Skehill, Caroline: History of the Present of Child Protection and Welfare Social Work in Ireland

This unique book has at least three significant strengths. First, it offers an interesting angle on Irish social history and how social work and child protection and welfare services have been developed from the 1860s to the 1990s. Secondly, the author uses the 'history of the present' method of Michel Foucault in a promising manner, incorporating his concepts of archaeology, genealogy and discourse. Most of all she has succeeded in further developing Michel Foucault's concepts and strategies of writing. Although this is a national history, she has made a remarkable contribution to social work research. Her conceptual and methodological innovations are undoubtedly fully applicable to other social and societal contexts. This book is recommendable to those who want to implement genealogical analysis in their own research. Thirdly, her skill in writing and the way she renders the difficult language and concepts of Michel Foucault accessible means that here is a book that can also be read with ease by those whose mother tongue is not English. From the viewpoint of women and women's research the focus in this book is minor but if you are interested in social work history and genealogical analysis, this is a book you have to read!

History of Art in the Digital Age: Problems and Possibilities

Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist, einen allgemeinen Überblick über die Wirkung von Computern auf die Kunstgeschichte zu geben. Zu Beginn der Arbeit wird der Charakter der informationstechnologischen Revolution untersucht, einschließlich seiner schon oft festgestellten Parallelen mit der "Gutenberg"- Revolution, deren Ausgangspunkt in der Entwicklung der Druckerpresse liegt. Wie auch bei Gutenberg, ist die Entwicklung der Informationstechnologie technologisch bedingt. Jedoch führt sie durch ihren Schwerpunkt auf Flexibilität und Verbreitung an ein anderes Ziel. Diese Flexibilität ist zweischneidig: während sie viele neue Möglichkeiten eröffnet, scheint sie auch einen bruchstückhafteren, iterativen Ansatz zur Untersuchung des Vorzugs von Information vor Wissen anzuregen. Es bleibt jedoch offen, ob dieser Ansatz als notwendige Konsequenz der Struktur dieser vorhandenen neuen Technologie betrachtet werden kann, oder ob er eher als Produkt eines allgemeinen intellektuellen Wandels, angeregt durch das Aufkommen des postmodernen Diskurses, beschrieben werden soll. Ich werde in dem vorliegenden Artikel für den zweitgenannten Grund argumentieren. Ich bin außerdem der Meinung, dass der in der neuen Technologie enthaltenen Tendenz zur Fragmentierung entgegengewirkt werden kann - vorausgesetzt der Wunsch besteht. Die Entwicklung des Computers hängt eng mit der Nachfrage des Konsumenten zusammen. Aus diesem Grund kann ein neuer Trend in der Nachfrage die Art der Ausweitung und Modifizierung technologischer Vorgänge mitbestimmen.Des weiteren werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit Problemstellungen diskutiert, die speziell Auswirkungen auf die Untersuchung von Bildern haben. Hierbei wird sowohl das Potential digitaler Bilder für neue Formen der Erforschung und Analyse diskutiert, als auch die vielen neuen Möglichkeiten im Zeitalter des Internets.

Introduction: A brief journey through the 80 year history of the International Association of Schools of Social Work

The leaders of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) have played major roles in shaping the organization over its 80 year history. This brief introduction will put their roles in the context of the organization’s history. While influenced by its presidents in significant ways, the organization’s trajectory has also been affected by the political, economic and social developments of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Significant changes have occurred in the organization and in social work education, yet, as Feustel (2006) observed, “the history of the IASSW demonstrates lines of continuity that are even more remarkable for the fact that it was caught up in the great historical ruptures of the 20th century” (p. 3).

Nuclear and plastid markers reveal the persistence of genetic identity: A new perspective on the evolutionary history of Petunia exserta

Recently divergent species that can hybridize are ideal models for investigating the genetic exchanges that can occur while preserving the species boundaries. Petunia exserta is an endemic species from a very limited and specific area that grows exclusively in rocky shelters. These shaded spots are an inhospitable habitat for all other Petunia species, including the closely related and widely distributed species P. axillaris. Individuals with intermediate morphologic characteristics have been found near the rocky shelters and were believed to be putative hybrids between P. exserta and P. axillaris, suggesting a situation where Petunia exserta is losing its genetic identity. In the current study, we analyzed the plastid intergenic spacers trnS/trnG and trnH/psbA and six nuclear CAPS markers in a large sampling design of both species to understand the evolutionary process occurring in this biological system. Bayesian clustering methods, cpDNA haplotype networks, genetic diversity statistics, and coalescence-based analyses support a scenario where hybridization occurs while two genetic clusters corresponding to two species are maintained. Our results reinforce the importance of coupling differentially inherited markers with an extensive geographic sample to assess the evolutionary dynamics of recently diverged species that can hybridize. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Natural history of optical coherence tomography-detected non-flow-limiting edge dissections following drug-eluting stent implantation

Aims: Angiographic evidence of edge dissections has been associated with a risk of early stent thrombosis. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution technology detecting a greater number of edge dissections -particularly non-flow-limiting- compared to angiography. Their natural history and clinical implications remain unclear. The objectives of the present study were to assess the morphology, healing response, and clinical outcomes of OCT-detected edge dissections using serial OCT imaging at baseline and at one year following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Methods and results: Edge dissections were defined as disruptions of the luminal surface in the 5 mm segments proximal and distal to the stent, and categorised as flaps, cavities, double-lumen dissections or fissures. Qualitative and quantitative OCT analyses were performed every 0.5 mm at baseline and one year, and clinical outcomes were assessed. Sixty-three lesions (57 patients) were studied with OCT at baseline and one-year follow-up. Twenty-two non-flow-limiting edge dissections in 21 lesions (20 patients) were identified by OCT; only two (9%) were angiographically visible. Flaps were found in 96% of cases. The median longitudinal dissection length was 2.9 mm (interquartile range [IQR] 1.6-4.2 mm), whereas the circumferential and axial extensions amounted to 1.2 mm (IQR: 0.9-1.7 mm) and 0.6 mm (IQR: 0.4-0.7 mm), respectively. Dissections extended into the media and adventitia in seven (33%) and four (20%) cases, respectively. Eighteen (82%) OCT-detected edge dissections were also evaluated with intravascular ultrasound which identified nine (50%) of these OCT-detected dissections. No stent thrombosis or target lesion revascularisation occurred up to one year. At follow-up, 20 (90%) edge dissections were completely healed on OCT. The two cases exhibiting persistent dissection had the longest flaps (2.81 mm and 2.42 mm) at baseline. Conclusions: OCT-detected edge dissections which are angiographically silent in the majority of cases are not associated with acute stent thrombosis or restenosis up to one-year follow-up.

Reduced olfactory bulb volume in adults with a history of childhood maltreatment

The human olfactory bulb (OB) is the first relay station of the olfactory pathway and may have the potential for postnatal neurogenesis in early childhood. In animals, chronic stress affects the OB and olfactory functioning. For humans, it has been shown that major depressive disorder is accompanied by reduced OB volume and reduced olfactory function. However, it is not clear if major stress in childhood development also affects olfactory functioning and OB volume in humans. OB volume was measured and olfactory function was tested in 17 depressive patients with and 10 without a history of severe childhood maltreatment (CM). CM patients exhibited a significantly reduced olfactory threshold and identification ability. The OB volume of the CM patients was significantly reduced to 80% of the non-CM patients. In conclusion, postnatal neurogenesis might be by reduced in CM, which may affect olfactory function of the brain in later life. Alternatively, a reduced OB volume may enhance psychological vulnerability in the presence of adverse childhood conditions although other areas not analyzed in this study may also be involved.

Cortisol levels and history of depression in acute coronary syndrome patients

BACKGROUND: Depressed mood following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a risk factor for future cardiac morbidity. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation is associated with depression, and may be a process through which depressive symptoms influence later cardiac health. Additionally, a history of depression predicts depressive symptoms in the weeks following ACS. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a history of depression and/or current depression are associated with the HPA axis dysregulation following ACS. METHOD: A total of 152 cardiac patients completed a structured diagnostic interview, a standardized depression questionnaire and a cortisol profile over the day, 3 weeks after an ACS. Cortisol was analysed using: the cortisol awakening response (CAR), total cortisol output estimated using the area under the curve method, and the slope of cortisol decline over the day. RESULTS: Total cortisol output was positively associated with history of depression, after adjustment for age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), Global Registry of Acute Cardiac Events (GRACE) risk score, days in hospital, medication with statins and antiplatelet compounds, and current depression score. Men with clinically diagnosed depression after ACS showed a blunted CAR, but the CAR was not related to a history of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a history of depression showed increased total cortisol output, but this is unlikely to be responsible for associations between depression after ACS and later cardiac morbidity. However, the blunted CAR in patients with severe depression following ACS indicates that HPA dysregulation is present.

Deposition History of Polychlorinated Biphenyls to the Lomonosovfonna Glacier, Svalbard: A 209 Congener Analysis

A 37 m deep ice core representing 1957–2009 and snow from 2009 to 2010 were collected on the Lomonosovfonna glacier, Svalbard (78.82° N; 17.43° E) and analyzed for 209 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Congener profiles in all samples showed the prevalence of tetra- and pentachlorobiphenyls, dominated in all samples by PCB-44, PCB-52, PCB-70 + PCB-74, PCB-87 + PCB-97, PCB-95, PCB-99, PCB-101, and PCB-110. The ∑PCB flux varied over time, but the peak flux, 19 pg cm–2 year–1 from 1957 to 1966, recurred in 1974–1983, 1998–2009, and 2009–2010. The minimum was 5.75 pg cm–2 year–1 in 1989–1998, following a 15 year decline. Peak ∑PCB fluxes here are lower than measured in the Canadian Arctic. The analysis of all 209 congeners revealed that PCB-11 (3,3′-dichlorobiphenyl) was present in all samples, representing 0.9–4.5% of ∑PCB. PCB-11 was not produced in a commercial PCB product, and its source to the Arctic has not been well-characterized; however, our results confirm that the sources to Lomonosovfonna have been active since 1957. The higher fluxes of ∑PCB correspond to periods when average 5 day air mass back trajectories have a frequency of 8–10% and reach 60° N or beyond over northern Europe and western Russia or the North Sea into the U.K