bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The American Exclusionary Rule
Authors: Ma Yue
Published: October 2012

When the U.S. Supreme Court extended the application of the exclusionary rule in its landmark decision Mapp v. Ohio, it was leading the way in employing the exclusionary remedy as a means to protect people’s rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. The past 50 years have seen significant changes in the criminal justice landscape on the world scene. The exclusionary rule is no longer unique to American jurisprudence. The rule has been adopted by other Western countries as well. The American exclusionary rule, however, remains a unique rule in terms of its deterrence rationale and mandatory nature. No other countries have adopted a mandatory rule or rested the rule on its deterrent effect. This article discusses the operation of the exclusionary rule in four other countries and provides a comparative analysis of the American exclusionary rule. It analyzes the problems associated with the operation of a deterrence-based mandatory rule and explores the possibility of changing the American exclusionary rule from a mandatory to a discretionary rule. The analysis takes note especially two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that signal significant changes in the application of the exclusionary rule in the United States.
“Our Most Lethal Enemy?”
Authors: Brkich Christopher Andrew , Barko Tim
Published: October 2012

In the Star Trek universe, the Borg are a race of cybernetic humanoids intent on assimilating all other sentient beings into a collective consciousness through the elimination of difference. Although it would be easy to reduce the Borg Collective to a symbolic cautionary tale for qualitative researchers, we would like to trouble and extend this analysis. For this special edition of Qualitative Inquiry, we adopt Gilles Deleuze’s theories of banality and of objective–subjective commensurability to pose challenges to simplicity in methodology and product, and apply these lenses to Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes and film, to our own work as qualitative researchers, and to discussions of how the act of blurring the lines between fiction and philosophy through the trope of science fiction cinema can render complex academic writing more accessible and more enjoyable.
Two (Very) Different Worlds
Authors: Donmoyer Robert
Published: October 2012

This article brackets assumptions embedded in the framing of this special issue on “problematizing methodological simplicity in qualitative research” in a effort to understand why policymakers put pressure on all types of researchers, including those who use qualitative methods, to provide relatively simple, even somewhat mechanistic portrayals of social life. The article employs an auto-ethnographic approach to demonstrate that simplified thinking is a virtual prerequisite for making policy. The article also demonstrates that qualitative researchers normally have a diametrically opposed view of simplification, but that this view is not necessarily shared by other academics. These other academics, consequently, are likely to have a greater impact on policymakers. The article concludes with an account of how the article’s author, who was attracted to qualitative methods because they promised to accommodate the complexity of social life, has attempted to influence policymakers and the policymaking process without completing losing his methodological soul.
Dangerously empty? Hegemony and the construction of the Irish entrepreneur
Authors: Kenny Kate , Scriver Stacey
Published: October 2012

In this article we build on Jones and Spicer’s (2009) conceptualization of the entrepreneur as an empty signifier. We explore the function of the signifier ‘entrepreneurship’ within a social context marked by crisis: Ireland 2007–2010. In doing so, we show how its articulation by government acted to legitimize the continuation of market logics and, relatedly, the existing political status quo. Theoretically, we demonstrate the usefulness of Laclau and Mouffe’s conception of hegemony, which shares a Lacanian legacy with Jones and Spicer. This helps us to understand the contradictory nature of the signifier of the entrepreneur in Irish political and social discourse, along with its relationship to the reproduction of political hegemony.
Entrepreneurship and expropriation
Authors: Jones Campbell , Murtola Anna-Maria
Published: October 2012

Entrepreneurship plays out today in an ideologically mediated contest between production in common and expropriation of the common. On the one hand, it is possible to locate a ‘positive’ moment of the increasing socialization of work through which production has become social and cooperative, involving production from the common, in common, of the common. On the other hand, there is a ‘negative’ moment that seeks to separate, enclose and capture this common. Entrepreneurship is a key ideological operator in the expropriation of the common, through localizing production and claims to value in one particular element of socialized production. Although entrepreneurship research today recognizes that entrepreneurship rests on production in common, it hesitates to come to the radical conclusions required by this recognition. Caught between production in common and expropriation of the common, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship research today confront the prospect that those whose production in common is daily expropriated might turn the tables on the expropriators.
Hegemonic discourses on entrepreneurship as an ideological mechanism for the reproduction of capital
Authors: da Costa Alessandra de Sá Mello , Silva Saraiva Luiz Alex
Published: October 2012

Pointed to as a means of insertion into increasingly competitive labour markets, entrepreneurship has become an ideology of the ‘new capitalist spirit’ that needs to be questioned. Our prime objective here is to identify what orders of discourse are emerging from existing entrepreneurial discourse within Junior Enterprises in Brazil, assuming that, the interdiscursive relations regarding this subject do ideologically contribute to the construction of the contemporary capitalist enterprise as the only possible model for the generation of wealth in society. We carried out a qualitative survey that was epistemologically orientated by interpretivism, and methodologically orientated by critical discourse analysis. In addition, 60 interviews were carried out with students and professors, which allowed the identification of three orders of discourse: (1) a consensus regarding the centrality of companies in terms of thinking and acting of a given individual in the world; (2) the exemplarity of the neoliberal capitalist entrepreneurial model and (3) the absence of feasible alternatives for the contemporary capitalism model. The conclusions problematize the hegemonic discourses on entrepreneurship suggesting that high education has been less of a human emancipation tool and more of a capital reproduction mechanism.
Educating primary teachers to teach physical education
Authors: Tsangaridou Niki
Published: October 2012

Research evidence suggests that, worldwide, physical education in early years is mainly taught by primary teachers (Graber et al., 2008; Hunter, 2006; Kirk, 2005). Descriptions of primary teachers’ experiences of teaching physical education are particularly essential as an avenue for developing better-quality teacher training for teaching primary school physical education (Hunter, 2006; Kirk, 2005; Pangrazi, 2003; Tsangaridou, 2008). The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and discuss illustrative findings of research conducted on primary school teachers who teach physical education. The paper is divided into three sections. In the first section, research findings on in-service primary teachers are presented and discussed. In the second section, an account of empirical inquiries on pre-service primary teachers is reviewed. Finally, the third section provides a summary of the major findings, discusses the main conclusions, offers implications for teacher educators and points out directions for further research.
Self-identity as a component of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in predicting physical activity
Authors: Ries Francis , Hein Vello , Pihu Maret , Armenta José Manuel Sevillano
Published: October 2012

This study aimed to investigate the role of self-identity, defined as salient and enduring aspects of one’s self-perception (Sparks, 2000), in relation to adolescent physical activity (PA) intentions within the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). School students aged 12 to 18 from two cultural groups (Estonia and Spain) completed measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-identity, and intentions for PA. Four weeks later participants completed self-reported measures of PA. A structural equation model showed that self-identity had a direct effect on PA intention (β = .33, p < .01) and PA behaviour (β = .31, p < .01). The model accounted for 45% of the variance of PA behaviour from which 4% can be attributed to self-identity. The effect of self-identity on PA was also partially mediated via intention. The multi-group comparison between two cultural groups indicated that no invariances existed between the models of the observed samples.
The influence of the Sport Education Model on amotivated students’ in-class physical activity
Authors: Perlman Dana
Published: October 2012

The Sport Education Model (SEM) was designed by Siedentop to provide students with a holistic sport-based experience. As research on the SEM continues, an aspect that has gained interest is the influence on (a) students with low levels of motivation and (b) opportunities to engage in health-enhancing levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity differences between amotivated students engaged in the SEM compared with a traditional sport-based physical education class. Sixty-nine amotivated students were engaged in a unit of basketball taught using the SEM or traditional (skill–drill–game) approach. Accelerometers were used to collect daily in-class physical activity levels. Physical activity data were averaged into three phases (five lessons per phase) and analysed using repeated measures ANOVAs. As a result engagement within the SEM provided amotivated students with an increased opportunity to engage in higher levels of physical activity.
Training to teach physical education in an opposite-sex secondary school
Authors: Stidder Gary
Published: October 2012

This study focuses on the school-based training experiences of trainee physical education teachers in opposite-sex secondary schools in south-east England which has been presented and discussed elsewhere in the academic community. Through an interpretive paradigm, using critical incident writing as a means of collecting computer-mediated data, one male and two female trainee teachers of physical education provided continuous commentaries of their professional development within an opposite-sex secondary school over a 75 day training period. The three trainee physical education teachers in this study believed that professional integrity and pedagogical competence (being good at their job) was more important than issues associated with their biological sex. It is suggested that the findings from this study could stimulate professional debate with regards to training policies in secondary school physical education. Such debate and actions following from an informed examination of policy could increase the subject knowledge, employment prospects, occupational mobility and professional development of trainee physical education teachers.
Physical education teachers’ continuing professional development in health-related exercise
Authors: Alfrey Laura , Webb Louisa , Cale Lorraine
Published: October 2012

This paper uses figurational sociology to explain why Secondary Physical Education teachers’ engagement with Health Related Exercise (HRE) is often limited. Historically-rooted concerns surround the teaching of HRE, and these have recently been linked to teachers’ limited continuing professional development (CPD) in HRE (HRE-CPD). A two-phase, mixed-method study involving a survey questionnaire ( n=124) and semi-structured interviews ( n=12) was conducted in the UK to explore Physical Education teachers’ engagement with HRE and HRE-CPD over time. The findings confirm that teachers’ engagement with HRE-CPD is often limited. Indeed, nearly three quarters of the teachers (73%) also felt that their tertiary education had failed to adequately prepare them to teach HRE. This paper argues that a range of interdependent processes are contributing towards teachers’ limited engagement with HRE, and that most of these processes – such as the marginalisation of HRE – are rooted in the privileging of sporting, individualised and performative ideologies within Physical Education. In conclusion, it is argued that informed and strategic action which addresses the above issues and which transcends all levels of the education figuration is needed if the concerns surrounding HRE are to be overcome.
Efficacy of an integrated school curriculum pedometer intervention to enhance physical activity and to reduce weight status in children
Authors: Duncan Michael , Birch Samantha , Woodfield Lorayne
Published: October 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an integrated school curriculum pedometer intervention on children’s physical activity and weight status. Following ethics approval and informed consent, 59 children (22 boys, 27 girls, aged 10–11) from a primary school in central England completed a four-week integrated physical activity intervention based on virtually walking from John O’Groats to Lands End. Habitual physical activity and weight status (body mass index (BMI)) were determined pre- and four weeks post-intervention using pedometry. Steps/day were also calculated during the intervention period, which lasted four weeks. Results indicated that average steps/day were significantly higher ( P = .0001) during and post the intervention compared to baseline. The study also found a significant main effect whereby children classified as normal weight were significantly more active than those classified as overweight/obese ( P = .003). The use of a four-week integrated curriculum pedometer intervention in school is therefore feasible and results in positive outcomes in relation to daily physical activity.
Barriers to therapeutic clinical trials enrollment: Differences between African-American and white cancer patients identified at the time of eligibility assessment
Authors: Penberthy Lynne , Brown Richard , Wilson-Genderson Maureen , Dahman Bassam , Ginder Gordon , Siminoff Laura A
Published: October 2012

Background

Clinical trials (CTs) are the mechanism by which research is translated into standards of care. Low recruitment among underserved and minority populations may result in inequity in access to the latest technology and treatments, compromise the generalizability, and lead to failure in identification of important positive or negative treatment effects among under-represented populations.

Methods

Data were collected over a 39-month period on patient eligibility for available therapeutic cancer CTs. Reasons for ineligibility and refusal were collected. The data were captured using an automated software tool for tracking eligibility pre-enrollment. We examined characteristics associated with being evaluated for a trial, and reasons for ineligibility and refusal, overall and by patient race.

Results

African-Americans (AAs) were more likely than Whites to be ineligible (odds ratio, (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0–1.58) and if eligible, to refuse participation (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.27–2.52), even after adjusting for insurance, age, gender, study phase, and cancer type. White patients were more likely to be ineligible due to study-specific or cancer characteristics. AAs were more likely to be ineligible due to mental status or perceived noncompliance. Whites were more likely to refuse due to extra burden, due to concerns with randomization and toxicity, or because they express a positive treatment preference. AAs were more likely to refuse because they were not interested in CTs, because of family pressures, or they felt overwhelmed (NS)).

Discussion

This study is the first to directly compare ineligibility and refusal rates and reasons captured prospectively in AA and White cancer patients. The data are consistent with earlier studies that indicated that AA patients more often are deemed ineligible and, when eligible, more often refuse participation. However, differences in reasons for ineligibility and refusal by race have implications for a cancer center to participate in CTs appropriate for the population of patients served. On a broader scale, consideration should be given to modifying eligibility criteria and other design aspects to permit broader participation of minority and other underserved groups.
The Influence Personality and Leader Behaviours have on Teacher Self-leadership in Vocational Colleges
Authors: Marshall Glenn , Kiffin-Petersen Sandra , Soutar Geoffrey
Published: October 2012

Teacher self-leadership includes a set of individual cognitive and behavioural strategies that, when practised together, can lead to improved performance. This study examines the influence personality and leader behaviours have on teacher self-leadership in a vocational education and training setting. Survey data from 418 teachers from an Australian college of vocational education and training showed that generalized self-efficacy and conscientiousness were positive predictors of self-leadership. Transformational leader behaviours also positively influenced teacher self-leadership, although to a lesser degree. The results suggest improving teachers’ self-efficacy is associated with increased self-management, greater intrinsic enjoyment from work and more constructive thought patterns. Training in transformational leader behaviours, such as articulating a vision, high performance expectations, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation may also facilitate teacher self-leadership in vocational colleges.
Leading with Emancipatory Intent
Authors: Fuller Kay
Published: October 2012

The ‘moral imperative’ of school leadership has been identified as seeking to bring about social justice in ensuring all children are given the opportunity to succeed in education. Empirical research among 18 headteachers in a single local education authority in the English Midlands shows that some headteachers simultaneously work within a managerialist system and beyond it to promote people-oriented values. Eight approaches to pupil diversity are identified here that demonstrate the degree to which some headteachers are willing to resist aspects of managerialism to ensure that diversity is not only catered for but is also celebrated. Headteachers are shown to draw on their personal values and histories in their exercise of headship.
Reflecting on the ‘Patient record access proposals’ in the UK Government’s planned NHS–Life Sciences partnership
Authors: Oultram Stuart
Published: October 2012

In this article I review the principal arguments in favour of and against the UK government’s recent proposals to allow access to NHS patient records to life sciences companies as part of the NHS–Life Sciences partnership scheme.
Researching young children’s perception of food in Irish pre-schools: An ethical dilemma
Authors: Molloy Charlotte Johnston , Hayes Nóirín , Kearney John , Slattery Corina Glennon , Corish Clare
Published: October 2012

Poor nutrition habits have been reported in the childcare setting. While the literature advocates the need to carry out ‘Voice of the Child’ research, few studies have explored this methodology with regard to children and food, in particular in the pre-school setting. This article aims to outline the ethical issues raised by a research ethics committee and to discuss the impact of these issues on a study that hoped to determine the food perceptions of children (aged three to four years) within an ongoing nutrition and lifestyle pre-school project in Ireland. Ethical approval was granted for this study but only upon the clarification of two aspects: that only hedonic symbols previously used in the literature could be included in the study; and that parental consent be obtained from both parents of each child. Children were shown food pictures and asked to use the hedonic symbols to answer questions posed to them on the food. Owing to the ethical constraints imposed by the requirement for two-parent consent, seven children, from a potential sample of 85, were eligible to partake in the study. These children did not seem to understand the hedonic symbols recommended for use by the ethics committee, therefore preventing the collection of in-depth qualitative data. The ethical constraints placed on this study impacted on both its design and its methodology and are discussed in relation to national and international ethical guidance and legislation. Future research with children regarding food choice must balance the need for strict ethical standards with the need to explore children’s views on this subject.
School Leadership Preparation and Practice Survey Instruments and Their Uses
Authors: Pounder Diana
Published: October 2012

This article addresses the leadership preparation line of inquiry developed in the past decade by the University Council for Educational Administration/Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership Special Interest Group Taskforce on Evaluating Leadership Preparation Programs, and it particularly addresses the series of survey instruments developed to pursue this line of inquiry. The article describes these collective instruments, titled “School Leadership Preparation and Practice Survey,” and identifies key constructs measured in each instrument as well as uses for each instrument. The article concludes with an explanation of the potential benefits of utilizing a common set of measures to promote research on leadership preparation.
The Complexity of Leveraging University Program Change
Authors: Crow Gary M. , Arnold Noelle Witherspoon , Reed Cynthia J. , Shoho Alan´ R.
Published: October 2012

This article identifies four elements of complexity that influence how university educational leadership programs can leverage program change: faculty reward systems, faculty governance, institutional resources, and state-level influence on leadership preparation. Following the discussion of the elements of complexity, the article provides a vignette of a university program change in educational leadership to further highlight the complexity and to provide examples of the opportunities for program change. The article ends with a discussion of implications for change.
Individuals with increased inflammatory response to ozone demonstrate muted signaling of immune cell trafficking pathways
Authors: Fry Rebecca C , Rager Julia E , Zhou Haibo , Zou Baiming , Brickey June W , Ting Jenny , Lay John C , Peden David B , Alexis Neil E
Published: October 2012

Background

Exposure to ozone activates innate immune function and causes neutrophilic (PMN) airway inflammation that in some individuals is robustly elevated. The interplay between immuno-inflammatory function and genomic signaling in those with heightened inflammatory responsiveness to ozone is not well understood.

Objectives

Determine baseline predictors and post exposure discriminators for the immuno-inflammatory response to ozone in inflammatory responsive adult volunteers.

Methods

Sputum induction was performed on 27 individuals before and after a two hour chamber exposure to 0.4 ppm ozone. Subjects were classified as inflammatory responders or non-responders to ozone based on their PMN response. Innate immune function, inflammatory cell and cytokine modulation and transcriptional signaling pathways were measured in sputum.

Results

Post exposure, responders showed activated innate immune function (CD16: 31,004 MFI vs 8988 MFI; CD11b: 44,986 MFI vs 24,770 MFI; CD80: 2236 MFI vs 1506 MFI; IL-8: 37,603 pg/ml vs 2828 pg/ml; and IL-1β: 1380 pg/ml vs 318 pg/ml) with muted signaling of immune cell trafficking pathways. In contrast, non-responders displayed decreased innate immune activity (CD16, CD80; phagocytosis: 2 particles/PMN vs 4 particles/PMN) post exposure that was accompanied by a heightened signaling of immune cell trafficking pathways.

Conclusions

Inflammatory responsive and non responsive individuals to ozone show an inverse relationship between immune cell trafficking and immuno-inflammatory functional responses to ozone. These distinct genomic signatures may further our understanding about ozone-induced morbidity in individuals with different levels of inflammatory responsiveness.
A scalable method for identifying frequent subtrees in sets of large phylogenetic trees
Authors: Ramu Avinash , Kahveci Tamer , Burleigh J Gordon
Published: October 2012

Background

We consider the problem of finding the maximum frequent agreement subtrees (MFASTs) in a collection of phylogenetic trees. Existing methods for this problem often do not scale beyond datasets with around 100 taxa. Our goal is to address this problem for datasets with over a thousand taxa and hundreds of trees.

Results

We develop a heuristic solution that aims to find MFASTs in sets of many, large phylogenetic trees. Our method works in multiple phases. In the first phase, it identifies small candidate subtrees from the set of input trees which serve as the seeds of larger subtrees. In the second phase, it combines these small seeds to build larger candidate MFASTs. In the final phase, it performs a post-processing step that ensures that we find a frequent agreement subtree that is not contained in a larger frequent agreement subtree. We demonstrate that this heuristic can easily handle data sets with 1000 taxa, greatly extending the estimation of MFASTs beyond current methods.

Conclusions

Although this heuristic does not guarantee to find all MFASTs or the largest MFAST, it found the MFAST in all of our synthetic datasets where we could verify the correctness of the result. It also performed well on large empirical data sets. Its performance is robust to the number and size of the input trees. Overall, this method provides a simple and fast way to identify strongly supported subtrees within large phylogenetic hypotheses.
Construction and analysis of a high-density genetic linkage map in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata)
Authors: Wang Wanxing , Huang Shunmou , Liu Yumei , Fang Zhiyuan , Yang Limei , Hua Wei , Yuan Suxia , Liu Shengyi , Sun Jifeng , Zhuang Mu , Zhang Yangyong , Zeng Aisong
Published: October 2012

Background

Brassica oleraceaencompass a family of vegetables and cabbage that are among the most widely cultivated crops. In 2009, theB. oleraceaGenome Sequencing Project was launched using next generation sequencing technology. None of the available maps were detailed enough to anchor the sequence scaffolds for the Genome Sequencing Project. This report describes the development of a large number of SSR and SNP markers from the whole genome shotgun sequence data ofB. oleracea, and the construction of a high-density genetic linkage map using a double haploid mapping population.

Results

TheB. oleraceahigh-density genetic linkage map that was constructed includes 1,227 markers in nine linkage groups spanning a total of 1197.9 cM with an average of 0.98 cM between adjacent loci. There were 602 SSR markers and 625 SNP markers on the map. The chromosome with the highest number of markers (186) was C03, and the chromosome with smallest number of markers (99) was C09.

Conclusions

This first high-density map allowed the assembled scaffolds to be anchored to pseudochromosomes. The map also provides useful information for positional cloning, molecular breeding, and integration of information of genes and traits inB. oleracea. All the markers on the map will be transferable and could be used for the construction of other genetic maps.
SERE: Single-parameter quality control and sample comparison for RNA-Seq
Authors: Schulze Stefan K , Kanwar Rahul , Gölzenleuchter Meike , Therneau Terry M , Beutler Andreas S
Published: October 2012

Background

Assessing the reliability of experimental replicates (or global alterations corresponding to different experimental conditions) is a critical step in analyzing RNA-Seq data. Pearson’s correlation coefficient r has been widely used in the RNA-Seq field even though its statistical characteristics may be poorly suited to the task.

Results

Here we present a single-parameter test procedure for count data, the Simple Error Ratio Estimate (SERE), that can determine whether two RNA-Seq libraries are faithful replicates or globally different. Benchmarking shows that the interpretation of SERE is unambiguous regardless of the total read count or the range of expression differences among bins (exons or genes), a score of 1 indicating faithful replication (i.e., samples are affected only by Poisson variation of individual counts), a score of 0 indicating data duplication, and scores >1 corresponding to true global differences between RNA-Seq libraries. On the contrary the interpretation of Pearson’s r is generally ambiguous and highly dependent on sequencing depth and the range of expression levels inherent to the sample (difference between lowest and highest bin count). Cohen’s simple Kappa results are also ambiguous and are highly dependent on the choice of bins. For quantifying global sample differences SERE performs similarly to a measure based on the negative binomial distribution yet is simpler to compute.

Conclusions

SERE can therefore serve as a straightforward and reliable statistical procedure for the global assessment of pairs or large groups of RNA-Seq datasets by a single statistical parameter.
Callose plug deposition patterns vary in pollen tubes of Arabidopsis thalianaecotypes and tomato species
Authors: Qin Peng , Ting Dylan , Shieh Andrew , McCormick Sheila
Published: October 2012

Background

The pollen grain contains the male gametophyte that extends a pollen tube that grows through female tissues in order to deliver sperm to the embryo sac for double fertilization. Growing pollen tubes form periodic callose plugs that are thought to block off the older parts of the tube and maintain the cytoplasm near the growing tip. The morphology of callose plugs and the patterns of their deposition were previously shown to vary among species, but variation within a species had not been examined. We therefore systematically examined callose plug deposition in Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, tested for heritability using reciprocal crosses between ecotypes that had differing deposition patterns, and investigated the relationship between callose plugs and pollen tube growth rate. We also surveyed callose plug deposition patterns in different species of tomato.

Results

We used in vitro grown pollen tubes of 14 different A. thaliana ecotypes and measured the distance from the pollen grain pore to the first callose plug (termed first interval). This distance varied among Arabidopsis ecotypes and in some cases even within an ecotype. Pollen tubes without a callose plug were shorter than those with a callose plug, and tubes with a callose plug near the grain were, on average, longer than those with the first callose plug farther from the grain. Variations in the first callose plug position were also observed between different species of tomato.

Conclusions

We showed that the position of the first callose plug varied among Arabidopsis ecotypes and in tomato species, and that callose plug deposition patterns were heritable. These findings lay a foundation for mapping genes that regulate callose plug deposition or that determine pollen tube length or growth rate.
Differences in characteristics between healthcare-associated and community-acquired infection in community-onset Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection in Korea
Authors: Jung Younghee , Lee Myung Jin , Sin Hye-Yun , Kim Nak-Hyun , Hwang Jeong-Hwan , Park Jinyong , Choe Pyoeng Gyun , Park Wan Beom , Kim Eu Suk , Park Sang-Won , Park Kyoung Un , Kim Hong Bin , Kim Nam-Joong , Kim Eui-Chong , Song Kyoung-Ho , Oh Myoung-don
Published: October 2012

Background

Healthcare-associated (HCA) infection has emerged as a new epidemiological category. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of HCA infection on mortality in community-onset Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection (KpBSI).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study in two tertiary-care hospitals over a 6-year period. All adult patients with KpBSI within 48 hours of admission were enrolled. We compared the clinical characteristics of HCA and community-acquired (CA) infection, and analyzed risk factors for mortality in patients with community-onset KpBSI.

Results

Of 553 patients with community-onset KpBSI, 313 (57%) were classified as HCA- KpBSI and 240 (43%) as CA-KpBSI. In patients with HCA-KpBSI, the severity of the underlying diseases was higher than in patients with CA-KpBSI. Overall the most common site of infection was the pancreatobiliary tract. Liver abscess was more common in CA-KpBSI, whereas peritonitis and primary bacteremia were more common in HCA-KpBSI. Isolates not susceptible to extended-spectrum cephalosporin were more common in HCA- KpBSI than in CA-KpBSI (9% [29/313] vs. 3% [8/240]; p = 0.006). Overall 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher in HCA-KpBSI than in CA-KpBSI (22% [70/313] vs. 11% [27/240]; p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, high Charlson’s weighted index of co-morbidity, high Pitt bacteremia score, neutropenia, polymicrobial infection and inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy were significant risk factors for 30-day mortality.

Conclusions

HCA-KpBSI in community-onset KpBSI has distinctive characteristics and has a poorer prognosis than CA-KpBSI, but HCA infection was not an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality.
Epoetin administrated after cardiac surgery: effects on renal function and inflammation in a randomized controlled study
Authors: de Seigneux Sophie , Ponte Belen , Weiss Lucien , Pugin Jérôme , Romand Jacques André , Martin Pierre-Yves , Saudan Patrick
Published: October 2012

Background

Experimentally, erythropoietin (EPO) has nephroprotective as well as immunomodulatory properties when administered after ischemic renal injury. We tested the hypothesis that different doses of recombinant human EPO administered to patients after cardiac surgery would minimize kidney lesions and the systemic inflammatory response, thereby decreasing acute kidney injury (AKI) incidence.

Methods

In this double-blinded randomized control study, 80 patients admitted to the ICU post-cardiac surgery were randomized by computer to receive intravenously isotonic saline (n = 40) versus α-Epoetin (n = 40): either 40000 IU (n = 20) or 20000 IU (n = 20). The study lasted one year. The primary outcome was the change in urinary NGAL concentration from baseline and 48 h after EPO injection. Creatinine, cystatine C and urinary NGAL levels were measured on the day of randomization and 2–4 days after EPO injection. To assess acute inflammatory response, serum cytokines (IL6 and IL8) were measured at randomization and four days after r-HuEPO injection. Patients and care-takers were blinded for the assignment.

Results

No patient was excluded after randomization. Patient groups did not differ in terms of age, gender, comorbidities and renal function at randomization. The rate of AKI assessed by AKIN criteria was 22.5% in our population. EPO treatment did not significantly modify the difference in uNGAl between 48 hours and randomization compared to placebo [2.5 ng/ml (−17.3; 22.5) vs 0.7 ng/ml (−31.77; 25.15), p = 0.77] and the incidence of AKI was similar. Inflammatory cytokines levels were not influenced by EPO treatment. Mortality and hospital stays were similar between the groups and no adverse event was recorded.

Conclusion

In this randomized-controlled trial, α-Epoetin administrated after cardiac surgery, although safe, demonstrated neither nephroprotective nor anti-inflammatory properties.

Trial registration number

NCT00676234
High DMBT1 concentrations in breast milk correlate with increased risk of infection in preterm and term neonates
Authors: Ronellenfitsch Sebastian , Weiß Christel , Frommhold David , Koch Lutz , Mollenhauer Jan , Poeschl Johannes , Müller Hanna
Published: October 2012

Background

Human milk contains immune molecules involved in the protection of newborns against infections. We analyzed the concentration of Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumors 1 (DMBT1), a protein with functions in innate immunity, in breast milk.

Methods

DMBT1 was detected in breast milk by Western blotting and its concentration was quantified by ELISA in 95 breast milk samples collected from mothers of preterm and term neonates during the first four weeks after delivery. Possible effects of maternal or neonatal parameters were analyzed by different statistical tests.

Results

The mean DMBT1 concentration (± standard error of the mean) in the tested milk samples was 2.48 ± 0.26 μg/mL (range: 0.112 μg/mL to 17.984 μg/mL) and represented 0.0087% of the total protein content. The comparison between the newborns with infection and the newborns without infection revealed significantly higher DMBT1 concentrations in breast milk in the group with infection (6.72 ± 2.53 μg/mL versus 2.20 ± 0.35 μg/mL (P = 0.031)). Neither maternal nor neonatal parameters showed a correlation with the milk DMBT1 levels.

Conclusions

DMBT1 is a component of breast milk after birth and is up-regulated in the breast milk from mothers with newborns suffering from neonatal infection. Thus, breast milk DMBT1 may be part of the innate immunity similar to secretory IgA.
Fiber optic micro sensor for the measurement of tendon forces
Authors: Behrmann Gregory P , Hidler Joseph , Mirotznik Mark S
Published: October 2012

A fiber optic sensor developed for the measurement of tendon forces was designed, numerically modeled, fabricated, and experimentally evaluated. The sensor incorporated fiber Bragg gratings and micro-fabricated stainless steel housings. A fiber Bragg grating is an optical device that is spectrally sensitive to axial strain. Stainless steel housings were designed to convert radial forces applied to the housing into axial forces that could be sensed by the fiber Bragg grating. The metal housings were fabricated by several methods including laser micromachining, swaging, and hydroforming. Designs are presented that allow for simultaneous temperature and force measurements as well as for simultaneous resolution of multi-axis forces.

The sensor was experimentally evaluated by hydrostatic loading and in vitro testing. A commercial hydraulic burst tester was used to provide uniform pressures on the sensor in order to establish the linearity, repeatability, and accuracy characteristics of the sensor. The in vitro experiments were performed in excised tendon and in a dynamic gait simulator to simulate biological conditions. In both experimental conditions, the sensor was found to be a sensitive and reliable method for acquiring minimally invasive measurements of soft tissue forces. Our results suggest that this sensor will prove useful in a variety of biomechanical measurements.
A validation of ground ambulance pre-hospital times modeled using geographic information systems
Authors: Patel Alka B , Waters Nigel M , Blanchard Ian E , Doig Christopher J , Ghali William A
Published: October 2012

Background

Evaluating geographic access to health services often requires determining the patient travel time to a specified service. For urgent care, many research studies have modeled patient pre-hospital time by ground emergency medical services (EMS) using geographic information systems (GIS). The purpose of this study was to determine if the modeling assumptions proposed through prior United States (US) studies are valid in a non-US context, and to use the resulting information to provide revised recommendations for modeling travel time using GIS in the absence of actual EMS trip data.

Methods

The study sample contained all emergency adult patient trips within the Calgary area for 2006. Each record included four components of pre-hospital time (activation, response, on-scene and transport interval). The actual activation and on-scene intervals were compared with those used in published models. The transport interval was calculated within GIS using the Network Analyst extension of Esri ArcGIS 10.0 and the response interval was derived using previously established methods. These GIS derived transport and response intervals were compared with the actual times using descriptive methods. We used the information acquired through the analysis of the EMS trip data to create an updated model that could be used to estimate travel time in the absence of actual EMS trip records.

Results

There were 29,765 complete EMS records for scene locations inside the city and 529 outside. The actual median on-scene intervals were longer than the average previously reported by 7–8 minutes. Actual EMS pre-hospital times across our study area were significantly higher than the estimated times modeled using GIS and the original travel time assumptions. Our updated model, although still underestimating the total pre-hospital time, more accurately represents the true pre-hospital time in our study area.

Conclusions

The widespread use of generalized EMS pre-hospital time assumptions based on US data may not be appropriate in a non-US context. The preference for researchers should be to use actual EMS trip records from the proposed research study area. In the absence of EMS trip data researchers should determine which modeling assumptions more accurately reflect the EMS protocols across their study area.
Increased conductance of individual self-assembled GeSi quantum dots by inter-dot coupling studied by conductive atomic force microscopy
Authors: Zhang Yifei , Ye Fengfeng , Lin Jianhui , Jiang Zuimin , Yang Xinju
Published: October 2012

The conductive properties of individual self-assembled GeSi quantum dots (QDs) are investigated by conductive atomic force microscopy on single-layer (SL) and bi-layer (BL) GeSi QDs with different dot densities at room temperature. By comparing their average currents, it is found that the BL and high-density QDs are more conductive than the SL and low-density QDs with similar sizes, respectively, indicating the existence of both vertical and lateral couplings between GeSi QDs at room temperature. On the other hand, the average current of the BL QDs increases much faster with the bias voltage than that of the SL QDs does. Our results suggest that the QDs’ conductive properties can be greatly regulated by the coupling effects and bias voltages, which are valuable for potential applications.
Co-circulation of two genotypes of dengue virus serotype 3 in Guangzhou, China, 2009
Authors: Jiang Tao , Yu Xue-Dong , Hong Wen-Xin , Zhou Wei-Ze , Yu Man , Deng Yong-Qiang , Zhu Shun-Ya , Qin E-De , Wang Jian , Qin Cheng-Feng , Zhang Fu-Chun
Published: October 2012

Dengue is emerging as the most important mosquito borne viral disease in the world. In mainland China, sporadic and large outbreaks of dengue illness caused by the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV-1 to DENV-4) have been well documented. Guangdong province is the major affected area in China, and DENV-1 has dominantly circulated in Guangdong for a long time. In this study, a family cluster of DENV-3 infection in Guangzhou was described. Three cases were diagnosed as dengue fever based on clinical manifestation, serological and RT-PCR assays. Two DENV-3 strains were isolated in C6/36 cells and the complete genome sequences were determined. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the new DENV-3 isolates from the family cluster were grouped within genotype III. Considering the fact that several DENV-3 strains within genotype V were also identified in Guangzhou in 2009, at least two genotypes of DENV-3 co-circulated in Guangzhou. Careful investigation and virological analysis should be warranted in the future.
NLRP1 polymorphisms in patients with asbestos-associated mesothelioma
Authors: Girardelli Martina , Maestri Iva , Rinaldi Rosa R , Tognon Mauro , Boldorini Renzo , Bovenzi Massimo , Crovella Sergio , Comar Manola
Published: October 2012

Background

An increasing incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases in patients with low levels of asbestos exposure suggests the interference of alternative cofactors. SV40 infection was detected, as co-morbidity factor, only in 22% of asbestos-MM patients from a North-Eastern Italy area. An additional mechanism of injury related to asbestos exposure in MM development has been recently associated to inflammatory responses, principally driven by interleukin (IL)-1 beta (ß) activated within the inflammasome complex.

NLRP3 inflammosome has been described as the intracellular sensor for asbestos able to induce inflammasome activation and IL-1ß secretion while NLRP1 is expressed in lung epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages and contributes to the immune response and to survival/apoptosis balance. This study proposes to evaluate the impact of known NLRP3 and NLRP1 polymorphisms in the individual susceptibility to asbestos-induced mesothelioma in subjects from a hyperendemic area for MM.

Methods

134 Italian patients with diagnosis of mesothelioma due (MMAE, n=69) or not (MMAF, n=65) to asbestos, 256 healthy Italian blood donors and 101 Italian healthy subjects exposed to asbestos (HCAE) were genotyped for NLRP1 (rs2670660 and rs12150220) and NLRP3 (rs35829419 and rs10754558) polymorphisms.

Results

While NLRP3 SNPs were not associated to mesothelioma, the NLRP1 rs12150220 allele T was significantly more frequent in MMAE (0.55) than in HCAE (0.41) (p=0.011; OR=1.79) suggesting a predisponent effect of this allele on the development of mesothelioma. This effect was amplified when the NLRP1 rs2670660 allele was combined with the NLRP1 rs12150220 allele (p=0.004; OR=0.52).

Conclusion

Although NLRP3 SNPs was not involved in mesothelioma predisposition, these data proposed NLRP1 as a novel factor possibly involved in the development of mesothelioma.
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis presenting with diplopia in pregnancy: a case report
Authors: Munira Yusoff , Sakinah Zakariah , Zunaina Embong
Published: October 2012

Introduction

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a rare condition. The most frequent symptoms and signs are headache, focal seizures with or without secondary generalization, unilateral or bilateral paresis and papilledema. We report a case of transverse sinus and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis that presented with diplopia in a pregnant woman.

Case presentation

A 34-year-old Malay woman, gravida 3 para 2 at 8 weeks of pregnancy, was admitted for hyperemesis gravidarum, presented with sudden onset of diplopia, blurring of vision and headache. A magnetic resonance scan of her brain showed the presence of cerebral edema with no space occupying lesion, but magnetic resonance venography ultimately revealed right transverse sinus and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis. The patient was treated with anticoagulation for 1 year, after which the patient recovered fully.

Conclusion

Due to its diverse and varied neurological presentation, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis should be considered in almost any brain syndrome.