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Whether manually or through the use of software, a non-linear information organization framework known as mind mapping offers an alternative method for capturing thoughts, ideas and information to linear thinking modes such as outlining. Mind mapping is brainstorming, organizing, and problem solving. This paper examines mind mapping techniques, advantages, and disadvantages of hand-drawn maps and using mind mapping software. Several mind mapping software applications are compared on a number of product dimensions. Survey results provide a descriptive profile of mind map users in education, government and business sectors.

Classroom instruction continues to change dramatically with new technology and pedagogy. Faculty aspire to develop innovative programs and creative education while seeking effective teaching strategies that capitalize on emerging technology and invoke student interest and involvement. Research shows that student involvement, hands-on projects, and teamwork are successful pedagogical approaches (Kayes, Kayes, & Kolb, 2005; McKeachie 1994; Passman 2001). This paper describes a creative project for students that showcases technology and student involvement. Additionally, the assignment is consistent with the seven principles for good practice in higher education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) and provides desired outcomes to business education such as business fundamentals, critical thinking, teamwork, and technology skills. Students prepare a team-based research presentation on a topic that incorporates a student produced podcast. By producing podcasts, students have the opportunity to research and analyze information, communicate effectively, and incorporate the opinions of experts in a cutting-edge way. Producing and comparing their own work to that of others can give students a valuable perspective on their own abilities and inspire them to try new ideas or techniques. The authors utilized an evaluation questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of the project. From the students' perspective, the project was very effective in meeting educational objectives. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

In January 2007, English international soccer star David Beckham announced to a global media that he would be leaving the Spanish giants Real Madrid to join Major League Soccer's (MLS) Los Angeles Galaxy. MLS Commissioner Don Garber feted Beckham as a global sporting icon whose presence attested to America's gradual transformation into a 'Soccer Nation.' However, following LA Galaxy's acquisition, a debate surrounding soccer's previous failure to compete at the highest echelons of American professional sport reappeared. Academic and journalistic commentators identified a number of obstacles--historical, socioeconomic and ideological--that have prevented soccer from gaining a foothold in the United States sporting market and therein becoming a credible adversary to the holy trinity of Gridiron Football, Baseball, and Basketball. This article, drawing upon Ian Hacking's prescriptions for Historical Ontology (2002) and thereby foregrounding issues of identity and power, seeks to analyse the impediments that have marked soccer's development in the United States and that led to the recruitment of Beckham as the sporting celebrity-cum-commercial juggernaut intended to bring MLS to the attention of a mass audience-variegated in terms of class, 'race,' and gender--so coveted by leaders of the organisation. Key Words: Soccer, identity, power, historical ontology, gender, ethnicity, immigration DOI: 10.1080/1070289X.2010.492295

This article examines how white British residents of a superdiverse London housing estate learn about—and subsequently deploy—the intra‐ethnic stereotypes used by their British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi neighbours/flatmates. Building on recent attempts to bring together conviviality and boundary making, along with insights into intra‐ethnic othering, we show how, for white British residents, these stereotypes offered the chance to add detail and authenticity to judgements about the "unrespectable" behaviour of British Asian residents and/or visitors. Ultimately, however, white British residents' inappropriate and/or imprecise deployment of these stereotypes in relation to British Bangladeshis and British Pakistanis led to the misidentification of low‐status people and the unfair extension of discrimination faced by low‐status individuals and families. Furthermore, the combination of clumsy application and the positioning of "respectable" British Bangladeshis and British Pakistanis as purveyors of "insider knowledge" about intra‐ethnic stereotypes led to the reinscribing of boundaries between racial groups. We conclude that studying the cross‐racial use of intra‐ethnic stereotypes allows for a subtler appreciation of the complex dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in superdiverse areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sir,--The technology that inspired floodlit football is not totally lost to history (see James Campbell's Freelance column, October 4 and Simon Weir's letter, October 18). In the same month of [...]

The core meaning of individual and group identities is established by sameness over time and space, sustained by ceremony and ritual. This article illustrates the complex relationship between identities, rituals, and memory by focusing on annual public spectacles in the Norwegian city of Bergen, manifestations of youthful rite de passage, expressions of local and national patriotism, and a variety of practices bound up with support for the city's largest football club. The world over the game of football generates loyalty and sentiment that vary in their consequences from mild amusement to acts of violence. Nationalistic displays abound around the game and analysts of the human condition realise that much of what we value most is embedded in the game itself and the epiphenomena around it. Football is a contrived theatre of emotions; with no universal of legal agreed--upon meaning the game becomes a receptacle for identities and loaded with significance. This article addresses to what extent the game and more specifically a football club can provide a focus for a sense of civic loyalty over and above that ideally articulated by the subjects of a modern European nation state. Employing the ethnographic method provided by participant observation, this article focusses on three locations in the collective celebration of a city. Key Words: nationalism, civic pride, ethnography, football

Most people will accept the contention that sport has an ideological site. Indeed sport might be considered as the broadest cultural denomination in many nations, capable of creating and sustaining a sense of identity and belonging crucial to national integration. Expressions around sport and, in this instance, specifically Association Football (soccer) appeal to individuals supportive of a variety of ideological perspectives. Thus, the pursuit of any understanding of the game has to be sought with reference to culturally specific power relations. The role that football can play in both the construction of national identity and the rehabilitation of the former militia in a war-damaged society, is the focus of this ethnographic inquiry. The location is Liberia, West Africa, beginning in 1998, a year after the election that marked the end of almost a decade of civil conflict. Key Words: Sport, national integration, rehabilitation, ethnographic inquiry, Liberia

This paper describes empirical research amongst hooligans. Such research has not always been valued. The significant factor in hooligan behaviour may be asserted to be the generation of violence in the lower working class and its dissemination amongst football fans. It is commonly asserted that hooligans operate in well-organized groups. It is argued here that such assertions need to be based on better evidence. A detailed account is given of the behaviour of a notorious group of fans and its key individuals. This shows that the 'hard core' fans were distinguishedd from others only by greater dedication to football and their club; they had a potentiality for violence but only of the low level kind that many others shared; they were more often invovled simply because they went to more matches; they lacked organization. Nevertheless outsiders were, not unreasonably, sure they were a violent, organized group. This casts doubt on similar beliefs held about other groups unless beliefs are well sustantiated. Detailed ethnography is valuable because it helps to sort out the nature of the 'hooligan' problem that requires to be theorized.

Against a backdrop of rising youth violence in the UK, the issue of gang policing has once more risen to prominence. Intense debates surrounding police cuts have led to renewed calls for a 'war on gangs', echoing earlier responses to England's summer of violent disorder in 2011. Drawing on a long-term ethnographic study of policing in the London Borough of Newham, this paper reports on a case-study of gang policing during a similarly fraught political moment. In the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, a street-based group of minority ethnic youth – the so-called Portuguese Mafia (PGM) – became the primary focus for gang policing in the Borough. Though the group did not self-identify as a gang, their activities were inflated and became the subject of a targeted enforcement initiative. These distortions, we argue, resulted from the influence of political decision-making on the working practices of front-line police officers, amplified in a climate of austerity. Through the reconstruction of this 'natural history', we seek to contribute an empirical account of the ambiguities inherent in police definitions of gangs, and the discriminatory consequences of categorisation. Theoretically, the paper seeks to contribute a critical sociological account of gangs and gang policing that bridges extant objectivist and constructivist readings of gangs through engagement with the Bourdieusian concept of 'field'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a fixed‐dose combination of two approved drugs, Ciprofloxacin and Celecoxib, as a potential therapeutic treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: Toxicity and efficacy of Ciprofloxacin and Celecoxib were tested, each alone and in distinct ratio combinations in SOD1 G93R transgenic zebrafish model for ALS. Quantification of swimming measures following stimuli, measurements of axonal projections from the spinal cord, neuromuscular junction structure and morphometric analysis of microglia cells were performed in the combination‐ treated vs nontreated mutant larvae. Additionally, quantifications of touch‐evoked locomotor escape response were conducted in treated vs nontreated zebrafish expressing the TARDBP G348C ALS variant. Results: When administered individually, Ciprofloxacin had a mild effect and Celecoxib had no therapeutic effect. However, combined Ciprofloxacin and Celecoxib (Cipro/Celecox) treatment caused a significant increase of ~ 84% in the distance the SOD1 G93R transgenic larvae swam. Additionally, Cipro/Celecox elicited recovery of impaired motor neurons morphology and abnormal neuromuscular junction structure and preserved the ramified morphology of microglia cells in the SOD1 mutants. Furthermore, larvae expressing the TDP‐43 mutation displayed evoked touch responses that were significantly longer in swim distance (110% increase) and significantly higher in maximal swim velocity (~44% increase) when treated with Cipro/Celecox combination. Interpretation: Cipro/Celecox combination improved locomotor and cellular deficits of ALS zebrafish models. These results identify this novel combination as effective, and may prove promising for the treatment of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effort is undertaken to fill the explanatory lacuna regarding anthropological nexus of landscape and sport. The effects and cultural meanings of police surveillance on football fans in response to the football hooligans and rivalries are assessed.

ROBSON, GARRY. 'No one likes us, we don't core': the myth and reality of Millwall fandom. xi, 203 pp.' bibliogr. Oxford, New York: Berg Publishers, 2000. £42.99 (cloth), £14.99 (paper) [...]

The article draws on the findings of two years’ ethnographic fieldwork in exploring how gang activity in Newham, East London is combatted by faith-based organisation, Targeted Against Gangs (TAG). More specifically, the authors examine how TAG seeks to reform the identities of young male gang members according to the principles of what we have called ‘Pentecostal realist masculinity’. The characteristics of this reformed masculinity include an awareness of the racial (and racist) dynamics of criminal and wider society, a focus on individuals thriving within fraternal networks, and the desire to channel creative energies into legitimate entrepreneurial activities. Though this strategy did not mount a direct challenge to the racist societal structures it identified, it was effective in reducing levels of gang violence in East London. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43) is a 43 kD, predominately nuclear, protein involved in RNA metabolism. Of clinical significance is that the majority of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients display abnormal accumulation of misfolded TDP-43 in the cytoplasm, which is coincident with a loss of nuclear localization in the afflicted regions of the central nervous system. Little is known about defects that arise in loss-of-function models, in particular synaptic defects that arise at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In this report, we examined abnormalities arising at the NMJ following depletion of tdp-43 using a previously characterized mutant tardbp (encoding tdp-43) zebrafish line containing a premature stop codon (Y220X) that results in an unstable and degraded protein. Homozygous tardbpY220X/Y220X zebrafish do not produce tdp-43 but develop normally due to expression of an alternative splice variant of tardbpl (tardbp paralog). Using an antisense morpholino oligonucleotide to knockdown expression of the tardbpl in tardbpY220X/Y220X embryos, we examined locomotor defects, NMJ structural abnormalities and release of quantal synaptic vesicles at the NMJ. As in previous reports, larvae depleted of tdp-43 display reduced survival, gross morphological defects and severely impaired locomotor activity. These larvae also displayed an increased number of orphaned pre- and postsynaptic NMJ markers but surprisingly, we observed a significant increase (3.5 times) in the frequency of quantal acetylcholine release at the NMJ in larvae depleted of tdp-43. These results indicate that reduced TDP-43 levels alter quantal vesicle release at the NMJ during vertebrate development and may be relevant for understanding synaptic dysfunction in ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methodology for site-directed editing of single nucleotides in the vertebrate genome is of considerable interest for research in biology and medicine. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 type II (Cas9) system has emerged as a simple and inexpensive tool for editing genomic loci of interest in a variety of animal models. In zebrafish, error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) has been used as a simple method to disrupt gene function. We sought to develop a method to easily create site-specific SNPs in the zebrafish genome. Here, we report simple methodologies for using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology directed repair using single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide donor templates (ssODN) for site-directed single nucleotide editing, for the first time in two disease-related genes, tardbp and fus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the diverse forms of public opposition, protest, criticism, and complaint in the United Kingdom on the staging of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Our discussion draws heavily on empirical research, primarily fieldwork and interviews in East London with local residents, opposition groups, business people, politicians, and other stakeholders. The article is separated into three main parts. First, we explore the setting and political–economic context for London 2012. The main Olympic setting—the London Borough of Newham—features very high levels of poverty and ethnic diversity. We argue that London 2012 represented a form of “festival capitalism” that was part of a broader set of “New Right two-step” policies in poor urban areas, involving initial Keynesian investment, followed by a deeper and far-reaching array of neo-liberal measures. Second, in the main part of the article, we identify and examine, in turn, six forms of public conflict, criticism, and complaint that centered on the Games, specifically national criticisms (e.g., on distribution of Olympic resources), local criticisms (e.g., on lack of jobs and business benefits), issue-specific campaigns (e.g., on the environment), “glocal” protests against specific nations and sponsors (e.g., campaigns against BP, Dow, and Rio Tinto), neo-tribal transgressions and situationist spectacles (e.g., mass cycle rides near Olympic venues), and anti-Olympic forums and demonstrations (e.g., critical web sites, multi-group marches). Third, we set out briefly the importance of conducting research into critics and opponents of sport mega-events, and discuss different arguments on how the social impact of protest movements might have been intensified at London 2012. The findings in this article may be extended to examine critical public responses to the hosting of other mega-events in different settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the politics of mobility which surrounded the London 2012 Olympics. We provide a critical discussion of the mobility conflicts, problems and criticisms which emerged from our research with local people in the Stratford and wider Newham areas of London, where most Olympic events were located. The paper is divided into four broad parts. First, we identify and discuss the relevant components of the 'mobilities paradigm' in social science which underpin our analysis. Second, we briefly outline our research methods, centring particularly on fieldwork and interviews with different social groups. Third, we examine in detail the six main themes of mobility politics which were evident at London 2012, relating to social context, event construction, event mobility systems, commercial mobilities, the mobile politics of exclusion, and contested modes of mobility. In doing so, we seek to extend the mobilities paradigm by introducing various concepts and keywords - notably on the three-speed city, entryability, mobility panics, instrumental mobility, and corporate kettling - which may be utilized by social scientists to examine mobility systems in other social contexts. We conclude by reaffirming the significance of mobility-focused research at sport and other megaevents, and by indicating future lines of inquiry for social scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensitivity of insect nervous systems to anoxia can be modulated genetically and pharmacologically, but the cellular mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. We examined the effect of a heat shock pretreatment (HS) on the sensitivity of the locust (Locusta migratoria) nervous system to anoxia induced by water immersion. Prior HS made locusts more resistant to anoxia by increasing the time taken to enter a coma and by reducing the time taken to recover the ability to stand. Anoxic comas were accompanied by surges of extracellular potassium ions in the neuropile of the metathoracic ganglion, and HS reduced the time taken for clearance of excess extracellular potassium ions. This could not be attributed to a decrease in the activity of protein kinase G, which was increased by HS. In homogenates of the metathoracic ganglion, HS had only a mild effect on the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase. However, we demonstrated that HS caused a threefold increase in the immunofluorescent localization of the α-subunit of Na+-K+-ATPase in metathoracic neuronal plasma membranes relative to background labeling of the nucleus.We conclude that HS induced trafficking of Na+-K+-ATPase into neuronal plasma membranes and suggest that this was at least partially responsible for the increased resistance to anoxia and the increased rate of recovery of neural function after a disturbance of K+ homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43, encoded by the TARDBP gene) has recently been shown to be associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the early pathophysiological deficits causing impairment in motor function are unknown. Here we expressed the wild-type human gene (wtTARDBP) or the ALS mutation G348C (mulTARDBP) in zebrafish larvae and characterized their motor (swim-ming) activity and the structure and function of their neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Of these groups only mutL4i?DBP larvae showed impaired swimming and increased motoneuron vulnerability with reduced synaptic fidelity, reduced quantal transmission, and more orphaned presynaptic and postsynaptic structures at the NMJ. Remarkably, all behavioral and cellular features were stabilized by chronic treatment with either of the L-type calcium channel agonists FPL 64176 or Bay K 8644. These results indicate that expression of mut-TARDBP results in defective NMJs and that calcium channel agonists could be novel therapeutics for ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Environmental temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors affecting insect behaviour; virtually all physiological processes, including those which regulate nervous system function, are affected. At both low and high temperature extremes insects enter a coma during which individuals do not display behaviour and are unresponsive to stimulation. We investigated neurophysiological correlates of chill and hyperthermic coma in Drosophila melanogaster. Coma resulting from anoxia causes a profound loss of K+ homeostasis characterized by a surge in extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) in the brain. We recorded [K+]o in the brain during exposure to both low and high temperatures and observed a similar surge in [K+]o which recovered to baseline concentrations following return to room temperature. We also found that rapid cold hardening (RCH) using a cold pretreatment (4°C for 2h; 2h recovery at room temperature) increased the peak brain [K+]o reached during a subsequent chill coma and increased the rates of accumulation and clearance of [K+]o. We conclude that RCH preserves K+ homeostasis in the fly brain during exposure to cold by reducing the temperature sensitivity of the rates of homeostatic processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The democratically elected President of Liberia was between 1997 and 2004 also the country’s ‘Chief Patron of Sport’. Enjoying tennis more than team games, the one-time President, Charles Taylor, realized that the electorate’s enthusiasm for the game of football meant that the game could be a useful vehicle with which to associate. As well as funding the salaries of the national ‘Lone Star’ football team, Taylor also sponsored a football team in the national league drawn from his personal militia known as the ‘Anti-Terrorist Unit’ (ATU). Prone to random murder by night, the same players, out of their recognizable uniform and in match kit, respected the rules of the game and the position of the referee. Others seeking the same sporting enjoyment were, when on the field of play in 2003, captured and forced to join the Presidential militia when rebel forces sought to overthrow Taylor. Players of another team – mainly children – were killed mid-match when a rocket-propelled grenade – origins contested – landed in their midst. The Liberian nation’s most famous citizen and one-time FIFA World Footballer of the Year, George Weah, twice fled the country in terror, once when threatened by the forces of the President, and again years later when an angry mob of irate football supporters blamed him for their national football team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup Finals. There was no shortage of incidents in Liberia in the aforementioned years that could be classed as ‘terrorist’ and indeed terrifying; sporting practice at times exemplified the alternatives available to conflict, yet at other times it accentuated the fault lines in what BBC political journalist Fergal Keane famously called Africa’s ‘basket case’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]