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Raises Questions (raise + question)
Kinds of Raises Questions Selected AbstractsThe power of time: spatiotemporal scaling of species diversityECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 8 2003Peter B. Adler Abstract The species,area relationship (SAR) provides the foundation for much of theoretical ecology and conservation practice. However, by ignoring time the SAR offers an incomplete model for biodiversity dynamics. We used long-term data from permanent plots in Kansas grasslands, USA, to show that the increase in the number of species found with increasing periods of observation takes the same power-law form as the SAR. A statistical model including time, area, and their interaction explains 98% of variation in mean species number and demonstrates that while the effect of time depends on area, and vice versa, time has strong effects on species number even at relatively broad spatial scales. Our results suggest equivalence of underlying processes in space and time and raise questions about the diversity estimates currently used by basic researchers and conservation practitioners. [source] Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry: issues, concerns and conflicts of interestADDICTION, Issue 2009Thomas F. Babor ABSTRACT Aims Using terms of justification such as ,corporate social responsibility' and ,partnerships with the public health community', the alcoholic beverage industry (mainly large producers, trade associations and ,social aspects' organizations) funds a variety of scientific activities that involve or overlap with the work of independent scientists. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ethical, professional and scientific challenges that have emerged from industry involvement in alcohol science. Method Source material came from an extensive review of organizational websites, newspaper articles, journal papers, letters to the editor, editorials, books, book chapters and unpublished documents. Results Industry involvement in alcohol science was identified in seven areas: (i) sponsorship of research funding organizations; (ii) direct financing of university-based scientists and centers; (iii) studies conducted through contract research organizations; (iv) research conducted by trade organizations and social aspects/public relations organizations; (v) efforts to influence public perceptions of research, research findings and alcohol policies; (vi) publication of scientific documents and support of scientific journals; and (vii) sponsorship of scientific conferences and presentations at conferences. Conclusion While industry involvement in research activities is increasing, it constitutes currently a rather small direct investment in scientific research, one that is unlikely to contribute to alcohol science, lead to scientific breakthroughs or reduce the burden of alcohol-related illness. At best, the scientific activities funded by the alcoholic beverage industry provide financial support and small consulting fees for basic and behavioral scientists engaged in alcohol research; at worst, the industry's scientific activities confuse public discussion of health issues and policy options, raise questions about the objectivity of industry-supported alcohol scientists and provide industry with a convenient way to demonstrate ,corporate responsibility' in its attempts to avoid taxation and regulation. [source] Repeated restraint stress suppresses neurogenesis and induces biphasic PSA-NCAM expression in the adult rat dentate gyrusEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 4 2003Kara Pham Abstract Chronic restraint stress has been shown to induce structural remodelling throughout the interconnected dentate gyrus-CA3 fields. To find out how this stressor affects the rate of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, we subjected rats to acute or chronic restraint stress and assessed the proliferation, survival and differentiation of newly born cells in the dentate gyrus. We also examined polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule expression, a molecule normally expressed in immature neurons and important for morphological plasticity. The results show that acute restraint stress did not change either the proliferation of dentate gyrus precursor cells or the expression of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule, whereas 3 weeks of chronic restraint stress suppressed proliferation by 24% and increased polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule expression by 40%. The study was extended for an additional 3 weeks to trace the survival and development of the cells born after the initial 3 weeks of restraint. Rats subjected to 6 weeks of daily restraint stress exhibited suppressed cell proliferation and attenuated survival of the recently born cells after the extended time course, resulting in a 47% reduction of granule cell neurogenesis. Furthermore, 6 weeks of chronic stress significantly reduced the total number of granule cells by 13% and the granule cell layer volume by 5%. Expression of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule followed a biphasic time course, displaying a significant up-regulation after 3 weeks of daily restraint stress that was lost after 6 weeks of stress. These studies may help us understand the basis for hippocampal shrinkage and raise questions about the ultimate reversibility of the effects of chronic stress. [source] Getting the Smaller Picture: Small-Area Analysis of Public Expenditure Incidence and Deprivation in Three English CitiesFISCAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2000Glen Bramley Abstract This paper examines public expenditure incidence at small-area level in cities. The motivations for such research are briefly reviewed. The article reports on an attempt at measuring public expenditure across the majority of programmes down to the level of Census wards and the actual results obtained for three urban local authorities in England. The relationship between spending, income and deprivation is examined overall and for particular spending programmes, using a number of approaches including regression-based expenditure models. The conclusions suggest that spending is indeed targetted on poorer areas but raise questions about both the strength of this relationship and how best to measure deprivation and the need to spend. [source] Geography and Environmental Studies in Australia: Symbiosis for Survival in the 21st Century?GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002N. Harvey This paper presents the results of a detailed survey into the reasons for the spate of mergers between Geography and Environment Studies that took place in Australian universities from 1989 to 1999. The results, from a 1998 survey, suggest that the development of a symbiotic relationship between the two areas of study is merely a veneer masking a complexity of underlying factors. These include financial reasons, internal university politics, staff changes and mobility, and only in some cases, a genuine academic rationale for a merger. The paper concludes that the superficial appearance of a symbiosis between Geography and Environment Studies generally masks an opportunistic pragmatism which is very site specific in its complexity. The result has been a series of departmental mergers which, although providing a firmer financial footing, raise questions about the academic implications for the development of both study areas as we move into the third millennium. [source] Celebrating Ourselves: The Family Reunion Rituals of African-Caribbean Transnational FamiliesGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2004Constance R. Sutton In the past decade, family reunions have become an important ritualized event among Afro-Caribbean transnational migrants. Dispersed across a large number of North Atlantic countries, Afro-Caribbeans have turned to organizing events specifically designed to reunite kinfolk. The rituals constitute a celebration of family as a distinct social group with a kin-based, lineage-like identity. Re-creating kin ties among those spread across different nations and transmitting kin-based connections to their offspring are the main incentives for holding these rituals. In this article I describe three different recent family reunions, one held in Barbados, one in Grenada, and one in Trinidad and Barbados. I analyse the specific forms these rituals take, relate their differences from the social positioning of the core members of the kin groups and discuss the signifying practices of the reunions for maintaining Caribbean family connections in the diaspora. Finally, I raise questions about how the kin-based identities constructed in the reunion rituals intersect with race/class, ethnic and national identities. [source] Staunch protections: the ethics of haemophilia gene transfer researchHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 1 2008J. KIMMELMAN Summary., Haemophilia has long been considered an ideal system for validating human gene transfer (GT). However, haemophilia GT trials present a particular ethical challenge because they involve subjects whose medical condition is stabilized by standard therapies. Below, I review the ethics and risks of haemophilia GT clinical research. I propose several conditions and practices that strengthen the ethical basis for such trials. These include consultation with haemophilia advocacy organizations as trials are designed and executed, high standards of supporting evidence before trials are initiated, pretrial publication of this evidence, and the offer of indemnification for participants. I further argue against the conduct of paediatric haemophilia GT studies at this time, and raise questions about the fairness of recruiting economically disadvantaged subjects into studies that are primarily directed towards the health needs of persons in the developed world. [source] On the global distribution and dissemination of knowledgeINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 195 2009Nico Stehr Our article centres on the question in the sense in which it may be possible to speak of global knowledge, in the first instance. Is it the necessary outcome and the intellectual mark of an age of globalising knowledge societies or is the global demand for the dissemination of knowledge systems trying to answer universally perceived problems? What changes occur to knowledge as it travels and for whom does its globalisation yield benefit or harm? Knowledge must be differentiated from mere information and its locally embedded nature poses serious challenges to opportunities and obstacles for its horizontal and vertical dissemination. Further, global worlds of knowledge raise questions over the ownership of knowledge. Intellectual property claims should be discussed with reference to opposing views, such as those concerning the thesis of knowledge's self-protective character. Some political and certain idealistic conceptions regard knowledge as common property par excellence. While trade in services and products as well as the digital communications revolution are identified as major vehicles for the dissemination of knowledge, it is yet an open question as to whether they will result in the unhindered dissemination of knowledge or in concentrating it. The second section of the article overviews and introduces the articles in this volume. [source] Challenges and Opportunities for Developing and Implementing Incentives to Improve Health-Related Behaviors in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2010Eran Klein MD There is growing interest in using patient-directed incentives to change health-related behaviors. Advocates of incentive programs have proposed an ambitious research agenda for moving patient incentive programs forward. The unique cognitive and psychological features of older adults, however, present a challenge to this agenda. In particular, age-related changes in emotional regulation, executive function, and cognitive capacities, and a preference for collaborative decision-making raise questions about the suitability of these programs, particularly the structure of current financial incentives, for older adults. Differences in decision-making in older adults need to be accounted for in the design and implementation of financial incentive programs. Financial incentive programs adjusted to characteristics of older adult populations may be more likely to improve the lives of older persons and the economic success of programs that serve them. [source] Mixed aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities in benzene-contaminated groundwaterJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009A. Aburto Abstract Aims:, To investigate the factors affecting benzene biodegradation and microbial community composition in a contaminated aquifer. Methods and Results:, We identified the microbial community in groundwater samples from a benzene-contaminated aquifer situated below a petrochemical plant. Eleven out of twelve groundwater samples with in situ dissolved oxygen concentrations between 0 and 2·57 mg l,1 showed benzene degradation in aerobic microcosm experiments, whereas no degradation in anaerobic microcosms was observed. The lack of aerobic degradation in the remaining microcosm could be attributed to a pH of 12·1. Three groundwaters, examined by 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, with low in situ oxygen concentrations and high benzene levels, each had a different dominant aerobic (or denitrifying) population, either Pseudomonas, Polaromonas or Acidovorax species. These groundwaters also had syntrophic organisms, and aceticlastic methanogens were detected in two samples. The alkaline groundwater was dominated by organisms closely related to Hydrogenophaga. Conclusions:, Results show that pH 12·1 is inimical to benzene biodegradation, and that oxygen concentrations below 0·03 mg l,1 can support aerobic benzene-degrading communities. Significance and Impact of the Study:, These findings will help to guide the treatment of contaminated groundwaters, and raise questions about the extent to which aerobes and anaerobes may interact to effect benzene degradation. [source] Responsibilities of Criminal Justice OfficialsJOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY, Issue 2 2010KIMBERLEY BROWNLEE abstract In recent years, political philosophers have hotly debated whether ordinary citizens have a general pro tanto moral obligation to follow the law. Contemporary philosophers have had less to say about the same question when applied to public officials. In this paper, I consider the latter question in the morally complex context of criminal justice. I argue that criminal justice officials have no general pro tanto moral obligation to adhere to the legal dictates and lawful rules of their offices. My claim diverges not only from the commonsense view about such officials, but also from the positions standardly taken in legal theory and political science debates, which presume there is some general obligation that must arise from legal norms and be reconciled with political realities. I defend my claim by highlighting the conceptual gap between the rigid, generalised, codified rules that define a criminal justice office and the special moral responsibilities of the various moral roles that may underpin that office (such as guard, guardian, healer, educator, mediator, counsellor, advocate, and carer). After addressing four objections to my view, I consider specific contexts in which criminal justice officials are obligated not to adhere to the demands of their offices. Amongst other things, the arguments advanced in this paper raise questions about both the distribution of formal discretion in the criminal justice system and the normative validity of some of the offices that presently exist in criminal justice systems. [source] Emerging perspectives on customer relationships, interactions and loyalty in Irish retail financial servicesJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2 2006Deirdre O'Loughlin This paper presents the key findings in relation to current consumer perspectives on the role of relationships, the nature of loyalty and types of customer interaction from an in-depth qualitative consumer study of Irish retail banking. Although the literature proposes that the RM approach is particularly applicable to the financial services sector, the research findings identify key supply and demand-related changes within Irish financial services and raise questions as to the appropriateness of general RM theory to the current nature of interaction between consumers and their financial suppliers. Key customer factors such as low involvement, apathy and dissatisfaction have resulted in much apparent customer loyalty actually being spurious. More important for customers in this study was how convenient the bank was for their lifestyle. In an age in which increased depersonalisation and automation impact upon the nature of consumer-supplier interaction and service delivery, it would appear that the concepts of relationship and loyalty need to be fundamentally re-examined and their role and relevance within current retail financial services re-appraised. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Plant invasions and the nicheJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Andrew S. MacDougall Summary 1For plant invaders, being different is often equated with being successful, yet the mechanistic connection remains unclear. 2Classic niche theory predicts that invaders with niches distinct from the native flora should coexist with little interaction with native species, yet such invaders often have substantial impacts. Meanwhile, invaders that overlap in niche space with native species should either be repelled or dominate, yet these invaders often naturalize with little effect. Such discrepancies between theory and observation raise questions about how species differences influence invader establishment and impact. 3Here, we review these issues in light of recent work on coexistence theory, which shows how niche and fitness differences between natives and invaders interact to determine invasion outcomes. We show how successful invader establishment depends on either a fitness advantage or niche difference from resident species, but that only the former allows invaders to become dominant. 4By identifying the role of niche and fitness differences in leading invasion hypotheses, we unify their predictions for invasion success while highlighting new approaches for evaluating the importance of species differences for invasion. 5Synthesis. Situating the invasion process within a recent coexistence framework broadens our understanding of invasion mechanisms and more tightly links problems in invasion ecology with our more general understanding of community dynamics. [source] Hot topics in aging research: protein translation, 2009AGING CELL, Issue 6 2009Brian K. Kennedy Summary In the last few years, links between regulation of mRNA translation and aging have been firmly established in invertebrate model organisms. This year, a possible relationship between mRNA translation and aging in mammals has been established with the report that rapamycin increases lifespan in mice. Other significant findings have connected translation control with other known longevity pathways and provided fodder for mechanistic hypotheses. Here, we summarize advances in this emerging field and raise questions for future studies. [source] Consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour in meerkats (Suricata suricatta)JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 8 2010S. ENGLISH Abstract Although recent models for the evolution of personality, using game theory and life-history theory, predict that individuals should differ consistently in their cooperative behaviour, consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour have rarely been documented. In this study, we used a long-term data set on wild meerkats to quantify the repeatability of two types of cooperative care (babysitting and provisioning) within individuals and examined how repeatability varied across age, sex and status categories. Contributions to babysitting and provisioning were significantly repeatable and positively correlated within individuals, with provisioning more repeatable than babysitting. While repeatability of provisioning was relatively invariant across categories of individuals, repeatability of babysitting increased with age and was higher for subordinates than dominants. These results provide support for theoretical predictions that life-history trade-offs favour the evolution of consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour and raise questions about why some individuals consistently help more than others across a suite of cooperative behaviours. [source] Is bruxism severity a predictor of oral splint efficacy in patients with myofascial face pain?JOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 1 2003K. G. Raphael summary, Both the efficacy and mechanism of any effect of oral splint therapy for patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a matter of controversy. To address these issues, this study tested the hypothesis that oral splints produce the most marked pain relief for those TMD patients with myofascial face pain (MFP) who also brux (i.e. grind or clench) more than other MFP patients. In a 6-week randomized controlled clinical trial, 52 women with MFP were randomly assigned to receive either a full-coverage hard acrylic splint or a palatal-only splint. Bruxism was assessed both by self-report and by an objective assessment of molar microwear changes over a 2-week period prior to the start of the trial. Tested across multiple outcome measures, results indicated that those receiving the full-coverage splint had marginally better improvement on some pain-related measures than those receiving the palatal splint, but severity of bruxism did not moderate the therapeutic effect of the full-coverage splint. These findings strongly argue against the belief that oral splints reduce MFP by reducing bruxism and raise questions about the importance of bruxism in the maintenance of MFP. [source] The implications of healthcare reforms for the profession of nursingNURSING INQUIRY, Issue 2 2001Robert Dingwall The implications of healthcare reforms for the profession of nursing This paper offers a wide-ranging analysis of concerns that the value of emotion work within nursing is being eroded. We examine the occupation's historical development to argue that, in so far as emotion work has any essence within nursing, it is as an occupational myth which has been deployed to legitimate nurses' jurisdictional claims. We argue that recent developments in health-care raise questions about the benefits of claims of this kind and suggest that a little more realism about the nature of nursing work might make for a more sustainable professional future. [source] Fifteen-year quest for microphthalmia-associated transcription factor target genesPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Yann Cheli Summary Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) was initially shown to play a key role in melanocyte differentiation through the direct transcriptional control of TYROSINASE, TYRP1 and DCT genes, encoding the three enzymes involved in melanin synthesis or melanogenesis. Sixteen years after the first description of MITF, more than 40 direct MITF target genes have been described. They play a key role in melanocyte, osteoclast and mast cell specific functions. Furthermore, several MITF target genes, e.g. BCL2, CDK2, CDKN1A, CDKN2A, MET and HIF1A, link MITF to general cellular processes such as growth or survival. In this review, we provide an overview of the MITF-regulated genes. We pay special attention to the MITF target genes in melanocytes and raise questions about target specificity. [source] The effect of knowledge types on consumer-perceived risk and adoption of genetically modified foodsPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 2 2007Deon Klerck Scientists have asserted that genetically modified (GM) food offers financial, environmental, health, and quality benefits to society, but the realization of such benefits depends on consumer acceptance of this new technology. Consumer concerns about GM food raise questions about what consumers know about GM food and to what extent this knowledge translates into their evaluations of GM products. The present research empirically examines the effect of both objective and subjective knowledge on perceived risk and, in turn, key consumer behaviors associated with GM food. The results reveal that objective knowledge about GM food significantly reduces performance and psychological risks, whereas subjective knowledge influences only physical risk, and the valence of that impact depends on the level of the consumer's objective knowledge. Furthermore, different risk types enhance consumers' information search and reduce their propensity to buy GM food. The overall findings thus suggest the need for cooperation among government, scientific institutions, and the food industry to foster effective communication strategies that increase consumers' objective knowledge, reduce their risk perceptions, and encourage consumer adoptions of GM technology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Social Justice or Market Justice?PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2002The Paradoxes of Public Health Partnerships with Managed Care Public health is increasingly joining forces with managed care, yet the effect of this partnership on public health nursing (PHN) has received little scrutiny. The feasibility and consequences of a public,private alliance raise questions about whether the mission of public health can be sustained in a managed care system and whether managed care's approaches to health care are conducive to providing population-oriented care. Expanding the links between PHN and private organizations is both problematic and promising. Managed care organizations have much to offer, including coordination of services and comprehensive care. However, they may also restrict coverage and create bureaucratic obstacles to obtaining services. The growth of for-profit health care corporations evokes questions about ways in which concern for communities and populations collide with stockholder interests. The task for PHN is to recognize and to dialogue about these complexities so that nursing's voice can be heard as solutions to these dilemmas are created. [source] ORIGINAL RESEARCH,ENDOCRINOLOGY: Transdermal Testosterone Gel prn Application for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Premenopausal Women: A Controlled Pilot Study of the Effects on the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale for Females and Sexual Function QuestionnaireTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007Bella Chudakov MD ABSTRACT Introduction., Several studies suggest that increased plasma testosterone can improve sexual function and desire in post-oophorectomy or postmenopausal women. However, side effects of chronic daily testosterone raise questions about the generalizability of this treatment approach. Sublingual testosterone was reported to cause testosterone levels to peak after 15 minutes and then decline to baseline levels within 90 minutes. Three to 4 hours after reaching testosterone peak, increased genital sensations and sexual lust were reported. Aim., We hypothesized that a singe dose of testosterone given 4,8 hours prior to planned intercourse in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) might increase desire without side effects associated with chronic use. Methods., The design was randomized double-blind crossover. Premenstrual women with HSDD received eight packets of gel or identical placebo for use before intercourse twice weekly for 1 month. For a second month, the alternate treatment was given. Main Outcome Measures., Ratings were performed using the patient-rated Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale for females and the clinician-rated Sexual Function Questionnaire (SFQ-V1). Results., Ten patients completed the study. On the five-item self-report Arizona, the item "How easily are you aroused?" was significantly improved on testosterone gel vs. placebo, P = 0.03. There were similar trends on the physician-rated SFQ-V1 "arousal,sensation" cluster. Conclusions., These preliminary results suggest that testosterone gel given prn before intercourse has effects on sexual arousal, and further research is needed to define dosage and time schedule to optimize this effect and determine its clinical relevance. Chudakov B, Ben Zion IZ, and Belmaker RH. Transdermal testosterone gel prn application for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women: A controlled pilot study of the effects on the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale for females and Sexual Function Questionnaire. J Sex Med 2007;4:204,208. [source] Exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis after withdrawal of phenytoin and carbamazepineANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2007Joel A. Black PhD Objective In vitro observations and studies in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) have shown protective effects of sodium channel blockers on central nervous system axons and improved clinical status when treatment is continued throughout the period of observation. Several clinical studies of sodium channel blockers are under way in patients with multiple sclerosis. Here we asked whether a protective effect would persist after withdrawal of a sodium channel blocker. Methods We studied a mouse model of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein,induced EAE treated with phenytoin or carbamazepine. Results Both phenytoin and carbamazepine significantly improved the clinical course of the disease. Withdrawal of phenytoin resulted in acute exacerbation, accompanied by a significantly increased inflammatory infiltrate within the central nervous system and the death of nearly 60% of EAE mice. There were no clinical worsening or deaths in control mice after withdrawal of phenytoin. Withdrawal of carbamazepine led to acute worsening of EAE symptoms, increased inflammatory infiltrate, and was associated with the death of 8% of mice. Interpretation These results, together with results showing effects of sodium channel blockers in immune cells, raise questions about the long-term effects of sodium channel blockers in neuroinflammatory disorders, and suggest that clinical studies of sodium channel blockers in these disorders should be planned carefully. Ann Neurol 2007 [source] Paradox, Ambiguity, and the Re-Creation of Self: Reflections on a Narrative from NepalANTHROPOLOGY & HUMANISM, Issue 1 2004Ernestine McHugh At the core of this article is an account of a woman in Nepal whose life was shattered and who renounced the world and re-created a sense of self that was rich with meaning, although not fully free of the pain of living. In examining her narrative, and a ritual that in some ways runs parallel to it, I raise questions about the value of paradox and ambiguity in the construction of selves. [source] "A Boggy, Soggy, Squitchy Picture, Truly": Notes on Image Making in Anthropology and ElsewhereANTHROPOLOGY & HUMANISM, Issue 2 2000Dale Pesmen In order to raise questions about coherence and about aspects of ethnographic practices, this essay moves between thoughts on a passage from Melville's Moby Dick, anthropology based onfieldwork in Russia in the 1990s, and descriptions of a couple of experiments in painting. [source] II,Comment on Munoz -Dardé's,Liberty's Chains'ARISTOTELIAN SOCIETY SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME, Issue 1 2009Niko Kolodny Munoz-Dardé (2009) argues that a social contract theory must meet Rousseau's ,liberty condition': that, after the social contract, each ,nevertheless obeys only himself and remains as free as before'. She claims that Rousseau's social contract does not meet this condition, for reasons that suggest that no other social contract theory could. She concludes that political philosophy should turn away from social contract theory's preoccupation with authority and obedience, and focus instead on what she calls the ,legitimacy' of social arrangements. I raise questions about each of these claims. [source] FAIRE DE SON HISTOIRE UNE BOUCLE (NOIRE): WAYS OF LOOKING AT TRISTAN TZARAART HISTORY, Issue 1 2009ELIZABETH LEGGE A close examination of pictorial and verbal portraits of Tzara, by both himself and others (Breton, Louis Aragon, Picabia, Germaine Everling, Man Ray, Hans Arp) , as filtered in the art and texts of the dadas and their critics through adaptations of cabbalism, Tao-inflected Africanism, spirit photography and Maurice Barrès's ponderously mystical nationalism , yields a peculiar portrait of Paris dada, and of Tristan Tzara's ethical role within it. Anti-Semitic slurs against Tzara, used as weapons in dada power politics, while construable as a knowingly disingenuous use of cliché and caricature, raise questions of idiom. Raoul Hausmann's Mechanical Head: the Spirit of Our Time (1919) is analysed as an exemplary approach to dada portraiture, in which constellations of contradictory readymade attributes and associations, including anti-Semitic stereotypes, configure a tragicomic array of received social constructions, revolutionary aspirations, prejudices and ambivalences that constitute individuals as social actors within and outside dada. [source] Newly qualified teachers' learning related to their use of information and communication technology: a Swedish perspectiveBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Sven B. Andersson This qualitative study focuses on newly qualified teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for meeting the challenges of their everyday work. The overarching aim is to investigate whether they can contribute to new knowledge about learning in ICT contexts. Theoretical points of departure concern the changeable nature of learning in situations where ways of communicating knowledge and skills are changed. The study draws upon interviews and observations. The findings show intersections picturing the new technique as partly changing the circumstances for teaching, learning and collaboration between colleagues. The new teachers' utterances show that ICT utilisation is extensive and exhibits great variation both among female and among male participants. Boundary-crossing changes become visible in the collaboration between more experienced teachers and those who are newly qualified, especially when they work on a common development project. However, there are relatively few teachers who bring up active ICT use in connection with pupils' learning. Changed roles because of ICT competence raise questions about the importance of systematic ICT features within teacher education. Many of the newly qualified teachers wish they had more knowledge about ICT and related techniques. Another question is whether newly qualified teachers who show interest in using the technique can take on the role as agents of change in their active and creative use of ICT. [source] Police Pay and Bargaining in the UK, 1978,2000BRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2003Laurie Hunter Police pay and conditions in the UK are governed by a unique mechanism, the Police Negotiating Board. This paper reviews the circumstances in which it was set up and examines the outcomes, relative to other public service workers, over the first twenty years of its operation. Recent developments highlight the role of ministerial intervention and raise questions about the relationship between the PNB negotiating system and working practice at police force level. [source] Combined hERG channel inhibition and disruption of trafficking in drug-induced long QT syndrome by fluoxetine: a case-study in cardiac safety pharmacologyBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2006J C Hancox Drug-induced prolongation of the rate-corrected QT interval (QTCI) on the electrocardiogram occurs as an unwanted effect of diverse clinical and investigational drugs and carries a risk of potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. hERG (human ether-à-go-go-related gene) is the gene encoding the ,-subunit of channels mediating the rapid delayed rectifier K+ current, which plays a vital role in repolarising the ventricles of the heart. Most QTCI prolonging drugs can inhibit the function of recombinant hERG K+ channels, consequently in vitro hERG assays are used widely as front-line screens in cardiac safety-testing of novel chemical entities. In this issue, Rajamani and colleagues report a case of QTCI prolongation with the antidepressant fluoxetine and correlate this with a dual effect of the drug and of its major metabolite norfluoxetine on hERG channels. Both compounds were found to produce an acute inhibition of the hERG channel by pharmacological blockade, but in addition they also were able to disrupt the normal trafficking of hERG protein to the cell membrane. Mutations to a key component of the drug binding site in the S6 region of the channel greatly attenuated channel block, but did not impair disruption of trafficking; this suggests that channel block and drug effects on trafficking were mediated by different mechanisms. These findings add to growing evidence for disruption of hERG channel trafficking as a mechanism for drug-induced long QT syndrome and raise questions as to possible limitations of acute screening methods in the assessment of QTcI prolonging liability of drugs in development. British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 149, 457,459. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706890 [source] Antecedent use of fluoroquinolones is associated with resistance to moxifloxacin in Clostridium difficileCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 6 2003G. Ackermann Objective Moxifloxacin is characterized by high activity against Gram-positive cocci and some Gram-positive and -negative anaerobes, including Clostridium difficile. This study investigates the role of prior quinolone use in relation to patterns of susceptibility of C. difficile to moxifloxacin. Methods Sixty-three clinical isolates of C. difficile were investigated for toxigenicity, susceptibility to moxifloxacin, and mutations in the DNA gyrase gene. The medical histories for 50 of these patients were available and used to identify previous fluoroquinolone use. Results Thirty-three (52.4%) strains showed resistance to moxifloxacin (MICs ,,16 mg/L). All moxifloxacin-resistant strains harbored a mutation at amino acid codon Ser-83 of gyrA. Forty-five isolates (71.4%) were toxigenic; all moxifloxacin-resistant strains were in this group. Resistance to moxifloxacin was associated with prior use of fluoroquinolones (P -value 0.009, chi-square). Conclusions Although the use of moxifloxacin to treat C. difficile -associated diarrhea is not likely to be common, these data show a relationship between antecedent fluoroquinolone use and resistance to moxifloxacin in C. difficile isolates, and raise questions regarding selection pressure for resistance placed on colonizing bacteria exposed to fluoroquinolones. Mutations in gyrA are involved in moxifloxacin resistance. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||