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A review of Lynn Comella, 'Vibrator Nation: How Feminist Sex-toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure', Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2017.

When Bob Franklin asked me whether I thought there was potential interest in the topic of slow journalism for a special issue of Journalism Practice I was keen to send out a call for papers to see ...

Glycopolymer brushes were successfully synthesized on polydopamine coated silicon dioxide particles using a one-step ‘grafting from’ method to produce high density polymer brushes. This one-step ‘grafting from’ method uses an azide-terminated RAFT agent that simultaneously grows polymer chains and attaches to the polydopamine coating. The azide group rearranges via an in situ Curtius rearrangement to form an isocyanate group. This reacts with the hydroxyl and amine groups on the polydopamine coating while simultaneously growing a polymer chain. Poly(pentafluorostyrene) polymer brushes were grown and attached to the polydopamine coating, then converted to glycopolymer brushes using a thiol substitution reaction. This creates a surface that facilitates protein binding. Fluorescently tagged Concanavalin A proteins were bound to the surface and the binding ability was investigated using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM). This reports the facile preparation of particles that are biocompatible, and can be used in vivo as drug carrier systems. The use of polydopamine coatings, one-step ‘grafting from’ polymer brush synthesis and ‘click’ chemistry to create glycopolymers, collectively are an improved and simple way to prepare particles for biomedical applications.

In an era of fast and instantaneous journalism and concerns about the deleterious effects of speed, it can be easy to lose sight of the other kinds of journalism being practiced, other temporalities for its production. There has been little scholarly work on slow journalism, so the first aim of this article is, if not to define, then at least to describe some key characteristics of what slow journalism might be. It will look at how the term has been used on blogs, websites, public forums, and in the minimal scholarly literature available. It will also explore some examples by producers who identify with the term to see what slow journalism looks like in practice. The proliferation of independent journalism using Slow as a way of thinking about production suggests that we are witnessing a new alternative emerging in the mediascape.

One-pot ‘grafting from’ of polystyrene on polydopamine coated SiO2 particles was investigated using a newly developed carbonyl-azide reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. Simultaneously during the RAFT polymerization of styrene, the carbonyl-azide group of the CTA rearranges into an isocyanate moiety permitting the one-pot coupling to functional surfaces. The one-pot coupling to the polydopamine surfaces was investigated, separately, using both the non-catalyzed amine–isocyanate coupling and the metal catalyzed alcohol–isocyanate coupling. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the catalyzed one-pot ‘grafting from’ process produced nearly double the weight increase, and thus higher grafting density, when compared to the uncatalyzed system. These results are consistent with more available hydroxyl groups on the polydopamine surface. Finally, both one-pot ‘grafting from’ approaches exhibited higher grafting density when compared to their analogous ‘grafting to’ strategies using α-isocyanate terminated polystyrene and thus superseding previous ‘grafting from’ processes where two-steps were normally required.

In March of 2010, French authorities suspended the use of breast implants made by the company Poly Implant Prothèse. Institut Curie is a large cancer center, and Poly Implant Prothèse was one major silicone-filled breast implant brand used. This report describes the impact of the fraudulent implants worldwide and more specifically on patient care at the authors' unit. From 2002 to 2009, the median number of Poly Implant Prothèse implants removed per year was 32. Since the first alert in March of 2010, 252 of these breast implants were removed in 2010 and 2011. The breast implants removed were mainly reported as normal, with a rupture rate of less than 5 percent before 2008. However, the annual rupture rate has increased from 2008 to 2011 (8, 14, 20, and 23 percent, respectively). The Institut Curie, in conjunction with breast cancer patients, has organized a management plan to deal with this major industrial fraud. Its surveillance program of breast cancer patients facilitated the management of patients during this difficult time.

CONTEXT: Disruption of frontal-subcortical and limbic networks is hypothesized to have a key role in late-life depression (LLD) and can be examined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Gray matter can be examined using T1-weighted MRI, white matter using T2-weighted MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, and functional connectivity in resting-state networks using functional MRI. Although independent MRI studies have supported gray and white matter abnormalities in frontosubcortical and limbic networks and increased functional connectivity in the default-mode network in depression, no study has concurrently examined gray matter, white matter, and functional connectivity. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether results of different MRI techniques are complementary, multimodal MRI was used to compare gray matter, white matter, and resting-state networks between LLD and control groups. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, case-control, multimodal MRI analysis. SETTING: University research department. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six recovered participants with LLD (mean age, 71.8 years) and 25 control participants (mean age, 71.8 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gray matter was examined across the whole brain using voxel-based morphometry. Subcortical gray matter structures were also automatically segmented, and volumetric and shape analyses were performed. For white matter analysis, fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity values were examined using tract-based spatial statistics. For resting-state network analysis, correlation coefficients were compared using independent components analysis followed by dual regression. RESULTS: White matter integrity was widely reduced in LLD, without significant group differences in gray matter volumes or functional connectivity. CONCLUSIONS: The present work strongly supports the hypothesis that white matter abnormalities in frontal-subcortical and limbic networks play a key role in LLD even in the absence of changes in resting functional connectivity and gray matter. Factors that could contribute to the lack of significant differences in gray matter and functional connectivity measures, including current symptom severity, medication status, and age of participants with LLD, are discussed.

BackgroundNeuropsychological impairment is a key feature of late-life depression, with deficits observed across multiple domains. However, it is unclear whether deficits in multiple domains represent relatively independent processes with specific neural correlates or whether they can be explained by cognitive deficits in executive function or processing speed.MethodWe examined group differences across five domains (episodic memory; executive function; language skills; processing speed; visuospatial skills) in a sample of 36 depressed participants and 25 control participants, all aged ⩾60 years. The influence of executive function and processing speed deficits on other neuropsychological domains was also investigated. Magnetic resonance imaging correlates of executive function, processing speed and episodic memory were explored in the late-life depression group.ResultsRelative to controls, the late-life depression group performed significantly worse in the domains of executive function, processing speed, episodic memory and language skills. Impairments in executive function or processing speed were sufficient to explain differences in episodic memory and language skills. Executive function was correlated with anisotropy of the anterior thalamic radiation and uncinate fasciculus; processing speed was correlated with anisotropy of genu of the corpus callosum. Episodic memory was correlated with anisotropy of the anterior thalamic radiation, the genu and body of the corpus callosum and the fornix.ConclusionsExecutive function and processing speed appear to represent important cognitive deficits in late-life depression, which contribute to deficits in other domains, and are related to reductions in anisotropy in frontal tracts.

BackgroundLate-life depression is a common and heterogeneous illness, associated with structural abnormalities in both grey and white matter.AimsTo examine the relationship between age at onset and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of grey and white matter to establish whether they support particular hypotheses regarding the anatomy and aetiology of network disruption in late-life depression.MethodWe studied 36 participants with late-life depression. Grey matter was examined using T1-weighted MRI and analysed using voxel-based morphometry. The hippocampus was automatically segmented and volume and shape analysis performed. White matter was examined using diffusion tensor imaging and analysed using tract-based spatial statistics.ResultsLater age at onset was significantly associated with reduced fractional anisotropy of widespread tracts, in particular the anterior thalamic radiation and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Earlier age at onset was associated with reduced hippocampal volume normalised to whole brain size bilaterally. However, no significant correlations were detected using hippocampal shape analysis or voxel-based morphometry.ConclusionsOverall, the results were compatible with the vascular hypothesis, and provided some support for the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis.

Depletion of the catecholamine precursor tyrosine using tyrosine-free amino acid mixtures is an important tool in neuropsychological studies, and often considered dopamine selective on the basis of neuropharmacological studies. However, little is known of the effects of tyrosine depletion when catecholamine neurons are activated physiologically. Here we investigated the effect of tyrosine-free amino acid mixtures on catecholamine release evoked in vivo using a stimulation paradigm aimed to approximate the phasic firing pattern of these neurons that accompanies cognitive and behavioural change. Dopamine and noradrenaline release was monitored by microdialysis in rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and striatum (chloral hydrate anaesthesia, perfusion medium containing 1 µM cocaine). Electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) caused a short-lasting, frequency-dependent increase in dopamine and noradrenaline. A full tyrosine-free amino acid mixture reduced the release of dopamine in mPFC and striatum, across a range of stimulation frequencies, and the effect was greater as stimulation frequency increased. Similar results were obtained using a smaller tyrosine-free amino acid mixture. In the same experiments showing decreased dopamine, neither tyrosine-free mixture of amino acids significantly altered stimulation-evoked release of noradrenaline. These results show that tyrosine depletion using tyrosine-free amino acid mixtures causes a selective, activity-dependent decrease in dopamine release when dopamine neurons are driven physiologically.

In current discussions of the democratization of media production, of ‘we the media’, where everyone is a journalist, everyone a publisher, the focus has been on digital culture. Yet in the shadows of this explosion of digital-led creativity and media making, there has been a resurgence in the production of one of the oldest forms of media, the small-scale independently owned printed magazine. These magazines are being made by the young ‘digital natives’, informed and aided by digital literacy, but the medium of choice remains print. This article aims to describe and define these independent magazines (indies), distinguishing them from DIY zines, fanzines and mainstream niche consumer magazines. In their choice to rejuvenate rather than reject print, the indies allow us to explore the appeals of medium specificity and material culture, and how some of the current themes of media democratization – digital and design literacy, Pro-Ams, the DIWO ethos – are played out in this renewal of ‘heritage’ media.

Tumor hypoxia is a hallmark of malignant tumors, and is a major factor in the resistance to anti-cancer therapies, particularly radiotherapy. Indeed, tumor blood flow often fluctuates, and thus the oxygen supply is often reduced, thereby inducing tumor hypoxia. We decided to explore whether post-occlusive reactive hyperemia, a physiological reaction known to occur in normal tissues, could be induced through a malignant tumor, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), in which angiogenesis occurs, as in all malignant tumors. Skin blood flow was measured in twelve patients with BCC, using Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging to determine BCC perfusion after three minutes of vascular occlusion, induced by limb tourniquet for limb tumors (4 BCC), and/or by clamping the pedicle of a skin flap with the BCC at its center, for other tumor locations (12 BCC). We demonstrated for the first time that post-occlusive reactive hyperemia occurs in malignant tumors in humans. BCC perfusion curves were similar to those of healthy skin, characterized by a peak of hyperemia after reperfusion followed by a progressive return to the pre-occlusion perfusion level. Induction of post-occlusive reactive hyperemia in malignant tumors is therefore a novel investigational approach that could lead to a new adjuvant tool to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, respectively through the synchronized temporary increase of tumor perfusion and oxygenation.

Following £20 billion of earthquake damage in 2010 and 2011, rebuilding of roads, water and wastewater infrastructure in Christchurch, New Zealand, is being carried out by an alliance called the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (Scirt). This paper aims to demonstrate that alliancing, as an unconventional procurement option locally, provides the best value and possibly the only feasible solution, given the local market conditions.

The nude male centrefold spread like a virus through the new women's magazines of the seventies. At the time, and since, the academic gaze has viewed the centrefold as little more than a joke, a failure for feminism and female sexuality. This article returns to the heyday of the centrefold and listens to the responses of ordinary women in reader letters published in the new Australian women's magazine Cleo from 1972 until 1985. It argues that far from being a failure, these representations of the nude male became a practice of popular feminism, one of the early representations of popular feminist desire in mainstream women's magazines.

The second wave of feminism in Australia became a popular reality for ordinary women through many forms of media, and especially through the new women's magazine Cleo. The reader letters published in Cleo throughout the 1970s provide rich, if productively problematic, evidence for the media historian's desire to interpret the meanings readers can make from magazines. In this case, the desire is to understand how younger, ordinary (non-activist) Australian women made sense of the immense challenge of feminism. Through letters written in response to Cleo's feminist journalism (and journalism about feminism), it is clear that a popular feminism was being experienced in the period of the second wave.

Background:The purpose of this study was to cross-validate international BMI-referenced steps/d cut points for US girls (12,000 steps/d) and boys (15,000 steps/d) 6 to 12 years of age.Methods:Secondary pedometer-determined physical activity data from US children (N = 1067; 633 girls and 434 boys, 6 to 12 years) were analyzed. Using international BMI classifications, cross-validation of the 12,000 and 15,000 steps/d cut points was examined by the classification precision, sensitivity, and specificity for each age–sex stratum.Results:For girls (boys) 6 to 12 years, the 12,000 (15,000) steps/d cut points correctly classified 42% to 60% (38% to 67%) as meeting (achieved steps/d cut point and healthy weight) and failing (did not achieve steps/d cut point and overweight). Sensitivity ranged from 55% to 85% (64% to 100%); specificity ranged from 23% to 62% (19% to 50%).Conclusion:The utility of pedometer steps/d cut points was minimal in this sample given their inability to differentiate among children who failed to achieve the recommended steps/d and exhibited an unhealthy weight. Caution, therefore, should be used in applying previous steps/d cut points to US children.

Recent innovations in physical activity (PA) assessment have made it possible to assess the walking behaviors of a wide variety of populations. Objective measurement methods (e.g., pedometers, accelerometers) have been widely used to assess walking and other prevalent types of PA. Questionnaires suitable for international populations (e.g., the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) and measurement techniques for the assessment of gait patterns in disabled populations allow for the study of walking and its health benefits among many populations. Results of studies using the aforementioned techniques indicate that children are more active than adolescents and adolescents are more active than adults. Males, particularly young males, are typically more active than females. The benefits associated with regular participation in PA for youth and walking for older adults have been well documented, although improvements in the assessments of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial parameters must be made if we are to fully understand the benefits of walking for people of all ages. Most youth meet appropriate age-related PA activity recommendations, but adults, particularly older adults and adults with disabilities, are less likely to meet PA levels necessary for the accrual of health benefits. International studies indicate variation in walking by culture. It is clear, however, that walking is a prevalent form of PA across countries and a movement form that has great potential in global PA promotion. Continued development of measurement techniques that allow for the study of individualized gait patterns will help us add to the already rich body of knowledge on chronically disabled populations and allow for individual prescriptions for these populations.

The purpose of this study was to examine RT3 accelerometer activity counts and activity energy expenditure of 36 pregnant women at 20 and 32 weeks' gestation during treadmill walking and free-living conditions. During treadmill walking, oxygen consumption was collected, and activity energy expenditure was estimated for a 30-min walk at a self-selected walking pace. The number of min it would take a pregnant woman to meet exercise recommendations (i.e., kcal/week) were calculated. Preliminary activity count cut points at a self-selected walking pace were then estimated and applied in interpreting free-living data. For the treadmill walking condition, the self-selected walking pace significantly decreased from 20 to 32 weeks' gestation. Additionally, few women (< 12% each day) met physical activity guidelines in the free-living condition. Encouraging pregnant women to walk for 30-40 min per day at a self-selected walking pace may be an appropriate public health recommendation.

Background: White matter hyperintensities in MRI scans are age related but appear to be more prevalent in depressed patients. They may be more pronounced in late onset depression. This finding, if confirmed, would potentially illuminate the heterogeneity of depression in elderly subjects. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of studies investigating white matter changes in late life depression, identifying 98 studies. The 30 remaining eligible studies were scrutinised for the presence and severity measures of periventricular and deep white matter changes in late life, late onset and, if available, early onset depression as well as in controls. Comparisons between groups were entered into random effects meta-analyses using odds ratios and Cohen’s d, as appropriate. Correlations with potential confounders, such as age difference between groups, were explored. Results: Late life depression and, to a greater extent, late onset depression in late life were characterised by more frequent and intense white matter abnormalities. In particular, the odds of having white matter changes were over 4 for late compared with early onset depression. Similarly, on severity scales, late onset depression had scores of 0.7–0.8 standard deviations above early onset patients. Conclusions: Significant differences between early and late onset depression suggest different aetiological mechanisms, in accordance with a theory of “cerebrovascular” depression of late onset. Greater duration of depressive symptoms, signs and treatment does not appear to have a measurable impact on white matter signal in MRI scans.

Could you be a real feminist in 1970s Australia and enjoy reading Cleo? Could you find feminism there? Within the parameters of more radical feminisms, the answer was no. To be an oppositional move...

On 29 March 2010, the Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP(®)) breast prosthesis was withdrawn from the market by the ANSM. In this study we review our experience with PIP(®) implants in breast reconstruction. We compare our complications with other types of breast implants used during the same period at our institution.This is a retrospective study conducted at the Hospital René Huguenin of the Institut Curie (Paris, France). It includes 327 prostheses, from 268 patients who underwent surgery for breast reconstruction between February 2008 and February 2012: 69 PIP(®) (Group 1), 82 Mentor(®) (Group 2) and 179 Allergan(®) (Group 3). The objective of the study was to compare the rates of early and late complications for each prosthesis. Our results are compared with the current literature.With regard to the rate of early complications (hematoma, infection, seroma, wound dehiscence), no difference was observed between the three groups (P not significant). However, the study found that 100% of the 13 PIP(®) implants with early complications required surgical revision. There were too few late complications (capsular contracture, prosthetic rupture) in our cohort to allow statistical comparison between the three groups (P not significant). We compare our results with the current literature.This study highlights the lack of significant difference in the occurrence of early adverse events between the three groups of implants. This may explain the time taken for surgeons to become aware there was a problem with the PIP(®) implants. The low rate of late complications in our series does not allow statistical analysis between the three groups of implants.

The observational method, which has its roots in geotechnical engineering, is shown to be a particular instance of a generic approach applicable to the management of a range of construction project risks. A methodology is described for ensuring robustness in the observational method process, by applying the same principles on which it is based in a holistic way to the management of all project risks, not only those associated with the ground. A model is presented of the broader application of this approach to risk management and a practical example is given of a successful application of the developed methodology to a project with a complex range of risks.

Recent reviews of the literature have demonstrated that exercise has a positive impact on cognitive performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on executive functioning in college-age adults. For the experimental intervention, the effects of 20 min of self-paced moderate-intensity exercise on a treadmill were compared to the effects of a 20-min sedentary control period. Executive functioning was assessed using Stroop color-word interference and negative priming tests. Results indicated that the bout of exercise led to improved performance on the Stroop color-word interference task but no change in performance on the negative priming task. This finding suggests that exercise may facilitate cognitive performance by improving the maintenance of goal-oriented processing in the brain.

(2006). Top 10 Reasons for Quality Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 77, No. 6, pp. 44-53.

The purpose of this study was to examine if steps/day taken by middle school students varied based on aerobic fitness classification. Middle school students (N = 223; 112 girls, 111 boys) were assigned to three aerobic fitness categories (HIGH, MOD, LOW) based on results of the FlTNESSGRAM PACER test. Four weekdays of pedometer monitoring determined activity levels (steps/day). Boys accumulated significantly more steps/day than girls, 11,589 +/- 3,270 and 10,232 +/- 2,517 steps/day, respectively; F(1,219) = 16.0, p.001, eta2 = .055. There were no differences in steps/day between grades. HIGH fit participants accumulated significantly more steps/day, F(2, 217) = 12.2, p.101, eta2 = .101, than moderately fit and low fit participants (approximately 1,491 and ; 2,867 steps/day, respectively). Middle school students who participated in sports in addition to physical education (PE) accumulated significantly more steps/day (approximately 980 steps/day) than those participating in PE only, F(1, 219) = 10.0, p.01, eta2 = .044. Although the relationship between physical activity and aerobic fitness was moderate (0.35; p.01), these data demonstrated significant differences in accumulated steps/day among youth of varying aerobic fitness levels. Whether improved fitness levels were the result of additional activity or the cause of it remains to be determined. Regardless, the fittest middle school students were also the most active and accumulated a significant amount of steps/day through organized extracurricular physical activities.

Background:The purpose of this study was to describe the pedometer-determined physical activity levels of American youth.Methods:A secondary analysis of six existing data sets including 1839 (1046 females, 793 males; ages 6 to 18) school-aged, predominantly white subjects from the southwest US. Grade clusters for elementary (grades 1 to 3), upper elementary (grades 4 to 6), middle school (grades 7 to 9), and high school (grades 10 to 12) were created for statistical analysis.Results:Males in grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 accumulated significantly more steps/d (13,110 ± 2870 and 13,631 ± 3463, respectively; P < 0.001) than males in grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12 (11,082 ± 3437 and 10,828 ± 3241). Females in grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 accumulated significantly more steps/d (11,120 ± 2553 and 11,125 ± 2923; P < 0.001) than females in grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12 (10,080 ± 2990 and 9706 ± 3051).Conclusions:Results are consistent with those reported for other objective assessments of youth activity indicating that males are typically more active than females and physical activity is less prevalent among secondary school youth than those in elementary school. Pedometer-determined physical activity levels of youth, including secondary school youth, are higher than reported for adult populations.

Two studies were conducted to examine the concurrent accuracy of the Yamax SW-200 (YAM), Omron HJ-105 (OM), and Sportline 330 (SL) pedometers, as well as a CSA accelerometer.In study 1, motion sensor performance was evaluated against actual (observed) steps taken during 5-min bouts at five different treadmill speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, and 107 m x min) using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA (instrument x speed). Additionally, the direction and magnitude of motion sensor error was examined. In study 2, pedometer performance during 24 h of free-living was evaluated against the steps detected by the CSA criterion. The direction and magnitude of pedometer error was also examined in the free-living condition.In study 1, the SL showed significant differences from actual steps taken at all treadmill speeds (P0.05). Further, the absolute value of percent error was greatest for the SL at all treadmill speeds. At the slowest treadmill speed (54 m x min), the absolute value of percent error increased for the YAM and OM. In study 2, only the SL detected fewer steps than the CSA criterion (P0.05). The YAM demonstrated the lowest absolute value of percent error under free-living conditions.Different brands of motion sensors detect steps differently; therefore, caution must be used when comparing step counts between studies that have employed different brands of motion sensors. Taking into consideration the results of both studies and the initial walking test used for instrument screening purposes, it appears that, of the three pedometers tested, the YAM pedometer is most consistently accurate under both controlled and free-living conditions. Future research must consider presenting motion sensor accuracy in absolute terms so that the magnitude of error is not underestimated.

A software-supported methodology for managing the performance of complex infrastructure systems is described. The infrastructure system is represented hierarchically, so that high level business decisions and more detailed operational decisions can be supported by the same methodology. Performance of each sub-system is captured by a set of Performance Indicators held in a database. Evidence of performance is assembled from all available sources, ranging from monitoring measurements and inspection records, design calculations and model studies to expert judgements, analogous cases and accounts of past failures. These Performance Indicators are projected through value functions reflecting organisational objectives and regulatory standards and are merged to generate a Figure of Merit for the system and each sub-system. Uncertainty in the available evidence is represented and propagated through the evidence hierarchy using Interval Probability Theory, providing a commentary on sources and implications of unce...

The purpose of this study was to examine the pedometer-measured physical activity levels of high school students (Grades 9–12). Comparisons were made between sexes, among grades, among groups based on level of participation in sport and physical education, and among groups based on levels of self-reported physical activity (based on questions from the National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). Participants wore sealed pedometers for 4 consecutive school days. Results indicated no differences among days of monitoring but did show significant differences in mean steps per day between sexes, among grades, and among activity levels. Males took more steps per day than females did, and 10th graders took more steps than 12th graders did. Teens involved in sport and physical education took more steps than did those not involved. Teens who reported meeting both moderate and vigorous activity recommendations were most active, followed by teens meeting recommendations for moderate activity.

Learning ObjectiveTo clarify the confusion about goals for pedometer-based activity programs, and to demonstrate how health and fitness professionals can help clients use pedometers to achieve current physical activity recommendations.