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The research on alternative toxicological methods provides, among other things, a privileged viewpoint on one of the central issues of modern biomedical research-the relationship between (a) biological phenomena observed at the level of tissues and organisms and (b) their cellular and molecular bases as studied in isolated systems in vitro. The newly released ToxCast Phase 1 results, subject to initial analysis, converge with evidence from other fields (e.g., research on drug design with intensive use of omics technologies, traditional research on alternative tests) in indicating a low degree of the in vitro/in vivo correlation overall. In addition, this and other approaches point to the need for combining biological and chemical information in exploring the in vitro to in vivo connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic toxicity data from various sources were integrated into a rigorously designed database using the ToxML schema. The public database sources include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submission data from approved new drug applications, food contact notifications, generally recognized as safe food ingredients, and chemicals from the NTP and CCRIS databases. The data from public sources were then combined with data from private industry according to ToxML criteria. The resulting "integrated" database, enriched in pharmaceuticals, was used for data mining analysis. Structural features describing the database were used to differentiate the chemical spaces of drugs/candidates, food ingredients, and industrial chemicals. In general, structures for drugs/candidates and food ingredients are associated with lower frequencies of mutagenicity and clastogenicity, whereas industrial chemicals as a group contain a much higher proportion of positives. Structural features were selected to analyze endpoint outcomes of the genetic toxicity studies. Although most of the well-known genotoxic carcinogenic alerts were identified, some discrepancies from the classic Ashby-Tennant alerts were observed. Using these influential features as the independent variables, the results of four types of genotoxicity studies were correlated. High Pearson correlations were found between the results of Salmonella mutagenicity and mouse lymphoma assay testing as well as those from in vitro chromosome aberration studies. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of representing a chemical by its structural features and the use of these features to profile a battery of tests rather than relying on a single toxicity test of a given chemical. This paper presents data mining/profiling methods applied in a weight-of-evidence approach to assess potential for genetic toxicity, and to guide the development of intelligent testing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on formation of the Graduate Teaching Academy, an organization under the journal "Journalism & Mass Communication Educator" to provide research scholarships to graduate students in the U.S. The organization, which was founded in 2003, is promising pedagogical and theoretical scholarship after evaluating the students' manuscripts submitted to the journal ranging from media literacy to computer literacy. It is stated that the journal selects manuscripts that have a specific theoretical integrity, concrete methodology and pedagogical implications.

Examines the involvement of students in public relations education at the University of Georgia at Athens. Assessment of the motivational factors in the course selection of the students; Outline of the course offering; Impact of individual project option on the student involvement.

Examines the state of campaigns courses in public relations education in the United States. Sufficiency of campaign courses to fully prepare students to real-world experiences; Pedagogical strategies and course management techniques in campaigns education; Extent in which theory and research are emphasized in campaigns courses.

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented on topics including the role of the judiciary in democracy, proposed bill for educational program for families of deaf and hard of hearing children, and intersection of intellectual property and antitrust.

Background: Although it is generally known that clavicle fractures represent a common injury of the shoulder girdle in the general population, the true incidence in the active duty military population is unknown. Given the implications for such injuries on the ability to perform occupation-specific tasks, determining the incidence in the U.S. military population is worthwhile. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of clavicle fractures in the U.S. military and to identify any demographic risk factors for injury. Methods: We perfonried a query of the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database with the code from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, for clavicle fractures for the years 1999 through 2008. An overall injury incidence was calculated, in addition to multivariate analysis, to determine independent risk factors among the following demographic considerations: sex, race, branch of military service, rank, and age. Results: During the study period, a total of 12,514 clavicle fractures were documented among an at-risk population of 13,770,767 person-years for an incidence rate (IR) of 0.91 per 1,000 person-years in the U.S. Military. Males, when compared with females, were more than twice as likely to sustain a clavicle fracture (IR ratios [IRR], 2.30; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 2.12-2.49). The peak incidence of clavicle fractures occurred in the age groups of <20 and 20 to 24. Compared to black service members, the white service members were associated with significantly higher rate of clavicle fractures (IRR, 2.45; 95% CI, 2.28-2.63). The service members serving in the Marine Corps were associated with a higher IR of clavicle fractures when compared to those in the Navy (IRR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.35-1.53). Junior enlisted service members were 34% as likely to sustain a clavicle fracture when compared to senior officers (IRR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.34-1.60 and IRR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.99-1.28, respectively). Conclusions: The incidence of clavicle fractures among U.S. military personnel (0.908 per 1,000 person-years) is higher than previous epidemiological reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]