Increased plasma vaspin concentration in patients with sepsis: an exploratory examination

Introduction

Vaspin (visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin) was first described as an insulin-sensitizing adipose tissue hormone. Recently its anti-inflammatory function has been demonstrated. Since no appropriate data is available yet, we sought to investigate the plasma concentrations of vaspin in sepsis.

Materials and methods

57 patients in intensive care, fulfilling the ACCP/SCCM criteria for sepsis, were prospectively included in our exploratory study. The control group consisted of 48 critically ill patients, receiving intensive care after trauma or major surgery. Patients were matched by age, sex, weight and existence of diabetes before statistical analysis. Blood samples were collected on the day of diagnosis. Vaspin plasma concentrations were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Vaspin concentrations were significantly higher in septic patients compared to the control group (0.3 (0.1-0.4) ng/mL vs. 0.1 (0.0-0.3) ng/mL, respectively; P < 0.001). Vaspin concentration showed weak positive correlation with concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.31, P = 0.002) as well as with SAPS II (r = 0.34, P = 0.002) and maximum of SOFA (r = 0.39, P < 0.001) scoring systems, as tested for the overall study population.

Conclusion

In the sepsis group, vaspin plasma concentration was about three-fold as high as in the median surgical control group. We demonstrated a weak positive correlation between vaspin and CRP concentration, as well as with two scoring systems commonly used in intensive care settings. Although there seems to be some connection between vaspin and inflammation, its role in human sepsis needs to be evaluated further.Key words: adipocytokine, inflammation, vaspin, CRP, intensive care     

Complex three-dimensional high aspect ratio microfluidic network manufactured in combined PerMX dry-resist and SU-8 technology

In this paper we present a new fabrication method that combines for the first time popular SU-8 technology and PerMX dry-photoresist lamination for the manufacturing of high aspect ratio three-dimensional multi-level microfluidic networks. The potential of this approach, which further benefits from wafer-level manufacturing and accurate alignment of fluidic levels, is demonstrated by a highly integrated three-level microfluidic chip. The hereby achieved network complexity, including 24 fluidic vias and 16 crossing points of three individual microchannels on less than 13 mm(2) chip area, is unique for SU-8 based fluidic networks. We further report on excellent process compatibility between SU-8 and PerMX dry-photoresist which results in high interlayer adhesion strength. The tight pressure sealing of a fluidic channel (0.5 MPa for 1 h) is demonstrated for 150 μm narrow SU-8/PerMX bonding interfaces.     

Teacher training and ‘quality’ in higher education language teaching: strategies and options

The article focuses on the training of higher education language teachers from a quality enhancement perspective. After a brief discussion of the nature of quality in higher education, the article considers the implications which the expansion of language learning in higher education in Europe has for the teachers involve in designing and delivering language programmes. The main body of the article is then devoted to a discussion of the strategies and options in the field of the training of language teachers which emerged from reports on quality enhancement in higher education language studies prepared in 18 European countries. The reports were prepared within the framework of Thematic Network Project 2, organised by the European Language Council. The article concludes by highlighting the crucial role of teacher training in the ‘quality cycle’ with respect to both teaching and student learning.

L'article traite de la formation d'enseignants de langue travaillant dans l'enseignement supérieur d'une perspective axée sur l'amélioration de la qualité. Suite à une brève discussion de la notion de qualité dans l'enseignement supérieur, l'article examine les implications de l'expansion de l'apprentissage des langues dans l'enseignement supérieur en Europe pour les enseignants responsables de la conception et de la réalisation pédagogique de programmes de langue. La partie principale de l'article est alors consacrée à l'analyse des choix et stratégies dans le domaine de la formation d'enseignants de langues qui se sont dégagés de rapports sur l'amélioration de la qualité dans le domaine des langues dans l'enseignement supérieur dans 18 pays de l'Europe. Ces rapports furent préparés dans le cadre du Projet de Réseau Thématique 2, organisé par le Conseil Européen pour les Langues. En conclusion, l'article souligne le rôle crucial joué par la formation des enseignants par rapport à la qualité autant de l'enseignement que de l'apprentissage des langues par les étudiants.

El artículo trata de la formación de profesores de lengua que trabajan en la enseñanza superior, desde la perspectiva de la mejora de la calidad. Tras una breve discusión acerca de la noci?n de calidad en la enseñanza superior, el artículo examina las implicaciones de la expansión del aprendizaje de las lenguas en la enseñanza superior en Europa para los profesores responsables de la concepción y de la realización pedagógica de programas de lengua. La parte principal del artículo se consagra por tanto al análisis de las elecciones y estrategias en el campo de la formación de profesores de lenguas, tal como se desprenden de los informes sobre la mejora de la calidad en el campo de las lenguas en la enseñanza superior en 18 países de Europa. Estos informes fueron preparados en el marco del Proyecto de Red Temática 2, organizado por el Consejo Europeo para las Lenguas. En conclusión, el artículo subraya el papel crucial desempeñado por la formación de los profesores en la calidad tanto de la ensepanza como del aprendizaje de las lenguas por los estudiantes.

Der Artikel behandelt die Ausbildung von Sprachlehrkräften an Hochschulen aus der Sicht der Qualitätsverbesserung. Nach einer kurzen Erörterung der Spezifität der Qualität in der Hochschulbildung, befasst sich der Artikel mit den Konsequenzen des verstärkten Lehrens und Lernens von Sprachen an Hochschulen für die mit der Planung und Umsetzung von Sprachlehrprogrammen betrauten Lehrkräfte. Der Hauptteil des Artikels ist der Analyse von Strategien und Möglichkeiten im Bereich der Ausbildung von Sprachlehrkräften gewidmet, die aus 18 europäischen Länderberichten über Qualitätsverbesserung im Sprachenbereich an Hochschulen hervorgingen. Diese Berichte wurden innerhalb des vom Europäischen Sprachenrat organisierten Thematischen Netzwerkprojekts Sprachen II (TNP2) erstellt. Am Schluss des Artikels wird die entscheidende Rolle der Ausbildung der Sprachlehrkräfte für die Qualität des Lehrens und Lernens von Sprachen an Hochschulen hervorgehoben.     

Exploring and testing cluster analysis

Academic deans annually negotiate for a fair share of university resources. Without quantitative accreditation standards to serve as minimum guidelines, the competition is more difficult. Peer institution comparison, derived from the analysis of quantitative data on resource and productivity variables, assists by providing less biased justification for budget requests. In this study, data from a national study of doctoral-granting teacher education programs was used for a factor analysis of key resource and productivity variables. Seven alternative cluster analysis methods were used and compared. Three follow-up procedures (analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and classification analysis) tested the cluster analysis results to verify the differences between clusters and their internal homogeneity on three different cluster solutions. The classification analysis showed that 88.2% of the 76 programs were correctly classified on the five-cluster solution produced using Ward's minimum variance method. The practical use of such data suggests that Cattell's pattern of profile similarly is a useful beginning to compare programs on factor scores; following that, raw data on each key variable might be used to prepare individual program profiles for more specific comparison.     

Pre-reading format and learner proficiency level in L2 reading comprehension

The article describes two related experiments into the effect of pre-reading on the text comprehension of a population of L2 learners at three proficiency levels. Four sets of pre-reading materials were used, two in each experiment. All were geared to content-schemata activation, but differed in terms of the type of stimulus provided. The materials used in experiment I (a text summary and a set of pre-questions) involved the provision of a relatively elaborated set of interpretive cues; those used in experiment II (topic prediction and a vocabulary-based task) were more open and allowed for a greater degree of learner-based schemata activation. Two main lines of investigation were pursued: the first relates to the relative effectiveness of the different pre-reading formats, and the second to the possibility of an interaction between pre-reading format and L2 proficiency level. Results indicated the more constraining, schemata-provision formats used in experiment I to be more effective as aids to text comprehension. No level-treatment interaction was observed, though comprehension facilitation was observed only among the lower proficiency groups — the higher proficiency group deriving no benefit from any of the pre-reading formats used.     

Book reviews

Myocybernetic control models of skeletal muscle: characteristics and applications, H. Hatze, University of South Africa Press, Pretoria, 1981. xi+221 pp, ISBN 0 86981 216 5

Psychology of motor learning, (2nd edition) J.B. Oxendine, Prentice‐Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1984. 403 pp, £26.75 (hb), ISBN 0 13 736603 5

Exercise, health and medicine, Symposium Procedings, Sports Council, London, 1984. 66 pp, £4.00 (pb), ISBN 0 906577 42 X

Human motor actions: Bernstein reassessed, H.T.A. Whiting (ed.), North Holland, Amsterdam, 1984. xxxv+559 pp, £40.00 (hb), ISBN 0 4444 868135

Sporting body sporting mind, John Syer and Christopher Connolly, Cambridge University Press, 1984. 160 pp, £3.95 (pb), ISBN 0 521 26935 0

Exercise physiology: human bioenergetics and its applications, George A. Brooks and Thomas D. Fahey, John Wiley & Sons, UK, 1984. xxiv + 810 pp, £30 (hb) ISBN 0 471 88827 3     

4. TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

THE END OF NEWS by Roger Bird (Toronto: Irwin Publishing, 1997—$24.95 paper, ISBN 0–7725–2285–5, 165pp., notes, index)

CANADIAN INTERNET HANDBOOK, 1998 edition by Jim Carroll and Rick Broadhead (Scarborough, ON: Prentice Hall Canada, 1997—$24.95, paper, ISBN 0–13–897554‐X, 365pp., charts, tables, index)

THE JOURNALIST'S LEGAL GUIDE by Michael G. Crawford (Scarborough, ON: Carswell Thomson Professional Publishing, 1996 [3rd ed]—40.00 paper, ISBN 0–459–25425–1, 380pp., charts, notes, glossary, index)

GUIDE TO CANADIAN ENGLISH USAGE by Margery Fee and Janice McAlpine (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997—$50.00, ISBN 0–19–540841–1, 549pp., glossary, bibliography, index)

A CANADIAN WRITER'S POCKET GUIDE by Jack Finnbogason and Al Valleau (Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1998—$20.00 spiral‐bound paper, ISBN 0–17–616618–1, 180pp., index)

SUSTAINING DEMOCRACY? JOURNALISM AND THE POLITICS OF OBJECTIVITY by Robert A. Hackett and Yuezhi Zhao (Toronto: Garamond Press “Culture and Communication in Canada Series,”; 1998—$24.95 paper, ISBN 1–55193–013–7, 284 pp., notes, index)

CYBERLAW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DOING BUSINESS ONLINE by David Johnston, Sunny Handa, and Charles Morgan (Toronto: Stoddart, 1997—U.S.$17.97 paper, no ISBN given, 282pp., notes, glossary, bibliography, index)

MASS COMMUNICATION IN CANADA edited by Rowland Lorimer and Jean McNulty (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996 [3rd ed]—$34.95 paper, ISBN 0–19–541208–7, 398pp., glossary, bibliography, index)

MEDIA LAW by Robert Martin (Concord, ON: Irwin Law “Essentials of Canadian Law,”; 1997—$34.95 paper, ISBN 1–55221–004–9, 193pp., charts, notes, index)

THE INTERNET HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS, RESEARCHERS, AND JOURNALISTS by Mary McGuire, Linda Stilborne, Melinda McAdams, and Laurel Hyatt (Toronto: Trifolium Books, 1997—$29.95 paper, ISBN 1–895579–17–1, 242pp., glossary, index)

THE CANADIAN REPORTER: NEWS WRITING AND REPORTING by Catherine McKercher and Carman Cumming (Toronto: HarcourtBrace Canada, 1998 [2d ed]—$47.95 paper, ISBN 0–7747–3562–7, 456pp., glossary, index)

ELECTRIC LANGUAGE: UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE by Eric McLuhan (Toronto: Stoddart, 1998—$29.95 paper, ISBN 0–7737–5972–7, 192 pp., color notes)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW: COPYRIGHT, PATENT, TRADEMARKS by David Vaver (Concord, ON: Irwin Law, 1997—$39.95 paper, ISBN 1–55221–007–3, 345pp., notes, bibliography, glossary, table of cases, index)     

Popular Music

Brad Benedict and Linda Barton's Phonographics: Contemporary Album Cover Art and Design (New York: Collier Books/Macmillan Publishing, 1977—$9.95, paper)

George McCue, ed. Music in American Society, 1776-1976: From Puritan Hymn to Synthesizer (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Inc., 1977—$14.95/3.95)

Dean Tudor and Andrew D. Armitage, comps. Popular Music Periodicals Index, 1975 (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1976—$15.00)

Derek Jewell, Duke: A Portrait of Duke Ellington (New York: Norton, 1977—$9.95)

Stanley Dance, The World of Earl Hines (New York: Scribner's, 1977—$14.95/7.95     

Canadian Communications

MASS MEDIA AND THE CONSTITUTION: AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SUPREME COURT DECISIONS by Richard F. Hixon (New York: Garland Publishing, 1989—$85.00, ISBN 0-8240-7947-7)

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EDUCATIONAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY edited by Derick Unwin and Ray McAleese (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1988—price not given, ISBN 0-313-23996-7)

KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY 200: 1987 EDITION edited by Ira Mayer (White Plains, NY: Knowledge Industry Publications, with library distribution by Gale Research, Detroit, 1987—price for latter is $250, ISBN 0-8103-4254-5)

RADIO AND TELEVISION: A SELECTED, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, SUPPLEMENT TWO: 1982-1986 by Peter Pringle and Helen Clinton (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1989—$27.50, ISBN 0-8108-2158-3)

THE BROADCAST COMMUNICATIONS DICTIONARY edited by Lincoln Diamant (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1989—$35.00, ISBN 0-313-26502-X)

THE LIBRARIAN'S COMPANION: A HANDBOOK OF THOUSANDS OF FACTS AND FIGURES ON LIBRARIES/LIBRARIANS, BOOKS/NEWSPAPERS, PUBLISHERS/BOOKSELLERS by Vladimir F. Wertsman (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987—$35.00, ISBN 0-313-25500-8)

INDEX TO JOURNALS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES THROUGH 1985 edited by Ronald J. Matlon (Speech Communication Association, 5105 Backlick Rd., Bldg. E, Annandale, VA 22003—$40.00, paper, ISBN not provided)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SERVICES edited by Amy Lucas (Detroit: Gale Research, 1988—$420 for a three volume set, ISBN for the set: 0-8103-2646-9)

COMMUNICATIONS GLOSSARY (Canadian Law Information Council, 5th Floor, 161 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, Ontario KIP 5J2—$30 each in Canadian funds, no ISBN provided)     

Creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities

The multidimensional concept of creativity has a much wider scope of application than disclosed by prevailing research on sporting creativity. In this area, creativity is mostly perceived, praised, and approached for its performative, in-game benefits. Pointing to the belief that creativity requires well-developed technical skills, this phenomenon is often treated as a performative end. When targeting creative match performances, the developmental and experiential benefits of creative activities may be neglected, and creativity may be reserved for the best offensive players. To nourish and nuance practical and scholastic dialogues, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities. This is accomplished by building on and articulating [Shilling, C. (2005). Body in culture, technology and society. London: SAGE] body-sociology, [Gl?veanu, V. P. (2012). What can be done with an egg? Creativity, material objects, and the theory of affordances. The Journal of Creative BehaviorJournal of Creative Behavior, 46(3), 192–208. doi:10.1002/jocb.13, Gl?veanu, V. P. (2016b). The psychology of creating: A cultural-developmental approach to key dichotomies within creativity studies. In The Palgrave handbook of creativity and culture research (pp. 205–223). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-46344-9_10] socio-cultural notions about creativity, and [Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education– an introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY: The Free Press.] educational philosophy. Based on these positions, creativity is treated as a dynamic quality of action that is located in the transaction between the player and the specific situation (i.e. affordances, intentions, and norms). Hence, creativity regards the exploratory and playful processes of discovering, exploiting, and originating unusual action possibilities (i.e. acting on unperceived, unexploited, and uninvented affordances). Grounded in these ideas, we argue for the stimulation of creative actions during training, which should not be forgotten when trying to nurture in-game creativity. Essentially, the developmental benefits (e.g. learning and enjoyment) of creativity could apply to all players, at all levels. Among others, creativity may enhance their situated potential (e.g. expanding the boundaries of usual actions; developing the capacity for novel actions). For instance, the exploration of unexploited affordances (i.e. actions normally avoided due to norms) entails broad experiences and may help the players discover novel actions. Moreover, creative activities may develop the players’ capacity to search for, handle, and/or create unexpected, unusual, and novel situations. This is vital for players’ development and performance.