bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the frictionless unilateral contact of two viscoelastic bodies
Authors: Barboteu M. , Hoarau-Mantel T.-V. , Sofonea M.
Published: December 2003

We consider a mathematical model which describes the quasistatic
contact between two deformable bodies. The bodies are assumed to
have a viscoelastic behavior that we model with Kelvin‐Voigt
constitutive law. The contact is frictionless and is modeled with
the classical Signorini condition with zero‐gap
function. We derive a variational formulation of the problem and
prove the existence of a unique weak solution to the model by
using arguments of evolution equations with maximal monotone
operators. We also prove that the solution converges to the
solution of the corresponding elastic problem, as the viscosity
tensors converge to zero. We then consider a fully discrete
approximation of the problem, based on the augmented Lagrangian
approach, and present numerical results of two‐dimensional test
problems.
Boundary value problem with integral conditions for a linearthird‐order equation
Authors: Denche M. , Memou A.
Published: December 2003

We prove the existence and uniqueness of a strong solution for a
linear third‐order equation with integral boundary conditions.
The proof uses energy inequalities and the density of the range
of the generated operator.
Extremely Early Onset of Ranitidine Action on Human Histamine H2 Receptors Expressed in HEK293 Cells
Authors: Fukushima Yasushi , Ishikawa Takashi , Saitoh Toshihito , Tateishi Keisuke , Ogihara Takehide , Fujishiro Midori , Shojima Nobuhiro , Honda Miho , Kushiyama Akifumi , Anai Motonobu , Sakoda Hideyuki , Ono Hiraku , Onishi Yukiko , Otsuka Hiroko , Katagiri Hideki , Nagai Ryozo , Omata Masao , Asano Tomoichiro
Published: December 2003

Background/Aims: Histamine H2 receptor antagonists are considered to exert their effects on gastric acid secretion more rapidly than proton pump antagonists. However, there are no reports concerning the direct interaction of a histamine H2 receptor antagonist with the human H2 receptor in terms of onset of action. This study aims to characterize how rapidly famotidine and ranitidine, the most widely used histamine H2 receptor antagonists, interact with the human histamine H2 receptor. Methods: HEK293 cell lines, stably expressing human histamine H2 receptors, were obtained. The dose- and time-dependent effects of famotidine and ranitidine on [3H]-tiotidine binding and histamine-stimulated cAMP production were analyzed. Results: Ranitidine inhibited both [3H]-tiotidine binding and histamine-stimulated cAMP production more promptly than did famotidine. Inhibition of histamine-stimulated cAMP production by Cmax doses of famotidine (20 mg p.o.) and ranitidine (150 mg p.o.) peaked by 15 and 2 min, respectively. [3H]-Tiotidine binding was not saturated by 60 min at the famotidine Cmax, while the ranitidine Cmax had produced saturation by 15 min. Conclusion: Ranitidine inhibits the human histamine H2 receptor very rapidly.
Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia Act Synergistically to Induce Renal Disease in LDL Receptor-Deficient BALB Mice
Authors: Spencer Min W. , Mühlfeld Anja S. , Segerer Stephan , Hudkins Kelly L. , Kirk Elizabeth , LeBoeuf Renée C. , Alpers Charles E.
Published: December 2003

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in Western countries, but only a portion of diabetic patients develop diabetic nephropathy. Dyslipidemia represents an important aspect of the metabolic imbalance in diabetic patients. In this study, we addressed the impact of combined hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia on renal pathology. Kidneys from wild-type (WT) or LDL receptor-deficient BALB/cBy mice (BALB.LDLR–/–) were examined at 22 weeks of age. Diabetes was induced by administration of streptozotocin and mice were randomly assigned to either standard chow or Western diet. Chow fed BALB.LDLR–/– mice did not demonstrate renal abnormalities, whereas BALB. LDLR–/– mice fed a Western diet showed occasional glomerular and tubulointerstitial foam cells. Diabetic WT mice had modestly increased glomerular cellularity and extracellular matrix. Hyperlipidemic and diabetic BALB.LDLR–/– mice exhibited an increase in glomerular cellularity and extracellular matrix, accumulation of glomerular and tubulointerstitial foam cells and mesangial lipid deposits. The tubular epithelium demonstrated pronounced lipid induced tubular degeneration with increased tubular epithelial cell turnover. Hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia seem to act synergistically in inducing renal injury in the BALB.LDLR–/– mouse. This model of diabetic nephropathy is unique in its development of tubular lesions and may represent a good model for hyperlipidemia-exacerbated diabetic nephropathy.
Proinflammatory Cytokinemia Associated with Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder in Down Syndrome
Authors: Shimada Akira , Maruyama Kenichi , Shitara Toshiji , Kato Masahiko , Cho Kazutoshi , Kobayashi Tohru , Fujiu Toru , Tsuchida Yoshiaki , Nishida Akira , Hayashi Yasuhide , Minakami Hisanori , Kozawa Kunihisa , Kimura Hirokazu
Published: December 2003

A transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) occurs in 10% of the infants with Down syndrome. While most cases resolve within a few months, in 20% of them TMDs are life-threatening or fatal. We encountered 4 patients with TMD, including 1 patient who died of liver failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Suspecting involvement of proinflammatory cytokines, we serially assayed them in patients’ sera. Cytokines were significantly more abundant in patients than in controls. Interleukins 1 and 2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were greatly increased, especially in the infant who died. Sustained cytokinemia is likely to participate in TMD pathophysiology, and very high serum concentrations might predict a poor outcome.
Plasma Arginine and Urinary Nitrate and Nitrite Excretion in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Authors: Heckmann M. , Kreuder J. , Riechers K. , Tsikas D. , Boedeker R.-H. , Reiss I. , Gortner L.
Published: December 2003

The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and signs of increased pulmonary artery pressure have a deficiency of plasma arginine (ARG) and systemic nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. Plasma amino acid concentrations, Doppler pulmonary systolic time intervals (ratio of acceleration time and ejection time corrected for heart rate: AT/ETC) and urinary nitrate and nitrite concentrations were determined at the 28th day postnatal age and at 36 weeks postmenstrual age in 73 preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestational age. The AT/ETC ratios were significantly lower in infants with BPD (n = 32) compared to controls. However, total amino acid concentrations, ARG intake as well as plasma ARG concentrations were not different between groups (median (interquartile-range) µmol/l): control: 58 (42.5–75.5) and 54.5 (42–71) at day 28 and 36 weeks; BPD: 54.5 (31.5–70.5) and 43 (35–62), respectively. Urinary nitrate and nitrite concentrations, were not different between groups at day 28, but significantly higher in infants with BPD at 36 weeks (p = 0.014). In conclusion, plasma ARG concentrations and systemic NO synthesis were not deficient in preterm infants with BPD and signs of elevated pulmonary artery pressure.
Late Abdominal Complaints after Appendectomy – Readmissions during Long-Term Follow-Up
Authors: Tingstedt Bobby , Johansson Jenny , Nehez Laszlo , Andersson Roland
Published: December 2003

Background/Aims: The postoperative risk of small bowel obstruction is a recognized complication following appendectomy. Few studies have reconsidered the whole extent of abdominal complaints and problems following appendectomy. This study tries to evaluate the long-term outcome describing abdominal complaints requiring readmission following appendectomy. Methods: A retrospective study of 3,230 patients undergoing open appendectomy at a single center university hospital in Sweden between 1981 and 1996. Late (>30 days) readmissions were noted and the cause for readmission and need for surgical intervention were analyzed. Results: Overall, late readmissions occurred in 2.94% during a median follow-up of 10 years after appendectomy. Females predominated among those readmitted, as did patients with complicated appendicitis or a ‘normal’ appendix. Nonspecific abdominal pain with no sign of small bowel obstruction caused almost half of the readmissions (45%). To a large extent this group consisted of females (76%). Small bowel obstruction was seen in 1.24% and was surgically treated in 0.68% of all appendectomies. Incisional hernias were also seen (0.4% of all appendectomies). Conclusion: The magnitude of readmissions due to abdominal complaints is more pronounced than previously reported with as many patients with signs of small bowel obstruction managed nonoperatively as surgically, and frequent readmissions due to nonspecific abdominal pain.
Reclaiming Theology for the Enlightenment: The Case of Siegmund Jacob Baumgarten (1706–1757)
Authors: Sorkin David
Published: December 2003

Thenew millennium appears to be ushering in a new view of the Enlightenment. The synthesis of the 1930s to the 1970s had posited a unitary Enlightenment that was the matrix of a modern secular or secularizing culture. The authority of reason and science either fully displaced, or fundamentally challenged and thus forced the reconstruction of, the claims of belief and tradition. From the 1970s a social history of ideas and institutions explored the Enlightenment's seemingly infinite regional and national variations, subverting the unitary notion and yielding a mass of new information. The works of J.G.A. Pocock and Jonathan Israel, James E. Bradley and Dale K. Van Kley, have begun to build on this accumulated scholarship, offering a new synthesis that rests on two related notions.
Johannes Kepler: A Man Without Confession in the Age of Confessionalization?
Authors: Lanzinner Maximilian
Published: December 2003

Johannes Kepler's most important publication on questions of religion and confession, his Profession of Faith appeared in 1623 when the universal scholar Matthias Bernegger had an edition of one hundred copies printed in Strasbourg — at Kepler's expense — under the title: Glaubensbekandtnus vnd Ableinung allerhand desthalben entstandener vngütlichen Nachreden. With this booklet, Kepler intended to demonstrate that his religious convictions did indeed stand in harmony with the Bible; in addition, he strove to refute the accusations of heterodoxy brought against him, the “gossip” or “Nachreden” as he called it. His argument peaks in the next passage: “It is indeed quite an irksome matter, and one very much a matter of great agitation for the average, uninformed man, that someone could be so foolhardy, proud, and swollen-headed as to join no [religious] party. But I swear by God that I have not found joy in the situation nor found any peace therein. It causes me great grief that the three large factiones have torn the truth so terribly among themselves that I am forced to search and piece the truth together where I find it.”
Žižka's Drum: The Political Uses of Popular Religion
Authors: Fudge Thomas A.
Published: December 2003

Now Žižka had appointed a time to assemble for the purpose of attacking Sigismund when, near the castle of Přibyslav, by divine inspiration, if you will, that detestable, cruel, horrible and savage monster was stricken with an infectious disease and died. The one whom no mortal hand could destroy was extinguished by the finger of God. As he lay ill he was asked where he wished to be buried after his death. He ordered that his body be flayed, the flesh discarded for the birds and animals, and a drum be fashioned from his skin. With this drum in the lead they should go to war. The enemies would turn to flight as soon as they heard its voice.
Conflict as a Foundation for Consensus: Contradictions of Industrial Capitalism in Book III of Durkheim's Division of Labor
Authors: Rawls Anne
Published: December 2003

In The Division of Labor in Society (1893) Durkheim stresses the role of shared practice and spontaneous regulation in modern social forms, proposing that the modern division of labor is organized differently from traditional society, and thus that traditional solutions to problems of social justice and social disorganization are not appropriate in a modern context. He contrasts modern solidarities based on shared practice with the shared community of beliefs and strong external constraints characteristic of more traditional societies. It is Durkheim's position that because modern social forms are organized differently they require a different type of moral foundation. Specifically, Durkheim argues that justice is necessary in an advanced division of labor and that any such society that does not achieve justice stands in a state of self-contradiction. While Durkheim's reasons for arguing that modern industrial capitalism stands in a state of self-contradiction are somewhat different from those of Marx, the argument is in essential respects the same. Both argue that modern industrial capitalist society violates its own prerequisites and that if the fundamental needs of the human being for justice and reciprocity are not met that social form will destroy itself from within. The consequences of the argument that justice is a functional necessity in a modern division of labor context are fundamental and profound in an age of globalization.
Family Friendly Workplace Benefits: The U.S., Canada, and Europe
Authors: Wysong Earl , Wright David W.
Published: December 2003

This article utilizes an eclectic, two dimensional political-economy perspective linking class power and organizational factors as the basis for analyzing variations in family friendly benefits provided to workers by U.S. employers and by state policies in six industrialized nations. An Organizational-Class Power approach is used to develop four hypotheses concerning benefit variations as influenced by the intersection of class power and organizational structures in the U.S. employer arena. In the state policy arena, a Collective Bargaining-Class Power approach is used to explore the relationship between the proportion of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements and variations in state mandated benefit levels. Data from the 1996-1997 National Organizational Survey (NOS) are used to test our four hypotheses. The NOS findings indicate that variations in U.S. employer-provided benefits are influenced by class-based power resources reflected in and conditioned by several organizational-level variables. Those variables which trend in directions predicted to enhance worker power within organizations are associated with significantly higher worker benefit levels in the employer arena. In the state policy arena, evidence from a variety of sources reveals a pattern whereby nations with higher proportions of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements mandate higher levels of benefits than those with lower proportions of workers covered by such agreements.
Globalization, Class Compromise, and American Exceptionalism: Political Change in 16 Advanced Capitalist Countries
Authors: Kollmeyer Christopher J.
Published: December 2003

The social science literature contains competing theories on the relationship between economic globalization and class compromise. According to supporters of the “strong globalization thesis,” over the last few decades many important national-level economic processes have been subsumed into a worldwide “borderless” economy in which global market forces, rather than electorates, now dictate national economic policy. This argument implies that globalization has significantly eroded the ability of democratic governance to create a genuine class compromise. Conversely, supporters of the “weak globalization thesis” maintain that the strong version of globalization is largely a “myth,” and that as a result national economic policy geared towards egalitarianism is still possible. After analyzing changes in four social and political indicators associated with class compromise — for 16 advanced capitalist countries over the period of 1960 to 1999 — I find qualified support for the weak globalization thesis. In particular, the data reveal that countries with substantially mixed economies and high levels of market regulation have participated in the global economy without substantially eroding their preexisting levels of class compromise. Conversely, for countries with low levels of state involvement in the economy, globalization has seemingly undermined class compromise. This is especially true in the United States. The paper concludes by suggesting that the unique structure of the American political economy explains the exceptionally low levels of class compromise found in the United States.
Capitalist Class Relations, the State, and New Deal Foreign Trade Policy
Authors: Woods Tim
Published: December 2003

In this paper, I focus on the political influence of class forces surrounding the 1934 Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act (RTAA). The RTAA was instrumental because it shifted much of the trade-policy process from Congress to the Executive Branch. I find that capitalist class relations had a great impact on the development and passage of the RTAA. Despite the concerns of capitalists from the nationalist segment over their ability to influence Executive Branch policy making, the nationalist segment unified with capitalists from the increasingly powerful internationalist segment and were successful in their combined efforts to change the institutional arena within which trade policy was formulated. This research bolsters support for the class embeddedness perspective of trade policy as portrayed in the works of Domhoff (1990), Prechel (1990), and Dreiling (2000). Further, it contributes to this work by explaining the historical foundation for the class embeddedness of contemporary foreign trade policy debate as established by capitalist class relations and changes in state organizational structures during the New Deal.
The Immunity of Heads of States in US Courts after the Decision of the International Court of Justice
Authors: de Smet Simon
Published: December 2003

This article investigates the law of Head of State immunity in the United States in light of the recent decision by the International Court of Justice in the Arrest Warrant Case (DRC v. Belgium). It does so by analyzing the U.S. law and comparing it with the customary international law on Head of State immunity as laid out by the world court. The article demonstrates that there are two competing strands in the recent jurisprudence of U.S. courts, neither of which is in conformity with international law. The reasons for this discrepancy are examined and explained in light of the underlying debate about the role of customary international law in the U.S. constitutional system. In conclusion, the author suggests that the best solution to the current dilemma is for the U.S. courts to apply the rules on Head of State immunity as explained by the world court and avoid as much as possible interference by the executive.
The Revision of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations–A Crucial Role within the European Contract Law Project?
Authors: López-Rodríguez Ana
Published: December 2003

This article deals with some of the issues addressed in the Action Plan on a more coherent European contract law, COM (2003) 68 final, in connection with the Green Paper of the European Commission of 14 January 2003, COM (2003) 654 final, on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations into a Community instrument and its modernization. It argues ways in which both initiatives may complement each other towards a smoother functioning of the internal market.
The Contest for Labels in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Land Issue
Authors: Chigara Ben
Published: December 2003

This article applies victimology and human rights theories to examine the moral and legal basis of the contest for 'labels' that accompanies land disputes. It seeks to discover and evaluate the significance of the dynamics of this contest and their probable impact on the resolution of land disputes. More importantly, it seeks to determine the value of this contest to any strategy that consciously may be preferred to resolve land disputes. It argues that conceptions of victimology that do not incorporate in their analyses the mischief sought to be cured in land disputes are not particularly helpful in the effort to discover efficient models for the resolution of land disputes. It dispels the view that monopolisation of disputes that are inherently human rights in their nature is imperative for resolution of apparently 'local problems' and recommends protection of the inherent dignity of all stakeholders in land disputes as the primary basis for resolution of land disputes.
A Permanent Court of International Justice
Authors: Spiermann Ole
Published: December 2003

The Permanent Court of International Justice was the first significant court of justice at the international level. Its active life spanned over two decades and yielded an international judiciary while exploring the merits of international adjudication and international law when put into practice. It was partly due to the legacy of the Permanent Court that the second half of the twentieth century witnessed several other successful projects of international justice. At the same time, the decisions of the Permanent Court indicated some of the pertinent problems of international adjudication, notably the omnipresent risk of judges being influenced by national tendencies and traditions with parochial views of international law in result.
Direct Thrombin Inhibitors for Anticoagulation
Authors: Nutescu Edith A , Wittkowsky Ann K
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE:

To review the progress in developing direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) for anticoagulation within the context of existing anticoagulation therapies.

DATA SOURCES:

Searches of MEDLINE (1993–June 2003) were conducted.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

We examined English-language articles, human studies, and relevant animal studies, and obtained additional citations from the references of these articles.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

Because of its pivotal role in hemostasis, thrombin is a key therapeutic target in the treatment and prevention of thromboembolic disorders. Conventional anticoagulant therapies, such as warfarin, unfractionated heparin, and low-molecular-weight heparin, exert their pharmacologic action by indirect thrombin inhibition. Although these agents are effective, each has limitations, prompting a search for more effective, specific, better-tolerated, and convenient anticoagulants. The efficacy and safety of factor Xa inhibitors are being investigated. Furthermore, the development of DTIs such as recombinant hirudin (lepirudin), bivalirudin, and argatroban continues. Challenges in the development of DTIs include establishing a binding affinity for thrombin that is not associated with excessive bleeding, attaining high thrombin specificity, achieving inhibition of both unbound and clot-bound thrombin, and producing an effective, fixed-dose oral anticoagulant to improve the practicality of anticoagulation therapy. Ximelagatran, an oral DTI designed to meet these standards, is currently in Phase III clinical trials.

CONCLUSIONS:

Significant progress has been made in developing DTIs. The recent emergence of orally administered DTIs may simplify the prevention and treatment of thrombosis.
Point-of-Care Testing: An Introduction
Authors: Gutierres Sheryl L , Welty Timothy E
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE:

To review available literature and provide perspective on point-of-care testing, focusing on the impact it has on treatment outcomes in patient care, the impact it has on the costs of patient care, and the role it has in the delivery of pharmaceutical care.

DATA SOURCES:

Information was retrieved from MEDLINE English literature searches using PubMed (1965–August 2003) and included search terms of point-of-care testing, near patient testing, pharmaceutical care, pharmacists, outcomes, and economics. Additionally, references from retrieved articles were reviewed to identify literature not detected by literature searches.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

Comparative studies, demonstration project reports, and systematic reviews were selected. Other related resources, such as government documents, relevant legislation, and government regulations, were included. Emphasis was placed on comparative studies and demonstration project reports. In the absence of these data, other resources were included.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

Point-of-care testing devices and technology are increasingly used in the delivery of care and therapeutic decision making. No studies have evaluated the impact of point-of-care testing, by itself, on patient care and outcomes. All studies have incorporated point-of-care testing with changes in the way patient care is delivered and have shown significant improvements when this approach is taken. The cost of point-of-care testing is greater than traditional laboratory testing, but the increased cost may be offset by improvements in the management of patient care, improvements in patient outcomes, and decreased utilization of the healthcare system. Point-of-care testing has been used successfully by pharmacists in disease management programs. Various government regulations and legislation impact the use of point-of-care testing.

CONCLUSIONS:

Limited data indicate that point-of-care testing, when combined with changes in healthcare delivery systems, may improve patient outcomes and decrease the overall cost of health care. Pharmacists have used point-of-care testing in programs designed to improve patient care but must carefully consider regulations and laws that govern the use of these devices. There is a great need for additional investigation into the use of point-of-care testing in patient care.
Venous Thromboembolic Prophylaxis in Hospitalized Medical Patients
Authors: Stark Jennifer E , Kilzer Wanda J
Published: December 2003

BACKGROUND:

The risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical patients is similar to that in moderate-risk surgery patients. Pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis is recommended for certain medical patients, but its use in clinical practice is unknown.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess whether medically ill patients with established risk factors receive pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis and determine whether prescribed regimens are consistent with current evidence and published recommendations.

METHODS:

A retrospective chart review of 100 patients admitted to a hospital medicine service was conducted. Patients who were >40 years of age and admitted for congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or respiratory infection were considered appropriate candidates for VTE prophylaxis if they had no documented bleeding risk factors. Patients considered at increased risk of bleeding included those with documented uncontrolled hypertension, thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, or recent gastrointestinal bleeding. Prescribed regimens were evaluated to determine whether they were consistent with regimens proven in clinical trials to be effective and safe.

RESULTS:

Thirty-one percent of the patients with established VTE risk factors and no documented risk factors for bleeding were prescribed pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis. An established regimen was prescribed in only 19% of those receiving prophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS:

There is significant underutilization of VTE prophylaxis in this patient population. Patients are not adequately assessed for bleeding risk factors, and a portion of prescribed regimens are not those that have been established in the literature. Expert consensus statements recommend that hospitals develop strategies to prevent VTE events in their patients. Strategies to improve patient screening and physicians' prescribing habits are needed.
The effects of metacognitive training versus worked‐out examples on students' mathematical reasoning
Authors: Mevarech Zemira R. , Kramarski Bracha
Published: December 2003

Background: The present study is rooted in a cognitive‐metacognitive approach. The study examines two ways to structure group interaction: one is based on worked‐out examples (WE) and the other on metacognitive training (MT). Both methods were implemented in cooperative settings, and both guided students to focus on the problem's essential parts and on appropriate problem‐solving strategies.

Aims: The aim of the present study is twofold: (a) to investigate the effects of metacognitive training versus worked‐out examples on students' mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication; and (b) to compare the long‐term effects of the two methods on students' mathematical achievement.

Sample: The study was conducted in two academic years. Participants for the first year of the study were 122 eighth‐grade Israeli students who studied algebra in five heterogeneous classrooms with no tracking. In addition, problem‐solving behaviours of eight groups (N = 32) were videotaped and analysed. A year later, when these participants were ninth graders, they were re‐examined using the same test as the one administered in eighth grade.

Method: Three measures were used to assess students' mathematical achievement: a pretest, an immediate post‐test, and a delayed post‐test. ANOVA was carried out on the post‐test scores with respect to the following criteria: verbal explanations, algebraic representations and algebraic solution. In addition, chi‐square and Mann‐Whitney procedures were used to analyse cooperative, cognitive, and metacognitive behaviours.

Results: Within cooperative settings, students who were exposed to metacognitive training outperformed students who were exposed to worked‐out examples on both the immediate and delayed post‐tests. In particular, the differences between the two conditions were observed on students' ability to explain their mathematical reasoning during the discourse and in writing. Lower achievers gained more under the MT than under WE condition.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that the kind of task and the way group interaction is structured are two important variables in implementing cooperative learning, each of which is likely to have different effects on mathematical communication and achievement outcomes.
Evaluating change in attitude towards mathematics using the ‘then‐now’ procedure in a cooperative learning programme
Authors: Townsend Michael , Wilton Keri
Published: December 2003

Background: Tertiary students' attitudes to mathematics are frequently negative and resistant to change, reflecting low self‐efficacy. Some educators believe that greater use should be made of small group, collaborative teaching. However, the results of such interventions should be subject to assessments of bias caused by a shift in the frame of reference used by students in reporting their attitudes.

Aims: This study was designed to assess whether traditional pretest‐post‐test procedures would indicate positive changes in mathematics attitude during a programme of cooperative learning, and whether an examination of any attitudinal change using the ‘then‐now’ procedure would indicate bias in the results due to a shift in the internal standards for expressing attitude.

Sample: Participants were 141 undergraduate students enrolled in a 12‐week statistics and research design component of a course in educational psychology.

Method: Using multivariate procedures, pretest, post‐test, and then‐test measures of mathematics self‐concept and anxiety were examined in conjunction with a cooperative learning approach to teaching.

Results: Significant positive changes between pretest and post‐test were found for both mathematics self‐concept and mathematics anxiety. There were no significant differences between the actual pretest and retrospective pretest measures of attitude. The results were not moderated by prior level of mathematics study.

Conclusion: Conclusions about the apparent effectiveness of a cooperative learning programme were strengthened by the use of the retrospective pretest procedure.
The efficiency of multimedia learning into old age
Authors: Van Gerven Pascal W.M. , Paas Fred , Van Merriënboer Jeroen J.G. , Hendriks Maaike , Schmidt Henk G.
Published: December 2003

Background: On the basis of a multimodal model of working memory, cognitive load theory predicts that a multimedia‐based instructional format leads to a better acquisition of complex subject matter than a purely visual instructional format.

Aims: This study investigated the extent to which age and instructional format had an impact on training efficiency among both young and old adults. It was hypothesised that studying worked examples that are presented as a narrated animation (multimedia condition) is a more efficient means of complex skill training than studying visually presented worked examples (unimodal condition) and solving conventional problems. Furthermore, it was hypothesised that multimedia‐based worked examples are especially helpful for elderly learners, who have to deal with a general decline of working‐memory resources, because they address both mode‐specific working‐memory stores.

Sample: The sample consisted of 60 young (mean age = 15.98 years) and 60 old adults (mean age = 64.48 years).

Methods: Participants of both age groups were trained in either a conventional, a unimodal, or a multimedia condition. Subsequently, they had to solve a series of test problems. Dependent variables were perceived cognitive load during the training, performance on the test, and efficiency in terms of the ratio between these two variables.

Results: Results showed that for both age groups multimedia‐based worked examples were more efficient than the other training formats in that less cognitive load led to at least an equal performance level.

Conclusion: Although no difference in the beneficial effect of multimedia learning was found between the age groups, multimedia‐based instructions seem promising for the elderly.
Approaches to learning, need for cognition, and strategic flexibility among university students
Authors: Evans Christina J. , Kirby John R. , Fabrigar Leandre R.
Published: December 2003

Background: Considerable research has described students' deep and surface approaches to learning. Other research has described individuals' self‐regulated learning and need for cognition. There is a need for research examining the relationships among these constructs.

Aims: This study explored relationships among approaches to learning (deep, surface), need for cognition, and three types of control of learning (adaptive, inflexible, irresolute). Theory suggested similarities among the deep approach, need for cognition, and adaptive control (aspects of self‐regulated learning); and among surface, inflexible, and irresolute control (aspects of an ineffective approach to learning). One‐factor and two‐factor models were proposed.

Sample: Participants were 226 Canadian military college students.

Method: Participants completed the following questionnaires: the Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1978), the Need for Cognition Scale (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982), and the Strategic Flexibility Questionnaire (Cantwell & Moore, 1996).

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the identification of the six scale factors. Second order confirmatory factor analysis indicated three factors representing constructs underlying these factors.

Conclusions: Neither the one‐ nor two‐factor models accounted adequately for the data. Self‐regulated learning was defined by measures of the deep approach to learning, need for cognition, and adaptive control of learning. The second factor divided into one factor consisting of irresolute control, the surface approach, and negative need for cognition; and another consisting of inflexible and negative adaptive control. Substantial relationships among scales support the need for further theory development.
The trichotomous model and investment in learning to prepare for a sport test: A mediational analysis
Authors: Cury F. , Da Fonséca D. , Rufo M. , Peres C. , Sarrazin P.
Published: December 2003

Background: Contemporary views on motivation suggest that the approach‐avoidance achievement goals conceptualisation — namely the trichotomous model — can shed light on the important issue of student motivation.

Aims: To test the predictive value of the trichotomous model on the investment in learning a sport task for test preparation, and to validate a model which included a set of psychological processes (i.e., state anxiety and competence valuation) which mediate the relationship between the three goals (i.e., performance‐approach, performance‐avoidance, and mastery goals) and test preparation. The study was designed to investigate the direct and mediational effects of three experimental goal conditions on the time in which pupils prepared for a sport test.

Sample: French male school pupils (N = 75). Pupils were aged 13‐15 years and attended schools in southern France.

Method: Pupils prepared themselves for a sport task with a 5‐minute period of training, and performed in one of three experimental conditions to which they were randomly assigned: a performance goal with a positive outcome focus (performance‐approach), a performance goal with a negative outcome focus (performance‐avoidance), or a mastery goal.

Results: Pupils in the performance‐avoidance group reported higher state anxiety and lower competence valuation than those in the performance‐approach and mastery groups, and this psychological state was associated with less time taken to prepare for the test.

Conclusion: School pupils placed in an examination preparation context that elicits a performance goal with a negative outcome focus (performance‐avoidance) show motivational deficits which manifest themselves in less time spent practising. The trichotomous model appears to be valid for the study of motivational processes in school physical education.
Intervention in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: The role of parents and teachers
Authors: Sugden David A. , Chambers Mary E.
Published: December 2003

Background: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are a heterogeneous group who have a marked impairment in the performance of functional skills. Provision for these children is usually made via a paediatrician through occupational or physiotherapy though, with a prevalence rate of 5%, regular provision is not possible due to limited professional resources.

Aims: The study aimed to determine the extent to which parents and teachers, with guidance, can assist in the management of children with DCD; whether children with DCD are helped in this way and how this may contribute to our understanding of the condition.

Sample: Thirty‐one children with DCD aged 7 to 9 years participated in the study.

Methods: Following assessment, individual profiles were developed and each week teachers and parents were given guidelines for working with the children and each child had three to four sessions a week lasting approximately for 20 minutes. In Phase 1, one group of children worked with teachers and the other group worked with parents. In Phase 2, the two groups of children swapped over. The children were assessed regularly throughout the project using the Movement ABC, together with diaries and comments from teachers and parents.

Results: At the end of the 40‐week study, 27 children showed significant improvement in their motor skills.

Conclusions: Both teachers and parents were able to provide effective intervention for the majority of the children. It is possible that the children who did not improve have difficulties that are of a more complex type which require more specialist therapy to meet their need.
Academic attainments of children with Down's syndrome: A longitudinal study
Authors: Turner Stephen , Alborz Alison
Published: December 2003

Background: Studies of the academic progress of schoolchildren with Down's syndrome have given only limited indication of attainments at different ages. Such normative data, it is argued, could guide professionals and parents in respect to reasonable expectations and typical achievement.

Aims: The aim of the paper is to provide a descriptive account of levels and range of academic attainments reached by a representative sample of children with Down's syndrome over time.

Sample: Data relate to 106 children from three studies with the same cohort of families. Mean age was 9.1 years at the first study (1986), 13.7 at the second (1991), and 21.1 at the third (2000). Mean IQ was 40.29.

Methods: The Academic Attainments Index (AAI) covers reading, writing and numeracy, and was designed for teacher completion. In order to compare attainments to wider norms, scores were compiled by age group, and related to age‐specific National Curriculum attainment levels, which are similar to US school grades.

Results: AAI scores were obtained for 102 individuals in 1986, 101 in 1991 and 79 in 2000. Comparisons across age groups indicate that higher scores were achieved by each successive age group up to age 20, and that this pattern held for both more and less able children. Once adjusted for differences in IQ scores between age groups, however, there was some evidence of a levelling off towards the end of the school career. By school‐leaving age, the more able children reached at least some National Curriculum Key Stage 2 targets in reading and writing, and some Key Stage 3 targets in number work.

Conclusion: Results provide a detailed picture of attainments across ability and age
Children's early reading vocabulary: Description and word frequency lists
Authors: Stuart Morag , Dixon Maureen , Masterson Jackie , Gray Bob
Published: December 2003

Background: When constructing stimuli for experimental investigations of cognitive processes in early reading development, researchers have to rely on adult or American children's word frequency counts, as no such counts exist for English children.

Aim: The present paper introduces a database of children's early reading vocabulary, for use by researchers and teachers.

Sample: Texts from 685 books from reading schemes and story books read by 5‐7 year‐old children were used in the construction of the database.

Method: All words from the 685 books were typed or scanned into an Oracle database.

Results: The resulting up‐to‐date word frequency list of early print exposure in the UK is available in two forms from a website address given in this paper. This allows access to one list of the words ordered alphabetically and one list of the words ordered by frequency. We also briefly address some fundamental issues underlying early reading vocabulary (e.g., that it is heavily skewed towards low frequencies). Other characteristics of the vocabulary are then discussed.

Conclusions: We hope the word frequency lists will be of use to researchers seeking to control word frequency, and to teachers interested in the vocabulary to which young children are exposed in their reading material.
Perceptions of job insecurity and the impact of world market competition as health risks: Results from Belstress
Authors: Pelfrene Edwin , Vlerick Peter , Moreau Michel , Mak Rudolf P. , Kornitzer Marcel , de Backer Guy
Published: December 2003

Concern has been raised about the impact of job insecurity and fierce world market competition on the well‐being and health of workers (Marmot, 1999). For that reason, the Job Content Questionnaire was supplemented with items that relate to the wider organization and, especially, global economy level. Two items relate to the ‘perception of job insecurity’ (JIS) and three items relate to the ‘perception of impact of world market competition on one's own job’ (WMC). In the Belstress study, which comprises a sample of 16,335 men and 5084 women aged 35–59 years recruited from 25 companies across Belgium between 1994 and 1998, crosssectional associations of both factors with health status indicators, health behaviour and cardiovascular risk factors were studied. Scores for JIS and WMC were dichotomized yielding high (upper quartile group) and low levels (else). JIS and WMC are independently associated with job strain and with some health status indicators. No clear or consistent associations are found with health‐related behaviours or with cardiovascular risk factors.
Specific determinants of intrinsic work motivation, emotional exhaustion and turnover intention: A multisample longitudinal study
Authors: Houkes Inge , Janssen Peter P.M. , de Jonge Jan , Bakker Arnold B.
Published: December 2003

This longitudinal study tested a theoretically derived pattern of specific relationships between work characteristics and outcomes. The research model proposed four central domains of the work situation (i.e. task characteristics, workload, social support and unmet career expectations) and three important psychological outcomes (i.e. intrinsic work motivation, emotional exhaustion and turnover intention). More specifically, it was hypothesized that intrinsic work motivation is primarily predicted by challenging task characteristics; emotional exhaustion is primarily predicted by a high workload and lack of social support; and turnover intention is primarily predicted by unmet career expectations. Furthermore, we hypothesized that (i) the research model is generalizable over samples; (ii) work characteristics at Time 1 influence outcomes at Time 2; and (iii) the proposed causal pattern of relationships holds over different occupational groups. These hypotheses were tested by means of self‐report questionnaires among two samples (bank employees and teachers) using a full‐panel design with two waves (one‐year interval). Results showed that Hypothesis 1 was confirmed in both samples. Hypothesis 2 was confirmed in sample 1, but not in sample 2. In the latter sample, we found evidence for reverse causation. Hence, Hypothesis 3 could not be confirmed.
Development and validation of the Job Security Index and the Job Security Satisfaction scale: A classical test theory and IRT approach
Authors: Probst Tahira M.
Published: December 2003

This study describes the development and validation of two scales measuring job security: the Job Security Index (JSI), measuring an individual's cognitive appraisal of the future of his or her job with respect to the perceived level of stability and continuance of that job, and the Job Security Satisfaction (JSS) scale, measuring employee satisfaction with a perceived level of job security. Item response theory and classical test theory analyses indicate that the scales are highly reliable and exhibit good discriminant and criterion‐related validity. Future researchers are advised to apply confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to the scales to confirm their factor structures.
Testing for a four‐dimensional structure of occupational commitment
Authors: Blau Gary
Published: December 2003

Using three samples, 230 medical technologists, 412 working adults and 227 Executive MBA students, this study found support for a revised four‐dimension measure of occupational commitment consisting of affective, normative, accumulated costs and limited alternatives dimensions. This four‐dimension structure is based on expanding Meyer, Allen, and Smith's (1993) three‐dimension, i.e. affective, normative and continuance, occupational commitment conceptualization. Continuance occupational commitment was operationalized as two separate dimensions, accumulated costs and limited alternatives occupational commitment, based on Carson, Carson, and Bedeian's (1995) career (occupational) entrenchment measure.