bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 Expression Is Upregulated in Dendritic Cells in Patients with Chronic HCV Who Respond to Therapy
Authors: Cubillas Raul , Kintner Katherine , Phillips Frances , Karandikar Nitin J. , Thiele Dwain L. , Brown Geri R.
Published: August 2010

The present studies assessed the level of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) subsets from patients with chronic HCV undergoing interferon /ribavirin-based therapy (Ifn/R). Methods. TNFR family member mRNA expression was determined using quantitative real-time PCR assays (RTPCRs) in PBMC from 39 HCV+ patients and 21 control HCV patients. Further subset analysis of HCV + patients (untreated (U), sustained virological responders (SVR), and nonresponders (NR)/relapsers (Rel)) PBMC was performed via staining with anti-CD123, anti-CD33, anti-TNFR1 or via RTPCR for TNFR1 mRNA. Results. A similar level of TNFR1 mRNA in PBMC from untreated HCV+ genotype 1 patients and controls was noted. TNFR1 and TNFR2 mRNA levels in PBMC from HCV+ patients with SVR were statistically different than levels in HCV() patients. A significant difference was noted between the peak values of TNFR1 of the CD123+ PBMC isolated from SVR and the NR/Rel. Conclusion. Upregulation of TNFR1 expression, occurring in a specific subset of CD123+ dendritic cells, appeared in HCV+ patients with SVR.
Chemical Functionalization of Graphene Nanoribbons
Authors: Gorjizadeh Narjes , Kawazoe Yoshiyuki
Published: August 2010

We review the electronic properties of graphene nanoribbons functionalized by various elements and functional groups. Graphene nanoribbons are strips of graphene, the honeycomb lattice of carbon with sp2 hybridization. Basically nanoribbons can be classified into two categories, according
to the geometry of their edge, armchair, and zigzag, which determine their electronic structure. Due to their fascinating electronic and magnetic properties many applications has been suggested for these materials. One of the major methods to use graphene nanoribbons in future applications is chemical functionalization of these materials to make an engineering on their band gap. In this review, we introduce various types of modifying graphene nanoribbons to meet their promising
applications.
Organogenic Nodule Formation in Hop: A Tool to Study Morphogenesis in Plants with Biotechnological and Medicinal Applications
Authors: Fortes Ana M. , Santos Filipa , Pais Maria S.
Published: August 2010

The usage ofHumulus lupulusfor brewing increased the demand for high-quality plant material. Simultaneously, hop has been used in traditional medicine and recently recognized with anticancer and anti-infective properties. Tissue culture techniques have been reported for a wide range of species, and open the prospect for propagation of disease-free, genetically uniform and massive amounts of plantsin vitro.Moreover, the development of large-scale culture methods using bioreactors enables the industrial production of secondary metabolites. Reliable and efficient tissue culture protocol for shoot regeneration through organogenic nodule formation was established for hop. The present review describes the histological, and biochemical changes occurring during this morphogenic process, together with an analysis of transcriptional and metabolic profiles. We also discuss the existence of common molecular factors among three different morphogenic processes: organogenic nodules and somatic embryogenesis, which strictly speaking depend exclusively on intrinsic developmental reprogramming, and legume nitrogen-fixing root nodules, which arises in response to symbiosis. The review of the key factors that participate in hop nodule organogenesis and the comparison with other morphogenic processes may have merit as a study presenting recent advances in complex molecular networks occurring during morphogenesis and together, these provide a rich framework for biotechnology applications.
Extension of Spectral Scales to Unbounded Operators
Authors: Wills M. D.
Published: August 2010

We extend the notion of a spectral scale to n‐tuples of unbounded
operators affiliated with a finite von Neumann Algebra. We focus primarily
on the single‐variable case and show that many of the results from the bounded
theory go through in the unbounded situation. We present the currently available material on the unbounded multivariable situation. Sufficient conditions
for a set to be a spectral scale are established. The relationship between convergence of operators and the convergence of the corresponding spectral scales
is investigated. We establish a connection between the Akemann et al. spectral scale (1999) and that of Petz (1985).
Graphene Nanoribbon Conductance Model in Parabolic Band Structure
Authors: Ahmadi Mohammad Taghi , Johari Zaharah , Amin N. Aziziah , Fallahpour Amir Hossein , Ismail Razali
Published: August 2010

Many experimental measurements have been done on GNR conductance. In this paper, analytical model of GNR conductance is presented. Moreover, comparison with published data which illustrates good agreement between them is studied. Conductance of GNR as a one‐dimensional device channel with parabolic band structures near the charge neutrality point is improved. Based on quantum confinement effect, the conductance of GNR in parabolic part of the band structure, also the temperature‐dependent conductance which displays minimum conductance near the charge neutrality point are calculated. Graphene nanoribbon (GNR) with parabolic band structure near the minimum band energy terminates Fermi‐Dirac integral base method on band structure study. While band structure is parabola, semiconducting GNRs conductance is a function of Fermi‐Dirac integral which is based on Maxwell approximation in nondegenerate limit especially for a long channel.
Parenteral Antibiotics Reduce Bifidobacteria Colonization and Diversity in Neonates
Authors: Hussey Séamus , Wall Rebecca , Gruffman Emma , O'Sullivan Lisa , Ryan C. Anthony , Murphy Brendan , Fitzgerald Gerald , Stanton Catherine , Ross R. Paul
Published: August 2010

We investigated the impact of parenteral antibiotic treatment in the early neonatal period on the evolution of bifidobacteria in the newborn. Nine babies treated with intravenous ampicillin/gentamicin in the first week of life and nine controls (no antibiotic treatment) were studied. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to investigate the composition ofBifidobacteriumin stool samples taken at four and eight weeks. Bifidobacteria were detected in all control infants at both four and eight weeks, while only six of nine antibiotic-treated infants had detectable bifidobacteria at four weeks and eight of nine at eight weeks. Moreover, stool samples of controls showed greater diversity ofBifidobacteriumspp. compared with antibiotic-treated infants. In conclusion, short-term parenteral antibiotic treatment of neonates causes a disturbance in the expected colonization pattern of bifidobacteria in the first months of life. Further studies are required to probiotic determine if supplementation is necessary in this patient group.
Numerical Integration and Synchronization for the 3‐Dimensional Metriplectic Volterra System
Authors: Ivan Gheorghe , Ivan Mihai , Pop Camelia
Published: August 2010

The main purpose of this paper is to study the metriplectic system associated to 3‐dimensional Volterra model. For this system we investigate the stability problem and numerical integration via Kahan′s integrator. Finally, the synchronization problem for two coupled metriplectic Volterra systems is discussed.
Malnutrition in Surgical Wards: A Plea for Concern
Authors: Ben-Ishay Offir , Gertsenzon Haya , Mashiach Tanya , Kluger Yoram , Chermesh Irit
Published: August 2010

Background. Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is underdiagnosed, with 30 to 60% of patients admitted being malnourished. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional status of patients in a general surgery ward and to define the correlation between the risk of malnutrition and the hospital course and clinical outcome.Study design. The study group included 100 consecutive patients admitted to a general surgery ward who were ambulant and could undergo the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST).Results. Thirty-two patients (33%) had aMUST score of 2 or higher, and were therefore defined at high-malnutrition risk. The patients at risk had longer hospitalization and worse outcome. The length of stay of the malnourished patients was significantly longer than that of patients without malnutrition risk (18.8 11.5 vs. 7 5.3 days, ). Mortality in the high-risk group was higher overall, in hospital, and after six months and one year of followup.Conclusions. Medical personnel must be aware that malnutrition afflicts even patients whose background is not suggestive of malnutrition. Best results are achieved when cooperation of all staff members is enlisted, because malnutrition has severe consequences and can be treated easily.
Outcome after Resection of One Hundred Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
Authors: Krajinovic K. , Germer C.T. , Agaimy A. , Wünsch P.H. , Isbert C.
Published: August 2010

Aims: To evaluate the outcome after surgical resection in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors and to determine the factors influencing local tumor recurrence or distant metastatic disease after locally complete tumor resection (R0). Methods: Outcomes of 100 patients with primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) surgically managed between 1997 and 2006 at a single institution were reviewed. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to determine factors affecting recurrence-free and tumor-free survival. Results: All patients (n = 100) had c-kit-positive GIST. There were 17% (n = 17) very low risk, 41% (n = 41) low risk, 19% (n = 19) intermediate risk and 23% (n = 23) high risk GIST originating from the stomach, small bowel, colon and rectum. The median patient age was 68 years (range 39–92). Seventy-three percent of the patients had symptomatic local disease. Most (94%; n = 94) of them underwent R0 resections of their primary tumor. R0 resection was significantly associated with a lower tumor-related mortality rate (p = 0.0001). The patients with recurrence/metastases had significantly larger tumors (p = 0.0017) and a mitotic index higher than 5/50 HPF (p = 0.0001). Seven of 20 patients from the high-risk group and 2 of 7 patients with metastatic disease developed local recurrence or further metastatatic tumor spread following R0 resection. Conclusion: Surgical removal continues to be the mainstay of GIST treatment. R0 resection, tumor size and mitotic index are significant prognostic factors. Overall, more than 30% of the patients with high-risk GIST develop local recurrences and distant metastases despite R0 resection. Additional molecular pathological markers are needed to yield a more accurate tumor profile and to thus achieve a better predictability of the biological behavior of GIST.
Neurophysiologic Investigation of Anal Function following Double Stapling Anastomosis
Authors: Matsuoka Hiroyoshi , Masaki Tadahiko , Kobayashi Takaaki , Sato Kazunori , Mori Toshiyuki , Sugiyama Masanori , Atomi Yutaka
Published: August 2010

Background and Aim: Manual dilatation of the anal sphincter and transanal introduction of the circular stapling device are required for intraluminal stapling anastomosis. This procedure has been regarded as one of the causes of postoperative evacuatory disorder in low anterior resection. However, there has been no evidence of this matter. Therefore, we conducted this study to clarify the impact of the procedure of stapling anastomosis on postoperative anal function. Methods: Twenty-five cases with sigmoid colon cancer underwent potentially curative sigmoid colectomy with stapling anastomosis (ST group) and 20 cases with hand-sewn anastomosis (non-ST group). The patients were questioned regarding the daily frequency of bowel movement, the presence of urgency and soiling, and Wexner’s incontinence score. Anorectal manomatry and pudendal nerve terminal motor latency were also evaluated. The patients’ questionnaire and physiologic examinations were prospectively obtained before, and 1 and 6 months after the operation. Results: Postoperative bowel habit was graded as satisfied in 92% (23/25 patients) in the ST group and 90% (18/20 patients) in the non-ST group. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of presence of fecal incontinence, discrimination of gas and stool, and daily frequency of bowel movement. In anal manometry, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the resting and squeezing anal canal sphincter pressures at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Pudendal nerve terminal motor latency showed their latency from 2.0 to 2.5 ms throughout the periods, and there was no difference between the 2 groups before, and 1 and 6 months after the operation. Conclusion: Stapling anastomosis does not affect anal function in the early postoperative period.
Worsening Renal Function Defined as an Absolute Increase in Serum Creatinine Is a Biased Metric for the Study of Cardio-Renal Interactions
Authors: Testani Jeffrey M. , McCauley Brian D. , Chen Jennifer , Shumski Michael , Shannon Richard P.
Published: August 2010

Objectives: Worsening renal function (WRF) during the treatment of decompensated heart failure, frequently defined as an absolute increase in serum creatinine ≧0.3 mg/dl, has been reported as a strong adverse prognostic factor in several studies. We hypothesized that this definition of WRF is biased by baseline renal function secondary to the exponential relationship between creatinine and renal function. Methods: We reviewed consecutive admissions with a discharge diagnosis of heart failure. An increase in creatinine ≧0.3 mg/dl (WRFCREAT) was compared to a decrease in GFR ≧20% (WRFGFR). Results: Overall, 993 admissions met eligibility. WRFCREAT occurred in 31.5% and WRFGFR in 32.7%. WRFCREAT and WRFGFR had opposing relationships with baseline renal function (OR = 1.9 vs. OR = 0.51, respectively, p < 0.001). Both definitions had similar unadjusted associations with death at 30 days [WRFGFR OR = 2.3 (95% CI 1.1–4.8), p = 0.026; WRFCREAT OR = 2.1 (95% CI 1.0–4.4), p = 0.047]. Controlling for baseline renal insufficiency, WRFGFR added incrementally in the prediction of mortality (p = 0.009); however, WRFCREAT did not (p = 0.11). Conclusions: WRF, defined as an absolute change in serum creatinine, is heavily biased by baseline renal function. An alternative definition of WRF should be considered for future studies of cardio-renal interactions.
General Surgery among Long-Term Residents with and without Active Epilepsy at the Kork Epilepsy Centre – A Prospective Comparative One-Year Survey
Authors: Steinhoff Bernhard J. , Hartmann Ralph , Luy Matthias , Rombach Angelika , Ziegler Gerhard , Schulte-Mönting Jürgen , Gilliam Frank G.
Published: August 2010

Background/Aims: We prospectively assessed the frequency, type, severity and cause of treatment among the long-term residents of the Kork Epilepsy Centre in the year 2005. Methods: All long-term residents were exclusively referred to the general surgeon practicing on the campus. Patients were divided into 2 groups comprising 285 patients with active epilepsy and 53 controls who either never had epileptic seizures or have remained seizure free for at least 4 years. Results: The 1-year incidence of injuries was 54.2% among the active epilepsy group and 36.8% among controls (p = 0.0275). Several admissions due to differing reasons occurred in 16.8% of people with active epilepsy and in 7.5% of the controls (not significant). More than 2 admissions due to various reasons only occurred in patients with active epilepsy (range 3–9). Of all injuries, 41.3% were directly related to seizures. Among patients with active epilepsy, the 3 most frequent injuries were lacerations, bruises and fractures (29.6, 17.0 and 11.7%, respectively). Conclusion: According to this prospective study, active epilepsy turned out to be a significant risk factor for injuries under homogenous patient and observer conditions.
Oral Cyclophosphamide Is on the Verge of Extinction as Therapy for Severe Autoimmune Diseases (Especially Lupus): Should Nephrologists Care?
Authors: Hebert Lee A. , Rovin Brad H.
Published: August 2010

Some day we will have powerful targeted therapies for autoimmune diseases. Remission will be induced efficiently. Side effects will be mere ripples. Unfortunately, that day is not imminent. Current therapies are powerful but with unintended targets and side effects that can be equivalent to a sea change. For SLE, the current competition to select the ‘gold standard’ immunosuppressant has come down to two regimens: intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY, standard NIH protocol or its variations) versus oral mycophenolate (MMF). Until recently, IVCY reigned as the gold standard, a title it achieved through a curious journey that did not involve rigorous head-to-head competition. Oral cyclophosphamide (POCY) has not been invited to the current competition to select the gold standard immunosuppressant despite the substantial evidence that POCY can perform at least as well as IVCY or mycophenolate, and compared to IVCY, is far less expensive, easier for the patient, and maybe more effective in African-Americans. Here, we state the case for POCY as therapy for severe autoimmune diseases. We suggest that if POCY is allowed to compete, it will not disappoint.
Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Aortic Root Dilation in Highly Trained Competitive Athletes
Authors: Pelliccia Antonio , Di Paolo Fernando M. , De Blasiis Elvira , Quattrini Filippo M. , Pisicchio Cataldo , Guerra Emanuele , Culasso Franco , Maron Barry J.
Published: August 2010

Background—

Few data are available that address the impact of athletic training on aortic root size. We investigated the distribution, determinants, and clinical significance of aortic root dimension in a large population of highly trained athletes.

Methods and Results—

Transverse aortic dimensions were assessed in 2317 athletes (56% male), free of cardiovascular disease, aged 24.8±6.1 (range, 9 to 59) years, engaged in 28 sports disciplines (28% participated in Olympic Games). In males, aortic root was 32.2±2.7 mm (range, 23 to 44; 99th percentile=40 mm); in females, aortic root was 27.5±2.6 mm (range, 20 to 36; 99th percentile=34 mm). Aortic root was enlarged ≥40 mm in 17 male (1.3%) and ≥34 mm in 10 female (0.9%) subjects. Over an 8-year follow-up period, aortic dimension increased in these male athletes (40.9±1.3 to 42.9±3.6 mm;
P
<0.01) and dilated substantially (to 50, 50, and 48 mm) in 3, after 15 to 17 years of follow-up, in the absence of systemic disease. Aortic root did not increase significantly (34.9±0.9 to 35.4±2.1 mm;
P
=0.11) in female athletes. Multiple regression and covariance analysis showed that aortic dimension was largely explained by weight, height, left ventricular mass, and age (
R
2
=0.63;
P
<0.001), with type of sports training having a significant but lower impact (
P
<0.003).

Conclusions—

An aortic root dimension >40 mm in highly conditioned male athletes (and >34 mm in female athletes) is uncommon, is unlikely to represent the physiological consequence of exercise training, and is most likely an expression of a pathological condition, mandating close clinical surveillance.
Reliability of Distal Upper Extremity Posture Matching Using Slow-Motion and Frame-by-Frame Video Methods
Authors: Kociolek Aaron M. , Keir Peter J.
Published: August 2010

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of video playback speed on posture matching reliability of the distal upper extremity.

Background: Video is frequently used in ergonomic assessments, yet there remains a need to determine the effects of viewing speed on posture observations.

Method: Participants were 7 graduate students experienced with posture-based observational methods. Categorical posture scales were used to evaluate forearm pronation/supination, wrist flexion/extension, wrist radioulnar deviation, and hand activity from workplace video at three playback speeds (quarter, half, and real time). Wrist flexion/extension was also evaluated with a frame-by-frame video method.

Results: Posture counts increased with slower viewing speeds for the wrist and hand, but percentage durations in each posture category were similar for all methods. Posture matching interrater reliability scores increased with slow-motion video playback but remained low even for quarter-time video playback. The highest interrater scores were found in the frame-by-frame analysis of wrist flexion/extension for three posture categories (percentage agreement = 84.9% ± 1.3%; kappa = 0.54 ± 0.02).

Conclusion: Although slower video playback speeds increased the number of posture counts for the wrist and hand scales, percentage durations were similar, and reliability scores increased only slightly with slow-motion video playback.

Application: Reviewing video using slow-motion or frame-by-frame methods improves distal upper extremity posture matching reliability. However, ergonomic assessment tools based on percentage duration may not be appreciably enhanced by slowing viewing speed. Thus, the increased viewing time with slower playback should be justified with respect to assessment needs.
Inequality rose from above, so it shall fall again: Income skewness trends in 16 OECD countries as evidence for a second Kuznets cycle
Authors: Scholtz Hanno
Published: August 2010

Advanced industrial democracies experience increasing inequalities or at least a new trade-off between equality and growth: liberal welfare states opted for growth and accepted rising inequality, while conservative welfare states tried to hold back inequality, thereby accepting lower growth. The rise in inequality is widely interpreted with regard to globalization and technological change. This article contrasts this interpretation with an alternative based on the argumentation of Kuznets’s inverted U-turn which is individually reformulated as some diffusion process of some qualification. While threats such as globalization can be reformulated as a ‘negative diffusion process’, a positive diffusion process is also possible. The two alternative mechanisms are identical regarding inequality measures as the Gini coefficient, but they are differentiated in their trend expectations with regard to income distributions’ skewness. In the globalization model, increasing inequality is accompanied first by a fall and later by a rise in skewness, while the qualification diffusion model shows the opposite sequence: rising to a maximum and falling back later on. Due to their different position in the inequality—growth trade-off, liberal and social democratic welfare states are assumed to be ahead in this evolution, while conservative welfare states lag behind. Based on the Luxembourg Income Study, skewness estimations of logged monetary income distributions form an unbalanced panel with 69 observations from 16 OECD countries. A fixed effects regression for the skewness time trend in conservative welfare states and the trend difference for the two other welfare state groups shows strong support for the positive diffusion model, giving rise to the expectation that inequality can and will decrease again.
Vicarious Growth in Wives of Vietnam Veterans
Authors: McCormack Lynne , Hagger Martin S. , Joseph Stephen
Published: August 2010

There is a paucity of research understanding the “lived experience” of psychological growth following vicarious trauma. This idiographic study explores the phenomenological experiences of wives of Vietnam veterans exposed to vicarious combat trauma over decades. Using semistructured interviews, data were collected from wives of Australian veterans and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two main themes emerged: (a) “Living with the distress of vicarious trauma” and (b) “Vicarious growth.” The first theme describes the distress and struggle to interpret and understand the “what” of vicarious trauma by these women. The second theme highlights “how” they brought meaning to these experiences. Of interest are the domains of humility, love, gratitude, and empathy aspects of posttraumatic growth that are not captured by existing standardized psychometric tools. The importance of the insider’s perspective into the ongoing lived experience of family members exposed to vicarious combat distress over decades is discussed.
Much ado about religion
Authors: Canetti Daphna , E Hobfoll Stevan , Pedahzur Ami , Zaidise Eran
Published: August 2010

The association between religion and violence has raised much interest in both academic and public circles. Yet on the individual level, existing empirical accounts are both sparse and conflicting. Based on previous research which found that religion plays a role in the support of political violence only through the mediation of objective and perceived deprivations, the authors test Conservation of Resource (COR) theory as an individual level explanation for the association of religion, socio-economic deprivations, and support for political violence. COR theory predicts that when individuals’ personal, social or economic resources are threatened, a response mechanism may include violence. Utilizing two distinct datasets, and relying on structural equation models analysis, the latter two stages of a three-stage study are reported here. In a follow-up to their previous article, the authors refine the use of socio-economic variables in examining the effects of deprivation as mediating between religion and political violence. Then, they analyze an independent sample of 545 Muslims and Jews, collected during August and September 2004, to test a psychological-based explanation based on COR theory. This study replaces measures of deprivation used in the previous stages with measures of economic and psychological resource loss. Findings show that the relationship between religion and support of political violence only holds true when mediated by deprivations and psychological resource loss. They also suggest that the typical tendency to focus on economic resource loss is over-simplistic as psychological, not economic, resources seem to mediate between religion and support of violence.
Intergenerational Justice Perceptions and the Role of Welfare Regimes
Authors: Sabbagh Clara , Vanhuysse Pieter
Published: August 2010

This study analyzes intergenerational justice perceptions among 2,075 undergraduate students in 1996-1998 across eight democracies spanning four welfare regime types. It examined how different regimes structure perceptions of (a) justness in principle of young-to-old public resource transfers and (b) actual contributions to and rewards from society of various age groups. Support in principle of young-to-old transfers is higher in social democratic and conservative than in liberal and radical welfare regimes and correlates positively with a welfare-statist ideological frame and negatively with a market-based frame. Regarding actual contributions to society, the following ordering of age groups was obtained: adults > youth > elderly. Regarding actual rewards, the ranking was adults > elderly ≥ youth. But in the conservative regime, the youngest age group ranked lowest in perceived rewards and highest in perceived contributions. It was concluded that there is a distinct perception of intergenerational injustice among these populations of highly educated young citizens.
Information and Other Bodily Functions: Stool Records in Danish Residential Homes
Authors: la Cour Anders
Published: August 2010

Paper-based stool records are used in public and private residential homes throughout Denmark. Although they represent a simple technology, they are an important tool in ensuring proper personal hygiene for residents. This article shows how the use of stool records involves both scientific and everyday forms of knowledge. While the activity of keeping stool records derives its legitimation from the scientific study of feces, those who work with the stool records on a daily basis have found some very different applications for the technology. These applications foster a variety of understandings of stool records in residential homes. Is it their aim to help satisfy biological needs? Is it to ensure control? Is it to ensure individual freedom? Is it to ensure efficiency? Is it to display professionalism? Is it to maintain order in the everyday operation of the residential home? To explore the answers to these questions, the article introduces insight from the work of the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann that bear upon how a mundane technology like stool records can function as a mediator between theory and practice, the body and the social, and between different care tasks in residential homes.
Contradictions in the Last Mile
Authors: Stone Glenn Davis
Published: August 2010

Despite its use to exemplify how the world is “flat,” India is in many ways “spiky.” Hyderabad is a prosperous hub of information–communication technology (ICT) while its impoverished agricultural hinterland is best known for dysfunctional agriculture and farmer suicide. Based on the belief that a lack of knowledge and skill lay at the root of agrarian distress, the “e-Sagu” project aimed to leverage the city’s scientific expertise and ICT capability to aid cotton farmers. The project fit with a national surge of “last mile” projects bringing ICT to the village, but it was unique in using ICT to connect farmers directly with agricultural scientists acting as advisors. Such projects fit the interests of many actors, which has led to an unrealistic national enthusiasm about their impacts. This article uses the first five years of the project as a lens to view the cultural nature of both indigenous agricultural knowledge and “scientific” agricultural advising. Unlike lay publics whose uptake of science is better known, with farmers the invention and adoption of agro-scientific knowledge is deeply embedded in daily productive activities and sociocultural interactions. E-Sagu eventually had to abandon its construction of agricultural science as objective and acultural, resorting to rural methods of persuasion. It also found that it could only survive by joining forces with companies promoting commodification of agricultural inputs, which was a cause of the agrarian distress it sought to alleviate.
Rethinking Innovation Accounting in Pharmaceutical Regulation
Authors: Davis Courtney , Abraham John
Published: August 2010

The controversy over the prescription drug, alosetron, is examined in order to investigate what is permitted to count as ‘therapeutic advance’ and ‘therapeutic breakthrough’ within pharmaceutical innovation and regulation. It is argued that those official accounting categories can mask very modest efficacy of some drugs by reference to the official techno-scientific evidence, thus leading to questionable acceptance of risks to public health. This is explained by: the drug availability options set by the commercial interests of manufacturers; the FDA management's need to demonstrate rapid approval of therapeutic advances to their budgetary masters, especially in the context of patient demands for access to new drugs; and the increasing capacity of patient groups, sometimes in collaboration with pharmaceutical manufacturers, to challenge techno-scientific expertise and evidence with experiential testimony. It is concluded that regulatory policy-makers need much more sophisticated accounting systems for differentiating between drugs defined as significant therapeutic advances, and between drugs (‘therapeutic breakthroughs’ fast-tracked to treat serious or life-threatening conditions. Contrary to some STS analyses, the desirability of an ascendancy of patients’ anecdotal evidence in regulatory decisions for public health is questioned.
Unmet Needs for the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program
Authors: Lee Jung Sun , Sinnett Stephanie , Bengle Rebecca , Johnson Mary Ann , Brown Arvine
Published: August 2010

This study documents the size of unmet needs for Older Americans Act Nutrition Program (OAANP) and characteristics of program participants and waitlisted people based on the data from the Georgia client database systems. About 60% of those who requested the OAANP service between July and early November, 2008 ( n = 4,952) were on waitlists. Waitlisted people, especially those on the Home-Delivered Meals (HDM) waitlist, were more likely to report poorer sociodemographic characteristics, poorer self-reported health status, food insecurity, and nutritional risk. Requesting HDM was the foremost significant factor associated with unmet needs. Other race/not disclosing race information and living alone also increased the odds of being on the waitlists. There is a critical unmet need for the OAANP in Georgia, especially among those targeted by the Older Americans Act and requesting HDM. Federal and state policy makers, administrators, and program providers should better understand and meet the need of nutritionally vulnerable older Georgians.
pH-Sensitive mPEG-Hz-Cholesterol Conjugates as a Liposome Delivery System
Authors: Daquan Chen  , Xiaoqun Jiang  , Yanyu Huang  , Can Zhang  , Qineng Ping
Published: August 2010

Hydrazone (Hz)-based pH-sensitive methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-cholesterol conjugates (mPEG-Hz-Chol), were synthesized and used to fabricate liposomes. The structures of the mPEG2000-Hz-Chol conjugate were confirmed by FT-IR and 1H-NMR; they were stable at pH 7.4 but sensitive to mild acid conditions (pH 5.5). Plain liposomes were also prepared with S100PC/ Chol, and the pH-insensitive liposomes with S100PC/Chol/mPEG2000-Chol for comparison; all the liposomes were similar in diameter ∼200 nm. In vitro, the pH-sensitive liposomes released more of the model drug, paclitaxel (PTX), than the plain liposomes. The pH-sensitive liposomes were less toxic than the plain liposomes and exhibited higher cellular uptake of PTX compared with pH-insensitive liposomes by human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). The pHsensitive mPEG2000-Hz-Chol liposomes are now being investigated as a potential new liposome drug delivery system.
Introduction to Minisymposium: Nonprofit Self-Regulation in Comparative Perspective-Themes and Debates
Authors: Gugerty Mary Kay , Sidel Mark , Bies Angela L.
Published: August 2010

Nonprofits are increasingly engaged in efforts to develop collective self-regulation systems. These efforts stem in part from of growing pressure on nonprofits to demonstrate accountability and transparency. In spite of the growth in such initiatives, however, little research examines self-regulation in a systematic way across settings, resulting in minimal accumulation of knowledge on the factors underlying the emergence, structure and effectiveness of self-regulation. This minisymposium addresses this gap by taking a comparative perspective on self-regulation initiatives in three regions: sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Europe. The introduction sets the stage for the three papers by providing a common framework and typology for understanding self-regulatory initiatives and outlining the theoretical frameworks applied in the empirical papers. The three papers that follow examine the commonalities and differences in the forms that emerge across these three regions.
Sarbanes-Oxley and the New Form 990
Authors: Benzing Cynthia , Leach Evan , McGee Charles
Published: August 2010

Eighty-five arts and culture nonprofits were surveyed to determine the extent to which their financial and managerial practices conform to Sarbanes-Oxley and the New Form 990. Approximately half of the sample had audit committees that included unpaid financial experts. Almost all of the nonprofits engaged external accountants or CPA firms to conduct annual audits, but only 40% required their ED or CFO to sign the financial statements. Approximately half of the nonprofits had conflict of interest forms, written ethics policies, and whistle-blower policies. According to the results, the most important reason for voluntarily complying with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) was because it promotes sound financial management and “contributes to an internal culture of transparency.” Compliance was less motivated by donor retention, board directives, or fear of governmental regulation. This survey found that the size of a nonprofit’s annual operating budget and its age are directly related to its level of compliance with SOX.
Challenging expertise: On power relations within and across communities of practice in medical innovation
Authors: Mørk Bjørn Erik , Hoholm Thomas , Ellingsen Gunnar , Edwin Bjørn , Aanestad Margunn
Published: August 2010

This article addresses the question of how practices perform power effects within and across communities of practice. It does so by drawing on a study of two medical innovation projects leading to radical changes of practice. Situated learning theory has to some degree acknowledged the asymmetry in power between masters and apprentices. Meanwhile, this study suggests that the novelty of new practices may lead to a contestation of the established master-apprentice relationship and even challenge the basis of the community of practice itself. We therefore argue that innovation processes may highlight the political processes and negotiations already at play in communities of practice. Hence, we investigate how communities of practice tried to control the new practices through mobilizing arguments, marginalizing opponents and building alliances. Consequently, the article argues that changing practices may be highly political.
The conundrums of post-Oslo Palestine: Gendering Palestinian citizenship
Authors: Jad Islah
Published: August 2010

This article reviews the feminist theorization of the concept of citizenship in an attempt to contextualize it in a situation where the basic ingredients for a sovereign state do not exist. The formation of the Palestinian Authority included the reconstruction of the Palestinian ‘imagined’ community within which approaches to gender policies were reformulated to suit a new era. However, the feminist use of the concept of citizenship itself comes into question under conditions of prolonged Occupation. In this analysis, I submit that while women’s NGOs and grass-roots organizations have an important role to play in creating space for women to politicize their demands in advocating full citizenship rights, there are serious limits to what institutions of civil society can achieve when the basic foundations for the state are in a precarious situation.
Imprisonment, freedom, and literary opacity in the work of Nawal El Saadawi and Assia Djebar
Authors: Hiddleston Jane
Published: August 2010

In her astute study of contemporary Arab women writers, Anastasia Valassopoulos begins by noting the pitfalls of much existing criticism of writers such as El Saadawi and Djebar in the West. Citing Amal Amireh’s article on the fraught history of the reception of El Saadawi in Egypt and in Europe, Valassopoulos comments that Arab women’s literature tends to be seen as ‘documentary’, and this obscures the ‘core issue of representation’ as it is explored and challenged by women writers. In the face of this omission, the present article explores a selection of works by El Saadawi and Djebar from an aesthetic perspective. El Saadawi and Djebar use literary writing as a means to escape the constraints placed upon them by patriarchy, as well as by colonialism, and uphold creativity and poetry as a possible release from imprisonment. This article also uses Glissant’s and Bhabha’s concepts of literary opacity and the right to narrate as a partial framework for a reading of the relation between writing, freedom and aesthetic form in the works of El Saadawi and Djebar. El Saadawi and Djebar purposefully deploy a form of self-effacement, both in their autobiographical representations and in their portraits of female characters, also akin to Trinh Minh-ha’s strategy in Woman, Native, Other. Minh-ha’s dissemination of the writing voice, and the affirmation of collective solidarity between multiple but internally fragmentary feminist positions, serves, then, as a further theoretical backdrop for El Saadawi’s and Djebar’s use of opacity and the right to narrate as tools in an active feminist resistance to sexist and racist discourses. Both El Saadawi and Djebar use their writing to conceive women’s liberation from various forms of imprisonment, and they figure women’s fractured, convoluted and at times opaque self-expression as a direct form of resistance to both patriarchal and colonial oppression.
Female physical illness and disability in Arab women’s writing
Authors: Hamdar Abir
Published: August 2010

This article focuses on the representation of female physical illness and disability in the works of two Arab women writers: Iraqi Alia Mamdouh’s Habbat al Naftalin [Mothballs] (1986) and Egyptian Salwa Bakr’s al ‘Arabah al Dhahabiyah la Tas‘ad ila al Sama’ [The Golden Chariot] (1991). It argues that the representation of female illness in these works centres upon the figure of the sick mother. Despite the limitations of this trope of illness, both novels offer a more complex illness narrative than those of their Arab predecessors. By problematizing the representation of the sick woman/mother, both novels challenge the traditional role of the silent, sick female figure whose story remains outside the limits of representation. Finally, the article argues that this textual recuperation of the female suffering body is achieved through the employment of a mother— daughter plot which continues to represent the sick mother as socially and emotionally absent but which nevertheless renders her a central figure in the daughter’s narrative.
Nested Mentoring Relationships
Authors: Fouché Christa , Lunt Neil
Published: August 2010

• Summary: This article provides a new perspective on mentoring relationships by reflecting on a practice project that involved what we identify as ‘nested mentoring’. The insights emerged from a series of consultations during 2004, followed by developmental work during 2005, and then the project proper, which was funded during 2006—07.

• Findings: The authors reflect on the outcomes of unique mentoring relationships between tertiary providers and social service agencies in a project aimed at assisting the development of a culture of practitioner enquiry amongst social workers in social services agencies in New Zealand. This time-limited collaborative project involved bringing together 43 practitioners from eight social service agencies, a practitioner advisor, four academics from two universities, all logistically managed by a programme manager and supported by three funding bodies. Teams of practitioners were supported to conceptualize, design, implement and disseminate their own practice research projects located within their own agencies. The support included two strategies — workshops and mentoring; the latter being the focus of this article. Mentoring was provided by members of the academic and support team at the practitioners’ place of work at regular intervals during the life of the project.

• Applications : Our reflections point to sets of emergent mentor relations in a development that goes beyond positing either vertical or horizontal relationships, to a more complicated nesting approach.
School Health Initiatives and Childhood Obesity: BMI Screening and Reporting
Authors: Soto Carol , White Jane H.
Published: August 2010

The prevalence of childhood obesity has reached an epidemic status especially in the United States. Agencies such as the Institute of Medicine, Surgeon General’s Office, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have called for action. Schools have been provided with guidelines to address obesity prevention. School-based body mass index screening and parent reporting programs have received a significant amount of attention in the literature. Intended to raise awareness for parents and provide a first step toward intervention for children who are overweight, there is to date limited outcomes of their success. However, one state, Arkansas, with mandated screening has reported success in that following screening in its schools, obesity rates were not increased. A significant concern with screening in schools is its potential harm to children around teasing, body image sensitivity, and possible unhealthy dieting. These controversial issues are explored, and recommendations are suggested for nursing’s role in obesity prevention especially in schools.
Building on the Diversity and Multiculturalism of Health Professional Women Around the World
Authors: Armstrong Sally
Published: August 2010

This article is based a presentation delivered to the Fifth Annual Building Global Alliances Symposium, “The Challenges of Migration for Health Professional Women,” convened by CGFNS International, Philadelphia, PA, December 8, 2008.
Psychosocial Factors in Pediatric Asthma
Authors: Terre Lisa
Published: August 2010

This review discusses evidence-based perspectives on psychosocial factors in pediatric asthma. Future directions for inquiry and clinical management also are addressed.
The Role of Optimism Regarding Nutrition and Health Behavior
Authors: Soliah LuAnn Laurice
Published: August 2010

This article summarizes the relationships among optimism, nutrition, and health behavior. The benefits from optimism are addressed, optimism is defined, and measurement scales for testing optimism are presented. The purpose of this article is to review primary research studies and clarify the relationship between optimism and nutrition-related health behaviors. The literature offers confirmatory evidence that optimism enhances mental and physical well-being. Food selection decisions and the role of optimism are explained. Optimism increases the likelihood of making healthy food choices and living a healthier life. Finally, several reasons are proposed for explaining why optimism is overwhelmingly beneficial for physical and mental health.
Development of a liposomal nanodelivery system for nevirapine
Authors: Ramana Lakshmi N , Sethuraman Swaminathan , Ranga Udaykumar , Krishnan Uma M
Published: August 2010

Background

The treatment of AIDS remains a serious challenge owing to high genetic variation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1). The use of different antiretroviral drugs (ARV) is significantly limited by severe side-effects that further compromise the quality of life of the AIDS patient. In the present study, we have evaluated a liposome system for the delivery of nevirapine, a hydrophobic non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Liposomes were prepared from egg phospholipids using thin film hydration. The parameters of the process were optimized to obtain spherical liposomes below 200 nm with a narrow polydispersity. The encapsulation efficiency of the liposomes was optimized at different ratios of egg phospholipid to cholesterol as well as drug to total lipid. The data demonstrate that encapsulation efficiency of 78.14% and 76.25% were obtained at egg phospholipid to cholesterol ratio of 9:1 and drug to lipid ratio of 1:5, respectively. We further observed that the size of the liposomes and the encapsulation efficiency of the drug increased concomitantly with the increasing ratio of drug and lipid and that maximum stability was observed at the physiological pH. Thermal analysis of the drug encapsulated liposomes indicated the formation of a homogenous drug-lipid system. The magnitude of drug release from the liposomes was examined under different experimental conditions including in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum or in the presence of an external stimulus such as low frequency ultrasound. Within the first 20 minutes 40, 60 and 100% of the drug was released when placed in PBS, DMEM or when ultrasound was applied, respectively. We propose that nevirapine-loaded liposomal formulations reported here could improve targeted delivery of the anti-retroviral drugs to select compartments and cells and alleviate systemic toxic side effects as a consequence.