bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The World Trade Center Catastrophe: Was the Type of Spray Fire Proofing a Factor in the Collapse of the Twin Towers?
Authors: Langer Arthur M. , Morse Roger G.
Published: March 2007

The structural collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center occurred in a time period far shorter than its statutory Fire Code rating. Speculation gave rise to theories that the steel had buckled because of the substi tution of the original asbestos-containing fireproofing with a non-asbestos-containing vitreous fibre formula tion. The substitution was thought to have come about due to New York City's 1972 ban of such materials in con struction. The use of substitute material in the Towers actually pre-dated the New York City ban by almost 2 years. Although, the substitute material may have had the same thermal rating for fire, its characteristics con cerning durability during service are now known to have been inferior. At the time of application and construction, no performance criteria were available concerning ap plication thickness, adherence character, compressive strength, or density. These factors are now thought to have played a major role in the heating of the structural steel and its subsequent failure. The ban of asbestos- containing spray fireproofing was probably a reasonable conclusion for the time, only if the substitute material performed as well as the material which it replaced. However it did not. The issues today focus on the neces sity to re-inspect buildings sprayed with asbestos substi tutes during the time period 1972-1977, especially those structures that employed the same light-weight floor truss design, and measure their serviceability according to now established standards.
Experimental Study of Thermal Comfort in an Office Environment with an Underfloor Ventilation System
Authors: Wan M.P. , Chao Christopher Y.
Published: March 2007

Frequent changes in arrangement in office space and the huge amount of cables brought about by the extensive use of computers make the implementation of raised flooring a necessity in modern office buildings. Under floor ventilation systems that make use of the underfloor plenum for conditioned air distribution will therefore increase in popularity as they extend the flexibility of building services and take advantage of the raised floor to accommodate the HVAC system. Previous research has revealed that the top return type underfloor system saves a significant amount of energy, as the supply air temperature can be higher than that in a ceiling-based system. However, thermal discomfort due to tempera ture non-uniformity was also reported. This paper presents the experiment results of a laboratory study of the thermal performance for a floor return (FR) type underfloor system under different heat load densities and supply air temperatures. Vertical temperature differ ences and air velocities were found to be within the com fort limits stated in major international standards. The measured predicted mean vote and predicted percent age of dissatisfied values also satisfied the ISO Standard 7730. A comfortable environment was maintained by the FR type system under a dense internal heat load and with the supply air temperature set at as high as 18°C.
The Relationships between Indoor and Outdoor Respirable Particulate Matter: Meteorology, Chemistry and Personal Exposure
Authors: Shilton Vaughan , Giess Paul , Mitchell David , Williams Craig
Published: March 2007

Respirable particulate matter was collected inside and outside of a building located in Wolverhampton city centre during the same time period between 19/9/00 and 1/5/01. A total of 103 pairs of indoor and outdoor mea surements were made using Casella personal dust moni tors. The building monitored was located in a small street canyon produced by 4- and 5-storey buildings on both sides of the road. The road is the main approach road to a major bus station and is used by large numbers of heavy-duty diesel vehicles each day. The mean con centration for outdoor samples was 27.6 and 9.8 μg.m-3 for indoor samples. The mean indoor/outdoor ratio for this period was 0.4 (±0.02 SE). Meteorological variables including wind speed, wind direction and precipitation were measured at a nearby urban monitoring station. A greater wind speed caused an increase in the quantity of outdoor generated particulates penetrating indoors. Wind direction affected both indoor and outdoor particu late concentrations, with lower concentrations being ob served when the wind direction was parallel to the street canyon. The indoor/outdoor ratio also showed a de crease during parallel wind conditions. During days with high amounts of precipitation, the concentration of par ticulates, both indoors and outdoors, decreased signifi cantly. The personal exposure of a building occupant was measured for 20 working days in conjunction with outdoor and indoor measurements. Personal exposure concentrations were well correlated with indoor concen trations (r2 = 0.98). Forty of the indoor and outdoor partic ulate samples of dust were chemically analysed for sul phate, nitrate, chloride, zinc, copper, manganese and aluminium to determine any indoor/outdoor relation ships of particulate chemistry and any interrelationships between the analytes.
Airborne Mould Levels and Related Environmental Factors in Australian Houses
Authors: Godish Diana , Godish Thad , Hooper Bev , Hooper Martin , Cole Mary
Published: March 2007

Airborne mould sampling studies were conducted in 40 selected Australian (Latrobe Valley, Victoria) houses. Both total indoor culturable and total mould spore levels were observed to be relatively high with 58% of houses with one or more rooms exceeding 1,000 cfu/m3 and 48% exceeding 10,000 spores/m3, respectively. Median indoor total mould spore levels exceeded total culturable levels by 14-fold in concurrent sampling. An evaluation of the indoor/outdoor ratios of selected genera indicated that 50% of indoor concen trations could be explained by outdoor mould levels. Applying a univariate analysis of variance, significant differences in mould levels associated with a variety of housing characteristics and environmental factors were observed. A house age >20 years and relative humidity ≥ 70% were observed to be signifi cant independent contributing factors to elevated indoor culturable mould levels while similarly these factors with water intrusion through the building envelope gave elevated total indoor mould spore levels.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Birthweight of Offspring: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Epidemiological Literature
Authors: Witorsch Raphael J. , Witorsch Philip
Published: March 2007

Forty papers on the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure of the mother and low birthweight of offspring were examined from the point of view of experimental design, criteria for ETS exposure, sample size, methods of statistical analysis, individual confounders considered, spe cific endpoints, and outcome. An approximately equal number of studies employed either the prospective or retrospective design, with very few using the case-control design. The vast majority of studies used a surrogate for ETS exposure (mainly paternal smoking), without verification of such exposure with a biochemical marker. The sample sizes of the studies ranged from under 100 subjects to almost 25,000 subjects. Most studies employed regression analysis. A considerable variation from study to study was noted in the treat ment of potential confounding variables and most studies considered relative ly few of these. Most of the individual confounding variables were considered in a relatively small proportion (one third or less) of the studies. The majority (almost two thirds) of the studies failed to demonstrate a statistically signifi cant association between ETS exposure of the pregnant woman and low birth weight. This general lack of consistency of association could reflect absence of an adverse effect of ETS or methodologic difficulties such as misclassification error, type II error, recall bias, or inadequate adjustment for potential con founders.
Volatile Organic Compounds in Office Buildings
Authors: Lagoudi Argyro , Loizidou Maria , Asimakopoulos Demosthenes
Published: March 2007

There is growing awareness concerning the variety of VOCs as well as their level in the indoor air. Measurements of VOCs were carried out in both the indoor and the outdoor air of six office buildings in Greece together with the measurements of other physical and chemical parameters. The experimental results showed that the toxic VOC (TVOC) concentrations in 65% of the rooms were higher than the recommended level of 200 μg.m-3 and that the concentrations of TVOCs in the outdoor air were lower than the concentra tions in the indoor air in all the buildings examined. More than 60 compounds were identified from the TVOCs in each building among which the aromatic and aliphatic compounds were the most abundant. Although a number of oth er compounds were found, including terpenes, ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, esters and halogenated compounds, most of them did not exceed the level of 20 μg.m -3 in most of the rooms.
Clinical Pathology and Histology of Pleural Plaques
Authors: Christen Brigitte , Wegmann W. , Vogt P.
Published: March 2007

Pleural plaques are an indicator of asbestos-associated disease that can be diagnosed by radiological techniques, thoracoscopy and at autopsy. Typical, asbestos-related pleural plaques have to be distinguished from other pleural lesions, such as diffuse pleural fibrosis, localised pleural tumours, mesothelio ma and metastasis. Pleural plaques can be the only manifestation of an asbes tos-related disease or are found in combination with asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. The association with asbestos can be shown by identifying ferruginous (asbestos) bodies in the lungs of the patients. Patients do not always have a positive occupational history of asbestos exposure, since they may have been exposed to an occult or environmental source of asbestos. In these situations, pleural plaques may be the only macroscopic finding of an asbestos-related disease.
Some Observations on the Epidemiology of Benign Pleural Disease
Authors: McDonald Corbett
Published: March 2007

The results from radiographic and respiratory function surveys in Quebec chrysotile miners and millers, Montana vermiculite workers and villagers from the Metsovo region of north-west Greece are compared. Large differ ences are seen in the prevalence and extent of pleural calcification, diffuse pleural thickening and small parenchymal opacities, with confirmatory evi dence from pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms. These findings together with analyses of mortality point to fibrous tremolite as the main cause of mesothelioma and excess lung cancer in these populations and, with chryso tile in the Quebec workers, of pulmonary and pleural fibrosis. Were fibrous tremolite also to have been the cause of the extremely high rates of extensive pleural calcification in the Greek villages, this would surely have been accom panied by high levels of pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. The first was certainly lacking, and indications of excess malignant disease quite uncertain. It is suggested that some, as yet unidentified, agent such as non-fibrous tremolite, often closely associated geologically with asbestiform fibre deposits, may be responsible for calcified pleural plaques.
Indoor Air Problems in Lithuania
Authors: Šeškauskas Viktoras , Kubiliené Erika
Published: March 2007

The situation in Lithuania so far as IAQ management is concerned is compli cated by the long period of existence that the country has spent outside an open society. As a result positive changes in a number of main fields: organisa tional, legislational and experimental are in their initial stages. To date pro jects concerned with the influence of IAQ on professionals' and children's asthma and a project on approximation to European Standards in occupation al air quality investigations have been started.
Review : Chemical Hazards in Dental Laboratories
Authors: Nayeb zadeh Ataolah , Dufresne André
Published: March 2007

Various materials are used in dental laboratories for manufacturing crowns and bridges, chromium-cobalt frameworks, acrylic dentures, and other dental products. Among these, precious and non-precious alloys, porcelain, methyl methacrylate, and a variety of impression materials are the most common. The use of these materials has caused respiratory diseases, dermatological problems and neurotoxicity among dental technicians. Several cases of respi ratory disorders have been reported among the members of this profession and epidemiological studies have shown a high prevalence of pneumoconiosis related to duration of exposure. Since exposure is not limited to one substance, combined exposure to several contaminants may be responsible for the pneu moconiosis. The number of environmental investigations is limited and in many cases available studies do not provide adequate information about exposure of dental technicians to airborne contaminants. Further investiga tion is required in dental laboratories to characterise the type and level of contamination. Adequate and efficient protection should be considered for this profession to prevent occupationally related disorders.
Determination of Selected Volatile Organic Compounds in the Air of Dry-Cleaning Shops in the Athens Area: Pilot Study
Authors: Baya M.P. , Figa-Talamanca I. , Siskos P.A.
Published: March 2007

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a class of pollutants present, to a greater or lesser degree, in all indoor industrial and non-industrial environ ments. Such pollution may be increased by the use of specific compounds. For example, perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene used for the dry-cleaning of clothing provide a source of indoor air pollution in establishments which carry out this work. To study this, inquiries were made at 30 dry-cleaning shops in the Athens area. Air samples were collected from 19 of these and the concen trations of 6 selected VOCs (benzene, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, m- and p-xylenes, nonane) in the air measured. This study showed that concentra tions of some VOCs were beyond the ACGIH threshold limit values. How ever, although no particular study was made, there were no complaints of ill health in spite of the toxic implications which may reflect a typical healthy worker effect.
The Quartz Hazard in the Construction Industry
Authors: Borm Paul J.A. , Donaldson Ken
Published: March 2007

An IARC Working Group has classified crystalline silica (quartz) as a group 1 carcinogen. This classification was mainly based on the epidemiological evidence published in the last decade, including positive studies on workers in the construction industry. The conclusions of the working party were not unanimous with disagreement based on several issues and a qualification was added to the classification. A recent review has considered the apparent conflicting findings of cancer incidence in quartz-exposed industries and pointed out that the bio logical reactivity of quartz can be modified by a range of substances. This suggests that for risk assessment quartz cannot be dealt with as a single hazard entity, like most other chemicals. Although there is little data on exposure and health effects from the construction indus try, this paper tries to give some information on hazard and risk assessment for the type of quartz containing dusts which are found.
Review : Interactions between Domestic Mites and Fungi
Authors: Van Asselt Laurent
Published: March 2007

In the indoor environment, mites and fungi are two of the most important causes of asthma and rhinitis in people. Although these two subjects are often studied separate ly, to do so ignores the important ecological relationship between them. For example, fungi may be a source of nutrients, providing the sterols and vitamins required by one of the most important house-dust mites, Dermato phagoides pteronyssinus. In addition, two other mite species also found in the indoor environment, Acarus siro and Tyrophagus putrescentiae, are attracted by fun gi and feed on some species of them. In return, these two mite species are capable of inoculating the micro-organ isms into clean food commodities. This review is an attempt to highlight the complex interaction between mites and fungi and to give an overview of our knowl edge of this microscopic world. It also hopes to give a clearer understanding of the mechanisms by which fun gicides can control, or not, the development of domestic mite populations.
'A love/hate relationship': the ideals and experiences of first- time mothers
Authors: Lupton Deborah
Published: March 2007

Motherhood in western societies at the end of the twentieth century is a site of cultural and social contradictions and tensions. Over the past quarter-century, women with children have been encouraged to construct their subjectivities increasingly through activities in the 'public' domain, including through paid labour. Yet they are still also expected to conform to ideals of 'good motherhood'. This article reports on some preliminary findings of a longitudinal study researching first-time parenthood in the 1990s. Drawing on a series of interviews conducted with 25 women just before the birth and over the first six months of their infants' lives, the article focuses on the discourses articulated by the women when describing their ideals of the 'good mother' and their own experiences of mothering. Many women, at least in the early stage of motherhood, found their ideals difficult to achieve. They talked about an ambivalent 'love/hate' relationship with their infants. This ambivalence appeared to emerge from the difficulties they experienced in maintaining an autonomous subjectivity in a socio-cultural context in which they were charged with the primary responsibility for the care of their infants.
Maternal Employment Status and Fathers' Involvement in Child Care
Authors: Russell Graeme
Published: March 2007

The present paper examines the impact that maternal employment status (mother not employed, employed part-time, employed full-time) has on the time spent by Australian fathers on child care tasks, play, and other interactions with their children. In general, the findings were consistent with recent time-use studies from other countries in showing that father-participation is not strongly associated with maternal employment status. The impact was greatest when the family had young children: when there were children under three years of age, fathers were slightly more involved when mothers were employed. Preliminary findings were also reported indicating that when mothers are employed fathers appear to take more responsibility for their children. It is concluded that future research needs to investigate this latter finding in more depth by focusing on actual and perceived responsibility for child care tasks and to focus more attention on families in which fathers share equally, or have the major responsibility for child care.
Beyond the Neo-Weberian Concept of Status
Authors: Omodei R.A.
Published: March 2007

Class, status and party have been taken as the keystones of Weberian stratification studies. The difficulties of operationalising the concept of status has been noted by many writers. This paper examines the concept of status and rejects both the widely accepted definitional and operational bases of the concept. An alternative definition is suggested and a model of status awareness and status interaction is developed which allows effective operationalisation of the concept.
Alcohol Consumption by Women
Authors: Casswell Sally , Smythe Margaret
Published: March 2007

The incidence of women with alcohol problems is believed to be increasing. The evidence relating to the sex ratios of some alcohol- related problem indicators in New Zealand over a 25 year period is examined, and little or no convergence of the ratios can be seen, although the absolute numbers of both men and women with alcohol- related problems have increased over this time. There is, however, convergence of the ratio of men and women charged and convicted of drunken driving, but this may reflect enforcement practices and other factors. Possible reasons for people's perceptions of increased rates of women's alcohol problems are considered.
Convergence or Occupational and Residential Segmentation? Immigrants and their Australian-born Children in Metropolitan Sydney, 1981
Authors: Burnley I.H.
Published: March 2007

This paper seeks to ascertain whether structural pluralism on an ethnic basis is present in Australian cities, with particular reference to metropolitan Sydney. This notion is tested by establishing whether socio-economic status differences between given European birthplace groups (first generation) and the host society persist into the immigrant second generations, i.e. their Australian-born children. While employment and learning problems do exist for many second generation persons, the evidence is that with the men, limited structural divergence from host society men exists, although there is more divergence with the southern European womenfolk. The latter in part reflects gender differences in occupational oppor tunities, and inequalities within the wider Australian society.
Religion and Income in New Zealand: An Examination of Data from the 1981 Census
Authors: Brosnan Peter
Published: March 2007

There are substantial differences in the incomes received by mem bers of the major New Zealand religions. Protestants as a whole out-earn Catholics although Catholics have higher incomes than members of the smaller Protestant denominations. In general, the more adherents a religious denomination has the higher the income. The differences in male income can be accounted for largely by age and occupational differences while differences in female incomes can be attributed in part to differences in labour force participation. These findings suggest a research agenda which must account for the differences in participation and occupational choice between religions.
ASAT and the TE Score: A Critique of 'Objective Testing'
Authors: Henry Miriam
Published: March 2007

This article argues that so-called 'objective', scientifically 'valid and reliable' tests of aptitude such as ASAT (Australian Scholastic Apti tude Test, used in Queensland as the scaling mechanism for pro ducing a state-wide ranked order of student merit prior to the allocation of tertiary entrance scores), in fact operate to reinforce existing biases in the education system. Drawing on an examination of sample ASAT questions and other pertinent documents, the article traces some sources of systemic bias associated with ASAT. Drawing on more general sociological critiques on the social func tions and ideology of assessment, the article concludes with some discussion of the limitations and biases inherent in any system of 'competitive merit'.
Danger and Context: Unsafe Anal Sexual Practice among Homosexual and Bisexual Men in the AIDS Crisis
Authors: Connell R.W. , Crawford J. , Dowsett G.W. , Kippax S. , Sinnott V. , Rodden P. , Berg R. , Baxter D. , Watson L.
Published: March 2007

Exploring the social dimension of sexuality is crucial to prevention strategies for AIDS. New developments in social theories of sexuality can inform empirical research. A survey of 535 gay and bisexual men in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory was designed in the light of practice-based analyses of gender and sexuality. Anal intercourse without condoms ranks high in physical and emotional significance though it is known to be relatively unsafe with regard to transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. This practice shows few statistical connections to variables describing social structure, but is linked to variables describing gay social milieu attachment, patterns of sexuality, and awareness of the situation created by the AIDS crisis. Potentially dangerous anal practice is more common within established relationships and especially common with men who describe themselves as 'monogamous'. This creates dilemmas for prevention strategy. Connections between social variables and the frequency of unprotected anal intercourse point to the importance of informed social support for safer sex. Prevention strategy needs to emphasise collective action, not just personal change.
Pre-trial Negotiations in the Children's Court
Authors: Wundersitz Joy , Naffine Ngaire
Published: March 2007

This paper investigates the practice of plea bargaining in the South Australian juvenile justice system, where pre-trial nego tiations between the prosecution and defence counsel are for mally recognised and sanctioned by the Bench. Using the case records of one children's Court lawyer, the study revealed that charge bargaining is a relatively common practice in the juris diction, with one half of the cases surveyed involving some form of dispute. However, when the nature of these disputes was analysed, it was found that the majority were relatively trivial, and the negotiated settlements, which were arrived at through 'casual' bargaining, generally entailed no major gains or losses for either party. By contrast, only a core of disputes went to the heart of the case. These required intensive bar gaining which, when successful, generally brought significant benefits to the accused. In sum then, charge bargaining in the South Australian juvenile system does not appear to result in a major re-routing of the course of justice.
Intergenerational Occupational Mobility Among Employed and Non-employed Women: The Australian Case
Authors: Hayes Bernadette C.
Published: March 2007

Previous published research on class mobility in Australia has confined itself exclusively to the linkages between male occu pational origins and destinations. In this paper I use an approach that allows me to incorporate two unique aspects of womens' class experiences. Firstly, only the occupations of mothers are included in the portrayal of women's occupational origins. Second, I consider housework as a possible 'occu pational' outcome or class position for women. My general conclusion is that, not only do daughters inherit the class loca tions of their mothers, but there has been no change in the strength of this association during the postwar era.
Postmodernity and the Aboriginal Condition: the Cultural Dilemmas of Contemporary Policy
Authors: Tyler William
Published: March 2007

Recent attempts to deal with Australian Aboriginality in non-descentist and non-essentialising language exemplify the postmodern dilemmas of developing a sociology of Fourth World peoples. Aboriginality as a social category is riven by tensions between the homogenising forces of modernity which have produced the 'normalised' self- identifying Aboriginal subject and the pluralising forces established around an aesthetic of community. Welfare colonialism, as a discursive formation, institutionalises and proliferates these contradictions, generating a dynamic which produces tendencies towards both the 'hyper rationalisation' and the 'hyper-differentiation' of the Aboriginal condition. This process is manifested in the fragmentation or 'decentring' of the sites and discourses, global and local, through which a contemporary Aboriginal identity may be grounded. Several dilemmas are explored, including the medical (AIDS) administrative (housing, employment) and politico-legal (self-government) instances of discursive fragmentation.
Micro-macro linkages in sociological analysis: theory, method and substance
Authors: Jones F.L.
Published: March 2007

Ever since Durkheim's classic study Suicide, sociologists have grappled with the problem of integrating analyses of individual behaviour and the social contexts within which that behaviour occurs. I review some of these issues to show how recent developments in multilevel models provide not only an example of convergence between theory and method but also a partial solution to this long-standing problem. I use Australian data on ethnic marriage patterns to illustrate how relevant features of the group context can be introduced into empirical analyses in order to understand variations in ethnic homogamy between groups and over time.
Labour flexibility and ender in the service sector: a study of employment ractices in law and accounting firms
Authors: Boreham Paul , Hall Richard , Harley Bill , Whitehouse Gillian
Published: March 2007

In seeking to increase the flexibility of their use of employee time, employers can pursue strategies based on the employment of casual and part-time workers (numerical flexibility) or strategies based on ad hoc variation of the working hours of permanent employees (working time flexibility). Patterns of flexibility strategies and their implications are examined in the context of a highly feminised sector of work—clerical and administrative employment in law and accounting firms. We consider whether, as is often assumed, working time flexibility strategies are generally better for employees because they avoid the substitution of core, high quality jobs with the peripheral, relatively insecure employment often associated with casualisation. Analysing data drawn from a survey of law and accounting firms, we argue that there are three distinct flexibility strategies adopted by employers, and that the choice of strategy is influenced by the size of the firm and the extent of feminisation. The quality of employment conditions associated with each strategy is investigated through an analysis of the determinants of training provision for clerical and adminis trative workers. Rather than an expected simple linear relationship between increasing casualisation and decreasing training provision, we find that firm size and feminisation are implicated. Larger firms that tend to employ at least some men and use a combination of working time and numerical flexibility strategies tend to provide more training than the small, more fully feminised firms that tend to opt for either casualisation or working time flexibility strategies. This suggests that, from an employee perspective, working time flexibility may not be as benevolent as is often thought.
Bureaucratic organisation of professional labour
Authors: Brewer Laura
Published: March 2007

The proletarianisation of the professions arguments claim that salaried employment compromises the professional status of employees. Much of the literature on salaried professionalism claims that the integration of profes sionals into bureaucracies is problematic because professionals identify with their profession rather than the employing organisation. It is argued that since professionals control their own certification and performance standards and have separate sources of legitimacy within their professions, the move to employee status is problematic. The ultimate conflict within these organisations is between the autonomy of professionals and the control of administrators. The more recent human organisation literature challenges this argument by demonstrating that professional behaviour is shifting toward a type of group orientation in which the organisational and personal/professional loyalties are more likely to coincide. The dynamics of professional bureaucracies have changed as more and more of the traditionally free professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, make a permanent move to employee status.
Australian hunting and angling sports and the changing nature of human-animal relations in Australia
Authors: Franklin Adrian
Published: March 2007

While broad international currents of change affected human-animal relations in Australia, the precise course and pattern of change was influenced by changes specific to Australian society. The paper suggests that two discourses are especially significant in specifying the nature of change. First, a colonial dis course ( Britainisation), which sentimentalised British species and sought to implant them in Australia, and second, a nationalising discourse ( Austra lianisation) that used the Australian biotic community to symbolise Australia, national identity and citizenship. Hunting and angling in Australia are com paratively free from the criticism that such sports attract in the USA and the UK, and it is argued that we can understand why this is so in relation to the historic tensions between the two discourses and their effects on Australian classifications of and attitudes to animals.
Enhancing Dillman's total design method for mailed/ telephone surveys using current technology to maximise cost-benefit ratios
Authors: Axford Rita , Carter Barbara , Grunwald Gary
Published: March 2007

Sample survey using mailed questionnaires is an important research tool often limited by low response rates. In the late 1970s, Dillman developed a highly successful approach to ensuring high response rates called the 'total design method' (TDM). TDM was designed prior to widespread use of personal computers, word processing, graphic software, laser printing and new commun ication methods. This experimental study asked: What are the effects of using contemporary technology within a total design methodology on response rates, timeliness of responses and cost effectiveness? While this study was small, findings create strong support for further investigation into the use of new information technologies to yield high response rates in mailed surveys.
Governing families with young children through discipline
Authors: Larsen Ann-Claire
Published: March 2007

The Western Australian Community Child Health Service (CCHS) has problematised aspects of parental conduct and sought to transform parent/child interaction in order to produce a specific kind of person: responsible, self-disciplined, caring. As a consequence, management strategies that harness parents' and children's self- regulating capacities rather than corporal punishment are promoted as the more appropriate means to discipline young children. However, the prevailing child health position, informed by medical and psychological expertise and grounded empirically, is contested from within and outside its ranks. Prominence is given to accounts of disciplining practices produced by interviewing several parents, Pentecostal believers and nurses. The analysis presented brings to the fore contradictions, inconsistencies and oppositions that emerge when the CCHS, a governmental practice, is operationalised.
Combining object-oriented process and information models
Authors: Steele B. , Elliot C. , Osguthorpe G. , Banks B.
Published: March 2007

A project - known as the Integrated Co operative Workspace (ICW) - sponsored under the Department of Trade and Industry / Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (DTI/EPSRC) Computer Supported Co-operative Work (CSCW) Advanced Technology Programme, involves the Sheffield Area Health Authority as a demonstrator site for the technology and methods being developed within the project. The ICW project* is developing integrated methods and Open Standards-based software tools to facilitate enterprise-wide CSCW. This paper explains the business issues which provide the rationale for ICW, and describes each component of the ICW methods and tool sets, and the way the components fit together from a business perspective. The authors also report on the approaches developed within the project, which employ object-oriented extensions to information modelling techniques, allied to object- oriented process modelling and an enterprise information service. The notion of 'three views' of an organization is described as:

• An information view.

• A process view.

• A human resources view is described.

The discussion is within the context of a specific application, supporting collaborative management work in a health authority.
Practice nurses and computing: some evidence on utilization, training, and attitudes to computer use
Authors: Miller A. , Jeffcote R.
Published: March 2007

Seventy-seven practice nurses in the Portsmouth and Worcestershire areas were surveyed by postal questionnaire about their experience with, and attitudes to, using computers in general practice nursing. Almost all (98%) of the respondents worked in a computerized general practice and all reported having a positive attitude towards the clinical and administrative use of computers. Some 84% of practice nurses had a computer terminal where they saw patients and over 70% used the computer to gain access to clinical information. However, over three-quarters (79%) of respondents felt that their training on computers was either missing or inadequate. Some 74% of the nurses surveyed who were in post when the computers were introduced to their practice were either hardly consulted prior to installation, or not at all. Despite positive feelings about computerization, practice nurses appear to be getting insufficient or inadequate training and support to fully utilize the technology.
From raw data to chapters via the support of NUDIST
Authors: Hanna B.
Published: March 2007

There are a variety of ways to analyse qualitative data, ranging from manual analysis by the time honoured process of coloured pens, to a card sorting system, to using a computer software program. Because of the voluminous quantities of data generated through the author's own research, a software program specifically developed for qualitative research, NUD.IST, was chosen to expedite analysis. This paper will describe the process taken to convert the raw data for a qualitative nursing study into preliminary chapters for inclusion in a doctoral thesis. The research took an ethnographic approach to explore the parenting practices of sole supporting teenage mothers. Data consisted of verbatim transcripts from interviews, field notes and personal reflective journalling. NUD.IST provided a tool which helped reduce the data into a more manageable form. It served both mechanical and conceptual functions.
Bacteriological Standards for Perishable Foods
Authors: Price-Davies W.
Published: March 2007

In this paper the position of bacteriological standards for perishable foods in the U.S.A. in relation to the food laws, and their administration is reviewed.

The responsibilities of the various federal agencies concerned with food control are defined, and also the liaison between these agencies and state and local food authorities.

The Federal food laws, and in the majority of states the local food laws, prescribe for the direct inspection of food manufacture. This provides the best method of controlling the bacteriological quality of foods.

The special problems connected with bacteriological standards for meat and milk are discussed very briefly.

Recent work of the American Public Health Association in developing standard methods for the microbiological examination of foods is referred to. The value of these methods in improving plant sanitation is illustrated.
High Court of Justice.—Queen's Bench Division
Authors: Wills Justices
Published: March 2007

Drain common to two houses owned by different owners in a district in which Part III. of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act is in force.
Fatherhood and learning disabilities: a personal account of reaction and resolution
Authors: Rendall D.
Published: March 2007

The reaction of fathers to a diagnosis of mental handicap is not well understood. This paper presents a highly personal account of reaction to, and resolution of, such a diagnosis as experienced by one father. The paper is constructed in such a way that the 'personal' world of this father is located within literature that would appear, in the main, to be concerned with the experience of mothers, and that has to a large extent ignored the experience of fatherhood. Classical theories of parenting are briefly outlined, followed by a section on reaction combining literature and other research from this area that is used to further enhance the author's belief that fathers' experiences are largely ignored or down-played. This section presents descriptive statistics along with quotations generated from some selective respondent interviewing. This is followed by a section on a study conducted by the author that includes quantitative and qualitative data. The final, and concluding, section explores resolution and describes the establishment of a support group for fathers that encourages mutual support and understanding of their experiences. The paper presents many challenges to professionals, but chiefly it requires them to think more deeply concerning the reaction and resolution of fathers to a diagnosis of mental handicap. I
Towards educating adults with learning disabilities on issues of abuse: a report of an innovative use of dance, drama and mime
Authors: Bearder C. , Ball L.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes an innovative approach that Nottinghamshire has taken to inform people with learning disabilities about its Abuse Procedural Guidelines. It focuses on a project led by the Implementation Officer in which a group of people with learning disabilities were enabled to express their interpretations of abuse through a dance and drama production called 'Step Forward'. Also explored are the effects of abuse on people and how this sensitive topic can be addressed.

The 'Step Forward' project presented fundamental messages concerning abuse that are contained within newly developed guidelines to an invited audience to the production. This was achieved with the use of dance, drama and mime. It was evaluated independently and the methods and evaluation are documented in some detail in this paper.
Evaluation of an education programme designed to suggest possible changes to leisure day service provision
Authors: Jinks A.M. , Redworth F.
Published: March 2007

This article describes an evaluation study, the focus of which is the Changeover Foundation programme (Scottish Human Services I995). This programme was designed to critically examine, evaluate and to suggest changes to leisure day service provision for people with a learning disability at two social service managed facilities. Participants of the programme came from a variety of backgrounds and included day service managers, staff, volunteers, carers, service users and representatives of other statutory service providers. Evaluation methods included conducting focused group interviews (n = 2) and individual interviews with course participants (n = I0).

The findings give a generally positive evaluation. A major strength of the programme was that of bringing together a diverse group of people that included service users to undertake critical appraisal of day care leisure services. Many of the positive aspects of the programme centred on the development of meaningful group interactions and relationships. Problems identified mainly related to the course manual. It was seen as too complex especially by service users and needed to be supported by other educational materials such as video or audio-tapes. Suggestions for changes to services were also identified.

Limitations of the study are discussed. The problems of including those with a learning disability in this type of project are identified and suggestions to how it may have been better approached are given.
Marginalization and its effects on the sexuality- related potentials of the learning disabled person
Authors: Sheerin F. , Sines D.
Published: March 2007

Prejudice exists at all levels of society, finding its basis in over-generalized, learned attitudes towards those individuals who do not conform to what is perceived to be normal within that society. This prejudice has, within learning disability services, found expression in the marginalization of learning disabled people away from the mainstream of society, and their admission into long stay institutions. It is the experience of the authors that such marginalization continues to exist in both the UK and Ireland, at a functional and attitudinal level, within many contemporary learning disability services. This conceptual paper seeks to examine the effects of marginalization on the development of learning disabled people in Ireland, within the context of a proposed, integrative approach to personhood.
A Study of Tearing in Coated Cotton Fabrics 1
Authors: Abbott Norman J. , Lannefeld Theodore E. , Barish Leo , Brysson R.J.
Published: March 2007

The influence of fabric construction on the mechanial prop erties of polyvinyl chloride coated fabrics was discussed in previous work.4 Eight of the fabrics used in this work were selected for further study. Six PVC plastisols were used, including the one used previously, and the same formulation modified to obtain different viscosities and moduli. In addition, two pretreatments were used. Five of these fabrics were also coated with polyvinyl butyral in a solvent system, and polyurethane in both a solvent system and as a latex.

Measurements of tensile properties, tearing strength, and flexural rigidity were made for all coated samples. These samples permitted an examination of the influence of changes in coating viscosity, modulus, penetration, and chemical type on these properties. The results showed that the mechanical properties of a coated fabric are affected primarily by the coating which penetrates the fabric structure. This effect is related to the mechanical inter action of coating and fabric, and there is no reason to suppose that it would be related in any important way to the chemical nature of the coating. All of this work has suggested that high tearing strengths can be achieved with any type of coating, provided the shape of the coating-fabric interface, as well as the deformability of the coating which penetrates the major fabric pores, can be appropriately controlled.
The Seaming of Lightweight Coated Fabrics
Authors: Skelton J.
Published: March 2007

The strength of seams produced with a range of sewing threads in four lightweight coated nylon fabrics was investigated. It was shown that a plain weave fabric can be seamed more efficiently than a basket weave fabric of the same weight and strength, and that closely woven fabrics can be seamed more efficiently than more open fabrics of the same weave type. Loss of seaming efficiency was shown to be related to fabric pull-out at the seams, and it was demosntrated that if the pull-out is prevented by appro priate reinforcement it is possible to produce highly efficient seams even in very open fabrics.
Flame Retardant for Cotton Based On Thpoh and Guanazole
Authors: Chance Leon H. , Moreau Jerry P. , Drake George L.
Published: March 2007

3,5-Diamino-1,2,4-triazole, commonly known as guanazole was found to polymerize very readily with THPC and THPOH. At pH 2.8, THPC and guanazole solutions formed a gel within 30 min. The solutions were more stable as the pH was increased, reaching a maximum stability of 20-24 hrs. at pH 9.0 at room temperature (26-28°C) before polymer separation. The solution stability was greatly reduced at temperatures of 34°C or more. The solutions were considered to contain THPOH at pH values of 7.0 or above. Cotton fabric was treated with THPOH-guanazole by a pad-dry-cure procedure. A solution pH of 9.0 was considered to be optimum since the pad bath was most stable at this pH. The reaction on cotton is rapid and efficient at temperatures ranging from 140-160°C. The fabric had excellent flame-retardancy, which was very durable to repeated laundering. For example, 4 oz. cotton flannelette with an add-on of 15% had a 2.6 in. char length after 50 launderings as measured by AATCC Test Method 34-69. An add-on of about 20% is required to pass the.Children's Sleepwear Flammability Standard, DOC FF 3-71. The finish is very sensi tive to chlorine; therefore, the fabric should not be bleached with hypo chlorite.
Fire Resistivity and Toxicity Studies of Candidate Aircraft Passenger Seat Materials
Authors: Fewell Larry L.
Published: March 2007

A systematic approach is presented for selecting improved fire resistant non-metallic materials for the construction of aircraft passenger seats. Sixty-nine candidate materials were evaluated on the basis of FAA airworthiness burn and smoke generation tests, colorfastness, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and animal toxicity tests. Physical mechanical and aesthetic properties were also included in the evaluations. Parametric considerations are set forth for full-scale testing of aircraft seats constructed of improved candidate materials evaluated in this study and these material options are identified in this study.