A comparative study of positive versus negative polarity in the treatment of acute ankle sprains utilizing high voltage electrogalvanic stimulation

Electrical stimulation has long been used in the treatment of a variety of ailments. Its current uses range from muscle re-education and orthotic substitute to scoliosis management and edema control. I chose to study the effect of electrode polarity in high voltage electrogalvanic stimulation in the treatment of edema for several reasons. I had access to subjects because I was the only physical therapist at the Stockton Orthopedic Medical Group. High voltage electrogalvanic stimulation is a commonly used modality in treating edema (Brown, 1981). High voltage generators have a polarity switch, and the direction manual which accompanies the Electro-Med generator used by the Stockton Orthopedic Medical Group states that the negative pole should be used for edema reduction. (Instruction manual for high voltage Electrogalvanic Stimulator, 1977). However, the effect of electrode polarity on edema reduction has not been demonstrated, nor documented in the literature

Cuban Color Classification and Identity Negotiation: Old Terms in a New World

This thesis analyzes how the Cuban Revolution's transnational discourse on blackness positively affected social attitudes, allowing color identity to be negotiated using color classification terms previously devalued. In the Caribbean and Latin America, most systems of social stratification based on color privilege "whiteness" both socially and culturally; therefore, individuals negotiate their identities with whiteness as the core element to be expressed. This dissertation examines how this paradigm has been overturned in Cuba so that "blackness" is now the featured aspect of identity. This is due in part to the popular response to the government's rhetoric which engages in an international political discourse of national identity designed to situate Cuba contextually in opposition to the United States in the global politics of color. This shift has occurred in a dialectic environment of continued negative essentialized images of Blacks although blackness itself is now en vogue. The dialogue that exists between state and popular forms of racial categorization serves to recontextualize the meanings of "blackness" and the values attached to it so that color classification terms which indicate blackness are assumed with facility in identity negotiation. In the past, the concepts of whitening and mestizaje (race mixture) were employed by the state with the goal of whitening the Cuban population so that Cuba would be perceived as a majority white country. Since the 1959 Revolution, however, the state has publicly claimed that Cuba is an Afro-Latin nation. This pronouncement has resulted in brown/mestizo/mulatto and not white as being the national ideal. The symbolic use of mestizaje in Cuban society and the fluidity inherent in the color classification system leaves space for manipulation from both ends of the color spectrum and permits Cubans from disparate groups to come together under a shared sense of identity. The ideology of the state and the popular perceptions of the symbolism that the mulatto represents were mediated by a color continuum, which in turn was used both by the state and the populace to construct, negotiate, maintain, and manipulate color identities. This study demonstrates that although color classification was not targeted by the government as an agent to convey blackness, it nevertheless does, and the shift in how identity is negotiated using racial categories can be viewed as the response of the populace to the state's otherwise silent dialogue on "race" and identity

Late Holocene environmental variability in the upper San Francisco Estuary as reconstructed from tidal marsh sediments

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Tidal marsh sediments collected from Browns Island in the lower Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, California, are used to reconstruct environmental variability over the past 6.8 ka. Calibrated radiocarbon dates provide chronostratigraphic control. Trace metal analyses, grain-size variability, organic content, and macrofossils are used to define short- and long-term variations in relative salinity and inundation frequency. Aggradation began in subtidal fresh water conditions about 6.8 ka. Subtidal aggradation of clayey silts continued until about 6.3 ka, when conditions shifted toward a lower intertidal brackish marsh environment. By 5.1 ka, a brackish marsh plain had evolved, with surface water freshening after 4.1 ka. Conditions returned to brackish similar to the present after 2.3 ka

The Impact of Short Breaks on Families with a Disabled Child: Report One of the Quantitative Phase

This document reports on a cross-sectional sample of families with a disabled child using short breaks in England; it describes the characteristics of children and families using short breaks, the nature and quantity of the short breaks they are using, their experiences of and satisfaction with short breaks and which factors are associated with a range of outcomes for family carers, disabled children and their siblings. This report uses both quantitative data derived from standardised questions and qualitative data from family members’ written responses to open-ended questions in the survey instruments

The impacts of short break provision on disabled children and families: an international literature review

For over 30 years, short breaks have been part of the landscape of support provision for families with a disabled child. Historically, the term ‘respite care’ has been used in much of the research literature concerning short breaks for families with a disabled child. However, ‘short breaks’ has become the preferred term, partly due to the negative connotations of family carers requiring ‘respite’ from their children, and partly because short breaks now encompass a much wider range of supports than out-of-home placement in specialist residential facilities (Cramer and Carlin, 2008). As such, the term ‘short breaks’ will be used throughout this review, with the exception of direct quotes from research studies where the term ‘respite’ is used by study participants or study authors

iPads to Enhance User Engagement During Reference Interactions

The University of the Pacific Library’s iPad project is a coordinated effort to implement and assess the use of iPads to enhance user engagement during reference interactions. The project aims to enrich reference transactions and increase student interactivity by allowing students to use iPads at the reference desk to search the library’s resources concurrently with the librarian. Chapter 2 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 48, no. 8) “Rethinking Reference and Instruction with Tablets” presents a review of the literature that pertains to both the service aims of academic reference and its relationship to technology. The chapter discusses the logistics of the implementation process, including librarian training and the creation of core competencies for iPad use in a reference setting. Findings that were gathered from student and librarian surveys following one semester of project implementation are reported

Genetic Manipulation of Ruminant Mammary Epithelial Cells in Primary Culture

Much work has been carried out into the control of milk protein secretion in rodents, but relatively little is known about ruminant species. Practical, financial and statistical constraints preclude studies in vivo, while no satisfactory in vitro model currently exists. In addition, the cloning of milk protein genes and the development of transgenic technology have opened up new opportunities for directing the expression of foreign proteins in milk. Gene constructs are traditionally tested in mice, but results cannot necessarily be extrapolated to other species. The aim of this project was to establish a ruminant cell culture system suitable for the study of mammary gland function, and the evaluation of transgenes prior to the generation of transgenic livestock. Mammary epithelial cells were isolated from sheep or goats in the final trimester of pregnancy by enzymatic digestion with collagenase and hyaluronidase. Cells were fractionated by Percoll density gradient centrifugation. Cell typing of isolated cells showed that fraction 3 consisted predominantly of epithelial cells, with small numbers of myoepithelial and fibroblastic cells present. Culture of these cells on extracellular matrix derived from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm mouse sarcoma resulted in the formation of three-dimensional structures, termed mammospheres, and induction of milk protein secretion. Cells were found to be responsive both to substratum and to the lactogenic hormone prolactin, suggesting that this model may provide the most useful in vitro system to date. Cells were also successfully differentiated following recovery from liquid nitrogen, although synthetic and secretory activity was approximately 60% of that of freshly prepared cells. Transfection of primary ruminant epithelial cells following optimisation, resulted in transfection efficiencies of ~0.3%>. This low transfection rate necessitated extended passaging of cells. Investigation of differentiation following passaging showed that sheep cells did not secrete milk proteins after passage 2, while in goat cells beta-lactoglobulin, alphas1-casein, and more importantly, alpha-lactalbumin were detected at late passage (passage 5-7), although in declining amounts. In addition, sheep cells were increasingly susceptible to the harvesting procedure, while this had no discernible detrimental effect on goat cells. Cell typing of passaged cells showed a loss of myoepithelial and fibroblastic cell types, with increasing passage, concomitant with the loss of secretory function. Expression of reference constructs in ruminant mammary epithelial cells resulted in the successful detection of only one foreign product, human alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT). This construct was known to be expressed at very high levels (30 mg/ml) in vivo. Although post-translational processing was not investigated, resolution of proteins by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting detected a single band running at the expected position of human AAT, when cells were cultured on EHS matrix in the presence of prolactin. Detection of other transgene products was unsuccessful. This culture system provides a good model for the study of ruminant mammary gland function. In particular, the ability of cells to differentiate after cryopreservation increases feasibility and provides consistent starting material for large numbers of experiments. If the problems of loss of differentiation with passaging and/or low transfection efficiencies can be resolved, the manipulation or insertion of genes provides new opportunities to study mammary function or to evaluate transgenes prior to the generation of transgenic animals

The Meaning of Quality in Kinship Foster Care: Caregiver, Child, and Worker Perspectives

Copyright 2002 Families International, Inc.Though principles, guidelines, and procedures for assessing the quality of foster care in kinship settings have been introduced, research on the factors that mediate the quality and outcome of kinship care has been minimal. To provide insight into these factors from the perspectives of kinship stakeholders, this article presents findings from a qualitative study conducted with kinship caregivers, children living with relatives, and caseworkers of children in kinship placements. Their views on quality care in kinship homes, including factors to consider in the selection and evaluation of kinship placements and opinions of how kinship and nonkinship foster care differ, make unique contributions to the development of standards and measures for kinship foster care assessment. Findings confirm the salience of specific factors present in existing guidelines, build on existing recommendations for the selection and evaluation of kinship homes, and highlight important policy and practice issues for consideration with kinship families