Uses and misuses of the STROBE statement: bibliographic study

Objectives Appropriate reporting is central to the application of findings from research to clinical practice. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations consist of a checklist of 22 items that provide guidance on the reporting of cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies, in order to facilitate critical appraisal and interpretation of results. STROBE was published in October 2007 in several journals including The Lancet, BMJ, Annals of Internal Medicine and PLoS Medicine. Within the framework of the revision of the STROBE recommendations, the authors examined the context and circumstances in which the STROBE statement was used in the past. Design The authors searched the Web of Science database in August 2010 for articles which cited STROBE and examined a random sample of 100 articles using a standardised, piloted data extraction form. The use of STROBE in observational studies and systematic reviews (including meta-analyses) was classified as appropriate or inappropriate. The use of STROBE to guide the reporting of observational studies was considered appropriate. Inappropriate uses included the use of STROBE as a tool to assess the methodological quality of studies or as a guideline on how to design and conduct studies. Results The authors identified 640 articles that cited STROBE. In the random sample of 100 articles, about half were observational studies (32%) or systematic reviews (19%). Comments, editorials and letters accounted for 15%, methodological articles for 8%, and recommendations and narrative reviews for 26% of articles. Of the 32 observational studies, 26 (81%) made appropriate use of STROBE, and three uses (10%) were considered inappropriate. Among 19 systematic reviews, 10 (53%) used STROBE inappropriately as a tool to assess study quality. Conclusions The STROBE reporting recommendations are frequently used inappropriately in systematic reviews and meta-analyses as an instrument to assess the methodological quality of observational studies.

PERSPECTIVES ON ICT ADOPTION IN UGANDAN SCHOOLS

This report discusses steps for the integration and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Uganda schools. Barriers of ICT adoption for teachers were determined through surveys at three schools in Eastern Uganda. Teachers identified lack of familiarity of ICT resources and lack of ICT skills as the two greatest barriers to ICT integration. Administrators and staffs were also interviewed to determine current resources. Through observations, interviews and collected data the report addresses two major ideas, promoting utilization of ICT resources and development of sustainable ICT programs. Promotion of utilization not only relies on overcoming the major barriers listed, but also developing a positive attitude of ICT. Sustainability is an issue reliant on all three groups of the school community; administration, staff and users.

The Uses of Violence: An Examination of some Cross-Cutting Issues

A general theory of violence may only be possible in the sense of a meta-theoretical framework, As such it should comprise a parsimonious set of general mechanisms that operate across various manifestations of violence. In order to identify such mechanisms, a general theory of violence needs to equally consider all manifestations of violence, in all societies, and at all times. Departing from this assumption this paper argues that three theoretical approaches may be combined in a non-contradictory way to understand violence as goal-directed instrumental behaviour: a theory of the judgment and decision-making processes operating in the situations that give rise to violence; a theory of the evolutionary processes that have resulted in universal cognitive and emotional mechanisms associated with violence; and a theory of the way in which social institutions structure violence by selectively enhancing its effectiveness for some purposes (i.e legitimate use of force) and controlling other types of violence (i.e crime). To illustrate the potential use of such a perspective the paper then examines some general mechanisms that may explain many different types of violence. In particular, it examines how the mechanisms of moralistic aggression (Trivers) and moral disengagement (Bandura) may account for many different types of violence.

Assessing traditional knowledge on forest uses to understand forest ecosystem dynamics

Forest ecosystems worldwide are heavily influenced by human activities. Information on these human activities are key for understanding ecosystem dynamics, especially as some of these human activities have long-term consequences, i.e. legacy effects. We assessed the diversity of forest uses across the Swiss Alps and the respective traditional forest-related knowledge (TFRK) by conducting 56 oral history interviews in five regions. As TFRK tends to be underrepresented in written records, oral history proves to be a very valuable approach. We classified the information gathered in 61 specific forest use practices, characterized by activity, product and use, in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the regional variability but also cross-regional ubiquity of certain forest uses. Based on these results we are able to name the ecologically most relevant forest uses which were most likely, or potentially occurring in Central European forests. We suggest a simple, systematic historical assessment of these relevant forest uses to be applied in all studies on forest ecosystems. This procedure will enable scientists to better evaluate to what degree human activities had an impact on forest ecosystem dynamics in their study area.

Beyond biofuels: jatropha’s multiple uses for farmers in East Africa

The jatropha plant produces seeds containing 25–40% oil by weight. This oil can be made into biodiesel. During the recent global fuel crisis, the price of crude oil peaked at over USD 130 per barrel. Jatropha attracted huge interest – it was touted as a wonder crop that could generate biodiesel oil on “marginal lands” in semi-arid areas. Its promise appeared especially great in East Africa. Today, however, jatropha’s value in East Africa appears to lie primarily in its multipurpose use by small-scale farmers, not in large-scale biofuel production.

Globalized Antiquity: Uses and Perceptions of the Past in South Asia, Mesoamerica, and Europe

„Antike“ ist keine europäische Exklusivität: Das Buch zeigt, wie in Südasien, Mesoamerika und Europa je eigene Antiken konstruiert werden. In den untersuchten vorkolonialen, kolonialen und postkolonialen Zusammenhängen wird die Antike durch die zeitgenössische Geschichtspolitik stark mitbestimmt. Der Vergleich lässt die Verflechtung der Vorstellungen über die Vergangenheit zwischen „klassischer“ europäischer, indischer und mesoamerikanischer Antike von der frühen Neuzeit bis in die Gegenwart erkennen. Das Buch bietet Denkanstöße für Personen, die sich mit historisch interessierter Kulturanthropologie, kritischer Altertumswissenschaft und Globalgeschichte beschäftigen.

Segmented filamentous bacterium uses secondary and tertiary lymphoid tissues to induce gut IgA and specific T helper 17 cell responses.

Segmented filamentous bacterium (SFB) is a symbiont that drives postnatal maturation of gut adaptive immune responses. In contrast to nonpathogenic E. coli, SFB stimulated vigorous development of Peyer's patches germinal centers but paradoxically induced only a low frequency of specific immunoglobulin A (IgA)-secreting cells with delayed accumulation of somatic mutations. Moreover, blocking Peyer's patch development abolished IgA responses to E. coli, but not to SFB. Indeed, SFB stimulated the postnatal development of isolated lymphoid follicles and tertiary lymphoid tissue, which substituted for Peyer's patches as inductive sites for intestinal IgA and SFB-specific T helper 17 (Th17) cell responses. Strikingly, in mice depleted of gut organized lymphoid tissue, SFB still induced a substantial but nonspecific intestinal Th17 cell response. These results demonstrate that SFB has the remarkable capacity to induce and stimulate multiple types of intestinal lymphoid tissues that cooperate to generate potent IgA and Th17 cell responses displaying only limited target specificity.

A specialist root herbivore reduces plant resistance and uses an induced plant volatile to aggregate in a density-dependent manner

1.Leaf-herbivore attack often triggers induced resistance in plants. However, certain specialist herbivores can also take advantage of the induced metabolic changes. In some cases, they even manipulate plant resistance, leading to a phenomenon called induced susceptibility. Compared to above-ground plant-insect interactions, little is known about the prevalence and consequences of induced responses below-ground. 2.A recent study suggested that feeding by the specialist root herbivore Diabrotica virgifera virgifera makes maize roots more susceptible to conspecifics. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted a series of experiments to study the behavioural responses and elucidate the underlying biochemical mechanisms. 3.We found that D. virgifera benefitted from feeding on a root system in groups of intermediate size (3–9 larvae/plant in the laboratory), whereas its performance was reduced in large groups (12 larvae/plant). Interestingly, the herbivore was able to select host plants with a suitable density of conspecifics by using the induced plant volatile (E)-β-caryophyllene in a dose-dependent manner. Using a split root experiment, we show that the plant-induced susceptibility is systemic and, therefore, plant mediated. Chemical analyses on plant resource reallocation and defences upon herbivory showed that the systemic induced-susceptibility is likely to stem from a combination of (i) increased free amino acid concentrations and (ii) relaxation of defence inducibility. 4.These findings show that herbivores can use induced plant volatiles in a density-dependent manner to aggregate on a host plant and change its metabolism to their own benefit. Our study furthermore helps to explain the remarkable ecological success of D. virgifera in maize fields around the world.

Digital goes politics: Einblick in die Schweizer ICT-Verbands und Politiklandschaft

Die Schweizer ICT-Verbands- und Politiklandschaft ist verworren. Der folgende Ueberblick ueber ICT-Verbaende, Lobbying-Organisationen, Politiker und ICT-Themen soll etwas Licht ins Dickicht bringen. Der Artikel hat weder Anspruch auf Vollstaendigkeit noch auf Neutralitaet, versucht aber dennoch einen moeglichst ausgeglichenen Einblick zu schaffen.

On the Way to Becoming Global Citizens: Use of ICT by Ukrainian Students

Information is one of the important assets in today's society. Information and communication technologies (ICT) may be particular important for students as one of the tools to become global citizens. The objective of this study was to investigate use of ICT by high school students (n=122) from Ukraine, a developing country. The analysis indicates that majority of students from Ukraine have computer at home and more than half of students have the Internet access at home. In addition, gender differences in the use of computer and the Internet were identified. Educational implications and future directions are discussed.