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Selected AbstractsAnnotation: What do we know about sensory dysfunction in autism?THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 12 2005A critical review of the empirical evidence Background:, Unusual responses to sensory stimuli are seen in many children with autism. Their presence was highlighted both in early accounts of autism and in more recent first-person descriptions. There is a widespread belief that sensory symptoms characterize autism and differentiate it from other disorders. This paper examines the empirical evidence for this assumption. Method:, All controlled experimental laboratory investigations published since 1960 were identified through systematic searches using Medline/PubMed and PsycInfo search engines. A total of 48 empirical papers and 27 theoretical or conceptual papers were reviewed. Results:, Sensory symptoms are more frequent and prominent in children with autism than in typically developing children, but there is not good evidence that these symptoms differentiate autism from other developmental disorders. Certain groups, including children with fragile X syndrome and those who are deaf-blind, appear to demonstrate higher rates of sensory symptoms than children with autism. In reviewing the evidence relevant to two theories of sensory dysfunction in autism, over- and under-arousal theory, we find that there is very little support for hyper-arousal and failure of habituation in autism. There is more evidence that children with autism, as a group, are hypo-responsive to sensory stimuli, but there are also multiple failures to replicate findings and studies that demonstrate lack of group differences. Conclusions:, The use of different methods, the study of different sensory modalities, and the changing scientific standards across decades complicate interpretation of this body of work. We close with suggestions for future research in this area. [source] Recurrence of kernicterus in term and near-term infants in DenmarkACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2000F Ebbesen Classical acute bilirubin encephalopathy (kernicterus) in term and near-term infants had not been seen in Denmark for at least 20 y until 1994. From 1994 to 1998, however, six cases were diagnosed. Aetiology of the hyperbilirubinaemia was known in two infants; spherocytosis and galactosaemia, most likely known in two infants; possible A-O blood type immunization, and unknown in two infants. However, one of these last-mentioned infants had a gestational age of only 36 wk. The maximum plasma total bilirubin concentrations were 531,745 ,mol/L. The increase in the number of cases of kernicterus was considered to have been caused by: (i) a decreased awareness of the pathological signs, (ii) a change in the assessment of the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy, (iii) early discharge of the infants from the maternity ward, (iv) so-called breastfeeding-associated jaundice, (v) demonstration of bilirubin being an antioxidant, and (vi) difficulty in estimating the degree of jaundice in certain groups of immigrants. Accordingly, for prevention: (a) Attempt to change the healthcare workers' understanding of the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy, (b) give further instructions, both orally and in writing, to mothers before discharge from the maternity ward, (c) be more liberal in giving infant formula supplements, (d) conduct home visits by the community nurse at an earlier stage, (e) follow authorized guidelines for phototherapy and exchange transfusion, (f) lower plasma bilirubin concentration limits as an indication for phototherapy and exchange transfusion, (g) screen all term and near-term infants, and (h) measure the skin's yellow colour with a device that corrects for the skin's melanin content. Conclusions: Audit of the six cases presented indicates that measures are necessary in both the primary and secondary healthcare sectors if the risk of kernicterus is to be avoided. Screening may be considered, but in order to identify the problems it would first be reasonable to perform a larger prospective study in which audit is performed on all newborn infants, born at term and near-term, who develop a plasma bilirubin concentration above the exchange transfusion limit. [source] Equality and Merit: A Merit-Based Argument for Equity Policies in Higher EducationEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 4 2005Evan Simpson We assume, for the sake of argument, that the sole purpose of colleges and universities is the advancement of knowledge through teaching and research, and that academic merit, as defined by each discipline, ought to be the only relevant criterion in admissions and hiring decisions. Even on this restrictive set of assumptions, we argue that hiring and admitting women and people of color is sometimes the best way for colleges and universities to advance knowledge. We then address two objections to our argument, that race and sex are no more relevant than being left- or right-handed, and that the epistemic attributes we ascribe to women and people of color belong to people as individuals, not as members of certain groups. We conclude that academic merit and social justice are mutually compatible. [source] Temporary Work in the Public Services: Implications for Equal OpportunitiesGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2003Hazel M. Conley This article examines the impact of the growing number of temporary employment contracts in the public sector on equal opportunity theory, policy and practice. Quantitative and qualitative data from two case study local authorities are utilized to examine the mechanisms by which temporary work becomes an equal opportunities issue. A strong association between part-time work and temporary employment status is demonstrated as an important aspect of the gendered nature of temporary work. Links between ethnicity and temporary work are less clear but are based upon the insecurity of targeted funding for teachers and the under-valuation of the skills of the workers concerned. The data indicate that temporary workers are largely excluded from equal opportunity policy and practice, bringing into question a concept of equality that can permit less favourable treatment for certain groups of workers. It is argued that public sector restructuring, particularly concerning decentralization and the quest for flexibility, has facilitated the differential treatment of employees, thereby fundamentally eroding the basis of equal opportunity policy and practice. [source] (RE)MAPPING INDIGENOUS ,RACE'/PLACE IN POSTCOLONIAL PENINSULAR MALAYSIA,GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2006Alice M. Nah ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on how indigeneity has been constructed, deployed and ruptured in postcolonial Malay(si)a. Prior to the independence of Malaya in 1957, British colonial administrators designated certain groups of inhabitants as being ,indigenous' to the land through European imaginings of ,race'. The majority, politically dominant Malays were deemed the definitive peoples of this geographical territory, and the terrain was naturalized as ,the Malay Peninsula'. Under the postcolonial government, British conceptions of the peninsula were retained; the Malays were given political power and recognition of their ,special (indigenous) position' in ways that Orang Asli minorities,also considered indigenous - were not. This uneven recognition is evident in current postcolonial political, economic, administrative and legal arrangements for Malays and Orang Asli. In recent years, Orang Asli advocates have been articulating their struggles over land rights by drawing upon transnational discourses concerning indigenous peoples. Recent judicial decisions concerning native title for the Orang Asli potentially disrupt ethno-nationalist assertions of the peninsula as belonging to the ,native' Malays. These contemporary contests in postcolonial identity formations unsettle hegemonic geopolitical ,race'/place narratives of Peninsular Malaysia. [source] Peripheral tolerance limits CNS accumulation of CD8 T cells specific for an antigen shared by tumor cells and normal astrocytesGLIA, Issue 15 2008Thomas Calzascia Abstract T cell mediated immunotherapies are proposed for many cancers including malignant astrocytoma. As such therapies become more potent, but not necessarily more tumor-specific, the risk of collateral autoimmune damage to normal tissue increases. Tumors of the brain present significant challenges in this respect, as autoimmune destruction of brain tissue could have severe consequences. To investigate local immune reactivity toward a tumor-associated antigen in the brain, transgenic mice were generated that express a defined antigen (CW3170,179) in astroglial cells. The resulting six transgenic mouse lines expressed the transgenic self-antigen in cells of the gastrointestinal tract and CNS compartments, or in the CNS alone. By challenging transgenic mice with tumor cells that express CW3, self/tumor-specific immune responses were visualized within a normal polyclonal T cell repertoire. A large expansion of the endogenous CW3170,179 -specific CD8 T cell population was observed in nontransgenic mice after both subcutaneous and intracerebral implantation of tumor cells. In contrast, CW3170,179 -specific immune responses were not observed in transgenic mice that exhibited extracerebral transgene expression. Importantly, in certain groups of mice in which transgene expression was restricted to the CNS, antigen-specific immune responses occurred when tumor was implanted subcutaneously, but not intracerebrally. This local immune tolerance in the brain was induced via peripheral (extrathymic) rather than central (thymic) tolerance mechanisms. Thus, this study highlights the role of regional immune regulation in the prevention of autoimmunity in the brain, and the potential impact of these mechanisms for brain tumor immunotherapy. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Measuring the Quality of Diabetes Care Using Administrative Data: Is There Bias?HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 6p1 2003Nancy L. Keating Objectives. Health care organizations often measure processes of care using only administrative data. We assessed whether measuring processes of diabetes care using administrative data without medical record data is likely to underdetect compliance with accepted standards for certain groups of patients. Data Sources/Study Setting. Assessment of quality indicators during 1998 using administrative and medical records data for a cohort of 1,335 diabetic patients enrolled in three Minnesota health plans. Study Design. Cross-sectional retrospective study assessing hemoglobin A1c testing, LDL cholesterol testing, and retinopathy screening from the two data sources. Analyses examined whether patient or clinic characteristics were associated with underdetection of quality indicators when administrative data were not supplemented with medical record data. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The health plans provided administrative data, and trained abstractors collected medical records data. Principal Findings. Quality indicators that would be identified if administrative data were supplemented with medical records data are often not identified using administrative data alone. In adjusted analyses, older patients were more likely to have hemoglobin A1c testing underdetected in administrative data (compared to patients <45 years, OR 2.95, 95 percent CI 1.09 to 7.96 for patients 65 to 74 years, and OR 4.20, 95 percent CI 1.81 to 9.77 for patients 75 years and older). Black patients were more likely than white patients to have retinopathy screening underdetected using administrative data (2.57, 95 percent CI 1.16 to 5.70). Patients in different health plans also differed in the likelihood of having quality indicators underdetected. Conclusions. Diabetes quality indicators may be underdetected more frequently for elderly and black patients and the physicians, clinics, and plans who care for such patients when quality measurement is based on administrative data alone. This suggests that providers who care for such patients may be disproportionately affected by public release of such data or by its use in determining the magnitude of financial incentives. [source] The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actionsIBIS, Issue 4 2004Ian Newton In this paper, the main aspects of agricultural intensification that have led to population declines in farmland birds over the past 50 years are reviewed, together with the current state of knowledge, and the effects of recent conservation actions. For each of 30 declining species, attention is focused on: (1) the external causes of population declines, (2) the demographic mechanisms and (3) experimental tests of proposed external causal factors, together with the outcome of (4) specific conservation measures and (5) agri-environment schemes. Although each species has responded individually to particular aspects of agricultural change, certain groups of species share common causal factors. For example, declines in the population levels of seed-eating birds have been driven primarily by herbicide use and the switch from spring-sown to autumn-sown cereals, both of which have massively reduced the food supplies of these birds. Their population declines have been associated with reduced survival rates and, in some species, also with reduced reproductive rates. In waders of damp grassland, population declines have been driven mainly by land drainage and the associated intensification of grassland management. This has led to reduced reproductive success, as a result of lowered food availability, together with increased disturbance and trampling by farm stock, and in some localities increased nest predation. The external causal factors of population decline are known (with varying degrees of certainty) for all 30 species considered, and the demographic causal factors are known (again with varying degrees of certainty) for 24 such species. In at least 19 species, proposed causal factors have been tested and confirmed by experiment or by local conservation action, and 12 species have been shown to benefit (in terms of locally increased breeding density) from options available in one or more agri-environment schemes. Four aspects of agricultural change have been the main drivers of bird population declines, each affecting a wide range of species, namely: (1) weed-control, mainly through herbicide use; (2) the change from spring-sown to autumn-sown cereal varieties, and the associated earlier ploughing of stubbles and earlier crop growth; (3) land drainage and associated intensification of grassland management; and (4) increased stocking densities, mainly of cattle in the lowlands and sheep in the uplands. These changes have reduced the amounts of habitat and/or food available to many species. Other changes, such as the removal of hedgerows and ,rough patches', have affected smaller numbers of species, as have changes in the timings of cultivations and harvests. Although at least eight species have shown recent increases in their national population levels, many others seem set to continue declining, or to remain at a much reduced level, unless some relevant aspect of agricultural practice is changed. [source] Antifungal prophylaxis in adult stem cell transplantation and haematological malignancyINTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 6b 2008M. A. Slavin Abstract Antifungal prophylaxis can be recommended in patients undergoing induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia and treatment for grade 2 or greater or chronic extensive graft versus host disease. The evidence for prophylaxis is less clear in other clinical settings although certain groups such as patients with prolonged neutropenia after stem cell transplants using bone marrow or cord blood sources and with impaired cell mediated immunity secondary to treatments such as Alemtuzumab are at high risk. The decision to use prophylaxis and which agent to use will be influenced by effectiveness, number needed to treat and the likelihood of toxicity and drug interactions. The availability of rapid diagnostic tests for fungal infection and institutional epidemiology will also influence the need for and choice of prophylaxis. Whilst prophylaxis can be beneficial, it may impede the ability to make a rapid diagnosis of fungal infection by reducing the yield of diagnostic tests and change the epidemiology of fungal infection. As non-culture based diagnostic tests are refined and become more available there may be a shift from prophylaxis to early diagnosis and treatment. [source] Secularism as a Barrier to Integration?INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 3 2004The French Dilemma ABSTRACT This article focuses on the secularism debate currently taking place in France by examining how this issue impacts the integration of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants. Secularism is one of the key values of French Republicanism, but one which has been challenged by the establishment of a settled population of Muslim immigrants in France. The issue has been particularly highlighted by the affaire des foulards (headscarf affair), an ongoing debate over the rights of Muslim girls to wear a headscarf to secular French schools. Discussions of the principle of secularism and of its application have been even more intense in recent months with the publication in December 2003 of a report by the Stasi Commission, a commission set up by President Chirac to investigate the application of the principle of secularism, and by the passage of legislation intended to outlaw the wearing of any "overt" religious insignia in French schools. This article examines these recent developments in the context of the long-running debate over Muslim women's right to wear a headscarf in French schools. It argues that the current focus on secularism provides evidence of the return of assimilation as a primary objective of public policy (Brubaker, 2001) and the decreasing strength of the movement in favour of the droit à la différence (right to difference). Finally, the paper argues that this has provided important obstacles to the integration of certain groups of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants. [source] Potential for Alcohol and Prescription Drug Interactions in Older PeopleJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2005Kristine E. Pringle PhD Objectives: To examine the patterns and prevalence of concomitant alcohol and alcohol-interactive (AI) drug use in older people. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of survey and prescription claims data. Setting: The Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PA-PACE) program, a state-funded program providing prescription benefits to older people with low to moderate incomes. Participants: A total of 83,321 PA-PACE cardholders (age range 65,106) who were using any prescription medications at the time of survey completion. Measurements: All AI drugs were identified using a database of medication warning labels obtained from First DataBank. Prescription drug claims were used to characterize AI drug exposure according to therapeutic class of prescription drug use. A mail survey of PA-PACE cardholders was used to examine alcohol use, as well as sociodemographic and health factors associated with concomitant use of alcohol and AI drugs. Results: Seventy-seven percent of all prescription drug users were exposed to AI medications, with significant variation in exposure and concomitant alcohol use according to therapeutic class. Overall, 19% of AI drug users reported concomitant alcohol use, compared with 26% of non-AI drug users (P<.001). Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that certain groups of older people, including younger older people, men, and those with higher educational levels, were at greater risk for concomitant exposure to alcohol and AI drugs. Conclusion: Many older people use alcohol in combination with AI prescription drugs. Clinicians should warn every patient who is prescribed an AI drug about alcohol,drug interactions, especially those at high risk for concomitant exposure. [source] Satisfaction, loyalty and word of mouth within the customer base of a utility provider: differences between stayers, switchers and referral switchersJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 3 2004Florian Wangenheim Faculty of Economic, Social Science Abstract Research on satisfaction, loyalty and word of mouth (WOM) behaviour has made considerable progress within recent years, but important aspects remain neglected. In this paper, it is argued that, within the customer base of service providers, certain groups can be identified which differ from each other with regards to these variables. Hypotheses are developed and tested in a sample of 765 clients of a large German energy provider. The results show that recently acquired customers (switchers) differ from long-term customers (stayers), and that switchers acquired through customer referrals differ from switchers recruited through advertising or direct mail in their satisfaction, loyalty and WOM behaviour. The paper ends with some important implications for management and future research. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd. [source] Types of drinks consumed by infants at 4 and 8 months of age: sociodemographic variationsJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2000K. North Aim To investigate the variations in sociodemographic characteristics of mothers in relation to the types of milk and supplementary drinks consumed by their infants at 4 and 8 months of age. Study design The carers of a randomly chosen population sample of over 1000 infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC) were asked to record all foods and drinks consumed by the child in a 24-h period at both 4 and 8 months of age. Self-completion postal questionnaires were used to ascertain sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers and their infants. Methods Significant differences in the types of milks and supplementary drinks consumed within sociodemographic groups were identified. Infants were also grouped according to the types of milks they were receiving at each age and further differences in sociodemographic characteristics were investigated. Results Highly significant differences existed among various sociodemographic characteristics with regard to the types of drinks used at both ages. Maternal educational level was the most influential of the sociodemographic variables in explaining the differences in consumption of all types of drinks given at 4 months, in particular for breast milk use. Maternal age was also significantly associated with breast feeding. The use of fruit drinks was significantly associated with the presence of older siblings in the family and the use of herbal drinks with the duration of breast feeding. At 8 months of age maternal educational level was again the most highly associated of the sociodemographic variables, being significantly associated with the use of most of the drinks. The presence of older siblings also had a significant independent effect as did duration of breast feeding. The feeding of cows' (or animal) milk as a main drink at 8 months, contrary to recommendation, was most likely in the group of mothers with vocational education, those in council accommodation, those with two or more children and those with difficulty affording food. Conclusion We have identified certain characteristics of mothers who were more likely than others not to follow current recommendations on infant feeding. The educational level of mothers appears to be of major significance in the choices made about the types of drinks given to infants. It may be possible to target information about infant feeding to certain groups of mothers thus improving weaning patterns. [source] Looking through the Lens of Gender: A Postmodern Critique of a Modern Housing ParadigmJOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 2 2002Lucinda Kaukas Havenband M.A., M.Phil. ABSTRACT The shift from a modern to postmodern paradigm has dramatically impacted the nature and content of academic inquiry and has opened new categories and methods for research. Interior design has been traditionally critiqued on the basis of aesthetics, formal qualities, function, health and safety, and social/behavioral factors. A postmodern critique expands that criteria to include analysis of how designs may be inscribed with particular ideologies and meanings and consideration of how these meanings may empower or disempower certain groups, or philosophies. In a feminist critique, that analysis considers specifically the ideology of gender. This paper will demonstrate the use of the postmodern deconstructive method of "close reading" in a feminist critique of the Case Study program, a paradigm for modern housing in postwar America. A close reading makes the assumption that the text is not neutral and attempts to discover its biases by thoroughly examining how information has been edited, framed, explained, and constructed. Through this method every aspect of the design process as it has been documented will be scrutinized as texts to examine ideas about roles for women that are constructed through this method; it will not only demonstrate how ideological issues, specifically in this case about gender, can be inscribed within our designs for built spaces, but also provide a greater awareness of our ability as designers to perpetuate, create, or eliminate stereotypes. [source] A disaggregated empirical analysis of the determinants of IMF arrangements: Does one model fit all?JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 7 2009Graham Bird JEL: F33, F3 Abstract Does one model fit all when it comes to the determinants of IMF programs? Certainly claims have been made by the IMF that capital account crisis (CAC) countries are discernibly different in terms of the characteristics that lead them to borrow from it, while other research has claimed that it is only Asian economies that are different from the rest. This paper sets out to examine these issues. It tests various forms of a fairly conventional model to see whether some forms better fit certain groups of countries than others. It then uses the favoured models to estimate the probability of countries having an IMF arrangement. In particular it examines countries that have been identified by the Fund as CAC countries, but it also looks at a number of comparator countries. The findings suggest that there are some differences between low income and middle income countries. Pressures in the foreign exchange market are significant for the latter but not for the former. The paper also discusses differences between regions and within regions. Broadly speaking the findings confirm that Asian economies around the time of the 1997/1998 crisis tended to turn to the IMF for financial support more quickly than would have been anticipated on the basis of the existing best-fitting models. The paper also discusses the implications of the findings for policy and for the reform of the IMF. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Reproductive morphology of Brittanichthys axelrodi (Teleostei: Characidae), a miniature inseminating fish from South AmericaJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Robert Javonillo Abstract Light and electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphology of reproductive characters in a characid fish, Brittanichthys axelrodi. Spermatozoa were found in ovaries of females, thereby confirming insemination in this species. Bony hooks can be found on the fourth unbranched ray and branched rays 1,4 of the anal fin and the unique sigmoidally-curved ray of the caudal fin in mature males. Testes have three distinct regions: an anterior spermatogenic region, an aspermatogenic middle region lined with a simple squamous epithelium and used for storage of mature spermatozoa, and a posterior region of coiled chambers lined with a high simple cuboidal epithelium. The most posterior region appears to be instrumental in the formation and storage of spermatozeugmata, unencapsulated sperm packets. Thus far, this tripartite testis morphology is unique among characids. The mature spermatozoon has an elongate nucleus (,5 ,m in length). A striated rootlet originates at the anterior end of the distal centriole and continues to the anterior tip of the cell. The striated rootlet wraps around the entire ventral area of the anterior part of the nucleus and appears to continue around the anterior tip of the nucleus and down the dorsal side as electron-dense material. Several large, spherical mitochondria (,0.6 ,m in diameter) with lamellar cristae overlap the posterior end of the nucleus and continue beyond together with the cytoplasmic collar that contains the flagellum which lacks axonemal fins. Each spermatozeugma is lanceolate in shape when sectioned mid-sagitally, with the core staining positively for mucopolysaccharides. In both sexes, the gonopore opens posterior to the anus, with the urinary pore having a separate opening posterior to the gonopore. Bands of skeletal muscle were found in the area of the male gonopore. These morphological features are likely linked to the reproductive mode of insemination, a trait that is so far as known, relatively rare among teleost fishes, but is proving increasingly frequent among certain groups of characid fishes. J. Morphol, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Recent developments in the high-performance chelation ion chromatography of trace metalsJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 11 2007Pavel N. Nesterenko Abstract There have been a number of significant developments in the high-performance chelation ion chromatography (HPCIC) of trace metals in recent years. This review focuses on these developments, while giving important information on the fundamental parameters controlling the chelation sorption mechanism, including type of chelating group, stability constants, kinetics, and column temperature. The discussion pays particular attention to the types and properties of efficient chelating stationary phases which have been fabricated for certain groups of metals. The review also describes a number of major improvements in postcolumn reaction detection including the use of the latest reagents and noise reduction strategies to improve sensitivity and reduce LOD. In the final section, an indication of the applicability of HPCIC to a range of complex sample types is given with some key examples and chromatograms using the latest high-efficiency chelating phases. [source] Expert Review of the Evidence Base for Prevention of Travelers' DiarrheaJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009Herbert L. DuPont MD The most frequent illness among persons traveling from developed to developing countries is travelers' diarrhea. Travelers to high-risk regions traditionally have been educated to exercise care in food and beverage selection. Innovative research is needed to identify ways to motivate people to exercise this care and to determine its value. Chemoprophylaxis can be recommended for certain groups while monitoring for safety, drug resistance, and efficacy against all forms of bacterial diarrhea. Research to evaluate the value of immunoprophylaxis is recommended. In the following document, the authors used an evidence base when available to determine strength and quality of evidence and when data were lacking, the panel experts provided consensus opinion. [source] Class in the classroomNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 106 2005Janice Malcolm This chapter considers how class helps to construct the identity and ultimately the teaching of certain groups of educators, and it explores ways of making class explicit in the teacher education classroom. [source] How painful are amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling?,PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 1 2006Akos Csaba Abstract Objectives To compare the levels of pain and anxiety associated with amniocentesis (AC), transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS), and transcervical chorionic villus sampling (TC-CVS). Methods We prospectively administered a questionnaire about pain and anxiety to 124 women undergoing AC, 40 undergoing TA-CVS, and 24 undergoing TC-CVS for singleton pregnancies. The level of pain was quantified with numerical and pictorial scales and the degree of anxiety was quantified with a numerical scale (0,100 in increments of 10). Results The mean pain score for TA-CVS, 41.4 ± 18.1, was significantly higher than that for TC-CVS, 26.4 ± 25.3, p = 0.008. The mean pain score for AC, 35.1 ± 27.6, was intermediate. A higher degree of anxiety was associated with younger maternal age and nulliparity. A higher degree of anxiety was associated with a higher level of pain. Conclusion In general, each procedure is associated with a tolerable amount of pain. TA-CVS appears to be the most painful procedure while TC-CVS appears to be the least painful procedure. In certain groups of patients, the procedures may be associated with higher levels of pain and/or anxiety. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Safe place or ,catastrophic society'?THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 4 2000Perspectives on hazards, disasters in Canada The essay introduces public risk and destructive events in Canada, their conceptual and policy implications. The discussion is developed in four main steps. First, some widely held, if contradictory, perceptions of public security are identified. A relatively high level of personal safety for most Canadians is attributed to large government and private investments. But these have not prevented recurring disasters, nor singular vulnerability for certain groups and parts of the country. Meanwhile, some novel dangers of modern living compromise the safety of all Canadians. The second section examines evidence of losses from a broad range of hazards, and related, risk-averting investments. The national geography of dangers is shown to have been transformed and reorganized by post-World War II developments. Losses, even from natural hazards, are identified with common, nationwide behaviours and infrastructure, especially motorised mobility and consumer products. A fourth section looks at some appropriate conceptual frameworks. Charles Perrow's idea of ,organizational society' is considered, and Ulrich Beck's of ,risk society', including his view that late modern societies shift towards a ,catastrophic' condition. In general, the Canadian scene and these ideas support a human ecological view of modernity, but challenge an agent-specific and extreme event approach that had prevailed in hazards geography. ,Manufactured' vulnerability is a neglected but decisive element. The social space of risks is shown to be recast around changing priorities for, and social justice in, public security and emerging crises of personal safety. Risk aversion turns upon questions of the acceptability of risks, acceptance for and by whom, and how it is achieved. For academic work, this suggests a reexamination of risk knowledge and its ,social construction'. La dissertation aborde le sujet des évènements destructifs et du risque public au Canada, leurs implications conceptuels et de principe. La discussion est développée en quatre étapes principales. Premièrement, certaines perceptions de la sécurité publique tenues par beaucoup, non sans être contradictoires, sont identifiées. Un niveau relativement élevé de sécurité personnelle pour la plupart des canadiens est attribuéà un gouvernement de grande taille et aux investissements privés mais ceux-ci n'ont pas empêché des désastres de se reproduire, ni une vulnérabilité singulière pour certains groupes et certains endroits du pays. Entretemps, de nouveaux dangers de la vie moderne compromettent la sécurité de tous les canadiens. La deuxième section examine la preuve d'une perte à partir d'une gamme étendue de risques et d'investissement risqués et apparentés. II est montré que la géographie nationale des dangers a été transformée et réorganisée par des développements de l'après seconde guerre mondiale. Les pertes, même provenant de risques naturels, sont identifiées avec des comportements et infrastructures en commun et dans tout le pays, spécialement la mobilité motorisée et les produits de consommation. Une quatrième section examine les supports de travail conceptuels appropriés. L'idée de Charles Perrow d'une ,société structurelle' est prise en considération, et celle d'Ulrich Beck d'une ,sociétéà risque' comprenant sa vue que les dernières sociétés modernes s'accélèrent vers une condition ,catastrophique'. En général, le monde canadien et ces idées soutiennent une vue humaine et écologique de la modernité, mais défie un agent spécifique et une approche extrême des évènements qui avait prévalu dans la géographie des risques. La vulnérabilité,fabriquée' est un élément négligé mais décisif. II est démontré que le rôle de l'espace de risques social est redistribué selon des priorités qui changent pour, et la justice sociale dans, la sécurité publique et les crises qui émergent dans la sécurité personnelle. L'aversion des risques révolve autour des questions d'acceptabilité des risques, risques acceptés pour et par qui, et la façon dont cela est accompli. En ce qui concerne un travail théorique, cela suggère une réexamination de la connaissance des risques et de sa ,construction sociale'. [source] The dynamics of vulnerability: locating coping strategies in Kenya and TanzaniaTHE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005SIRI H ERIKSEN We investigate how smallholder farmers at two sites in Kenya and Tanzania cope with climate stress and how constraints and opportunities shape variations in coping strategies between households and over time during a drought. On the basis of this analysis, we draw out implications for adaptation and adaptive policy. We find that households where an individual was able to specialize in one favoured activity, such as employment or charcoal burning, in the context of overall diversification by the household, were often less vulnerable than households where each individual is engaged in many activities at low intensity. Many households had limited access to the favoured coping options due to a lack of skill, labour and/or capital. This lack of access was compounded by social relations that led to exclusion of certain groups, especially women, from carrying out favoured activities with sufficient intensity. These households instead carried out a multitude of less favoured and frequently complementary activities, such as collecting indigenous fruit. While characterized by suitability to seasonal environmental variations and low demands on time and cash investments, these strategies often yielded marginal returns. Both the marginalization of local niche products and the commercialization of forest resources exemplify processes leading to differential vulnerability. We suggest that vulnerability can usefully be viewed in terms of the interaction of such processes, following the concept of locality. We argue that coping is a distinct component of vulnerability and that understanding the dynamism of coping and vulnerability is critical to developing adaptation measures that support people as active agents. [source] Heterozygote Carrier Testing in High Schools Abroad: What are the Lessons for the U.S.?THE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 4 2006Lainie Friedman Ross M.D., Ph.D.Article first published online: 23 NOV 200 The main value of carrier detection in the general population is to determine reproductive risks. In this manuscript I examine the practice of providing carrier screening programs in the school setting. While the data show that high school screening programs can achieve high uptake, I argue that this may reflect a lack of full understanding about risks, benefits, and alternatives, and the right not to know. It may also reflect the inherent coercion in group testing, particularly for adolescents who are prone to peer pressure. The problem of carrier screening in the schools is compounded when the condition has a predilection for certain groups based on race, ethnicity or religion. I examine programs around the world that seek to test high school students for Tay Sachs and Cystic Fibrosis carrier status. I argue that carrier programs should be designed so as to minimize stigma and to allow individuals to refuse. The mandatory school environment cannot achieve this. Rather, I conclude that screening programs should be designed to attract young adults and not adolescents to participate in a more voluntary venue. [source] Body size and extinction risk in Australian mammals: An information-theoretic approachAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2010RYAN A. CHISHOLM Abstract The critical weight range (CWR) hypothesis for Australian mammals states that extinctions and declines have been concentrated in species with body mass between 35 g and 5.5 kg. The biological basis for this hypothesis is that species of intermediate size are disproportionately impacted by introduced predators. The CWR hypothesis has received support from several statistical studies over the past decade, although the evidence is weaker or non-existent for certain groups such as mesic-zone mammals and arboreal mammals. In this study, we employ an information-theoretic model selection approach to gain further insights into the relationship between body mass and extinction risk in Australian mammals. We find evidence, consistent with the CWR hypothesis, that extinction risk peaks at intermediate body masses for marsupials, rodents and ground-dwelling species, but not for arboreal species. In contrast to previous studies, we find that the CWR describes extinction patterns in the mesic zone as well as the arid zone. In the mesic zone, there is also a weaker tendency for large species above the CWR to be more vulnerable, consistent with extinction patterns on other continents. We find that a more biological plausible Gaussian distribution consistently fits the data better than the polynomial models that have been used in previous studies. Our results justify conservation programmes targeted at species within the CWR across Australia. [source] The Integrated Children's System and disabled childrenCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 3 2008Wendy Mitchell ABSTRACT The Integrated Children's System (ICS) is premised on a single approach to assessment/review, ideally providing a more coherent, comprehensive and efficient system of electronic information recording and sharing among different groups of practitioners. Despite its holistic aims for all children in need, questions have been raised about the use of ICS with certain groups of children, especially those who do not follow normative patterns, such as disabled children. This paper explores the introduction of ICS with disabled children and their families within four pilot authorities in England and Wales. Drawing on interviews and questionnaires with 16 social workers and 22 families experiencing assessment/reviews under the new ICS, this paper suggests that important questions and concerns regarding the appropriateness and usefulness for disabled children of the ICS remain, especially the use of ,standardized' exemplars. Five disability-specific areas of concern are identified, and their implications are considered. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||