyo Jung Lee
Published: September 2010

The hidden curriculum, the unwritten rules and standards for social conduct that most people take for granted and learn more or less automatically, poses a challenge for many individuals on the autism spectrum because of deficits in social cognition and social interaction skills. Compounding challenges are cultural factors, such as age, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. To date, research on teaching social skills to students with autism spectrum disorders has paid little attention to unspoken social rules, which play a major role in social interactions. This article discusses the cultural factors that can affect the hidden curriculum. In addition, practical strategies to develop and teach hidden curriculum items are suggested along with the importance of understanding these issues.
Literature-Based Social Skills Instruction: A Strategy for Students With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Womack Sue A. , Marchant Michelle , Borders Deah
Published: September 2010

Social skill deficits and learning disabilities often coexist. Academic work is negatively impacted by students’ lack of social skills. Remediation of these deficits in pull-out programs has not generally resulted in transfer to real-world settings. Embedding social skills instruction within literature during a read-aloud session taught in the general education setting takes advantage of the literature context and the naturally occurring classroom community to assist students in improvement. The strategy is explained, detailed instructions for implementation are outlined, and potential benefits for educators are described.
A Controlled Evaluation of a School-Based Obesity Prevention in Turkish School Children
Authors: Toruner Ebru Kilicarslan , Savaser Sevim
Published: September 2010

This research was conducted to assess the effect of a weight management program in Turkish school children with overweight and obesity. Forty one students formed the intervention group while 40 students formed the control group in two elementary schools. Students in intervention group were given seven training sessions in a period of 2.5 months. Concurrently, parents were given two trainings and consultancy. The Body Mass Indices (BMIs) of the intervention group at the third measurement were decreased ( p < .05) significantly when compared to the control group. The findings suggest use of school-based weight management programs starting from elementary school.
A study on friction-tuned mass damper: harmonic solution and statistical linearization
Authors: Gewei Zeng , Basu Biswajit
Published: September 2010

Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been a popular vibration control device used primarily for suppressing wind-induced oscillations in tall structures and have recently also been used for controlling vibrations due to seismic excitations. A nonlinear damper consisting of a TMD with a nonlinear dry (pure) friction damping at the interface between the primary structure and the TMD is analyzed in this paper. This nonlinear damper has potential for control of vibration but has not received much attention by researchers. In particular, the nonlinear behavior of the system has not been explored in detail so far. A periodic solution for the response of the structure-friction TMD (FTMD) system modeled as a two-degree-of-freedom system is obtained under harmonic excitation using harmonic balance based on a method of averaging. To consider more realistic random excitations, a statistical linearization method is used to replace the nonlinear friction by an equivalent viscous damping. Numerical simulations have demonstrated that the linearized solutions for both the harmonic and the random cases are accurate enough. The periodic and statistical linearized solutions are used to analyze dynamic characteristics of structure-FTMD system. As expected in a nonlinear system, the frequency response function (FRF) of the displacement response of the structure for the structure-FTMD system is dependent on the level of excitation. For a given level of excitation, an optimum friction coefficient has been found to exist which corresponds to the least root-mean-square value of the displacement response of the primary mass.
On the numerical solution of weakly singular Fredholm integral equations of the second kind using Legendre wavelets
Authors: Adibi Hojatollah , Assari Pouria
Published: September 2010

In this paper, we present a numerical method for solving, linear and nonlinear, weakly singular Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. The method utilizes Legendre wavelets constructed on the unit interval as a basis in the Galerkin method and reduces the solution of the Fredholm integral equation to the solution of a system of algebraic equations. The features of the wavelet coefficient matrices of weakly singular kernels are studied. Finally, numerical examples are presented to show the validity and efficiency of the technique.
Power transmission from two coherent machines to a dual-layer coupling floor structure
Authors: Yun Y. , Mak C.M.
Published: September 2010

Several coherent machines are often installed on multiple layers of a coupling floor structure within a building. This paper reports on a study of the effect of the interaction between two such vibratory machines on the power transmitted to a coupling dual-layered floor plate and the level of power transmissibility. The study is based on a model of two rectangular machine models of even-mass distribution with four symmetrical supports; the mobilities of a simply supported concrete floor and dual-layered plate structure are computed using a Finite Element Analysis simulation. The results show that the total structure-borne sound power transmitted from either two coherent machine sources or an independent source to a coupling floor structure differs considerably from that emanating from an independent machine source on a single simply supported plate. This is especially true at certain strong coupling modes in the vibration isolation region. To predict the performance of vibration isolation more accurately, the power transmissibility method needs to consider the effect of effective floor mobility and the interactions of the mounting points of the independent machine sources, as well as the interactions of the mounting points of different machine sources, on a coupling floor structure.
Optimal design of viscoelastic vibration absorbers for rotating systems
Authors: Doubrawa Filho F.J. , Luersen M.A. , Bavastri C.A.
Published: September 2010

All rotating systems are subjected to residual unbalance forces that are proportional to speed squared. Systems that operate close to the critical speed and have low damping can generate destructive vibrations. Dynamic vibration absorbers are simple devices attached to a mechanical structure (the primary system) to reduce vibrations and noise levels and are extensively used in non-rotating systems. This study addresses the design of viscoelastic vibration absorbers for rotating systems. The primary system is modeled using modal parameters obtained in the frequency domain of the state-space representation. Using a methodology that has a more general application, the compound system (the primary system and absorbers) is represented in a modal subspace of the primary system state space. In this modal subspace, the optimal design of the dynamic viscoelastic absorbers is performed using an optimization algorithm. The objective function to be minimized is defined as the Euclidean norm of the vector composed of the maximal absolute values of the principal coordinates. The absorbers are attached to a floating bearing located away from a nodal point. Numerical and experimental results are presented and discussed.
Media Attention, Political Processes, and Air Pollution in the United States: A Time-Series Analysis (1959-1998)
Authors: McCreery A.C.
Published: September 2010

This study tests the effect of the environmental movement, political opportunities, and media attention on air pollution in a time-series analysis (1959-1998). It examines changes in national emissions of five types of air pollution: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (combined into an index with Cronbach’s α = .904); nitrogen oxides; and particulate matter smaller than 10 µm. Results show that media attention to the environment is an important predictor of all three dependent variables. Additionally, the environmental social movement is only effective given specific political opportunities, namely, Democratic Party control of the federal government, media attention to environmental issues, and effective policy. The environmental movement also only appears to be effective at combating highly visible pollutants that are on the political agenda. This study demonstrates the complexity of air pollution, the importance of media attention, and the limited impact of the environmental movement on real-world outcomes.
Environmental Ascription: High-Volume Polluters, Schools, and Human Capital
Authors: Legot Cristina , London Bruce , Shandra John
Published: September 2010

Studies of ascription often focus on the relationship between inherited characteristics such as gender, race, or social class and educational inequalities that limit life chances. This project proposes that reduced educational outcomes, and hence ascription, can also emerge from physical/spatial inequalities, specifically, the place where a child attends school. The place where one lives is often not a matter of choice; rather, it is determined by other ascriptive forces such as race and social class—hence making environmental ascription not only a physical dimension of inequality in the direct sense but also another dimension of socially constructed inequality in the indirect sense. The prevalence of toxins near schools and the potential correlation with limited life chances and racial and class characteristics remains an understudied topic in the environmental inequality literature. To explore these connections, the authors mapped the locations of the top 100 polluters of developmental and neurotoxins in the United States and then determined the number of schools within a 2-mile radius, as well as the racial and socioeconomic composition of the areas surrounding each site. Overall, it was found that a significant proportion of the top industrial polluters were located in close proximity to multiple schools and that these schools were more likely to be located in neighborhoods with a disproportionate number of poor, minority residents. Because this exploratory study reveals a pattern of exposure to developmental neurotoxins in precisely those places where educational outcomes are already compromised, it suggests the need for further research specifying the relationship between environmental inequalities and school performance.
Water and Business: A Taxonomy and Review of the Research
Authors: Kurland Nancy B. , Zell Deone
Published: September 2010

Why should business care about water? Water is a common-pool resource, critical to many business operations, which faces depletion if not sustainably managed. Based on popular and trade press and academic business research, the authors develop a taxonomy of water issues (water quality, quantity, use, sustainable resource management, company and industry management). Through a review of 135 water-related articles published in 49 leading business journals, the authors examine the degree to which business scholars address these issues. They discuss intersections, diversions, and gaps and conclude with insights for future research.
Do State Fiscal Policies Affect State Economic Growth?
Authors: Alm James , Rogers Janet
Published: September 2010

What factors influence state economic growth? This article uses annual state (and local) data for the years 1947 through 1997 for the forty-eight contiguous states to estimate the effects of a large number of factors, including taxation and expenditure policies, on state economic growth. A special feature of the empirical work is the use of orthogonal distance regression (ODR) to deal with the likely presence of measurement error in many of the variables. The results indicate that the correlation between state (and state and local) taxation policies is often statistically significant but also quite sensitive to the specific regressor set and time period; in contrast, the effects of expenditure policies are much more consistent. Of some interest, there is moderately strong evidence that a state’s political orientation has consistent and measurable effects on economic growth; perhaps, surprisingly, a more ‘‘conservative’’ political orientation is associated with lower rates of economic growth. Finally, correction for measurement error is essential in estimating the growth impacts of policies. Indeed, when measurement error is considered via ODR estimation, the estimation results do not support conditional convergence in state per capita income.
Antimutagenic Potential of Glucosinolate-Rich Seed Extracts of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L var italica Plenck)
Authors: Rampal Geetanjali , Thind Tarunpreet Singh , Vig Adarsh Pal , Arora Saroj
Published: September 2010

In the current study, isolation of glucosinolate degradation products was done in 4 different incubation solutions with different pHs based on the fact that distinct hydrolytic products are formed at different pHs. All the extracts were tested against direct-acting mutagens (4 nitro- o-phenylenediamine [NPD]), sodium azide, and indirect-acting mutagen (2-aminofluorene [2AF]). It was observed that extracts inhibited mutagenesis induced by the S9-dependent mutagen (2AF) more significantly than direct-acting mutagens. Two different modes of experimentation (pre-incubation and co-incubation) were used, and it was observed that the extracts showed better results in the pre-incubation mode of experimentation. Out of the 4 extracts tested, 0.1 mol/L of HCl extract was found to be the most effective in inhibiting mutagenesis with both TA 98 and TA 100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. All other extracts also showed pronounced antimutagenic potential. The results of this study indicate the presence of potent antigenotoxic factors in broccoli, which are being explored further for their mechanism of action.
Negotiating Authentic Objects and Authentic Selves
Authors: Jones Siân
Published: September 2010

Our understanding of authenticity in the material world is characterized by a problematic dichotomy between materialist and constructivist perspectives. Neither explains why people find the issue of authenticity so compelling, nor how it is experienced and negotiated in practice. There is strong evidence supporting the view that prevailing materialist approaches to authenticity are a product of the development of modernity in the West. The result has been an emphasis on entities and their origins and essences. However, when we look at how people experience and negotiate authenticity through objects, it is the networks of relationships between people, places and things that appear to be central, not the things in themselves. The author argues that these inalienable relationships between objects, people and places underpin the ineffable, almost magical, power of authenticity and explain why people employ it as a means of negotiating their place in a world characterized by displacement and fragmentation. She illustrates this by drawing on ethnographic research surrounding the Hilton of Cadboll cross-slab.
Roots, Rupture and Remembrance
Authors: Lien Marianne E. , Davison Aidan
Published: September 2010

Why do certain landscapes become contested sites for claims about identity? In responding to this question, we approach landscapes as assemblages of human and non-human elements that reach beyond the confines of their immediate physical and temporal locations. Our empirical focus is a small group of pine trees in a Tasmanian suburb, where remnants of human and non-human migration are inscribed and live on in the landscape and in human memory. We demonstrate how the trees simultaneously invite and resist purification through binaries such as nature and culture, wild and domestic, then and now. The histories and futures of belonging assembled in and through these trees are nothing less than active, idiosyncratic and ongoing processes of differentiation that shed light on the working out of postcolonial, globalizing societies and ecologies.
Gatekeeping: An Ongoing Adventure in Research
Authors: Kawulich Barbara B.
Published: September 2010

Gatekeeping is an integral but sometimes difficult part of the research process, particularly for researchers who want to conduct research in indigenous cultures. The author discusses how she gained access into the Muscogee (Creek) culture to conduct several research studies. Establishing trusting, long-term relationships through social networking, acquiring specific permissions at various levels, selecting key informants, presenting oneself appropriately, and showing respect for cultural mores are essential aspects of being granted entry by gatekeepers.
The Dual-Role Method and Ultimatum Game Performance
Authors: Macfarlan Shane J.
Published: September 2010

The dual-role method (DRM) extracts subject preferences as two players in experimental economic games. Previous research indicates mixed effects of DRM on game performance. A two (role)-by-two (role order) design for the ultimatum game (UG) was implemented in a naturalistic setting across 2 years. Subjects played according to the role they were assigned (proposer or responder). Immediately after, they played as the other role. Meta-analyses show no mean effect of role order on performance across studies or between laboratory and naturalistic settings. Power analyses indicate sample sizes needed to find an effect using the DRM is larger than many small-scale populations.
Montelukast in asthma: a review of its efficacy and place in therapy
Authors: Paggiaro Pierluigi , Bacci Elena
Published: September 2010

Many studies have been published in the last 10 years on the efficacy and safety of montelukast in asthma since this drug entered the market. Experimental studies, in vitro and in vivo, and clinical studies on large numbers of patients with asthma of different severity have clearly demonstrated that montelukast is able to modify the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease, and to improve to some extent the clinical and functional manifestations of asthma. Studies of montelukast as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs, mainly inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), versus different comparator drugs have contributed to the positioning of montelukast in the different levels of asthma treatment, according to the Global Initiative for Asthma Guidelines. Montelukast may be used as monotherapy as an alternative to low-dose ICS (particularly in a step-down strategy) or in addition to ICS for improving clinical manifestations by an increase in anti-inflammatory effects and a sparing of corticosteroids. The heterogeneity of asthma has received a large amount of attention in the last few years in order to better tailor treatment according to the different clinical and biological phenotypes of asthma. Montelukast has proven to be particularly effective in exercise-induced asthma and in asthma associated with allergic rhinitis. Other phenotypes where montelukast is effective include asthma in obese patients, asthma in smokers, aspirin-induced asthma and viral-induced wheezing episodes. The safety profile of montelukast is very good, and the suspicions of increased risk of Churg–Strauss syndrome or suicide have not been confirmed.
Purulent Skin and Soft Tissue Infection
Authors: Kahn Steven Alexander , Venniro Erika , Beers Ryan J. , Lentz Christopher W.
Published: September 2010

Introduction: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) requently causes skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Referring primary care physicians often prescribe inactive antibiotics when referring SSTIs caused by MRSA for incision and debridement. Methods: Demographics and culture results (organism and sensitivity) were collected for patients treated for SSTI between 2007-2009. Antibiotic regimens started by referring PCPs were noted. Prevalence of MRSA and antibiotic resistance profiles were tabulated. Isolates resistant to the drug initially prescribed were also noted. Results: Of 187 patients, 40.1% grew MRSA. All MRSA was sensitive to doxycycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, whereas 88% were sensitive to clindamycin and 79% to levofloxacin. 48% of patients received an antibiotic inadequate for their isolate before referral. Conclusions: CA-MRSA is extremely common. Patients are often prescribed antibiotics inadequate for MRSA. Doxycycline or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with incision/drainage should be used as initial therapy for SSTI when MRSA is suspected.
Women's Post-Marital Name Retention and the Communication of Identity
Authors: Laskowski Kara A
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis study describes how identity is symbolically communicated through women's post-marital name retention by examining the factors influencing women's choices, the communication around the decision, and how the non-traditional last name is present (or not) in interaction. This study uses symbolic interactionism and critical feminism as orienting frameworks for the collection and analysis of data. Data was collected through twenty-three face-to-face interviews, and was analyzed using constant comparison and thematic analysis. Findings indicate that women who retain their names expect to do so, based upon identity-related concerns of ancestry, professional stature, and feminism. Additionally, women who engage in non-traditional marital naming engage in communication of their choices with others whose responses range from affirmation to confrontation. Findings indicate that a layered theoretical approach to the questions of naming and communication is warranted in order to generate understanding of decision-making, identity negotiation, meaning, and the use of names to communicate identity.
Teratonymy: The Weird and Monstrous Names of HP Lovecraft
Authors: Robinson Christopher L
Published: September 2010

AbstractLovecraft's teratonyms are monstrous inventions that estrange the sound patterns of English and obscure the kinds of meaning traditionally associated with literary onomastics. J.R.R. Tolkien's notion of linguistic style provides a useful concept to examine how these names play upon a distance from and proximity to English, so as to give rise to specific historical and cultural connotations. Some imitate the sounds and forms of foreign nomenclatures that hold “weird” connotations due to being linked in the popular imagination with kabbalism and decadent antiquity. Others introduce sounds-patterns that lie outside English phonetics or run contrary to the phonotactics of the language to result in anti-aesthetic constructions that are awkward to pronounce. In terms of sense, teratonyms invite comparison with the “esoteric” words discussed by Jean-Jacques Lecercle, as they diminish or obscure semantic content, while augmenting affective values and heightening the reader's awareness of the bodily production of speech.
Naming Shakespeare's Sister: Why Woolf Chose Judith
Authors: Robbins Dorothy Dodge
Published: September 2010

AbstractIn her classic feminist treatise, A Room of One's Own (1929), Virginia Woolf creates both a sister and a creative equal for William Shakespeare and names her Judith. Historical, biblical, and literary sources establish the aptness of Woolf's onomastic decision, if not the definitive answer to the question posed. Shakespeare's daughter, Judith, and Woolf's niece, Judith, are considered as possible models for the Bard's sister. Additionally, the title character of the Old Testament “Book of Judith” and of the early English poem fragment Judith is examined as an onomastic source. Finally, Judith Shakespeare is considered as a pseudonym for Woolf herself.
Greeks under European colonial rule: national allegiance and imperial loyalty
Authors: Rappas Alexis
Published: September 2010

How to narrate the experience of the Greeks who lived under European colonial rule? Greek nationalist historiography ignores the colonial dimension and links this experience to the grand narrative of the struggle of unredeemed Greeks against foreign domination. By contrast, revisionist accounts challenge the pervasiveness of ‘national sentiment’ among subjected Greeks and stress the coercive nature of nationalism. Based on micro-analyses of cases drawn from Cyprus under British rule and the Dodecanese under Italian rule in the 1930s, an assessment is made of the practical significance, in the daily lives of these colonial subjects, of the conflicting imperatives of national allegiance and imperial loyalty.
Names, Epithets, and Pseudonyms in Linguistic Case Studies: A Historical Overview
Authors: Thomas Margaret
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis article explores the use of names, epithets, and pseudonyms as they have been employed since the late eighteenth century to label subjects in linguistic case studies. I focus on two kinds of case studies: those of normal language learning, and those of persons with unusual language profiles. Various naming practices attested in this literature imply a range of relationships holding among authors, readers, and the subjects of case studies. Moreover, it appears that, over time, authors have differently prioritized the factors that bear on the choice of a name, epithet, or pseudonym.
English Name Use by East Asians in Canada: Linguistic Pragmatics or Cultural Identity?
Authors: Heffernan Kevin
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis article reports on a naming practice that is taking place among young Chinese and Koreans: the appropriation of the English personal name. Most young Chinese and Koreans seem to have an English personal name alongside their ethnic personal name. Yet, in sharp contrast young Japanese seldom seem to adopt an English personal name. This article explores the reasons behind these differences in English personal name adoption, and tests the assumption that Chinese and Koreans adopt English personal names because Westerners have difficulty pronouncing ethnic personal names. My conclusions are based on the results of a survey on English personal name use given to university students of Chinese, Japanese and Korean ethnicity living in Canada. The results suggest that the adoption of English personal names by young Chinese and Koreans is as much a cultural phenomenon as a pragmatic one.
'Our Learned Primate' and that 'Rare Treasurie': James Ussher's Use of Sir Robert Cotton's Manuscript Library, c. 1603–1655
Authors: Birkwood Katherine
Published: September 2010

The historical significance of Sir Robert Cotton's famous library of manuscripts is considered through the activities of James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, who used the library extensively in his work as Protestant theologian and historian. Cotton's library is singled out for particular praise on more than one occasion in Ussher's published works, and it is revealed that Ussher used nearly one hundred Cottonian manuscripts. This use is attested to in his notebooks and correspondence, the surviving records of loans made from the Cottonian Library, and from some of the Cottonian manuscripts themselves. Ussher's manuscript use is analysed with reference to his antiquarian interests as well as to his politico-theological aims for the furtherance of the reformed, established Church in Ireland.
An Information History Decade: A Review of the Literature and Concepts, 2000–2009
Authors: Weller Toni
Published: September 2010

The field of information history has only been seriously theorized and discussed as an independent area of scholarship over the last ten years or so, and there remains much to be done in order to bring it into the wider academic spotlight. However, during this same period, scholarly work on information in history has been abundant and ever increasing. This article explores some of the key monographs of the past decade which take historical information as their theme. It concludes that, since 2000, not only has there been a growth in the volume of such publications, but also that there has been a growing historiography amongst scholars working in this area. Information history discourse has formed its own identity, and this article offers an exploration of its central characteristics as we come to the end of the first decade of the 2000s.
Zymogen-like factor Xa variants restore thrombin generation and effectively bypass the intrinsic pathway in vitro
Authors: Bunce Matthew W. , Toso Raffaella , Camire Rodney M.
Published: September 2010

Inhibitory antibodies to factors VIII or IX represent a serious complication for hemophilia patients. Treatment involves products that bypass the intrinsic pathway and promote thrombin generation. Direct infusion of factor Xa should also restore hemostasis; however, it has a short half-life in plasma and could activate systemic coagulation in an uncontrolled fashion. Here we show that factor Xa mutants with zymogen-like properties (FXaI16L and FXaV17A) circumvent these limitations. In the absence of factor Va, the FXa variants are poor enzymes for a range of physiological ligands and are resistant to inactivation by antithrombin III and tissue factor pathway inhibitor. Notably, assembly of FXaI16L and FXaV17A on activated platelets with factor Va to form prothrombinase completely restores biologic activity. In hemophilic plasma, FXaI16L and FXaV17A have prolonged half-lives compared with wild-type factor Xa (approximately 60 minutes vs approximately 1 minute) and promote robust thrombin generation that bypasses the intrinsic pathway. The variants require factor Va generated in situ for procoagulant function, and cofactor inactivation by the protein C pathway regulates their activity. The efficacy, extended half-life, and mechanism of action suggest that novel zymogen-like forms of factor Xa might prove useful as new therapeutic procoagulants to treat deficiencies upstream of the common pathway.
Differential detection of alternatively spliced variants of Ciz1 in normal and cancer cells using a custom exon-junction microarray
Authors: Rahman Faisal A , Aziz Naveed , Coverley Dawn
Published: September 2010

Background

Ciz1 promotes initiation of mammalian DNA replication and is present within nuclear matrix associated DNA replication factories. Depletion of Ciz1 from normal and cancer cells restrains entry to S phase and inhibits cell proliferation. Several alternative splicing events with putative functional consequences have been identified and reported, but many more variants are predicted to exist based on publicly available mRNAs and expressed sequence tags.

Methods

Here we report the development and validation of a custom exon and exon-junction microarray focused on the human CIZ1 gene, capable of reproducible detection of differential splice-variant expression.

Results

Using a pair of paediatric cancer cell lines and a pool of eight normal lines as reference, the array identified expected and novel CIZ1 splicing events. One novel variant (delta 8-12) that encodes a predicted protein lacking key functional sites, was validated by quantitative RT-PCR and found to be over-represented in a range of other cancer cell lines, and over half of a panel of primary lung tumours.

Conclusions

Expression of CIZ1 delta 8-12 appears to be restricted to cancer cells, and may therefore be a useful novel biomarker
Down-regulation of the Nucleotide Excision Repair gene XPG as a new mechanism of drug resistance in human and murine cancer cells
Authors: Sabatino Maria Antonietta , Marabese Mirko , Ganzinelli Monica , Caiola Elisa , Geroni Cristina , Broggini Massimo
Published: September 2010

Background

Drug resistance is one of the major obstacles limiting the activity of anticancer agents. Activation of DNA repair mechanism often accounts for increase resistance to cancer chemotherapy.

Results

We present evidence that nemorubicin, a doxorubicin derivative currently in clinical evaluation, acts through a mechanism of action different from classical anthracyclines, requiring an intact nucleotide excision repair (NER) system to exert its activity. Cells made resistant to nemorubicin show increased sensitivity to UV damage. We have analysed the mechanism of resistance and discovered a previously unknown mechanism resulting from methylation-dependent silencing of the XPG gene. Restoration of NER activity through XPG gene transfer or treatment with demethylating agents restored sensitivity to nemorubicin. Furthermore, we found that a significant proportion of ovarian tumors present methylation of the XPG promoter.

Conclusions

Methylation of a NER gene, as described here, is a completely new mechanism of drug resistance and this is the first evidence that XPG gene expression can be influenced by an epigenetic mechanism. The reported methylation of XPG gene could be an important determinant of the response to platinum based therapy. In addition, the mechanism of resistance reported opens up the possibility of reverting the resistant phenotype using combinations with demethylating agents, molecules already employed in the clinical setting.
Linoleic acid suppresses colorectal cancer cell growth by inducing oxidant stress and mitochondrial dysfunction
Authors: Lu Xiaofeng , Yu Haining , Ma Qi , Shen Shengrong , Das Undurti N
Published: September 2010

Some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), if not all, have been shown to have tumoricidal action, but their exact mechanism(s) of action is not clear. In the present study, we observed that n-6 PUFA linoleic acid (LA) inhibited tumor cell growth at high concentrations (above 300 μM); while low concentrations (100-200 μM) promoted proliferation. Analysis of cell mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity suggested that anti-cancer action of LA is due to enhanced ROS generation and decreased cell anti-oxidant capacity that resulted in mitochondrial damage. Of the three cell lines tested, semi-differentiated colorectal cancer cells RKO were most sensitive to the cytotoxic action of LA, followed by undifferentiated colorectal cancer cell line (LOVO) while the normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were the most resistant (the degree of sensitivity to LA is as follows: RKO > LOVO > HUVEC). LA induced cell death was primed by mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Pre-incubation of cancer cells with 100 μM LA for 24 hr enhanced sensitivity of differentiated and semi-differentiated cells to the subsequent exposure to LA. The relative resistance of LOVO cells to the cytotoxic action of LA is due to a reduction in the activation of caspase-3. Thus, LA induced cancer cell apoptosis by enhancing cellular oxidant status and inducing mitochondrial dysfunction.
The role of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in pro-inflammatory responses of EMF-stimulated N9 microglial cells
Authors: Yang Xuesen , He Genlin , Hao Yutong , Chen Chunhai , Li Maoquan , Wang Yuan , Zhang Guangbin , Yu Zhengping
Published: September 2010

Background

In several neuropathological conditions, microglia can become overactivated and cause neurotoxicity by initiating neuronal damage in response to pro-inflammatory stimuli. Our previous studies have shown that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) activates cultured microglia to produce tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and nitric oxide (NO) through signal transduction involving the activator of transcription STAT3. Here, we investigated the role of STAT3 signaling in EMF-induced microglial activation and pro-inflammatory responses in more detail than the previous study.

Methods

N9 microglial cells were treated with EMF exposure or a sham treatment, with or without pretreatment with an inhibitor (Pyridone 6, P6) of the Janus family of tyrosine kinases (JAK). The activation state of microglia was assessed via immunoreaction using the microglial marker CD11b. Levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), TNF-α and NO were measured using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the nitrate reductase method. Activation of JAKs and STAT3 proteins was evaluated by western blotting for specific tyrosine phosphorylation. The ability of STAT3 to bind to DNA was detected with an electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA).

Results

EMF was found to significantly induce phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3, and DNA-binding ability of STAT3 in N9 microglia. In addition, EMF dramatically increased the expression of CD11b, TNF-α and iNOS, and the production of NO. P6 strongly suppressed the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 and diminished STAT3 activity in EMF-stimulated microglia. Interestingly, expression of CD11b as well as gene expression and production of TNF-α and iNOS were suppressed by P6 at 12 h, but not at 3 h, after EMF exposure.

Conclusions

EMF exposure directly triggers initial activation of microglia and produces a significant pro-inflammatory response. Our findings confirm that the JAK2-STAT3 pathway may not mediate this initial microglial activation but does promote pro-inflammatory responses in EMF-stimulated microglial cells. Thus, the JAK2-STAT3 pathway might be a therapeutic target for reducing pro-inflammatory responses in EMF-activated microglia.