bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Value of Nurses’ Codes: European nurses’ views
Authors: Tadd Win , Clarke Angela , Lloyd Llynos , Leino-Kilpi Helena , Strandell Camilla , Lemonidou Chryssoula , Petsios Konstantinos , Sala Roberta , Barazzetti Gaia , Radaelli Stefania , Zalewski Zbigniew , Bialecka Anna , van der Arend Arie , Heymans Regien
Published: May 2006

Nurses are responsible for the well-being and quality of life of many people, and therefore must meet high standards of technical and ethical competence. The most common form of ethical guidance is a code of ethics/professional practice; however, little research on how codes are viewed or used in practice has been undertaken. This study, carried out in six European countries, explored nurses’ opinions of the content and function of codes and their use in nursing practice. A total of 49 focus groups involving 311 nurses were held. Purposive sampling ensured a mix of participants from a range of specialisms. Qualitative analysis enabled emerging themes to be identified on both national and comparative bases. Most participants had a poor understanding of their codes. They were unfamiliar with the content and believed they have little practical value because of extensive barriers to their effective use. In many countries nursing codes appear to be ‘paper tigers’ with little or no impact; changes are needed in the way they are developed and written, introduced in nurse education, and reinforced/implemented in clinical practice.
Value of Quantitative D‐dimer Assays in Identifying Pulmonary Embolism: Implications from a Sequential Decision Model
Authors: Duriseti Ram S. , Shachter Ross D. , Brandeau Margaret L.
Published: May 2006

Objectives:To examine the cost‐effectiveness of a quantitative D‐dimer assay for the evaluation of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) in an urban emergency department (ED).

Methods:The authors analyzed different diagnostic strategies over pretest risk categories on the basis of Wells criteria by using the performance profile of the ELISA D‐dimer assay (over five cutoff values) and imaging strategies used in the ED for PE: compression ultrasound (CUS), ventilation–perfusion (VQ) scan (over three cutoff values), CUS with VQ (over three cutoff values), computed tomography (CT) angiogram (CTA) with pulmonary portion (CTP) and lower‐extremity venous portion, and CUS with CTP. Data used in the analysis were based on literature review. Incremental costs and quality‐adjusted‐life‐years were the outcomes measured.

Results:Computed tomography angiogram with pulmonary portion and lower‐extremity venous portion without D‐dimer was the preferred strategy. CUS‐VQ scanning always was dominated by CT‐based strategies. When CTA was infeasible, the dominant strategy was D‐dimer with CUS‐VQ in moderate‐ and high‐Wells patients and was D‐dimer with CUS for low‐Wells patients. When CTP specificity falls below 80%, or if its overall performance is markedly degraded, preferred strategies include D‐dimer testing. Sensitivity analyses suggest that pessimistic assessments of CTP accuracy alter the results only at extremes of parameter settings.

Conclusions:In patients in whom PE is suspected, when CTA is available, even the most sensitive quantitative D‐dimer assay is not likely to be cost‐effective. When CTA is not available or if its performance is markedly degraded, use of the D‐dimer assay has value in combination with CUS and a pulmonary imaging study. These conclusions may not hold for the larger domain of patients presenting to the ED with chest pain or shortness of breath in whom PE is one of many competing diagnoses.
Coded Chief Complaints—Automated Analysis of Free‐text Complaints
Authors: Thompson David A. , Eitel David , Fernandes Christopher M.B. , Pines Jesse M. , Amsterdam James , Davidson Steven J.
Published: May 2006

Objectives:
To describe a new chief‐complaint categorization schema, the development of a computer text‐parsing algorithm to automatically classify free‐text chief complaints into this schema, and use of these coded chief complaints to describe the case mix of a community emergency department (ED).

Methods:
Coded Chief Complaints for Emergency Department Systems (CCC‐EDS) is a new and untested schema of 228 chief complaints, grouped within dimensions of type and system. A computerized text‐parsing algorithm for automatically reading and classifying free‐text chief complaints into 1 of these 228 coded chief complaints was developed by using a consecutive derivation sample of 46,602 patients who presented to a community teaching‐hospital ED in 2004. Descriptive statistics included frequency of patients presenting with the 228 coded chief complaints; percentage of free‐text complaints not categorizable by the CCC‐EDS; and admission rate, age, and gender differences by chief complaint.

Results:
In the derivation sample, the text‐parsing algorithm classified 87.5% of 45,329 ED visits with non‐null free‐text chief complaints into 1 of 194 coded chief complaints. The text‐parsing algorithm successfully classified 87.3% of the free‐text chief complaints in a validation sample. The five most common coded chief complaints were Abdominal Pain (3,734 visits), Fever (2,234), Chest Pain (2,183), Breathing Difficulty (2,030), and Cuts‐Lacerations (2,028).

Conclusions:
The CCC‐EDS is a new comprehensive, granular, and useful classification schema for categorizing chief complaints in an ED. A CCC‐EDS text‐parsing algorithm successfully classified the majority of free‐text chief complaints from an ED computer log. These coded chief complaints were used to describe the case mix of a community teaching‐hospital ED.
Variability of Trauma Transfer Practices among Non–tertiary Care Hospital Emergency Departments
Authors: Newgard Craig D. , McConnell K. John , Hedges Jerris R.
Published: May 2006

Objectives:
To assess both the variability of interhospital trauma transfer practices and nonclinical factors associated with the transfer of injured patients from emergency departments (EDs) of non–tertiary care hospitals.

Methods:
The authors analyzed a retrospective cohort of trauma patients initially presenting to one of 42 non–tertiary care hospitals (Level 3 or 4 hospitals) and requiring admission or transfer from January 1998 to December 2003. Twenty‐one clinical, demographic, and hospital‐level variables were included in multivariable logistic regression models (outcome = ED transfer to a tertiary care hospital), with hospital and year included as fixed effects to adjust for clustering. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to determine the importance of different covariates in predicting whether or not a patient was transferred from the ED.

Results:
Included in the analysis were 10,176 persons, of whom 3,785 (37%) were transferred to a tertiary care hospital from the ED. The hospital of initial presentation was the factor of greatest importance in predicting transfer, and there was substantial variability in transfer practices between hospitals. Several additional nonclinical variables were independently associated with transfer, including type and level of hospital, patient age, increasing distance from the nearest higher‐level hospital (a measure of geographic isolation), and the patient's insurance status (particularly among Level 3 hospitals).

Conclusions:
The non–tertiary care hospital of initial presentation is the strongest predictor for whether an injured patient is transferred to a tertiary center from the ED. There is substantial variability in transfer practices between hospitals after accounting for important clinical factors, and several nonclinical variables are independently associated with transfer.
Optimal Strategy for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with Continuous Chest Compression
Authors: Jung Eunok , Babbs Charles F. , Lenhart Suzanne , Protopopescu Vladimir A.
Published: May 2006

Objectives:
To apply the mathematical techniques of optimal control theory (OCT) to a validated model of the human circulation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), so as to discover improved waveforms for chest compression and decompression that maximize the coronary perfusion pressure (CPP).

Methods:
The human circulatory system is represented by seven difference equations that describe the pressure changes in systemic vascular compartments that are caused by chest compression. The forcing term is the intrathoracic pressure that is generated by the external chest compression, which is taken as the control variable for the system. The optimum waveform of this forcing pressure as a function of time, determined from OCT, is that which maximizes the calculated CPP between the thoracic aorta and the superior vena cava over a period of 13.3 seconds of continuous chest compression.

Results:
The optimal waveform included both compression and decompression of the chest to the maximum allowable extent. Compression–decompression waveforms were rectangular in shape. The frequency of optimal compression–decompression that was found by OCT was 90 per minute. The optimal duty cycle (compression duration per cycle time) was 40%. The CPP for the optimum control waveform was 36 mm Hg vs. 25 mm Hg for standard CPR.

Conclusions:
Optimal control theory suggests that both compression and decompression of the chest are needed for best hemodynamics during CPR.
Inhibition of cellular respiration by endogenously produced carbon monoxide
Authors: D'Amico Gabriela , Lam Francis , Hagen Thilo , Moncada Salvador
Published: May 2006

Endogenously produced nitric oxide (NO) interacts with mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, leading to inhibition of cellular respiration. This interaction has been shown to have important physiological and pathophysiological consequences. Exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) is also known to inhibit cytochrome c oxidase in vitro; however, it is not clear whether endogenously produced CO can inhibit cellular respiration and, if so, what the significance of this might be. In this study, we show that exogenous CO inhibits respiration in a moderate but persistent manner in HEK293 cells under ambient (21%) oxygen concentrations (Ki=1.44 μM). This effect of CO was increased (Ki=0.35 μM) by incubation in hypoxic conditions (1% oxygen). Endogenous CO, generated by HEK293 cells transfected with the inducible isoform of haem oxygenase (haem oxygenase-1; HO-1), also inhibited cellular respiration moderately (by 12%) and this was accompanied by inhibition (23%) of cytochrome c oxidase activity. When the cells were incubated in hypoxic conditions during HO-1 induction, the inhibitory effect of CO on cell respiration was markedly increased to 70%. Furthermore, endogenously produced CO was found to be responsible for the respiratory inhibition that occurs in RAW264.7 cells activated in hypoxic conditions with lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ, in the presence of N-(iminoethyl)-L-ornithine to prevent the synthesis of NO. Our results indicate that CO contributes significantly to the respiratory inhibition in activated cells, particularly under hypoxic conditions. Inhibition of cell respiration by endogenous CO through its interaction with cytochrome c oxidase might have an important role in inflammatory and hypoxic conditions.
PLD1 and ERK2 regulate cytosolic lipid droplet formation
Authors: Andersson Linda , Boström Pontus , Ericson Johanna , Rutberg Mikael , Magnusson Björn , Marchesan Denis , Ruiz Michel , Asp Lennart , Huang Ping , Frohman Michael A. , Borén Jan , Olofsson Sven-Olof
Published: May 2006

We have previously uncovered roles for phospholipase D (PLD) and an unknown cytosolic protein in the formation of cytosolic lipid droplets using a cell-free system. In this report, PLD1 has been identified as the relevant isoform, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) as the cytosolic protein. Increased expression of PLD1 increased lipid droplet formation whereas knockdown of PLD1 using siRNA was inhibitory. A role for ERK2 in basal lipid droplet formation was revealed by overexpression or microinjection, and ablation by siRNA knockdown or pharmacological inhibition. Similar manipulations of other Map kinases such as ERK1, JNK1 or JNK2 and p38α or p38β were without effect. Insulin stimulated the formation of lipid droplets and this stimulation was inhibited by knockdown of PLD1 (by siRNA) and by inhibition or knockdown (by siRNA) of ERK2. Inhibition of ERK2 eliminated the effect of PLD1 on lipid droplet formation without affecting PLD1 activity, suggesting that PLD1 functions upstream of ERK2. ERK2 increased the phosphorylation of dynein which increased the amount of the protein on ADRP-containing lipid droplets. Microinjection of antibodies to dynein strongly inhibited the formation of lipid droplets, demonstrating that dynein has a central role in this formation. Thus dynein is a possible target for ERK2.
Endocytosis of the glucose transporter GLUT8 is mediated by interaction of a dileucine motif with the β2-adaptin subunit of the AP-2 adaptor complex
Authors: Schmidt Ulrike , Briese Sophie , Leicht Katja , Schürmann Annette , Joost Hans-Georg , Al-Hasani Hadi
Published: May 2006

The glucose transporter GLUT8 cycles between intracellular vesicles and the plasma membrane. Like the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4, GLUT8 is primarily located in intracellular compartments under basal conditions. Whereas translocation of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane is stimulated by insulin, the distribution of GLUT8 is not affected by insulin treatment in adipose cells. However, blocking endocytosis by co-expression of a dominant-negative dynamin GTPase (K44A) or mutation of the N-terminal dileucine (LL12/13) motif in GLUT8 leads to accumulation of the glucose transporter at the cell surface in a variety of different cell types. Yeast two-hybrid analyses and GST pulldown assays reveal that the LL signal constitutes a binding site for the β2-adaptin subunit of the heterotetrameric AP-2 adaptor complex, implicating this motif in targeting of GLUT8 to clathrin-coated vesicles. Moreover, yeast two-hybrid assays provide evidence that the binding site for the LL motif maps to the appendage domain of β2-adaptin. To analyze the biological significance of the LL/β2 interaction, we utilized RNA interference to specifically knockdown AP-2. Our results show that RNAi-mediated targeting of the μ2 subunit leads to cellular depletion of AP-2, but not AP-1 adaptor complexes in HeLa cells. As a consequence, GLUT8 accumulates at the plasma membrane at comparable levels to those observed in K44A-transfected cells. Conversely, the intracellular localization of mutant GLUT8-LL/AA is restored by replacing the LL motif in GLUT8 with the transferrin receptor-derived μ2-adaptin binding motif YTRF, indicating that for endocytosis both AP-2 binding motifs can substitute for each other. Thus, our data demonstrate that recruitment of GLUT8 to the endocytic machinery occurs via direct interaction of the dileucine motif with β2-adaptin, and that endocytosis might be the main site at which GLUT8 is likely to be regulated.
Antagonistic activities of Klp10A and Orbit regulate spindle length, bipolarity and function in vivo
Authors: Laycock Joseph E. , Savoian Matthew S. , Glover David M.
Published: May 2006

The metaphase-spindle steady-state length occurs as spindle microtubules `flux', incorporating new subunits at their plus ends, while simultaneously losing subunits from their minus ends. Orbit/Mast/CLASP is required for tubulin subunit addition at kinetochores, and several kinesins regulate spindle morphology and/or flux by serving as microtubule depolymerases. Here, we use RNA interference in S2 cells to examine the relationship between Orbit and the four predicted kinesin-type depolymerases encoded by the Drosophila genome (Klp10A, Klp59C, Klp59D and Klp67A). Single depletion of Orbit results in monopolar spindles, mitotic arrest and a subsequent increase in apoptotic cells. These phenotypes are rescued by co-depleting Klp10A but none of the other three depolymerases. Spindle bipolarity is restored by preventing the spindle collapse seen in cells that lack Orbit, leading to functional spindles that are similar to controls in shape and length. We conclude that Klp10A exclusively antagonises Orbit in the regulation of bipolar spindle formation and maintenance.
A novel role for microtubules in apoptotic chromatin dynamics and cellular fragmentation
Authors: Moss David K. , Betin Virginie M. , Malesinski Soazig D. , Lane Jon D.
Published: May 2006

Dramatic changes in cellular dynamics characterise the apoptotic execution phase, culminating in fragmentation into membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Previous evidence suggests that actin-myosin plays a dominant role in apoptotic cellular remodelling, whereas all other cytoskeletal elements dismantle. We have used fixed cells and live-cell imaging to confirm that interphase microtubules rapidly depolymerise at the start of the execution phase. Around this time, pericentriolar components (pericentrin, ninein and γ-tubulin) are lost from the centrosomal region. Subsequently, however, extensive non-centrosomal bundles of densely packed, dynamic microtubules rapidly assemble throughout the cytoplasm in all cell lines tested. These microtubules have an important role in the peripheral relocation of chromatin in the dying cell, because nocodazole treatment restricts the dispersal of condensed apoptotic chromatin into surface blebs, and causes the withdrawal of chromatin fragments back towards the cell centre. Importantly, nocodazole and taxol are both potent inhibitors of apoptotic fragmentation in A431 cells, implicating dynamic microtubules in apoptotic body formation. Live-cell-imaging studies indicate that fragmentation is accompanied by the extension of rigid microtubule-rich spikes that project through the cortex of the dying cell. These structures enhance interactions between apoptotic cells and phagocytes in vitro, by providing additional sites for attachment to neighbouring cells.
Wall-associated kinase 1 (WAK1) is crosslinked in endomembranes, and transport to the cell surface requires correct cell-wall synthesis
Authors: Kohorn Bruce D. , Kobayashi Masaru , Johansen Sue , Friedman Henry Perry , Fischer Andy , Byers Nicole
Published: May 2006

The Arabidopsis thaliana wall-associated kinases (WAKs) bind to pectin with an extracellular domain and also contain a cytoplasmic protein kinase domain. WAKs are required for cell elongation and modulate sugar metabolism. This work shows that in leaf protoplasts a WAK1-GFP fusion protein accumulates in a cytoplasmic compartment that contains pectin. The WAK compartment contains markers for the Golgi, the site of pectin synthesis. The migration of WAK1-GFP to the cell surface is far slower than that of a cell surface receptor not associated with the cell wall, is influenced by the presence of fucose side chains on one or more unidentified molecules that might include pectin, and is dependent upon cellulose synthesis on the plasma membrane. WAK is crosslinked into a detergent-insoluble complex within the cytoplasmic compartment before it appears on the cell surface, and this is independent of fucose modification or cellulose synthesis. Thus, the assembly and crosslinking of WAKs may begin at an early stage within a cytoplasmic compartment rather than in the cell wall itself, and is coordinated with synthesis of surface cellulose.
Derivatization in Mass Spectrometry—8. Soft Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Small Molecules
Authors: Zaikin Vladimir G. , Halket John M.
Published: May 2006

This is the first of two reviews devoted to derivatization approaches for “soft” ionization mass spectrometry (fast atom bombardment, matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization, electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization) and deals, in particular, with small molecules. The principles of the main “soft” ionization mass spectrometric methods as well as the reasons for derivatizing small molecules are briefly described. Derivatization methods for modification of amines, carboxylic acids, amino acids, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, monosaccharides, thiols, unsaturated and aromatic compounds etc. to improve their ionizability and to enhance structure information content are discussed. The use of “fixed”-charge bearing derivatization reagents is especially emphasized. Chemical aspects of derivatization and “soft” ionization mass spectrometric properties of derivatives are considered.
Characterization of a Novel Trace-Level Impurity in Lisinopril Using Multi-Stage Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Pei Saifeng , Wang Danhua , Sun Cuirong , Pan Yuanjiang
Published: May 2006

An impurity in the bulk drug lisinopril was detected by simple reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This trace-level impurity was rapidly identified as 2-(2-oxo-azocan-3-ylamino)-4-phenyl-butyric acid on the basis of the on-line multi-stage mass spectrometric evidence and the proposed structure was further confirmed by multi-stage mass spectrometry of lisinopril and three related compounds.
Elongation factor 1α binds to the region of the metallothionein-1 mRNA implicated in perinuclear localization—importance of an internal stem–loop
Authors: Mickleburgh Ian , Chabanon Hervé , Nury David , Fan Kunbo , Burtle Brian , Chrzanowska-Lightowlers Zofia , Hesketh John
Published: May 2006

In eukaryotic cells, mRNA localization can provide local protein synthesis. Metallothionein-1 (MT-1) mRNA is associated with the perinuclear cytoskeleton, and this is essential for subsequent nuclear import of the protein. The present study defines the cis-acting localization signal and a trans-acting binding protein. Gel retardation and UV cross-linking assays using MT-1 3′UTR transcripts and CHO cell extracts revealed formation of a complex containing a ∼50-kDa protein. Only localization-positive mutant transcripts competed for binding of this protein. Using an RNA affinity technique, Western blotting, mass spectrometry, and a supershift assay, the protein was identified as Elongation factor 1α (eEF1α). Mutation and deletion analysis showed that two regions, nucleotides 21–36 and 66–76, were required for both binding and localization. RNA-folding prediction combined with chemical and enzymatic probing experiments suggest that these regions are in juxtaposition within a stem/internal loop structure. Mutations that are predicted to alter this structure abrogate protein binding. Our hypothesis is that the cis-acting signal in MT-1 3′UTR is formed by this stem/internal loop, that it binds eEF1α, and that eEF1α–cytoskeleton interactions play a role in perinuclear mRNA localization.
The network of protein–protein interactions within the human U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP
Authors: Liu Sunbin , Rauhut Reinhard , Vornlocher Hans-Peter , Lührmann Reinhard
Published: May 2006

The human 25S U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP is a major building block of the U2-type spliceosome and contains, in addition to the U4, U6, and U5 snRNAs, at least 30 distinct proteins. To learn more about the molecular architecture of the tri-snRNP, we have investigated interactions between tri-snRNP proteins using the yeast two-hybrid assay and in vitro binding assays, and, in addition, have identified distinct protein domains that are critical for the connectivity of this protein network in the human tri-snRNP. These studies revealed multiple interactions between distinct domains of the U5 proteins hPrp8, hBrr2 (a DExH/D-box helicase), and hSnu114 (a putative GTPase), which are key players in the catalytic activation of the spliceosome, during which the U4/U6 base-pairing interaction is disrupted and U4 is released from the spliceosome. Both the U5-specific, TPR/HAT-repeat-containing hPrp6 protein and the tri-snRNP-specific hSnu66 protein interact with several U5- and U4/U6-associated proteins, including hBrr2 and hPrp3, which contacts the U6 snRNA. Thus, both proteins are located at the interface between U5 and U4/U6 in the tri-snRNP complex, and likely play an important role in transmitting the activity of hBrr2 and hSnu114 in the U5 snRNP to the U4/U6 duplex during spliceosome activation. A more detailed analysis of these protein interactions revealed that different HAT repeats mediate interactions with specific hPrp6 partners. Taken together, data presented here provide a detailed picture of the network of protein interactions within the human tri-snRNP.
Book Reviews
Authors: Campbell Jesse
Published: May 2006

Fatal attachments: The instinct to suicide

By Viola Mecke Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004. Pp. 216, £22.99, ISBN 0‐275‐98253‐X
Book Reviews
Authors: Pearlman Barbara
Published: May 2006

Why love matters

Sue Gerhardt Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Brunner‐Routledge, 2004, Pp. 256, £9.99, ISBN 1583918175
Detection of Individual Microbial Pathogens by Proximity Ligation
Authors: Gustafsdottir Sigrun M , Nordengrahn Ann , Fredriksson Simon , Wallgren Per , Rivera Esteban , Schallmeiner Edith , Merza Malik , Landegren Ulf
Published: May 2006

Background: Nucleic acid amplification allows the detection of single infectious agents. Protein-based assays, although they provide information on ongoing infections, have substantially less detection sensitivity.

Methods: We used proximity ligation reactions to detect proteins on bacteria and virus particles via nucleic acid amplification. Antibodies recognizing viral or bacterial surface proteins were equipped with DNA strands that could be joined by ligation when several antibodies were bound in proximity to surface proteins of individual infectious agents.

Results: Detection sensitivities similar to those of nucleic acid-based detection reactions were achieved directly in infected samples for a parvovirus and an intracellular bacterium.

Conclusions: This method enables detection of ligated DNA strands with good sensitivity by real-time PCR and could be of value for early diagnosis of infectious disease and in biodefense.
Functional and Release Characteristics of Alpine Ski Equipment
Authors: Ettlinger CF , Johnson RJ , Shealy J
Published: May 2006

Releasable bindings were developed to reduce the risk of lower leg injuries. However, the relationship between the incidence of specific alpine injury groups and the function and calibration of the release system has not been well understood. Over the 32 years between December 1972 and April 2004, the authors conducted a case control study at a northern Vermont ski area involving 17 967 injuries and 3617 uninjured controls. During that time, approximately 6.4 million skier visits were recorded at the area. Injured skiers were treated at clinic in the base lodge and their injuries diagnosed by the clinic staff. Data relating to the accident, the injury, and the equipment used were recorded. The release moments of equipment associated with lower extremity injuries and uninjured controls were measured using a commercially available test device. Case studies of 43 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains, 79 lower leg injuries, and 99 uninjured controls were conducted using data collected over seven years between December 1997 and April 2004. In terms of quantitative critical defects, 17 % of the control group, 14 % of the ACL group, and 39 % of the lower leg group exhibited release levels more than 30 % above recommended. When qualitative critical defects were considered, 27 % of the control group, 25 % of the ACL group, and 54 % of the lower leg group were found to exhibit one or more defects capable of having a significant effect on equipment function. The authors concluded that sprains, fractures, strains, and contusions of the lower leg among alpine skiers were associated with measurable or observable qualities of the release system. Serious sprains of the knee were not. A substantial reduction of injuries below the knee can be expected if potentially defective equipment can be identified and repaired, or replaced.
Proton Induced Activation in Mercury: Comparison of Measurements and Calculations
Authors: Remec I , Glasgow DC , Haines JR , Johnson JO
Published: May 2006

Measurements and simulations of the proton beam interaction with the mercury target were performed to support Spallation Neutron Source design. Due to the abundance of isotopes produced in mercury, the long delay between the irradiation and the measurements, and the self-shielding of the mercury sample, the measurements were difficult to perform and the activities of several isotopes have large uncertainties. Calculations predicted the activities of the most reliably measured isotopes within 20%–40%; however, some large discrepancies were observed for some isotopes for which the measurements were considered less reliable. Predicted dose rates were in very good agreement with the measurements.
Coarse-Mesh Adjoint Biasing of a Monte Carlo Dose Calculation
Authors: Pevey RE , Miller LF , Marshall WJ , Townsend LW , Alvord B
Published: May 2006

Deep penetration radiation transport calculations have been performed to determine the dose rates at a positron emission tomography (PET) facility in China. The radiation source is a cyclotron that is used for the production of the PET isotopes, with a labyrinthine concrete wall arrangement to minimize dose to operation personnel. Since directionally biased Monte Carlo calculations did not reach an acceptably low standard error after a week of CPU time, approximate adjoint fluxes were calculated for each of four detector locations using coarse-mesh adjoint discrete ordinates calculations and were used to bias the Monte Carlo calculations. This biasing resulted in improved computational efficiency of a factor of one to three orders of magnitude. This result shows the value of even approximate adjoint flux biasing to speed up Monte Carlo calculations.
An Alternative to a 3D Crack Monitor—4-Pin Algorithm
Authors: Tewatia SK , Dhawan AK , Venkatachalam K , Bose PR
Published: May 2006

Cracks may appear in civil engineering structures, such as buildings, the body of a dam, its galleries, adjoining tunnels, and power plants during or after construction. Swelling or poor soils in the foundations, redistribution of stresses in the tunnels, creep of the materials, earthquakes or other vibrations are just a few reasons for cracks. The relative movements of the walls along and across the crack, and perpendicular to the plane of cracking surface or wall, beyond certain limits, may prove to be damaging. For considerations of safety and maintenance, the measurement of the magnitude and time rate of deformation of the cracks is essential. Instrumentation for deformation monitoring is of vital importance, especially in underground excavations in complex geological formations. A 3D crack monitor is used for 3D crack monitoring. The purpose of this paper is to show that by measuring points along and across a crack the same outcome can be determined with less effort and better precision.
Biological and Cultural Anthropology of a Changing Tropical Forest: A Fruitful Collaboration across Subfields
Authors: HARDIN REBECCA , REMIS MELISSA J.
Published: May 2006

In this article, we integrate approaches from biological and cultural anthropology to describe changing relationships between humans and animals in the Dzanga‐Ndoki Park and Dzanga‐Sangha Dense Forest Reserve (RDS), Central African Republic (CAR). Recent decades have seen a rapid proliferation of human activities, with striking tensions between logging and conservation economies. Our data suggest that certain animals and humans initially adapted successfully to these forest uses, and that local residents have crafted culturally rich new ways of living in the forest. However, our longitudinal data indicate animal declines and expanding frontiers of increasingly intensive human use. These trends are altering previous territorial arrangements and coming to undermine today's remarkably rich spectrum of human–animal encounters there. Our combined approach offers an alternative to increasingly distinct method and theory between anthropology's subfields. We sketch a research agenda for integrated anthropological attention to environmental change, especially to transformations in human–animal interactions and entanglements.
The Limits of Authenticity in Vietnamese Consumer Markets
Authors: VANN ELIZABETH F.
Published: May 2006

In this article, I address the saliency of the concept of “authenticity” in contexts of international law and anthropological inquiry. Using my research findings in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam, I show that although Vietnamese shoppers distinguish between what they term real and fake goods, they do not share with foreign corporations and international trade organizations a preoccupation with product and brand authenticity. To make this point, I describe four types of goods—model goods, mimic goods, real goods, and fake goods—employed by shoppers in HCMC, and discuss why they have little in common with notions of “authenticity” and “ownership” inherent in international standards of intellectual property. I argue that these conceptual differences in the commercial sphere challenge claims about the universal applicability of intellectual property rights laws and also encourage anthropologists to ask whether authenticity is always a useful tool of cross‐cultural understanding.
From “Rights” to “Ritual”: AIDS Activism in South Africa
Authors: ROBINS STEVEN
Published: May 2006

In this article, I investigate how the moral politics of HIV/AIDS activism in South Africa is contributing toward new forms of citizenship that are concerned with both rights‐based struggles and with creating collectively shared meanings of the extreme experiences of illness and stigmatization of individual HIV/AIDS sufferers. I argue that it is precisely the extremity of the “near death” experiences of full‐blown AIDS, and the profound stigma and “social death” associated with the later stages of the disease, that produce the conditions for HIV/AIDS survivors' commitment to “new life” and social activism. It is the activist mediation and retelling of these traumatic experiences that facilitates HIV/AIDS activist commitment and grassroots mobilization. It is also the profound negativity of stigma and social death that animates the activist's construction of a new positive HIV‐positive identity and understanding of what it means to be a citizen–activist and member of a social movement.
Seeing the Past: Visual Media in Archaeology
Authors: DYKE RUTH M. VAN
Published: May 2006

As digital media become increasingly affordable and accessible, visual representation in archaeology is expanding across several dimensions. In this essay, I examine some emerging forms of visual media in archaeology, including online documentaries, maps and photographs, hypermedia, experimental films, and peripatetic video. Visual media offer powerful opportunities for engagement with the public. In addition, archaeologists are finding new ways to use the visual in interpretation, analysis, and critique. Experimental visual works often are self‐consciously reflexive, questioning and exposing the ways archaeological knowledge is constructed, represented, and disseminated.
The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death; Death, Dismemberment, and Memory: Body Politics in Latin America
Authors: ROBBEN ANTONIUS C. G. M.
Published: May 2006

The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death. Timothy Taylor. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2002. 353 pp.

Death, Dismemberment, and Memory: Body Politics in Latin America. Lyman L. Johnson, ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2004. 354 pp.
Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca
Authors: DILLEHAY TOM D.
Published: May 2006

Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca. Brian S. Bauer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. 255 pp.
A World of Others' Words: Cross‐Cultural Perspectives on Intertextuality
Authors: DURANTI ALESSANDRO
Published: May 2006

A World of Others' Words: Cross‐Cultural Perspectives on Intertextuality. Richard Bauman. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2004. 184 pp.
Collective Guilt: International Perspectives
Authors: HAYDEN ROBERT M.
Published: May 2006

Collective Guilt: International Perspectives. Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. 339 pp.
Cross‐Border Marriages: Gender and Mobility in Transnational Asia
Authors: ADRIAN BONNIE
Published: May 2006

Cross‐Border Marriages: Gender and Mobility in Transnational Asia. Nicole Constable, ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. 232 pp.
The Puerto Rican Syndrome
Authors: EASTON DELIA
Published: May 2006

The Puerto Rican Syndrome. Patricia Gherovici. New York: Other Press, 2003. 296 pp.
Landscapes of Devils: Tensions of Place and Memory in the Argentinean Chaco
Authors: HIRSCH SILVIA
Published: May 2006

Landscapes of Devils: Tensions of Place and Memory in the Argentinean Chaco. Gastón R. Gordillo. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. 304 pp.
Foundations of Human Sociality: Economic Experiments and Ethnographic Evidence from Fifteen Small‐Scale Societies
Authors: SMITH ERIC ALDEN
Published: May 2006

Foundations of Human Sociality: Economic Experiments and Ethnographic Evidence from Fifteen Small‐Scale Societies. Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, Samuel Bowles, Colin Camerer, Ernst Fehr, and Herbert Gintis, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 451 pp.
Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism
Authors: COHN ILENE
Published: May 2006

Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism. David M. Rosen. East Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. 199 pp.
Fragmented Memories: Struggling to Be Tai‐Ahom in India
Authors: AGGARWAL RAVINA
Published: May 2006

Fragmented Memories: Struggling to Be Tai‐Ahom in India. Yasmin Saikia. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004. 327 pp.
Modern Inquisitions: Peru and the Colonial Origins of the Civilized World
Authors: RAMÍREZ SUSAN ELIZABETH
Published: May 2006

Modern Inquisitions: Peru and the Colonial Origins of the Civilized World. Irene Silverblatt. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004. 299 pp.
A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures of the Mega‐City
Authors: SINGER MERRILL
Published: May 2006

A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures of the Mega‐City. James Diego Vigil. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002. 213 pp.
Debt for Sale: A Social History of the Credit Trap
Authors: DURRENBERGER E. PAUL
Published: May 2006

Debt for Sale:. Social History of the Credit Trap. Brett Williams. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. 145 pp.
What's Class Got to Do with It? American Society in the Twenty‐First Century
Authors: GOODE JUDITH
Published: May 2006

What's Class Got to Do with It? American Society in the Twenty‐First Century. Michael Zweig, ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. 211 pp.
Newly Betwixt and Between: Revising Liminality in the Context of a Teacher Preparation Program
Authors: Cook‐Sather Alison
Published: May 2006

Through an analysis of a contemporary rite of passage‐the final stage of teacher preparation‐I develop a new theory of liminality that both builds on and extends Victor Turner's enduring insights. The analysis focuses on how preservice teachers in an undergraduate education program engage in a process of identity formation within an asynchronous, nondimensional, liminal space made possible and shaped by e‐mail and with the support of experienced mentor teachers.
"If You Don't Identify with Your Ancestry, You're like a Race without a Land": Constructing Race at a Small Urban Middle School
Authors: Jewett Sarah
Published: May 2006

Based on a one‐and‐a‐half‐year ethnographic study of a desegregated urban middle school, this article investigates the ways in which administrators, students, and teachers multiply constructed race through a network of policies, pedagogies, and practices. Using a framework of cultural production theory and critical race theory, the article not only illustrates these constructions but also argues that the careful analysis of them for themes of power and equity can inform the school curriculum and professional programs for preservice and practicing teachers.
Stories and Selves: Managing the Self through Problem Solving in School
Authors: Coe Cati , Nastasi Bonnie K.
Published: May 2006

This study examines how a curriculum that aimed to instill in students a way of solving their everyday social problems instead became a site for replaying students' understandings of solutions approved by teachers and thus was limited in shaping their subjectivities. We draw on research in the ethnography of speaking, particularly in school settings, to refine current anthropological interest in the Foucauldian notion of technologies of the self. As a result, we highlight the contextual quality of practices, such as problem solving, used to manage the self.
"And This Is How You Shall Ask": Linguistics, Anthropology, and Education in the Work of David Smith
Authors: Gilmore Perry , McDermott Ray
Published: May 2006

This article celebrates the life and work of David M. Smith, former Council on Anthropology and Education president and founder of the University of Pennsylania Ethnography in Education Research Forum, tracing his contributions to the fields of linguistics, anthropology, and education through the dual lens of his ten research principles and Walt Whitman's life advice. David Smith's pioneering efforts helped push disciplinary boundaries and generate innovations in sociolinguistics, pidgin and creole linguistics, ethnography and education, sociocultural studies of literacy, and Indigenous studies.
Frozen Negotiations: The Peace Process in Chiapas
Authors: Manaut Raúl Benítez , Selee Andrew , Arnson Cynthia J.
Published: May 2006

Mexico's democratic transition has helped reduce, if not eliminate, the threat of renewed armed conflict in Chiapas. However, absent more active measures from the government and the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) to seek a permanent peace agreement and come to terms with the legacies of the past, the conflict will linger on in an unstable détente, which we term “armed peace.” While this situation is far better than the open hostilities of the past, it also belies the promise of a fully democratic society in which all citizens are equally included in the political process.

La transición democrática en México ha contribuido a reducir, si no eliminar, la posibilidad de que el conflicto armado en Chiapas se reanude. Sin embargo, sin esfuerzos mas activos por parte del gobierno y del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) para buscar un acuerdo de paz permanente y saldar cuentas con el pasado, el conflicto permanecerá en un estado inestable que llamamos “paz armada”. Aunque esta situación es mucho mejor que las tensiones y agresiones del pasado, no cumple los requisitos de una sociedad plenamente democrática en que todos los ciudadanos participan en condiciones de igualdad en el proceso político.
Democracy in Mexico City: The Impacts of Structural Reforms
Authors: Wirth Clifford J.
Published: May 2006

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Mexican Congress instituted reforms to provide for democratic governance in the Distrito Federal (DF). The reform's impacts are examined through longitudinal surveys of DF city council members and the public, elite interviews, and elections analysis. DF governance provides for democratic elections for mayor, district administrators, and the city council, but government corruption undermines the fairness of elections. The mayor retains a great deal of formal policymaking authority relative to the weak city council. DF citizens are denied democratic rights to influence public policies through the city council. The mayor has thwarted the council's democratic initiatives and advanced populist policies at the expense of long-term policies.

En las décadas de 1980s y 1990s, el Congreso de México instituyó reformas para proporcionar un gobierno democrático en el Distrito Federal (DF). Los impactos de las reformas están examinados por encuestas longitudinales de los diputados locales y el público, entrevistas con las élites y análisis de las elecciones. El gobierno del DF provee elecciones democráticas para jefe de gobierno del DF, jefes delegacionales y la Asamblea Legislativa del DF (ALDF), pero la corrupción mina la limpieza de las elecciones. El jefe de gobierno del DF conserva una autoridad muy grande para hacer políticas en comparación de una ALDF débil. A los ciudadanos del DF les faltan derechos democráticos para influir en las políticas públicas a través de la ALDF. El jefe de gobierno del DF ha frustrado las iniciativas de la ALDF y, en cambio, introduce políticas populares en vez de hacer política a largo plazo.
Vicente Fox's Presidential Style and the New Mexican Presidency
Authors: Loaeza Soledad
Published: May 2006

Arguing that throughout his campaign and the first half of his presidency Vicente Fox focused on personal style at the expense of issues and policies, this article explores the effects of Fox's plebiscitarian approach on the institution of the Mexican presidency. After describing the plebiscitarian presidency formula, this article considers some of the differences that distinguish President Fox from his predecessors and identifies as definitive features of the foxista presidency its personalization of authority and fortification of a relationship (established via public opinion) between presidential performance and personal qualities. It then looks at constraints opposing the development of a plebiscitarian presidency, and concludes by assessing the potential impact of Vicente Fox's personal style on the Mexican presidency.

Argumentando que a lo largo de su campaña y la primera mitad de su presidencia Vicente Fox centró su atención en su estilo personal a expensas de asuntos de gobierno y políticas, este artículo explora los efectos del enfoque plebiscitario de Fox y sus efectos en la institución presidencial de México. Después de describir la fórmula de la presidencia plebiscitaria, este artículo reflexiona acerca de las diferencias que distinguen al presidente Fox de sus predecesores e identifica como un aspecto definitorio de la presidencia foxista la personalización de la autoridad y el impulso a la relación (establecido por medio de la opinión pública) entre el desempeño presidencial y las cualidades personales. Posteriormente, se detallan las restricciones existentes al desarrollo de la presidencia plebiscitaria y se concluye el impacto potencial del estilo personalista de gobierno de Vicente Fox en la presidencia mexicana.
Democratization and the Dynamics of Candidate Selection Rule Change in Mexico, 1991–2003
Authors: Wuhs Steven T.
Published: May 2006

Party leaders in Mexico face the challenge of maintaining party unity while remaining competitive in a democratizing context. Candidate selection rules are central to achieving both objectives. I argue that leaders must decide between “open” rules that nominate electable candidates and “closed” rules that build strong party organizations, and suggest that strategic interests are the most powerful determinant of rule choice. Despite an evident trend toward greater openness, however, party leaders have taken advantage of Mexico's mixed electoral system to preserve their own influence and placate party activists, while reaping the benefits of open rules.

Los líderes de los partidos políticos en México se enfrentan al reto de mantener la cohesión de sus partidos mientras buscan seguir ganando las elecciones. Los procesos de selección de los candidatos son cruciales para lograr los dos objetivos. Planteo que los líderes deben elegir entre procesos “abiertos” que producen candidatos atractivos y procesos “cerrados” que fortalecen los partidos mismos, y que las metas estratégicas de los partidos tienen la mayor influencia en la selección de las reglas. A pesar de una tendencia hacia mayor apertura, los líderes, por medio del sistema electoral “mixto” de México, han conservado su propia influencia, conciliando con los activistas, mientras se aprovechan de los beneficios electorales de los procesos abiertos.