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Background: The human peripheral nervous system embodies anatomical, physiologic, and diagnostic perplexities that remain unexplained. Yet in the course of human history, there are no mechanisms, such as computed tomography (CT) or radiography, by which to image the peripheral nervous system in vivo using a contrast agent that is identified by ionizing radiation, which would aid in surgical navigation, diagnostic radiology, and basic science thereof. Methods: A novel class of contrast was created by linking iodine to lidocaine. The radiodensity of 0.5% experimental contrast molecule was compared with a control of 1% lidocaine by placing 1.5-mL aliquots of each liquid into centrifuge tubes and performing micro–computed tomography (micro-CT) synchronously under identical settings. Physiologic binding to the sciatic nerve was evaluated by injecting 10 mg of the experimental contrast and 10 mg of the control into the contralateral sciatic nerve, and documenting loss of hindlimb function and recovery. In vivo visualization of the sciatic nerve was evaluated by injecting 10 mg of experimental contrast or control into either sciatic nerve and imaging the hindlimbs under identical conditions using micro-CT. Results: The mean Hounsfield unit of the contrast was 56.09 compared with −0.48 for control (116-fold increase, P =.0001). Hindlimb paresis revealed similar degree of paresis, baseline recovery, and time to recovery. In vivo enhancement between the contralateral sciatic nerves was similar. Conclusion: Iodinated lidocaine offers a viable mechanism for in vivo peripheral nerve imaging using CT; however, it requires modification to improve in vivo radiodensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has emerged as a powerful tool used by public health authorities to track SARS-CoV-2 infections in communities. In May 2020, the Houston Health Department began working with a coalition of municipal and academic partners to develop a wastewater monitoring and reporting system for the city of Houston, Texas. Data collected from the system are integrated with other COVID-19 surveillance data and communicated through different channels to local authorities and the general public. This information is used to shape policies and inform actions to mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19 at municipal, institutional, and individual levels. Based on the success of this monitoring and reporting system to drive public health protection efforts, the wastewater surveillance program is likely to become a standard part of the public health toolkit for responding to infectious diseases and, potentially, other disease-causing outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In children with cerebral palsy, flexion deformities of the knee can be treated with a distal femoral extension osteotomy combined with either patellar tendon advancement or patellar tendon shortening. The purpose of this study was to establish a consensus through expert orthopedic opinion, using a modified Delphi process to describe the surgical indications for distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar tendon advancement/patellar tendon shortening. A literature review was also conducted to summarize the recent literature on distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar tendon shortening/patellar tendon advancement. Method: A group of 16 pediatric orthopedic surgeons, with more than 10 years of experience in the surgical management of children with cerebral palsy, was established. The group used a 5-level Likert-type scale to record agreement or disagreement with statements regarding distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar tendon advancement/patellar tendon shortening. Consensus for the surgical indications for distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar tendon advancement/patellar tendon shortening was achieved through a modified Delphi process. The literature review, summarized studies of clinical outcomes of distal femoral extension osteotomy/patellar tendon shortening/patellar tendon advancement, published between 2008 and 2022. Results: There was a high level of agreement with consensus for 31 out of 44 (70%) statements on distal femoral extension osteotomy. Agreement was lower for patellar tendon advancement/patellar tendon shortening with consensus reached for 8 of 21 (38%) of statements. The literature review included 25 studies which revealed variation in operative technique for distal femoral extension osteotomy, patellar tendon advancement, and patellar tendon shortening. Distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar tendon advancement/patellar tendon shortening were generally effective in correcting knee flexion deformities and extensor lag, but there was marked variation in outcomes and complication rates. Conclusion: The results from this study will provide guidelines for surgeons who care for children with cerebral palsy and point to unresolved questions for further research. Level of evidence: level V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing expansion of renewable energies entails major spatial reconfigurations with social, environmental, and political dimensions. These emerging geographies are, however, in the process of taking shape, as their early configurations are still open to democratic intervention and contestation. While a recent line of research highlights the prominent role that maps are playing in directing such processes, the potential effects of countermapping on these evolving geographies have not yet been explored. In this article, we present a countermapping initiative promoting a dialogue between critical geography, political ecology, and environmental justice. Our work is the result of an alliance between Geocomunes—a collective of activist cartographers based in Mexico—and the EjAtlas—a global collaborative project tracking cases of grassroots mobilizations against environmental injustices. We take the case of Mexico's low-carbon development strategy to dissect the spatial expansion of wind and solar mega-projects at both national and regional scales. Our project consists of a series of databases and maps aimed to "fill" the spaces and relations otherwise "emptied" by the state's cartographic tools designed to promote investments in the sector. When presenting our results, we highlight how renewable energy projects in Mexico have so far juxtaposed with local territories, peoples, and resources, in ways that trigger instances of environmental injustice on the ground. We close this article by discussing the role of critical cartography and countermapping in building alternative political–economic projects for the energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critique of fossil fuel regimes has been a foundational concern for the field of political ecology, in its drives to expose the injustices and harms of energy extractivism and its early warnings of the climate crisis. However, it is increasingly evident that renewable energy sources and their infrastructures will carry their own costs and trade-offs, and that critique, resistance and alternative movement-building are needed to forge a truly just renewable energy transition. This theme issue underlines the many ways in which political ecology is well-positioned to lead critical and engaged scholarship in support of energy/climate justice. In this introduction and survey, we draw on new research collected here to reflect on political ecology's distinctive analytical capacities and forms of praxis for this task. We argue that the collection advances political ecology's intellectual and political purchase on renewable transition in several crucial ways. These include (1) Theorizing Renewables-Driven Land Transformations, (2) Advancing Industrial Political Ecologies of Renewables, (3) Locating Power within Technical and Artifactual Politics and (4) Generating Knowledge and Tools for Just Transitions. We conclude with reflections on further pressing concerns for the field: for example, rising debates over scale, ownership and accountability models within renewable energy justice and democracy movements and critical conversations growing around renewable energy's own extraction geographies and diverse forms of racialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish consensus for the assessment of foot alignment and function in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy, using expert surgeon’s opinion through a modified Delphi technique. Methods: The panel used a five-level Likert-type scale to record agreement or disagreement with 33 statements regarding the assessment of foot alignment and function. Consensus was defined as at least 80% of responses being in the highest or lowest of two of the five Likert-type ratings. General agreement was defined as 60%–79% falling into the highest or lowest two ratings. There was no agreement if neither threshold was reached. Results: Consensus was achieved for 25 (76%) statements, general agreement for 4 (12%) statements, and lack of consensus for 4 (12%) of the statements. There was consensus that the functional anatomy of the foot is best understood by dividing the foot into three segments and two columns. Consensus was achieved concerning descriptors of foot segmental alignment for both static and dynamic assessment. There was consensus that radiographs of the foot should be weight-bearing. There was general agreement that foot deformity in children with cerebral palsy can be classified into three levels based on soft tissue imbalance and skeletal malalignment. Conclusion: The practices identified in this study can be used to establish best care guidelines, and the format used will be a template for future Delphi technique studies on clinical decision-making for the management of specific foot segmental malalignment patterns commonly seen in children with cerebral palsy. Level of Evidence: V [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop consensus for the surgical indications of anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis in children with cerebral palsy using expert surgeon opinion through a modified Delphi technique. Methods: The panel used a 5-level Likert-type scale to record agreement or disagreement with 27 statements regarding anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis. Consensus was defined as at least 80% of responses being in the highest or lowest 2 of the Likert-type ratings. General agreement was defined as 60%–79% falling into the highest or lowest 2 ratings. Results: For anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis, 27 statements were surveyed: consensus or general agreement among the panelists was achieved for 22 of 27 statements (22/27, 82%) and 5 statements had no agreement (5/27, 18%). There was general consensus that anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis is indicated for ambulatory children with cerebral palsy, with at least 2years growth remaining, and smaller (<30degrees) knee flexion contractures and for minimally ambulatory children to aid in standing/transfers. Consensus was achieved regarding the importance of close radiographic follow-up after screw insertion to identify or prevent secondary deformity. There was general agreement that percutaneous screws are preferred over anterior plates due to the pain and irritation associated with plates. Finally, it was agreed that anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis was not indicated in the absence of a knee flexion contracture. Conclusion: Anterior distal femur hemiepiphysiodesis can be used to treat fixed knee flexion contractures in the setting of crouch gait, but other associated lever arm dysfunctions must be addressed by single-event multilevel surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is marked variation in indications and techniques for hamstring surgery in children with cerebral palsy. There is particular uncertainty regarding the indications for hamstring transfer compared to traditional hamstring lengthening. The purpose of this study was for an international panel of experts to use the Delphi method to establish consensus indications for hamstring surgery in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy. Methods: The panel used a five-level Likert-type scale to record agreement or disagreement with statements regarding hamstring surgery, including surgical indications and techniques, post-operative care, and outcome measures. Consensus was defined as at least 80% of responses being in the highest or lowest two of the five Likert-type ratings. General agreement was defined as 60%–79% falling into the highest or lowest two ratings. There was no agreement if neither of these thresholds was reached. Results: The panel reached consensus or general agreement for 38 (84%) of 45 statements regarding hamstring surgery. The panel noted the importance of assessing pelvic tilt during gait when considering hamstring surgery, and also that lateral hamstring lengthening is rarely needed, particularly at the index surgery. They noted that repeat hamstring lengthening often has poor outcomes. The panel was divided regarding hamstring transfer surgery, with only half performing such surgery. Conclusion: The results of this study can help pediatric orthopedic surgeons optimize decision-making in their choice and practice of hamstring surgery for ambulatory children with cerebral palsy. This has the potential to reduce practice variation and significantly improve outcomes for ambulatory children with cerebral palsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is positioning itself as a global leader in both renewable energy research, development, and deployment, and fossil fuel investment, exploration, and consumption. The newly merged mega-company, China Energy Investment Corp., has agreed to invest an unprecedented $83.7 billion into shale gas, power, and chemical projects in West Virginia. This decision comes after a visit to China by the United States' President Trump, during which he secured professed commitments for over $250 billion in energy investments across the United States. While investment and dispossession in Appalachia have long been international in scope, the scale of this investment, as well as its particular political-historical context, makes this case unique. This paper analyzes two key processes central to this conjuncture in West Virginia's recent history. First, building on recent scholarship, it argues that the ways in which the social and environmental costs of meeting China's energy needs are increasingly being externalized into global "sacrifice zones" at global scales, even as China is making massive domestic investments in renewable energy, may constitute a sort of regional "socioecological fix" to the environmental effects of capitalist development. Second, via a consideration of Gaventa's classic and more recent analyses of power and powerlessness in an Appalachian coal community, it explores why and how political assent to such development—which seems to reprise so many historical patterns that local critics decry—is secured in West Virginia. In doing so, it pays particular attention to the ways in which these familiar processes are playing out in a distinctive contemporary context, one characterized by a combination of populist and authoritarian politics that, in the United States, have touted false promises to "bring back coal" and rejuvenate a struggling local economy, and in China have led an authoritarian state to maintain economic growth for the nation at all costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was for an international panel of experts to establish consensus indications for distal rectus femoris surgery in children with cerebral palsy (CP) using a modified Delphi method. Methods: The panel used a five-level Likert scale to record agreement or disagreement with 33 statements regarding distal rectus femoris surgery. The panel responded to statements regarding general characteristics, clinical indications, computerized gait data, intraoperative techniques and outcome measures. Consensus was defined as at least 80% of responses being in the highest or lowest two of the five Likert ratings, and general agreement as 60% to 79% falling into the highest or lowest two ratings. There was no agreement if neither threshold was reached. Results: Consensus or general agreement was reached for 17 of 33 statements (52%). There was general consensus that distal rectus femoris surgery is better for stiff knee gait than is proximal rectus femoris release. There was no consensus about whether the results of distal rectus femoris release were comparable to those following distal rectus femoris transfer. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level was an important factor for the panel, with the best outcomes expected in children functioning at GMFCS levels I and II. The panel also reached consensus that they do distal rectus femoris surgery less frequently than earlier in their careers, in large part reflecting the narrowing of indications for this surgery over the last decade. Conclusion: This study can help paediatric orthopaedic surgeons optimize decision-making for, and outcomes of, distal rectus femoris surgery in children with CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Equinus is the most common deformity in cerebral palsy (CP) and gastrocsoleus lengthening (GSL) is the most commonly performed surgery to improve gait and function in ambulatory children with CP. Substantial variation exists in the indications for GSL and surgical technique. The purpose of this study was to review surgical anatomy and biomechanics of the gastrocsoleus and to utilize expert orthopaedic opinion through a Delphi technique to establish consensus for surgical indications for GSL in ambulatory children with CP. Methods A 17-member panel, of Fellowship-trained paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, each with at least 9 years of clinical post-training experience in the surgical management of children with CP, was established. Consensus for the surgical indications for GSL was achieved through a standardized, iterative Delphi process. Results Consensus was reached to support conservative Zone 1 surgery in diplegia and Zone 3 surgery (lengthening of the Achilles tendon) was contraindicated. Zone 2 or Zone 3 surgery reached general agreement as a choice in hemiplegia and under-correction was preferred to any degree of overcorrection. Agreement was reached that the optimum age for GSL surgery was 6 years to 10 years and should be avoided in children aged under 4 years. Physical examination measures with the child awake and under anaesthesia were important in decision making. Gait analysis was supported both for decision making and for assessing outcomes, in combination with patient reported outcomes (PROMS). Conclusions The results from this study may encourage informed practice evaluation, reduce practice variability, improve clinical outcomes and point to questions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Surgical procedures, such as medial hamstring lengthening (MHL) and femoral derotational osteotomy (FDO), can improve the gait of children with cerebral palsy (CP); however, substantial variation exists in the factors that influence the decision to perform surgery. The purpose of this study was to use expert surgeon opinion through a Delphi technique to establish consensus for indications in ambulatory children with CP. Methods A 15-member panel, all established experts with at least nine years' experience in the surgical management of children with CP, was created (mean of 20.81 years' experience). All panel members also had expertise of the use of movement analysis for the assessment of gait disorders in children with CP. The group initially focused on two of the most commonly performed procedures, MHL and FDO, in an attempt to gain consensus (> 80%). This was obtained through a standardized, iterative Delphi process. Results For MHL, a total of 59 questions were surveyed: 41 indication questions and 18 outcome questions, for which there was consensus on ten indication questions and seven outcomes. For FDO, a total of 55 questions were surveyed: 43 indication questions and 12 outcome questions, for which there was consensus on 29 indication questions and eight outcomes. Conclusion This study is the first to use an expert panel to identify best-practice indications for common surgical procedures of children with CP. The results from this study will allow for more informed evaluation of practice and form the basis for future improvement efforts to standardize surgical recommendations internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the urban-centric framing of planetary urbanization, the concept of ‘planetary rural geographies’ emphasizes the ongoing importance and distinctiveness of pluriversal rural spaces and identities, including their continued centrality to the global economy. It also argues that rural spaces are especially defined by diverse relationships between the human and non-human that must be understood volumetrically, rather than through largely two-dimensional territorial imaginaries. These themes are developed and illustrated via consideration of contemporary rural geographies as spaces of crisis, spaces of conflict, and spaces of hope. The concept of planetary rural geographies could be enhanced by greater attention to key analytical commonalties among admittedly diverse rural geographies, particularly with respect to broader dynamics of capitalist development and climate change, an effort that could be supported via greater engagement between the literatures on specifically rural geographies, and those on rural populisms, climate adaptation and mitigation, and energy geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many have argued that the burning of fossil fuels is an essential component of the socionatural metabolism of capitalism as we know it, and that the anthropogenic climate change it is causing may finally bring about capitalism’s end. In this paper, I explore the potential for, instead, a societal shift towards renewable energy sources as the dominant components of global energy supplies to provide a socioecological ‘fix’ to current forms of crisis. In so doing, I develop a notion of an integrated socioecological fix that combines the central elements of Harvey’s ‘spatial fix’ and of neoliberal environmental ‘fixes’ that maintain accumulation by enrolling new elements of nonhuman nature into circuits of capital. I argue, first, that the capital intensiveness and spatial extensiveness of any such transition could provide a global-scale, if temporary, socioecological fix to capitalist crisis tendencies; and, second, that the creation of global scale geographies of renewable energy production, distribution, and consumption would necessarily involve powerful new rounds of investment in, and claims on, rural areas. These impacts would likely fall disproportionately on rural areas, where land values are lowest and existing users often have less power and fewer formal land rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loas, Dimassi, Monestes, and Yon (2013 ) studied a version of the Cognitive Slippage Scale and the Schizotypal Ambivalence Scale in support of the view that thought disorder and withdrawal are highly correlated with schizotypy, a central concept in investigations of the vulnerability for schizophrenia. As a brief comment on Loas, et al ., I will draw attention to the need for expanding studies of schizotypal traits and the possibility of using these scales with adolescents and young adults who are developing personality disorders as well as with individuals who have experienced prodromal phases of psychosis. Investigations of the Cognitive Slippage Scale and the Schizotypal Ambivalence Scale might be enhanced by conducting studies with individuals at different points on the psychosis continuum, including those who have developed schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, as well as with their first-degree relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the environmental dimensions of rescaling. Specifically, it explores debates around centralization and decentralization, introduces a key distinction between rescaling to jurisdictional spaces and ecosystem spaces, and suggests three future research trajectories: (1) analytical clarification of the differences between rescaling to natural versus jurisdictional scales; (2) examination of rescaling in light of its attendant process of creating new objects of governance; and (3) investigation of rescaling processes through a temporal lens, with the suggestion that rescaled environmental governance may be the site of some of the first and last manifestations of neoliberal governance reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Thromboelastography measures the dynamics of coagulation. There are limited data about thromboelastography in acute ischemic stroke other than a single study from 1974 suggesting that acute ischemic stroke patients are hypercoagulable. There have been no studies of thromboelastography in the thrombolytic era despite its potential usefulness as a measure of clot lysis. This study was designed to provide initial thromboelastography data in stroke patients before and after tissue plasminogen activator therapy and to provide the necessary preliminary data for further study of thromboelastography's ability to identify clot subtype and predict response to tissue plasminogen activator therapy. Methods All acute ischemic stroke patients presenting between 11/2009 and 2/2011 eligible for tissue plasminogen activator therapy were screened and 56 enrolled. Blood was drawn before (52 patients) and 10 mins after tissue plasminogen activator bolus (30 patients). Demographics, vitals, labs, 24 h National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and computed tomography scan results were collected. Patients were compared with normal controls. Results Acute ischemic stroke patients had shorter R (4·8 ± 1·5 vs. 6·0 ± 1·7 min, P = 0·0004), greater α Angle (65·0 ± 7·6 vs. 61·5 ± 5·9°, P = 0·01), and shorter K (1·7 ± 0·7 vs. 2·1 ± 0·7 min, P = 0·002) indicating faster clotting. Additionally, a subset formed clots with stronger platelet-fibrin matrices. Treatment with tissue plasminogen activator resulted in reduction in all indices of clot strength ( LY30 = 0 (0-0·4) vs. 94·4 (15·2-95·3) P < 0·0001); however, there was considerable variability in response. Conclusions Thromboelastography demonstrates that many acute ischemic stroke patients are hypercoaguable. Thromboelastography values reflect variable clot subtype and response to tissue plasminogen activator. Further study based on these data will determine if thromboelastography is useful for measuring the dynamic aspects of clot formation and monitoring lytic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical literature offers evidence that childhood sexual abuse is a predictor of psychopathology in adults. However, the literature examining the relations between thought disorder and psychotic symptoms in children is sparse. Children with a history of childhood sexual abuse are expected to demonstrate more disturbances in thought relative to their peers with no childhood sexual abuse. Using the Thought and Language Index, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) narratives for four commonly used TAT cards obtained from 39 closed charts of hospitalized children were analyzed. Narratives were assessed on seven dimensions including weakening of goals, perseveration, looseness, peculiar word usage, peculiar sentence construction, non-logical reasoning, and distractibility. Good inter-rater reliability was obtained. Sexually abused children had higher aberrant scores on card number four compared to non-abused children. Sexual abuse history was a predictive factor for non-logical reasoning, with small effect size. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the recently held 2008 annual meeting of Association of American Geographers (AAG) in Boston, Massachusetts. He argues on the way the session was delivered and discussed. The author also clarifies that he is not concerned on the increase of records of attendance and participation but rather on the success the organization acquired during the year.

The article discusses issues regarding rural geography, focusing on the growing phenomena of amenity migration to certain types of rural areas and the proliferation of American-style exurban and suburban development. It then explores some of the ways in which rural areas are being produced through increasingly globalized forms and relationships. In this article, the author thinks about rural geographies in explicitly relational terms, acknowledging that most rural areas are in developing countries, and that the relations that shape them are more important than snapshots of the fleeting landscapes they produce.

The article presents a report that examines the recent efforts to design alternative rural economies. The article explains the reasons as to why researchers should focus on alternative rural economies. The article presents a discussion on the relation between alternative economic projects and rural places and commodities emphasizing the core factors of production, exchange, and consumption. The article also reviews recent work on the subject of community forests, forest certification, alternative approaches to fisheries, food, and fair trade. The article concludes with a clarification on some of the most recent findings and debates covering these studies.

The article focuses on the important theme in rural geography which is the multifunctionality in rural landscapes. Multifunctionality is the idea that rural landscapes typically produce a range of commodity and non-commodity use values simultaneously and that policy ought to recognize and protect that entire range of values. The article also suggests potential connections to current work on the neoliberalization of environmental governance and environmental indicators. It also mentions specific policy areas to broader trends and processes in the relationship between the economy, the state, policy and society.

The article focuses on Hurricane Katrina that had a devastating impact on people in the U.S. The hurricane crossed the Florida peninsula on August 26, 2005. Initially the hurricane had warmer than usual water temperatures, low shear, and favorable steering currents, but it quickly developed winds of over 175 mph. New Orleans soon changed into filling streets and submerging houses with a toxic stew of water, chemicals, and oil. People clung to rooftops, desperately signaling for help that would never come. Masses huddled on freeway overpasses built over Louisiana swamps, the rising waters on one side and the U.S. National Guard on the other. Poor, mostly black, residents were abandoned by the U.S. state. The White House and the news entertainment industry soon regained control and quickly steering media coverage to feel-good humanitarian efforts like people stacking boxes, handing out water, and processing evacuees. Katrina has reminded the U.S. government to make necessary efforts for people living in New Orleans.

To investigate the cognitive functioning of children and adolescents with Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders and Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified, 22 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients and day-hospital patients at a state psychiatric hospital with Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders, 30 with Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified, and 130 with other psychiatric disorders, ages 8 to 17 years, were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III for psychological assessment at admission. The Performance IQs of the ADHD and the Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder groups were significantly higher than those of the Schizophrenia Spectrum and the Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified groups, and the Full Scale IQs of the Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder group were significantly higher than those of the Schizophrenia Spectrum group and the Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified group. The Coding scores of the ADHD group were significantly higher than those of the Schizophrenia Spectrum, the Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified, and the Bipolar Disorder groups. There was a significant negative correlation between age and Digit Span for the Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the remarkable congruence between the proliferation of community forestry initiatives in North America in recent years and the ascendance of particular forms of neoliberalism. In it I argue that, in the United States in particular, such initiatives are best understood as hybrids between `rollout' neoliberalism and contemporaneous trends in the management of protected areas and state-owned forests. This interpretation contributes to recent arguments that the environment has been understudied as an arena through which neoliberalism has been actively constituted, rather than simply a passive recipient of `impacts. Moreover, surprisingly little academic work has explored the imbrications of specific changes in environmental governance and evolving neoliberalism in the latter's `First World' geographic hearths, such as the USA and the United Kingdom. In this paper I undertake such an investigation with respect to community forestry in the United States. The paper traces the major antecedents, introduction, and institutionalizations of community forestry in the United States, and shows how their conceptualizations and enactments of `community' are structured by hegemonic neoliberal ideas, making community forestry in this context supplementary, rather than oppositional, to neoliberal restructurings. Exploration of the current Bush administration's enthusiastic adoption of central elements of community forestry bolsters this interpretation. Finally, the conclusion draws implications from this case for debates in political ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an introduction to the 2005 issue of the journal "Environment and Planning A."

To investigate the cognitive functioning of children and adolescents with bipolar illness, 112 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients and day-hospital patients at a state psychiatric hospital were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC_III) as part of an admission psychological assessment. There were 22 patients with Bipolar Disorder and 90 with other psychiatric disorders; all were between 8 and 17 years of age. The patients with Bipolar Disorder had a mean age of 14 yr., a mean Verbal IQ of 78, a mean Performance IQ of 76, and a mean Full Scale IQ of 75. When their WISC-III scores were compared with those who had Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders (Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder), Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, there were no significant between-group mean differences for Verbal IQ, but patients with Bipolar Disorder had a significantly lower mean Performance IQ than those with ADHD and those with Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Contrary to the expectation that the patients with Bipolar Disorder might have better sustained attention (higher Digit Span scores) than those with Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders and worse visual processing speed (lower Coding scores) than the other diagnostic groups, the bipolar patients' Digit Span and Coding scores did not differ significantly from those of the other groups. The patients with Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified had significantly lower mean Performance IQ, Full Scale IQ, and Coding than the ADHD and the Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Disorder groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the prevalence of thought disorder and the possible appropriateness of the Bizarre-Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale for children and adolescents with severe psychiatric disorders, 96 child and adolescent inpatients and day hospital patients, ages 6 to 18 years, at a state psychiatric hospital were rated by review of retrospective records using Marengo and Harrow's 1986 Evaluation of Bizarre-Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale for the presence of thought disorder in the Thematic Apperception Test and Rorschach Inkblot Test responses. Although the Evaluation of Bizarre-Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale had not been previously used with children and adolescents, the analysis suggested possible indications of thought disorder in several diagnostic groups. No significant differences were found on the Rorschach between patients with Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified and those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Major Depression, and Conduct Disorder. On the basis of the Thinking Scale ratings, the Thematic Apperception Test responses showed significantly higher ratings of thought disorder for patients with Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified. There was no general relation between thought disorder and age or IQ, but schizophrenic patients, aged 13 and older, had more thought disorder than schizophrenic patients who were younger than 13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a case study of the Wise Use movement which can be applied to examine the political ecology of the First World. Discussion on rural resistance conflicts; Background on the Wise Use movement which became very active from 1986 to 1996; Themes and geographies in political ecology; Details of the political ecology of Wise Use.

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the use of restraint techniques and evaluate restraint policies and training in Australasian emergency departments Method: A survey of 116 Australasian emergency departments was conducted to determine the type, indications/contraindications, training, policies, documentation and audit requirements for restraint. Results: The overall estimated rate of patient restraint is 3.3 episodes per 1000 presentations. The commonest indications for restraint are violence or threatened violence (52%), psychosis (32%) and acute brain syndrome (10%). Major contraindications are medical instability, risk of harm to staff in applying restraint and the availability of alternatives to restraint. Chemical restraint is used in all emergency departments surveyed. The commonest agents used are haloperidol (93%), midazolam (82%) and diazepam (59%). At least one benzodiazepine and one major tranquilliser are used in 97% of emergency departments. Manual restraint (87%) is frequently used as a prelude to chemical or, less frequently, mechanical restraint (69%). Seclusion restraint is used in 23% of Australasian emergency departments. Formal training is most commonly undertaken for chemical restraint, being used in 33% of departments surveyed. Less than half of the departments have written policies guiding the use of restraint, and only 11% audit their use of restraint. A specific form for restraint documentation is used in only one emergency department. Conclusions: Patient restraint is a common procedure in Australasian emergency departments. There is little formal training in, or documentation or audit of, restraint practices in Australasian emergency departments, despite the important clinical, occupational health and medical legal issues associated with the use of restraint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on study aimed to evaluate the children's and parents' visual perception of physicians. Methodology; Discussion; Conclusion.

Explores the background to the conclusive drop in Ireland's fertility rates attributed to social policy and legislation in favor of women's reproductive rights. Significance of the decline in marking social changes in the country; Impact on Irish women's collective battles for personal autonomy.

The relationship between the timing of a first birth and high school completion among women is examined using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Employing event-history techniques, we find that a first birth influences eventual high school graduation, but not in the way previous studies have suggested. Using a modified status attainment model incorporating a life-course perspective, we find that having a baby does not predict dropping out of high school. Women who have a baby while still enrolled in school and remain in school are just as likely to graduate as women who do not. Among high school dropouts, however, a birth reduces the chances of eventual graduation. Policy and theoretical considerations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study involving fifth- and sixth-grade students in an urban school system, both individual instruction within instrumental music classrooms and student subject variables were examined for their influence on an audiovisual music reading test, a performance sight-reading test, and attrition from the music program. When compared to group instruction, individualized instruction resulted in significantly superior scores on the performance test for students of higher than normal academic reading skills. No other instructional interactions or main effects were found. Of the subject variables used in the analyses, only the students' academic reading achievement and socioeconomic status were able to account consistently for unique and nontrivial proportions of variance in the three dependent variables. Scores on the two measures of achievement and dropout were not predictable by race or sex, and the students' grade level was either a nonsignificant or minor factor in the analysis. Differences in teachers also had virtually no effect on student achievement or attrition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article provides information about the Instructional Materials Center Network for Handicapped Children and Youth (IMCNHCY). The IMCNHCY is a federation of regional Instructional Materials Centers whose primary clients are the teachers of special education. The association provides services to the U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It was believed that the Network is designed to become a permanent organization locally controlled and funded. And it is guided by special education personnel to help them save handicapped children.

This article presents the authors' response to the comments of Douglas Anderson on their article The Timing of a First Birth and High School Completion in a 1990 issue. While we appreciate this opportunity to clarify and further discuss our original findings, we believe the major thrust of our paper still holds. A substantial body of literature supports our conclusion that the apparent impact of early childbearing on education may result from a common set of underlying socioeconomic factors. Recent studies that have taken this endogeneity into account also find no effect of adolescent childbearing on dropping out of high school. While the emphasis here is on the effect of childbearing on dropping out, as we noted in the original paper, several other sociodemographic variables were highly significant. All of these factors must be considered to better understand the social phenomenon of dropping out of high school. Rather than startling, our results are consistent with results reported by others who have taken similar conceptual approaches to the issue. Our results clearly differ from the results of researchers who have taken different approaches. The continuing debate around this issue reflects the inherent complexity of the interrelationships among schooling, fertility, and other socioeconomic and demographic variables.

The article relates an author's perspective on the essentially equal goals of Special Education Instructional Materials Center and teachers of children with learning disabilities. The author suggested that teacher of children with learning disabilities must focus more on the present than in the past. In addition, he offered two functional recommendations for teachers of learning disabled children that includes to accept one appropriate educational approach and to indiscriminately apply it. Moreover, the author also proposed the adoption of eclectic approach in the teaching of children with learning disabilities.

The article comments on the study conducted by Paul Weener on the validity and reliability of the Illinois test of psycholinguistic abilities (ITPA). The author stated that the critique is of little use to those who are familiar with the ITPA and is misleading to those who are not. The paper failed to account the many independent studies featuring ITPA. According to one independent study on preschoolers, ITPA subscale reliability is low over 12 to 21 month test retest intervals. The author mentions the reason behind the low magnitude of correlations in the ITPA's technical manuals as found in the study.

This article focuses on the outlook of banking. Banks do not have a better mouse trap or a patent that gives them protection or a competitive advantage like some other forms of business. The only way banks can remain open is to render a service to people. Since service is banking's business, how to do the most efficient job of taking care of the changing pattern in the suburbs is the basic problem which many city fringe area banks and others farther away have been confronted and will continue to be confronted. Handling new accounts is not entirely novel for bankers because many studies have been made indicating that the average account lasts about eight years. Knowledge about these community situations is all vital to the well-being of a bank; for, as many may not realize, a bank's location is controlled. Equally important is the number of management consultant firms who are engaged by larger firms. They, too, often visit the local bank to get the "feel" of the community.

Questions Grill and Bartel's article on the existence of bias in the Grammatical Closure subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities against speakers of nonstandard English, published in the April 1977 issue of the 'Journal of Learning Disabilities.' Problems with internal validity; Problems with external validity; Problems with operational definitions.

Highlights a debate among academicians concerning the validity of the research procedures and the psychological tests employed in measuring the components of perceptual ability. Problems related to the selection of subjects; Improper use of the null hypotheses; Arguments refuting the claim that the tests employed for measuring perceptual ability are invalid.