Randomised controlled trial of fish oil supplement to treat cancer cachexia

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: Our overall aim is to provide an overview of interventions for preventing falls in older people by summarising the evidence from multiple Cochrane intervention reviews that evaluate the effects (primarily, rate of falls and number of fallers) of these interventions in different populations of older people, such as those defined by setting or by specific medical conditions. Fall prevention interventions will include those in the following categories: supervised or unsupervised exercises; medication; surgery; management of urinary incontinence; fluid or nutrition therapy; psychological; environment and assistive technologies; social environment; knowledge/education interventions and any other interventions that do not fall into one of these categories (Lamb 2007). Interventions tested may belong to one category ('single' intervention), or more than one category ('multiple' and 'multifactorial' interventions)

A Strong Upper Limit on the Pulsed Radio Luminosity of the Compact Object 1RXS J141256.0+792204

The ROSAT X-ray source 1RXS J141256.0+792204 has recently been identified as a likely compact object whose properties suggest it could be a very nearby radio millisecond pulsar at d = 80 - 260pc. We investigated this hypothesis by searching for radio pulsations using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We observed 1RXS J141256.0+792204 at 385 and 1380MHz, recording at high time and frequency resolution in order to maintain sensitivity to millisecond pulsations. These data were searched both for dispersed single pulses and using Fourier techniques sensitive to constant and orbitally modulated periodicities. No radio pulsations were detected in these observations, resulting in pulsed radio luminosity limits of L_400 ~ 0.3 (d/250pc)^2 mJy kpc^2 and L_1400 ~ 0.03 (d/250pc)^2 mJy kpc^2 at 400 and 1400MHz respectively. The lack of detectable radio pulsations from 1RXS J141256.0+792204 brings into question its identification as a nearby radio pulsar, though, because the pulsar could be beamed away from us, this hypothesis cannot be strictly ruled out.Comment: To appear in A&A. 3 page

Public Participation Organizations and Open Policy:A Constitutional Moment for British Democracy?

This article builds on work in Science and Technology Studies and cognate disciplines concerning the institutionalization of public engagement and participation practices. It describes and analyses ethnographic qualitative research into one “organization of participation,” the UK government–funded Sciencewise program. Sciencewise’s interactions with broader political developments are explored, including the emergence of “open policy” as a key policy object in the UK context. The article considers what the new imaginary of openness means for institutionalized forms of public participation in science policymaking, asking whether this is illustrative of a “constitutional moment” in relations between society and science policymaking

Precision determination of absolute neutron flux

A technique for establishing the total neutron rate of a highly-collimated monochromatic cold neutron beam was demonstrated using a method of an alpha-gamma counter. The method involves only the counting of measured rates and is independent of neutron cross sections, decay chain branching ratios, and neutron beam energy. For the measurement, a target of 10B-enriched boron carbide totally absorbed the neutrons in a monochromatic beam, and the rate of absorbed neutrons was determined by counting 478keV gamma rays from neutron capture on 10B with calibrated high-purity germanium detectors. A second measurement based on Bragg diffraction from a perfect silicon crystal was performed to determine the mean de Broglie wavelength of the beam to a precision of 0.024 %. With these measurements, the detection efficiency of a neutron monitor based on neutron absorption on 6Li was determined to an overall uncertainty of 0.058 %. We discuss the principle of the alpha-gamma method and present details of how the measurement was performed including the systematic effects. We also describe how this method may be used for applications in neutron dosimetry and metrology, fundamental neutron physics, and neutron cross section measurements.Comment: 44 page

Scapegoat: John Dewey and the character education crisis

Many conservatives, including some conservative scholars, blame the ideas and influence of John Dewey for what has frequently been called a crisis of character, a catastrophic decline in moral behavior in the schools and society of North America. Dewey’s critics claim that he is responsible for the undermining of the kinds of instruction that could lead to the development of character and the strengthening of the will, and that his educational philosophy and example exert a ubiquitous and disastrous influence on students’ conceptions of moral behavior. This article sets forth the views of some of these critics and juxtaposes them with what Dewey actually believed and wrote regarding character education. The juxtaposition demonstrates that Dewey neither called for nor exemplified the kinds of character-eroding pedagogy his critics accuse him of championing; in addition, this paper highlights the ways in which Dewey argued consistently and convincingly that the pedagogical approaches advocated by his critics are the real culprits in the decline of character and moral education

Regional brain metabolism in a murine systemic lupus erythematosus model

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by multiorgan inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders (NPSLE), and antinuclear antibodies. We previously identified a subset of anti-DNA antibodies (DNRAb) cross-reactive with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, present in 30% to 40% of patients, able to enhance excitatory post-synaptic potentials and trigger neuronal apoptosis. DNRAb + mice exhibit memory impairment or altered fear response, depending on whether the antibody penetrates the hippocampus or amygdala. Here, we used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) microPET to plot changes in brain metabolism after regional blood-brain barrier (BBB) breach. In DNRAb + mice, metabolism declined at the site of BBB breach in the first 2 weeks and increased over the next 2 weeks. In contrast, DNRAb mice exhibited metabolic increases in these regions over the 4 weeks after the insult. Memory impairment was present in DNRAb + animals with hippocampal BBB breach and altered fear conditioning in DNRAb + mice with amygdala BBB breach. In DNRAb + mice, we observed an inverse relationship between neuron number and regional metabolism, while a positive correlation was observed in DNRAb mice. These findings suggest that local metabolic alterations in this model take place through different mechanisms with distinct time courses, with important implications for the interpretation of imaging data in SLE subjects

Comprehension as social and intellectual practice: Rebuilding curriculum in low socioeconomic and cultural minority schools

This article reframes the concept of comprehension as a social and intellectual practice. It reviews current approaches to reading instruction for linguistically and culturally diverse and low socioeconomic students, noting an emphasis on comprehension as autonomous skills. The Four Resources model (Freebody & Luke, 1990) is used to make the case for the integration of comprehension instruction with an emphasis on student cultural and community knowledge, and substantive intellectual and sociocultural content in elementary school curricula. Illustrations are drawn from research underway on the teaching of literacy in primary schools in low SES communities

Skills, strategies, sport and social responsibility : reconnecting physical education

Physical education is one of the more difficult subjects in the curriculum for generalist classroom teachers in primary schools to incorporate confidently into their teaching. In many primary schools, the generalist classroom teacher defers to a physical education specialist. This situation has both positive and negative features. In this context, this study brings together several prominent models of physical education teaching in an approach that enables the curriculum to be encountered through the interests of the children. This approach offers a generalist teacher, through appropriate professional development, a means for delivering a high-quality physical education programme, and also complements the repertoire of the specialist physical education teacher at both primary and secondary school levels.<br /