THE COMPOSITION OF THE POOR IN THB REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: A SURVEY OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH. ESRI Working Paper No. 5, February 1988

This paper surveys the available research on the nature of poverty in Ireland. It focuses mainly on the composition of the poor. The paper summarises for the reader the results of the available research on the characteristics of the groups and categories of people most in need. It illustrates some of the conceptual and methodological problems in the measurement of poverty while making the reader aware of some of approaches used in Ireland to tackle these problems

Community Partner Indicators of Engagement: An Action Research Study on Campus-Community Partnership

The central purpose of this research study was to develop common indicators of engagement for civic initiatives between institutions of higher education and their community organization partners. The unique aspect of this study was that the indicators were generated by the community organizations participating as stakeholders in campus-community partnerships. Using an action research methodology that involved eleven community organization participants from the health and wellness sector, the study advocated for research that provided a deeper understanding of the perspectives of community organizations. Findings suggested that significant divides existed in core civic areas dealing with service-learning, relevance of academic research, and equitable treatment of community partners. The study produced a formal set of community partner indicators of engagement that were developed by the participants in the study and disseminated to higher education leaders. The indicators illustrated the expectations of community partners that engaged in civic partnerships with higher education. Additionally, the study provided an analysis of the literature on civic engagement, identifying a lack of empirical research concerned with the perspectives of community organization partners. The electronic version of the dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD center http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/

Justifications for K-12 education standards, goals, and curriculum

In the contemporary U.S., the state, through the Legislative Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education, sets policies for K-12 education. These include goals and standards that affect the kinds of influences local officials, parents, and students can have on various education programs, required and elective coursework, graduation requirements, and curriculum content. The state ought to be able to justify their education policies to citizens. I argue here for a pragmatist informed "minimalist approach" to justifying education policies. This approach has state officials (and subsequently local officials) use local, situated reasons for justifying their education standards, goals, and curriculum. I argue that if state officials utilize a minimalist approach to justify education policies, it will be easier for citizens to contest (or support) the state's policies because the language employed will better represent citizen's local, situated common experiences, and be contestable on those grounds. One consequence of this minimalist approach is that state officials could exclude justifications that are made by appealing to isolated, abstract conceptions. Isolated, abstract conceptions are, as pragmatists such as Rorty have argued, transcendental in nature and doomed to failure; fortunately, as the pragmatist defense of a minimalist approach shows, they are also unnecessary. Some implications of adopting a pragmatist-informed approach is that the state should give up terms and phrases that attempt to (i) construct a unifying theory for justification or for truth; (ii) construct and somehow universally justify a single best particular method for interpreting texts and analyzing scientific processes; and/or (iii) construct comprehensive and complete standards. Rather, state officials ought to identify local, situated reasons for particular policies. From these local appeals, state officials could construct a minimal set of education policies that leave room for local officials and teachers to have particular freedoms in constructing programs, projects, and curricula. I approach this argument through a critique of select education policies in Oregon, Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee. I argue that these policies, like many education policies and standards, lack adequate justifications. Those justifications that are provided are too vague and susceptible to interpretations that are not relevant to the particular purposes of the policies. For instance, certain policies have illegitimately led to the denial of funding for "Ethnic Studies" programs in Arizona, or allowed for irrelevant teacher and student criticisms of theories within the sciences to be explored and entertained as legitimate in Tennessee classrooms. My recommendations, if followed, would give state officials grounds for excluding the concerns of citizens that are not relevant to particular policies and provide a legitimate, justifiable basis for constructing state education policies

Higher Education Exchange: 2008

This annual publication serves as a forum for new ideas and dialogue between scholars and the larger public. Essays explore ways that students, administrators, and faculty can initiate and sustain an ongoing conversation about the public life they share.The Higher Education Exchange is founded on a thought articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1820: "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."In the tradition of Jefferson, the Higher Education Exchange agrees that a central goal of higher education is to help make democracy possible by preparing citizens for public life. The Higher Education Exchange is part of a movement to strengthen higher education's democratic mission and foster a more democratic culture throughout American society.Working in this tradition, the Higher Education Exchange publishes interviews, case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies

Metformin Uptake and Translocation in Chickpeas: Determination Using Liquid Chromatography−Mass Spectrometry

Multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, and common respiratory problems are prevalent in over one-fourth of Americans, and separate drugs are prescribed to manage each of the diseases. The nutritive crop seeds loaded with multiple drugs could be a cheap and sustainable alternative to drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies. Our long-term goal is to produce chickpea seeds containing comparable dosages of multiple drugs regularly prescribed for managing MCC. In this work, we conducted experiments to understand the uptake and translocation of metformin into the tissues of chickpea to demonstrate the applicability of LC–HR-ToF-MS in determining metformin concentration, and to investigate responses of increased dosage of metformin and it’s accumulation into the chickpea seed. We treated the chickpea plants with 100 and 500 mg/L metformin chloride and analyzed its concentration in the leaf, stem, and seeds. We observed that metformin was successfully uptaken by chickpeas plant and translocated to stem, leaf, and seeds in both treatments. We also observed that the metformin concentration is responsive and as high as 349 times increase in seed when the dosage was increased from 100 to 500 mg/L

Optimasi Metode Cryotherapy Untuk Mengeliminasi Virus Pada Tunas Kentang in Vitro

Penggunaan benih kentang generasi awal dan bebas virus merupakan kunci keberhasilan produksi kentang berkualitas. Cryotherapy (perendaman dalam nitrogen cair) merupakan teknik terbaru untuk mengeliminasi virus pada benih kentang. Salah satu kendala dalam penerapan teknologi cryotherapy ialah tingkat daya hidup eksplan yang masih rendah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektifitas teknik enkapsulasi-dehidrasi untuk mendapatkan tunas yang sehat setelah perendaman dalam nitrogen cair. Ujung tunas in vitro ukuran 2–3 mm dari empat genotipe kentang di prakultur selama 3 hari secara bertahap pada media MS dengan penambahan gula 0,25 M, 0,5 M, dan 0, 75 M. Kemudian tunas dienkapsulasi, didehidrasi selama 5 jam, lalu direndam dalam nitrogen cair selama 60 menit lalu dihangatkan kembali dalam waterbath selama 3 menit. Tunas dalam kapsul kemudian dikulturkan pada media MS +30 g/l sukrosa + 8 g/l agar + 0,4 mg/l BAP + 1 mg/l GA3 untuk pemulihan, lalu dipelihara di ruang kultur dengan suhu 24oC. Daya hidup ujung tunas diamati pada minggu ke-8 dengan menggunakan kriteria skoring sebagai berikut: (1) pemutihan jaringan dan tidak ada respons pertumbuhan, (2) kalus mencokelat, (3) kalus hijau, (4) tumbuh tunas, dan (5) planlet sehat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan daya hidup ujung tunas bervariasi antargenotipe. Skor daya hidup berkisar 1–2 (frekuensi 2–10) pada perlakuan nitrogen cair, yang menunjukkan tidak ada respons pertumbuhan tunas, beberapa memperlihatkan pertumbuhan kalus. Tunas pada perlakuan kontrol (tanpa perendaman dalam nitrogen cair) menunjukkan skor daya hidup 5 (frekuensi 1–7), di mana ujung tunas mampu beregenerasi menjadi planlet

Optimasi Metode Cryotherapy untuk Mengeliminasi Virus pada Tunas Kentang In Vitro (Optimation of Cryotherapy Method to Eliminate Virus on In Vitro Potato Shoot Tips)

Penggunaan benih kentang generasi awal dan bebas virus merupakan kunci keberhasilan produksi kentang berkualitas. Cryotherapy (perendaman dalam nitrogen cair) merupakan teknik terbaru untuk mengeliminasi virus pada benih kentang. Salah satu kendala dalam penerapan teknologi cryotherapy ialah tingkat daya hidup eksplan yang masih rendah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektifitas teknik enkapsulasi-dehidrasi untuk mendapatkan tunas yang sehat setelah perendaman dalam nitrogen cair. Ujung tunas in vitro ukuran 2–3 mm dari empat genotipe kentang di prakultur selama 3 hari secara bertahap pada media MS dengan penambahan gula 0,25 M, 0,5 M, dan 0, 75 M. Kemudian tunas dienkapsulasi, didehidrasi selama 5 jam, lalu direndam dalam nitrogen cair selama 60 menit lalu dihangatkan kembali dalam waterbath selama 3 menit. Tunas dalam kapsul kemudian dikulturkan pada media MS +30 g/l sukrosa + 8 g/l agar + 0,4 mg/l BAP + 1 mg/l GA3 untuk pemulihan, lalu dipelihara di ruang kultur dengan suhu 24oC. Daya hidup ujung tunas diamati pada minggu ke-8 dengan menggunakan kriteria skoring sebagai berikut: (1) pemutihan jaringan dan tidak ada respons pertumbuhan, (2) kalus mencokelat, (3) kalus hijau, (4) tumbuh tunas, dan (5) planlet sehat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan daya hidup ujung tunas bervariasi antargenotipe. Skor daya hidup berkisar 1–2 (frekuensi 2–10) pada perlakuan nitrogen cair, yang menunjukkan tidak ada respons pertumbuhan tunas, beberapa memperlihatkan pertumbuhan kalus. Tunas pada perlakuan kontrol (tanpa perendaman dalam nitrogen cair) menunjukkan skor daya hidup 5 (frekuensi 1–7), di mana ujung tunas mampu beregenerasi menjadi planlet.KeywordsCryopreservation; Solanum tuberosum; Kultur jaringan tanaman; Eliminasi virusAbstractVirus-free, early generation seed is a key in the production of high quality potatoes. Cryotherapy (exposure to liquid nitrogen) is a new and promising method of virus elimination. One bottleneck in cryotheraphy method is survival of the explants after treatment with liquid nitrogen. This study investigated the effectiveness of enkapsulasi-dehidrasi method to obtain survival explants. Shoot tips were precultured for 3 days in MS media with sucrose addition of 0.25 M, 0.5 M and 0.75 M. Shoot tips were then encapsulate, dehydrate for 5 hours, expose to liquid nitrogen for 60 minutes and rewarm in waterbath for 3 minutes. Beads with shoot tips were then cultured in MS media + 30 g/l sucrose + 8 g/l agar + 0.4 mg/l BAP + 1 mg/l GA3 for recovery, and placed in 24oC culture room. Shoot tip survival was assessed at 8 weeks using the following scoring criteria: (1) tissue bleaching and no growth response, (2) brown callus, (3) green callus, (4) shoot growth, and (5) plantlet establishment. Survival was varied among genotypes. Survival scored between 1–2 (frequency 2–10) on liquid nitrogen treatment, showing shoot tips are mostly has no growth response, only some callus growth. Shoot tips on control treatment (without exposure in liquid nitrogen) shows survival scored 5 (frequency 1–7), i.e. shoot tips able to regenerate into plantlets

Ampullary cancers harbor ELF3 tumor suppressor gene mutations and exhibit frequent WNT dysregulation

The ampulla of Vater is a complex cellular environment from which adenocarcinomas arise to form a group of histopathologically heterogenous tumors. To evaluate the molecular features of these tumors, 98 ampullary adenocarcinomas were evaluated and compared to 44 distal bile duct and 18 duodenal adenocarcinomas. Genomic analyses revealed mutations in the WNT signaling pathway among half of the patients and in all three adenocarcinomas irrespective of their origin and histological morphology. These tumors were characterized by a high frequency of inactivating mutations of ELF3, a high rate of microsatellite instability, and common focal deletions and amplifications, suggesting common attributes in the molecular pathogenesis are at play in these tumors. The high frequency of WNT pathway activating mutation, coupled with small-molecule inhibitors of β-catenin in clinical trials, suggests future treatment decisions for these patients may be guided by genomic analysis

An Evaluation of 10 Percent and 20 Percent Benzocaine Gels in Patients With Acute Toothaches: Efficacy, Tolerability and Compliance With Label Dose Administration Directions

Background The authors evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels compared with those of a vehicle (placebo) gel for the temporary relief of toothache pain. They also assessed the compliance with the label dose administration directions on the part of participants with toothache pain. Methods Under double-masked conditions, 576 participants self-applied study gel to an open tooth cavity and surrounding oral tissues. Participants evaluated their pain intensity and pain relief for 120 minutes. The authors determined the amount of gel the participants applied. Results The responders’ rates (the primary efficacy parameter), defined as the percentage of participants who had an improvement in pain intensity as exhibited by a pain score reduction of at least one unit on the dental pain scale from baseline for two consecutive assessments any time between the five- and 20-minute points, were 87.3 percent, 80.7 percent and 70.4 percent, respectively, for 20 percent benzocaine gel, 10 percent benzocaine gel and vehicle gel. Both benzocaine gels were significantly (P ≤ .05) better than vehicle gel; the 20 percent benzocaine gel also was significantly (P ≤ .05) better than the 10 percent benzocaine gel. The mean amount of gel applied was 235.6 milligrams, with 88.2 percent of participants applying 400 mg or less. Conclusions Both 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels were more efficacious than the vehicle gel, and the 20 percent benzocaine gel was more efficacious than the 10 percent benzocaine gel. All treatments were well tolerated by participants. Practical Implications Patients can use 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels to temporarily treat toothache pain safely

Retrospective analysis of molecular scores for the prediction of distant recurrence according to baseline risk factors

This work was funded by grants from Cancer Research UK (programme Grant C569-A16891), the Royal Marsden NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and AstraZenec