bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of three antimicrobial mouthrinses on the disinfection of toothbrushes stored in closed containers: a randomized clinical investigation by DNA Checkerboard and Culture
Authors: Nascimento Cássio do , Sorgini Maíra Balero , Pita Murillo Sucena , Fernandes Flávio Henrique Carriço Nogueira , Calefi Paulo Linares , Watanabe Evandro , Pedrazzi Vinícius
Published: January 2013

Objectives

The aim of this in vivo study was to evaluate the efficacy of three antimicrobial solutions on the disinfection of toothbrushes after storage in closed containers.

Materials and Methods

Sixteen healthy subjects were enroled in this randomized cross‐over clinical investigation. The study was conducted in four phases, in which mouthrinses (chlorhexidine gluconate‐based or cetilpiridinium‐based) and sterile tap water (control group) were used to individually store used toothbrushes in closed containers during 7 days of toothbrushing. Five toothbrushes were used as negative control for bacterial colonisation before contact with oral cavity. Conventional culture and DNA Checkerboard hybridization were used to detect bacterial contamination on the toothbrushes. Subsequently, the number of bacterial species on the bristles was estimated by the DNA Checkerboard method.

Results

One toothbrush presented bacterial contamination in the negative control test. Both culture and DNA Checkerboard showed positive signals of bacterial contamination in the toothbrushes with no differences in the frequency of detection. The control group showed higher total bacterial counts when compared with the mouthrinse groups. Porphyromonas gingivalis had the highest bacterial count followed by Parvimonas micra.

Conclusion

Culture and DNA Checkerboard showed positive signals of bacterial contamination. Mouthrinses that contains 0.12% of chlorhexidine gluconate were more effective in reducing bacterial colonisation on the toothbrushes.
RADIO LUXEMBOURG IN PEACE AND WAR
Authors: Newton Gerald
Published: January 2013

The article traces the development of commercial broadcasting in the 1930s from Radio Luxembourg, the high‐power commercial station located in Luxembourg and supposedly biased towards French propaganda, depicting how both the Third Reich and the BBC treated it with hostility. When on 8 May 1940 Luxembourg, a neutral country since 1867, fell into the hands of Nazi Germany, the transmitter became part of the German Reichssender network, and remained so until Liberation in September 1944, whereafter it was taken over as a United Nations transmitter under control of SHAEF, until finally being returned to the Radio Luxembourg Company on 12 November 1945, and once more transmitted, as before the war, programmes in Luxembourgish, French, English and German. These, with the exception of the English programmes, which ended on 31 December 1992, continue to this day.

Der Artikel verfolgt die Entwicklung des privaten, doch angeblich propagandistisch Frankreich gesinnten Großsenders Radio‐Luxemburg in den 1930er Jahren und veranschaulicht, wie ihm sowohl das Dritte Reich als auch die britische Rundfunkgesellschaft BBC feindlich gegenüberstanden. Als am 8. Mai 1940 das seit 1867 neutralisierte Luxemburg Nazideutschland zum Opfer fiel, wurde der Sender bis zur Befreiung Luxemburgs im September 1944 an das deutsche Reichssendernetz angeschlossen, wonach er ein Sender der Vereinigten Nationen unter Führung des Ober‐Kommandos der Alliierten Streitkräfte in Europa wurde, bis er schließlich am 12. November 1945 zur Radio‐Luxemburg‐Gesellschaft zurückkommen konnte und wie vor dem Krieg luxemburgisch‐, französisch‐, englisch‐ und deutschsprachige Programme wieder ausstrahlen durfte, was noch heute mit Ausnahme der englischen, die am 31. Dezember 1992 endeten, der Fall ist.
‘ICH WILL MICH GAR NICHT MIT IHM VERGLEICHEN’: HEINRICH BÖLL AND CHARLES DICKENS
Authors: Reid J. H.
Published: January 2013

The importance of Dostoevsky, Chesterton and Bloy for the young Heinrich Böll is well‐known. Less so is his intensive reading of the novels of Charles Dickens from the mid‐1930s into the 1950s and beyond. The article shows that Dickens was at least as important for Böll as Bloy and Dostoevsky. After tracing the continuing popularity of Dickens in Germany through the Nazi period, it identifies the influence of the English novelist on his early writings and multiple affinities between the two writers during Böll's maturity. In doing so it sheds light on the development of Böll's narrative technique. Böll found in Dickens not only a model for his socially committed literature but also a justification for aspects of his own aesthetics.

Die Bedeutung von Dostojewski, Chesterton und Bloy für den jungen Heinrich Böll ist wohlbekannt, weniger so seine intensive Lektüre der Romane von Charles Dickens ab Mitte der 1930er Jahre bis in die 1950er Jahre und darüber hinaus. Der Aufsatz zeigt, dass Dickens mindestens so wichtig für Böll war wie Bloy und Dostojewski. Nachdem die fortgesetzte Popularität von Dickens in der Nazi‐Zeit aufgezeigt wird, werden der Einfluss des englischen Romanciers im Frühwerk Bölls und die zahlreichen Affinitäten zwischen beiden Schriftstellern in der Nachkriegszeit verfolgt. Dabei wird auch die Entwicklung von Bölls Erzähltechnik beleuchtet. Böll fand in Dickens nicht nur ein Modell für seine sozial engagierte Literatur, sondern auch eine Rechtfertigung mancher Aspekte seiner eigenen Ästhetik.
SERIAL MURDER IN COLD‐WAR BERLIN: LEICHENSACHE ZERNIK AND THE STRUGGLE FOR PANOPTIC CONTROL
Authors: Bradley Laura
Published: January 2013

Leichensache Zernik was released in the GDR in 1972 but set in 1948, before the creation of the two German states and the construction of the Berlin Wall. It offers a Marxist re‐imagining of the serial murderer as motivated by economic profit rather than sexual gratification: he strangles his victims, obliterates their identity, and burgles their homes. He emerges not as the evil ‘other’ of society but as a product of capitalism, trading on anti‐Soviet propaganda and the political divisions in Berlin. Detectives in the Western sectors fail to pass on information to police headquarters, and they establish their own rival police force. Leichensache Zernik thus presents us with what we can see, in Foucauldian terms, as the reversion to a pre‐panoptic society that cannot be penetrated by a single gaze of power. The murderer is caught only when he kills a woman from the East, where the police and bureaucracy work together smoothly. Yet panopticism can only truly be said to function when those under surveillance know that they can always be seen. By showcasing the effectiveness of surveillance in East Berlin, Leichensache Zernik aimed to win the struggle for panoptic control not in the film, but in the auditorium.

Leichensache Zernik kam 1972 in der DDR heraus, spielt jedoch im Jahre 1948, vor der Gründung der zwei deutschen Staaten und dem Mauerbau. Der Film stellt einen Serienmörder aus marxistischer Sicht dar: Dieser Mörder wird durch Gewinnsucht motiviert, nicht durch sexuelle Triebe. Er erdrosselt seine Opfer und löscht jedes Zeichen ihrer Identität aus, um dann in ihre Wohnungen einbrechen zu können. So erkennt man ihn nicht als den bösen ‘Anderen’ der Gesellschaft, sondern als ein Produkt des Kapitalismus: Er profitiert von der antisowjetischen Propaganda und der politischen Spaltung der Stadt. Kommissare in den Westsektoren geben Informationen an das Polizeipräsidium nicht weiter, und sie gründen eine eigene Polizeibehörde. Was in Leichensache Zernik dargestellt wird, kann im Sinne Foucaults als die Rückkehr zu einer vorpanoptischen Gesellschaft gesehen werden, einer Gesellschaft, welche die Disziplinarinstanzen nicht durchblicken. Der Mörder wird erst dann gefangen, als er eine Frau aus dem Ostsektor umbringt, wo die Polizei und die Bürokratie reibungslos zusammenarbeiten. Aber der Panoptizismus funktioniert eigentlich nur, wenn die Überwachten wissen, dass sie immer gesehen werden können. Indem Leichensache Zernik die Wirksamkeit der Überwachung in Ostberlin zur Schau stellte, sollte der Film den Kampf um die panoptische Kontrolle nicht in der Handlung gewinnen, sondern im Zuschauerraum.
NEW GERMAN CINEMA'S FORGOTTEN FILM: HANSJÜRGEN POHLAND'S KATZ UND MAUS
Authors: Saryusz‐Wolska Magdalena
Published: January 2013

Katz und Maus, a film by Hansjürgen Pohland, is usually mentioned merely as the failed adaptation of the second volume of Günter Grass's Danziger Trilogie. It is in fact one of the most controversial films in German film history, and was even discussed in the Bundestag. Directed by one of the signatories of the Oberhausen Manifesto and released in 1967, Katz und Maus is one of the first films of the New German Cinema; however, it has never been discussed thoroughly in the context of this movement. Owing to its cast that included the sons of Willy Brandt in the role of Joachim Mahlke, the film eventually became an even greater scandal than its well‐known literary source. Its critics focused on the controversial masturbation scenes while failing to note how it was influenced by the cinéma d’auteur movement as well as how Pohland managed to establish a kind of cinematic translation of Grass's narrative style. The aim of this article is to discuss the background of Pohland's Katz und Maus within the New German Cinema as well as to analyse its formal references to the European New Wave Cinema of the 1960s.

Der Film Katz und Maus von Hansjürgen Pohland wird meist nur als die misslungene Verfilmung des zweiten Teils von Günter Grass’Danziger Trilogie erwähnt. Dabei handelt es sich um eines der kontroversesten Werke der deutschen Filmgeschichte, das sogar im Bundestag diskutiert wurde. Katz und Maus, gedreht von einem der Unterzeichner des Oberhausener Manifests, wurde 1967 zum ersten Mal gezeigt. Der Film gehört somit zu den ersten Titeln des Neuen Deutschen Films, obwohl er bisher nicht ausführlich im Kontext dieser Bewegung besprochen wurde. Die Besetzung der Rolle von Joachim Mahlke mit den Söhnen Willy Brandts ließ den Film zu einem sogar noch größeren Skandal als die ohnehin schon kontroverse literarische Vorlage werden. Die Kritiker konzentrierten sich vor allem auf die umstrittene Masturbationsszene und übersahen dabei zum einen die Verweise auf die cinéma‐d’auteur‐Bewegung und zum anderen Pohlands Versuche, eine der Grass'schen Erzählweise adäquate Filmsprache zu entwickeln. In diesem Aufsatz möchte ich die Hintergründe der Entstehung sowie die spätere Rezeption der Verfilmung diskutieren sowie seine formellen Bezüge zu den europäischen Neuen Wellen im Kino der 1960er Jahre analysieren.
The Effect of Helicobacter pylori Infection on Iron Stores and Iron Deficiency in Urban Alaska Native Adults
Authors: Miernyk Karen , Bruden Dana , Zanis Carolyn , McMahon Brian , Sacco Frank , Hennessy Thomas , Parkinson Alan , Bruce Michael
Published: January 2013

Background

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been correlated with low serum ferritin and iron deficiency. As a secondary analysis of a study of H. pylori reinfection, we investigated the association of H. pylori infection and the effect of its eradication on serum ferritin and iron deficiency.

Methods

Alaska Native adults undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy had sera collected and a 13C urea breath test (UBT) was performed. Those H. pylori positive were treated with an antibiotic regimen; those who tested negative 2 months after treatment were evaluated at 4, 6, 12, and 24 months by UBT and serum ferritin with an immunoradiometric assay. We excluded persons from further analysis if they were prescribed iron by their provider.

Results

We measured serum ferritin for 241 persons; 121/241 were H. pylori positive. The geometric mean ferritin (GMF) for persons with and without H. pylori infection was 37 μg/L and 50 μg/L, respectively (p = .04). At enrollment, 19/121 H. pylori‐positive persons had iron deficiency compared with 8/120 H. pylori negative (p = .02). Among 66 persons tested at 24 months, the GMF was higher at 24 months (49.6 μg/L) versus enrollment (36.5 μg/L; p = .02). Six of 11 persons with iron deficiency at enrollment no longer had iron deficiency and had a higher GMF (p = .02) 24 months after treatment.

Conclusions

H. pylori infection was correlated with lower serum ferritin and iron deficiency. After H. pylori eradication, serum ferritin increased and approximately half of persons resolved their iron deficiency. Testing for H. pylori infection and subsequent treatment of those positive could be considered in persons with unexplained iron deficiency.
Conversations as space for learning
Authors: Walsh Steve , Li Li
Published: January 2013

This paper reports on a microanalytic study which examines the ways in which teachers create ‘space for learning’ Using data from two English language classes recorded in China, we identify specific interactional features which create space, enhance participation and increase opportunities for learning. Adopting the theoretical underpinnings and principles of conversation analysis, we demonstrate how teachers create space for learning through the use of specific practices such as increased wait‐time, extended learner turns and increased planning time. Space is also created by teachers according to their ability to manage learner contributions in a positive and focused way: by shaping learner contributions through the use of scaffolding, paraphrasing and re‐iterating. We also argue that space for learning may be created when pedagogic goals and the language used to achieve them are aligned. Implications for teacher education and classroom practice are discussed.
The effect of proficiency on CLIL benefits in Engineering students in Spain
Authors: Aguilar Marta , Muñoz Carmen
Published: January 2013

This paper reports on a follow‐up study of a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) pilot experience with bilingual postgraduate engineering students at a Spanish university. It aimed at examining learners' gains in listening and grammar skills after a CLIL course in English for a semester, in particular whether students' listening and grammar skills were affected similarly and whether participants' proficiency level played a role. Paired‐sampled t‐tests showed the difference between the mean scores in the pre‐and post‐listening test was significant but it was not for the pre‐and post grammar tests. When students were distributed into three groups on the basis of their pre‐test scores, a repeated measures ANOVA showed that less proficient students obtained higher gains in listening and grammar skills than more proficient students.
Why did the Canada goose cross the sea? Accounting for the behaviour of wildlife in the documentary series Life
Authors: Sealey Alison , Oakley Lee
Published: January 2013

The language investigated here comprises commentaries to a television documentary series about wildlife. We explore debates about the implications of evolutionary theory for accounts of animals' behaviour, and the challenge facing broadcasters seeking to explain this to a general audience. Our analysis, which was supported by concordancing software, focuses specifically on deontic and dynamic modal constructions. We identify four kinds of ‘obligation’ to which the non‐human creatures featured in these texts are represented as being subject. We suggest that the modal system of English is implicated in the inevitable tendency in these broadcasts towards both anthropomorphic and teleological explanations of animals' behaviour. We conclude that applied linguists have a contribution to offer as broadcasters make decisions about such linguistic choices.
New unions in the UK: the vanguard or the rearguard of the union movement?
Authors: Ross Catharine
Published: January 2013

Between January 1999 and March 2010, 34 trade unions entered the Certification Officer list or schedule in the UK. This article reports on a survey of those unions, discussing the extent to which they represent new forms of unionism and the possible implications for union revitalisation.
Transnational labour markets and national wage setting systems in the EU
Authors: Bosch Gerhard , Weinkopf Claudia
Published: January 2013

The article analyses the impact of European regulations of posting on different national wage systems. The article shows that the impact varied across the countries and has been filtered by the national institutions regulating the labour market. In the voluntarist wage setting systems of Germany and even Sweden, they have been a major factor bringing wages back into competition. The ability of national actors to act has been considerably curtailed by the European Court of Justice (EUJ), which has placed free competition above the basic rights of autonomous collective bargaining. Because of the divergent interests of Member States, this weakening of national actors cannot be compensated for by transnational agreements. This ‘negative integration’ brings with it a serious risk that the inclusiveness of European wage systems will be eroded by a series of cumulative effects.
Population dynamics of a threatened giant millipede: implications for restoration
Authors: Lawrence James M. , Samways Michael J. , Kelly Janine A. , Henwood Jock
Published: January 2013

The population dynamics of threatened invertebrates have important implications for their conservation and restoration. TheSeychelles giant millipede (SGM),Sechelleptus seychellarum, is a threatened and functionally important macro‐detritivore endemic to theSeychelles granitic islands. Here, we studied the population dynamics of theSGMfrom 1998 to 2009 onCousine Island,Seychelles, to make practical restoration recommendations. Large fluctuations in millipede densities were found between 1998 and 2009. In 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007 millipede densities were low, while densities were high in 1998 and 2009. Although theSGMis active all year round, millipede surface activity was positively correlated with rainfall, with millipede density high during the wetNWmonsoon period (i.e., October to April) and low during theSEtrade wind period (i.e., May to September). Female:male:juvenile ratios were ∼3:1:1. The implications of these results for restoration are that translocations should preferably be done in years of high millipede densities and during the wet season. Furthermore, chemical control of the invasive antPheidole megacephala, which is currently being carried out on Cousine Island and in future could be conducted on other Seychelles islands, should preferably be done during the low rainfall months, as theSGMreadily consumes the hydramethylnon‐based bait.
Estimated source wavelet‐incorporated reverse‐time migration with a virtual source imaging condition
Authors: Kim Youngseo , Cho Yongchae , Shin Changsoo
Published: January 2013

Many geophysicists perform reverse‐time migration using a variety of artificial sources to obtain the source wavefield. Upon processing the seismic data, however, it is difficult to recover the original phase and amplitude of the source wavelet used for seismic exploration, regardless of the source. We have therefore used several artificial source wavelets such as Ricker or the first derivative Gauss wavelets expressed by well‐known functions. There are some differences between these artificial source wavelets and the original source wavelets, resulting in imperfect migration images. Artificial source wavelets tend to distort the exact location of subsurface reflectors and they create noise around the boundary of the stratum. To solve this problem, we applied the source estimation technique to the reverse‐time migration algorithm. The source estimation technique approximates the source wavelet to the original exploration source wavelet by a deconvolution method. This technique is used in full waveform inversion and provides better inversion results as demonstrated by other studies. To prove the effect of reverse‐time migration with source estimation, we tested this algorithm on the Sigsbee2a model, SEG/EAGE 3D salt model and 3D real field land data. Using the resulting images of these three models, we found that the source estimation technique can yield better migration images. To suppress the artefacts produced in the migration image, we used a wavenumber filter and Laplacian filter on 2D and 3D examples, respectively. Furthermore, we used the pseudo‐Hessian similar to the source illumination to scale the migration image because the virtual source imaging condition was used for reverse‐time migration.
Diagnostic tests in urology: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the staging of prostate cancer
Authors: Preston Mark A. , Harisinghani Mukesh G. , Mucci Lorelei , Witiuk Kelsey , Breau Rodney H.
Published: January 2013

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

The use of MRI for prostate cancer diagnosis and staging is increasing. Indications for prostate MRI are not defined and many clinicians are unsure of how best to use MRI to aid clinical decisions.

This evidence‐based medicine article addresses the clinical utility of prostate MRI for preoperative staging. Based on a common patient scenario, a guide to calculating the probability of extraprostatic extension is provided.
Energetic constraints may limit the capacity of visually guided predators to respond to Arctic warming
Authors: White C. R. , Green J. A. , Martin G. R. , Butler P. J. , Grémillet D.
Published: January 2013

For many polar species, climate change is likely to result in range contractions and negative population trends. For those species whose distribution is limited by sea ice and cold water, however, polar warming could result in population increases and range expansion. Population increases of great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo in Greenland are associated with warmer sea surface temperatures, but the actual impact of environmental change on cormorant spatial ecology remains unclear. In the present study, we investigate how Arctic warming is likely to influence the distribution of cormorants in Greenland. Using geolocation data, we show that many individuals that breed above the Arctic Circle migrate south and winter at lower latitude. We then couple estimates of migratory flight costs with a model that predicts daily energy expenditure during winter on the basis of water temperature, ambient illumination during diving, dive depth and day length. This model shows that the most energy efficient strategy predicted for any breeding location is to migrate as far south as possible, and that, for a given wintering location, it is more energetically expensive to breed at high latitude. We argue that cormorants currently undertake a winter migration to escape the polar night and reduce winter energy costs and that their wintering grounds in Greenland will remain largely unchanged under Arctic warming. This is because low levels of ambient illumination during the polar night will continue to restrict foraging opportunities at high latitude during winter. Northward expansion of the breeding range will result in increased energy expenditure associated with long migratory flights, and the cost of such flights may ultimately limit the breeding range of cormorants. Such limitations are likely to represent a general constraint on the capacity of visually guided predators to respond to climate warming, and may limit the predicted poleward range shifts of these species.
Impact of Medical Comorbidity and Risk of Death in 680 Patients with Alcohol Use Disorders
Authors: Rivas Inmaculada , Sanvisens Arantza , Bolao Ferran , Fuster Daniel , Tor Jordi , Pujol Ramon , Torrens Marta , Rey‐Joly Celestino , Muga Robert
Published: January 2013

Background

The association between alcohol use disorders and increased risk of mortality is well known; however, there have been few systematic evaluations of alcohol‐related organ damage and its impact on survival in younger alcoholics. Therefore, we assessed medical comorbidity with a clinical index to identify subgroups of alcoholic patients at high risk of premature death.

Methods

Hospital‐based cohort of alcohol‐dependent patients admitted for detoxification between 1999 and 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. At admission, sociodemographic characteristics and a history of alcohol dependence and abuse of illegal drugs were obtained through clinical interviews and questionnaires. Medical comorbidity was assessed with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (Substance Abuse) (CIRS‐SA). Dates and causes of death were obtained from clinical records and death registers. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier methods, and Cox regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for premature death.

Results

Median age of the patients (686 total, 79.7% men) was 43.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 37.8 to 50.4), average alcohol consumption was 200 g/d (IQR, 120 to 280 g/d), and duration of alcohol use disorder was 18 years (IQR, 11 to 24). Medical comorbidity by CIRS‐SA at admission showed that the organs/systems most affected were liver (99%), respiratory (86%), and cardiovascular (58%). After median follow‐up of 3.1 years (IQR, 1.5 to 5.1), 78 (11.4%) patients died with a mortality rate of 3.28 × 100 person‐years; according to Kaplan–Meier estimates, 50% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 24 to 69%) of patients with severe medical comorbidity died in the first decade after treatment. In multivariate analysis, severe medical comorbidity (hazard ratio [HR], 5.5; 95% CI, 3.02 to 10.07) and being treated with methadone at admission (HR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.50 to 4.51) were independent risk factors for premature death.

Conclusions

Systematic assessment of alcohol‐related organ damage is relevant for the identification and treatment of those at increased risk of death.
Flows of Chemical Risk Information in the Consumer Paint Product Chain
Authors: Fransson Kristin , Brunklaus Birgit , Molander Sverker
Published: January 2013

In this study the flows of chemical risk information for paint as a consumer product were investigated from a product chain perspective. The main method of research involved semi‐structured interviews with Swedish manufacturers of paint and chemicals. In addition, retailers and consumers were interviewed. The flows of chemical risk information between actors within (e.g., manufacturers, retailers, and consumers) and outside (e.g., industry associations and regulators) the paint product chain are described. Because the European chemical legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of CHemicals) plays a large role in the management of chemical risk information at companies, some consequences of REACH on actors in the paint product chain are described. Examples of such consequences are that importing of chemicals from non–European Union (EU) countries may be discouraged and that some low‐volume chemicals may no longer be produced. However, manufacturers do not yet see these consequences as impediments to innovation.

The results of this work show that chemical risk information is most comprehensive during the manufacturing steps of the product chain. This is due not only to tradition and industry initiatives, but also to REACH and other legislation. The results also illustrate the need for evaluation of how chemical risk information is used in different contexts and the importance of directing the right information at the right target group.

Following legislative development, more specialized information is required in the safety data sheet (SDS), and because of this many manufacturers find it necessary to create simplified safety sheets that make the most pertinent safety and hazard information easily accessible to individuals that handle the chemicals in their factories. The study found that in creating the simplified safety sheets, the content and use of chemical risk information is evaluated and adjusted for presentation to this particular target group. It is evident that the Swedish Paint and Printing Ink Makers Association plays an important role in the interpretation of legal requirements and even in agreements for providing information that exceeds legal requirements.
Preservice Teachers’ Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge of Fraction Operations: A Comparative Study of the United States and Taiwan
Authors: Lin Cheng‐Yao , Becker Jerry , Byun Mi‐Ran , Yang Der‐Ching , Huang Tsai‐Wei
Published: January 2013

This study examined (a) the differences in preservice teachers’ procedural knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, (b) the differences in preservice teachers’ conceptual knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, and (c) correlation in preservice teachers’ conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge of fractions in Taiwan and the United States. Participants were preservice teachers (N = 49) in a teacher education program in the United States and comparable Chinese preservice teachers (N = 47). Results indicated that Chinese preservice teachers performed better in procedural knowledge on fraction operations than American preservice teachers. No significant differences were found for conceptual knowledge on fraction division. Further, the correlation in this study showed that for Chinese and American preservice teachers, the relationship between conceptual and procedural knowledge of fraction operations was weak.
Learning to Teach Inquiry: A Beginning Science Teacher of English Language Learners
Authors: Ortega Irasema , Luft Julie A. , Wong Sissy S.
Published: January 2013

Early career science teachers are often assigned to classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). For the underprepared early career science teacher, these circumstances are challenging. This study examines the changes in beliefs and practices of an early career science teacher who taught high numbers ofELLs in an urban setting. Victoria participated in the Alternative Support for Induction Science Teachers (ASIST) program during her initial two years of teaching. Our research team followed her over a three‐year period, and the data collected included classroom observations and interviews about her beliefs and practices. In addition, documents such as teacher evaluations and classroom artifacts were collected periodically for the purpose of triangulation. The analysis of the data revealed that with the support of theASISTprogram, Victoria implemented inquiry lessons and utilized instructional materials that promoted language and science competencies for herELLs. Conversely, standardized testing and her teaching assignment played a role in constraining the implementation of inquiry‐based practices. The results of this study call for collaborative efforts between university science educators and school administrators to provide professional development opportunities and support to build the capacity of early career science teachers ofELLs.
Development and Initial Validation of the Beliefs About Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) Questionnaire
Authors: Sampson Victor , Enderle Patrick , Grooms Jonathon
Published: January 2013

This article describes the development and the initial validation of an instrument that can be used to assess teachers' beliefs about science teaching and learning. The instrument, which is called the Beliefs About Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) questionnaire, draws on the current national science education reform efforts in order to define a traditional‐reformed teaching and learning belief continuum that can be used to map teachers' beliefs. The reliability and validity of the instrument were examined using a multiple perspective approach. The psychometric properties of the BARSTL suggest that it is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring prospective elementary teachers' beliefs about science education.
Osteotome sinus floor elevation with or without grafting: a 3‐year randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Si Mi‐si , Zhuang Long‐fei , Gu Ying‐Xin , Mo Jia‐ji , Qiao Shi‐chong , Lai Hong‐Chang
Published: January 2013

Aims

To evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of dental implant placed using osteotome sinus floor elevation (OSFE) with and without simultaneous grafting.

Materials & Methods

Forty‐five patients were randomly assigned into two groups: Group1: OSFE with deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) mixed with autogenous bone chips, and Group2: OSFE without grafting. The endo‐sinus bone gain (ESBG) was assessed on radiographs at 6, 12, 24, 36 months following surgery as primary outcome measurement. Implant survivals and marginal bone loss (MBL) were assessed as secondary outcome measurements.

Results

Twenty‐one implants in Group1 and 20 implants in Group2 were analysed. The residual bone height (RBH) was 4.63 ± 1.31 mm in average (4.67 ± 1.18 mm for Group1 and 4.58 ± 1.47 mm for Group2). The 3‐year cumulative survival rates of implants were 95.2% for Group1 and 95.0% for Group2. The ESBG in Group1 reduced from 5.66 ± 0.99 mm at 6 months to 3.17 ± 1.95 mm at 36 months, whereas the ESBG in Group2 increased from 2.06 ± 1.01 mm at 6 months to 3.07 ± 1.68 mm at 36 months. The MBL after 3 years was 1.33 ± 0.46 mm in Group1 and 1.38 ± 0.23 mm in Group2.

Conclusions

OSFE and simultaneous implant installation with and without grafting both resulted in predictable results. The application of grafting materials has no significant advantage in terms of clinical success.
Broad‐scale reliability analysis of the flood defence infrastructure within the Taihu Basin, China
Authors: Jiabi X. , Sayers P. , Dongya S. , Hanghui Z.
Published: January 2013

The Taihu Basin is home to some of the most economically active and populous cities in China, including Shanghai. The Basin lies in the coastal delta of the Yangtze River and is defended from frequent flooding by a complex system of flood control infrastructure (including dikes, numerous large sluice gates and pumping stations). Flood risk in the Basin is closely related to the reliability of the flood defences. The information available to support system reliability analysis is however limited. A simplified defence classification and reliability analysis has therefore been adopted in which the behaviour of defence subsystems (dike rings) are presented through a single representative fragility curve. A combination of expert judgement and available quantified data is used to support the analysis. The approach is found to be informative within the context of (i) a broad scale flood risk analysis, (ii) an exploration of longer term management policies and (iii) targeting more detailed analysis and data collection required to support specific management choices.
Every Patient Is an Individual: Clinicians Balance Individual Factors When Discussing Prognosis with Diverse Frail Elderly Adults
Authors: Thai Julie N. , Walter Louise C. , Eng Catherine , Smith Alexander K.
Published: January 2013

Background

To explore clinician choice of whether to discuss prognosis with their frail older patients.

Design

Qualitative interview study.

Setting

Primary care clinicians were recruited from nursing homes, community‐based clinics, and academic medical centers.

Participants

Three geriatric nurse practitioners, nine geriatricians, five general internists, and three family medicine physicians with a mean age of 44 and a mean 12 years in practice. Seventeen clinicians had patient panels with 80% or more community‐dwelling outpatients, 13 had patient panels with 50% or more patients aged 85 and older, and 16 had patient panels with 25% or more of patients in a minority group (Asian, African American, Hispanic).

Measurements

Clinicians were asked to describe their practice of discussing long‐term (<5‐year) and short‐term (<1‐year and 3‐month) prognosis. Responses were analyzed qualitatively using constant comparison until thematic saturation was reached.

Results

Clinicians reported individualizing the decision to discuss prognosis with their frail older patients based on clinical circumstances. Common reasons for discussing prognosis included patient had a specific condition with a limited prognosis, to give patients time to prepare, to promote informed medical decision‐making, and when patients or families prompted the conversation. Common reasons not to discuss included maintaining hope and avoiding anxiety, cognitive impairment or patient unable to understand prognosis, respect for patients' cultural values, and long‐term prognosis too uncertain to be useful.

Conclusion

Clinicians caring for frail older adults are generally willing to discuss short‐ but not long‐term prognosis. Clinicians balance individual factors when deciding whether to discuss prognosis.
Psychotropic Medications and the Transition Into Care: A National Data Linkage Study
Authors: Maguire Aideen , Hughes Carmel , Cardwell Chris , O'Reilly Dermot
Published: January 2013

Objectives

To determine whether excessive and often inappropriate or dangerous psychotropic drug dispensing to older adults is unique to care homes or is a continuation of community treatment.

Design

Population‐based data‐linkage study using prescription drug information.

Setting

Northern Ireland's national prescribing database and care home information from the national inspectorate.

Participants

Two hundred fifty thousand six hundred seventeen individuals aged 65 and older.

Measurements

Prescription information was extracted for all psychotropic drugs included in the British National Formulary (BNF) categories 4.1.1, 4.1.2, and 4.2.2 (hypnotics, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics) dispensed over the study period. Repeated cross‐sectional analysis was used to monitor changes in psychotropic drug dispensing over time.

Results

Psychotropic drug use was higher in care homes than the community; 20.3% of those in care homes were dispensed an antipsychotic in January 2009, compared with 1.1% of those in the community. People who entered care had higher use of psychotropic medications before entry than those who did not enter care, but this increased sharply in the month of admission and continued to rise. Antipsychotic drug dispensing increased from 8.2% before entry to 18.6% after entering care (risk ratio (RR) = 2.26, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.96–2.59) and hypnotic drug dispensing from 14.8% to 26.3% (RR=1.78, 95% CI=1.61–1.96).

Conclusion

A continuation of high use before entry cannot wholly explain the higher dispensing of psychotropic drugs to individuals in care homes. Although drug dispensing is high in older people in the community, it increases dramatically on entry to care. Routine medicine reviews are necessary in older people and are especially important during transitions of care.
Peak metamorphic temperatures from cation diffusion zoning in garnet
Authors: SMIT M. A. , SCHERER E. E. , MEZGER K.
Published: January 2013

A model that relates the characteristic diffusion length and average cooling rate to peak temperature was developed for chemical diffusion in spherical geometries on the basis of geospeedometry principles and diffusion theory. The model is quantitatively evaluated for cation diffusion profiles in garnet. Important model parameters were calibrated empirically using diffusion zoning of Ca in garnet from the Pikwitonei Granulite Domain, a terrane for which the thermal history has been well characterized. The results are used: (i) to empirically test diffusion parameters for Mg and Fe(II) and (ii) to develop a tool that uses the diffusion zoning of these cations in garnet to constrain peak temperature conditions for garnet‐bearing rocks. The thermometric approach was externally tested by applying it to garnet crystals from various metamorphic terranes worldwide and comparing the results to published peak temperature estimates. The results overlap within uncertainties in all cases, but result that are based on Fe(II) and Mg chemical‐diffusion profiles are up to three times more precise than those acquired by conventional methods. The remarkable consistency of the results implies that the model is robust and provides a reliable means of estimating peak temperatures for different types of high‐grade metamorphic rock. The tool could be of particular advantage in rocks where critical assemblages for conventional thermometry do not occur or have been replaced during retrogression.
Representation of action in Parkinson's disease: Imagining, observing, and naming actions
Authors: Poliakoff Ellen
Published: January 2013

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit slowed movements and difficulty in initiating movements. This review addresses the issue of whether or not cognitive representations of actions in PD are affected, alongside these motor problems. In healthy people, the motor system can be involved in tasks such as observing a graspable object or another person's action, or imagining and naming actions, in the absence of overt movement. As described in this review, the fact that the slowed real movements exhibited by PD patients are coupled with slower motor imagery and verb processing provides additional evidence for the involvement of the motor system in these processes. On the other hand, PD patients can still engage in motor imagery and action observation to some extent, which is encouraging for the use of these processes in rehabilitation. Findings across the different domains of action‐representation reveal several important factors. First, the nature of action is critical: patients' performance in observation and naming tasks is influenced by whether or not the action is in their repertoire and by the extent of motion required to execute the action. Second, people with PD may use alternative or compensatory mechanisms to represent actions, such as relying more on a third‐person perspective or a visual strategy. Third, people with PD show a lack of specificity, responding as strongly to stimuli related and unrelated to actions. Investigating action‐representation in PD has implications for our understanding of both the symptoms of PD and the cognitive representation of actions in the healthy system.
MR and CT of Brain's Cava
Authors: Saba Luca , Anzidei Michele , Raz Eytan , Suri Jasjit , Piga Mario , Grassi Roberto , Catalano Carlo
Published: January 2013

The Cavum Septi Pellucidi (CSP), Cavum Vergae (CV) and Cavum Veli Interpositi, are anatomical variants located in the midline of the brain. It is important to identify these conditions to distinguish them from other entities that may require treatment. In this paper, our purpose is to describe MR and CT findings of CSP, CV and Cavum Veli Interpositi, explaining the differential diagnosis.
Optic Nerve Sonography to Monitor Treatment Efficacy in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Case Report
Authors: Lochner Piergiorgio , Nardone Raffaele , Tezzon Frediano , Coppo Lorenzo , Brigo Francesco
Published: January 2013

OBJECTIVES

To report values of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and optic disc elevation (ODE) obtained with optic nerve sonography (US) in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy in an adult with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

METHODS

Serial measurements of the ONSD and ODE using B mode US were performed in a 45‐years‐old woman with IIH before and during after treatment with acetazolamide and diet.

RESULTS

At first evaluation US showed a significantly enlarged ONSD (.68 cm right; .66 cm left side) and the presence of increased ODE (.1 cm right; .15 cm left side). Post‐punctural assessments showed a bilateral decrease of ONSD (.58 cm right; .58 cm left side), without changes in ODE values. After 12 months of treatment with acetazolamide and diet ODE completely normalized (0 cm on both sides). ODE values correlated directly with ONSD, and both ODE and ONSD values correlated directly with BMI. Correlations were statistically significant. ONSD changes occurred rapidly after the lumbar puncture, whereas the papilloedema required longer to reduce.

CONCLUSIONS

US of ONSD and ODE was useful to support the diagnosis of IIH and to monitor the efficacy of diet and pharmacological treatment. Further studies are required to evaluate whether this promising technique may be considered a reliable and accurate method to longitudinally evaluate patients with increased ICP secondary to IIH.
Quality of life and impact of children with unclassified developmental delays
Authors: Hsieh Ru‐Lan , Hsueh Yu‐Mei , Huang Hsiao‐Yuan , Lin Ming‐I , Tseng Wei‐Che , Lee Wen‐Chung
Published: January 2013

Aims

The study aims to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) and health of children with unclassified developmental delays and the impacts this had on the family.

Methods

In total, 60 parents of pre‐school children with unclassified developmental delays and 56 parents of age and gender‐matched children with typical development were recruited. We administered the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)‐Generic Core Scale and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument to parents to evaluate the QOL and health status of their children. Parents were evaluated by World Health Organization‐Quality of Life‐Brief Version, PedsQL‐Family Impact Module, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and PedsQL‐Health satisfaction to assess the impacts of this situation on the family. Variables related to QOL and functions of children with unclassified developmental delays were analysed by stepwise regression analysis.

Results

Comparing children with typical development, children with unclassified developmental delays had a significantly lower QOL (including both psychosocial and physical components) and health status. Their parents had a significantly lower QOL, family function and health satisfaction, and higher psychological distress than parents of children with typical development. Gross‐motor delay impacts on QOL of these children (regression coefficient: −9.59, P < 0.05), global functioning is related to cognition delay (regression coefficient: −20.22, P < 0.01) and physical health of their parents (regression coefficient: 0.87, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Children with unclassified developmental delays had lower QOL and health status, and their condition had greater impacts on the family than children with typical development. Gross motor and cognition development related to the QOL and global functioning in these children.
Inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate receptor regulates replication, differentiation, infectivity and virulence of the parasitic protist Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Hashimoto Muneaki , Enomoto Masahiro , Morales Jorge , Kurebayashi Nagomi , Sakurai Takashi , Hashimoto Tetsuo , Nara Takeshi , Mikoshiba Katsuhiko
Published: January 2013

In animals, inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are ion channels that play a pivotal role in many biological processes by mediating Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a novel IP3R in the parasitic protist, Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen responsible for Chagas disease. DT40 cells lacking endogenous IP3R genes expressing T. cruzi IP3R (TcIP3R) exhibited IP3‐mediated Ca2+ release from the ER, and demonstrated receptor binding to IP3. TcIP3R was expressed throughout the parasite life cycle but the expression level was much lower in bloodstream trypomastigotes than in intracellular amastigotes or epimastigotes. Disruption of two of the three TcIP3R gene loci led to the death of the parasite, suggesting that IP3R is essential for T. cruzi. Parasites expressing reduced or increased levels of TcIP3R displayed defects in growth, transformation and infectivity, indicating that TcIP3R is an important regulator of the parasite's life cycle. Furthermore, mice infected with T. cruzi expressing reduced levels of TcIP3R exhibited a reduction of disease symptoms, indicating that TcIP3R is an important virulence factor. Combined with the fact that the primary structure of TcIP3R has low similarity to that of mammalian IP3Rs, TcIP3R is a promising drug target for Chagas disease.