bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continuing Education of Physiotherapists Involved in Treating Persons with Work-Related Back Pain
Authors: Poitras Stéphane , Blais Régis , Swaine Bonnie , Rossignol Michel , Perron Michèle
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Physiotherapists often use continuing education (CE) courses to acquire new knowledge, but little is known about the types and combinations of CE courses attended. The objective of this study was to describe the CE “profiles” of physiotherapists who treat individuals with work-related back pain.

Methods: Physiotherapists answered a self-administered questionnaire about the CE courses attended after initial training. They also provided demographic information, including years of practice, university of graduation, and distance of workplace from urban centres. Multiple correspondence analysis with hierarchical classification was used to identify CE profiles, that is, combinations of courses most frequently attended by physiotherapists in this group.

Results: Responses were received from 332 physiotherapists (response rate of 81.4%) working in 199 randomly selected clinics in Quebec. A very high proportion (88.9%) reported having attended at least one CE course related to back pain treatment. The most common area of CE was mobilization (53.9% of therapists). Others included osteopathy (21.7%), varied CE (15.9%), and neural mobilization/muscle reeducation (8.5%). Years of practice and university of graduation were significantly related (p < .05) to CE profiles, whereas distance from urban centres was not.

Conclusions: The variations in CE profiles among physiotherapists treating the same type of clientele raise questions regarding the potential for important differences in the knowledge base used to treat workers with back pain. More effective CE strategies are needed to promote evidencebased knowledge among physiotherapists involved in back pain treatment for injured workers.
Principles of Aerobic Testing and Training
Authors: Dolmage Thomas E. , Goldstein Roger S.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: This review provides a bridge between assessment of the physiologic response to exercise testing and application of the principles of aerobic training by physiotherapists in a clinical setting. It is intended to be of interest to physiotherapists who do not conduct clinical exercise tests but may be presented with the results of such tests.

Summary of Key Points: Small changes in the physiologic capacity of patients with limited reserve (cardiovascular, respiratory, or neuromuscular) often have a substantial impact on their symptoms and ability to perform daily activities. The primary outcome measure of an exercise test is aerobic capacity (oxygen uptake), the main determinant of the ability to sustain the power requirements of repetitive physical activity. The test protocol is designed to enable a wide range of exercise intensity (power) to be presented over a short time, under controlled conditions. Key indicators of the appropriateness of the systemic response include an increase in heart rate and ventilation. Aerobic training will enhance peak oxygen uptake and therefore have a substantial impact on physical performance.

Conclusions: Understanding the physiologic basis of aerobic testing will assist physiotherapists in using exercise tests to design, monitor, and evaluate aerobic training programs.
Informed Shared Decision-Making: A Model for Physical Therapy Education and Practice?
Authors: Bainbridge Lesley A. , Harris Susan R.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The goals of this article are (1) to define informed shared decision-making (ISDM); (2) to present and discuss several conceptual frameworks for ISDM; (3) to list a set of ISDM competencies developed initially for physicians; and (4) to present strategies for applying these ISDM competencies to the education and practice of physical therapy.

Summary of Key Points: ISDM provides a framework for communicating with clients or patients in which elements of client-centred care, evidence-based practice, and informed choice are integrated. Research has shown that patients who are more informed and more involved in their own decision-making are more likely to participate in treatment programs and experience better health outcomes.

Conclusions: ISDM is a communication framework that can be used by physical therapists to incorporate client-centred care, informed choice, and evidence-based practice. It is our hope that this article will inspire our physical therapist colleagues to embrace the concepts underlying ISDM and to evaluate its merits within both educational and clinical contexts.
Aerobic Exercise Interventions for People Living with HIV/AIDS: Implications for Practice, Education, and Research
Authors: O'Brien Kelly , Nixon Stephanie , Tynan Anne-Marie , Glazier Richard H.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present the results of a systematic review that investigated the effects of aerobic exercise interventions in people living with HIV/AIDS and to discuss the implications for physical therapy practice, education, and research.

Summary of Key Points: A systematic review was conducted based on the Cochrane Collaboration protocol. Eleven randomized trials of HIVpositive adults who performed aerobic exercise three times per week for at least four weeks were identified. Thirteen meta-analyses were performed. The main results indicated that aerobic exercise was associated with significant improvements in some outcomes of cardiopulmonary status (maximum oxygen consumption) and psychological status (depression-dejection symptoms).

Conclusions: Performing continuous or interval aerobic exercise or a combination of continuous aerobic exercise and progressive resistive exercise for at least 24 minutes three times per week for at least five weeks appears to be safe and may be beneficial for adults living with HIV. These findings should be interpreted cautiously owing to small sample sizes and high withdrawal rates within individual studies. The results of this review support the role of exercise and, more broadly, the role of rehabilitation practice, education, and research in the care and treatment of persons living with HIV.
Effects of a Six-Week Eccentric Exercise Program on Patients with Patellar Tendinopathy: Single-Subject Research Study
Authors: Dumont Tyler L. , MacIntyre Donna L. , Harris Susan R.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Eccentric exercise is commonly recommended in the conservative treatment of chronic tendinopathies. This single-subject research study evaluated the effects of a six-week eccentric exercise program developed for patients with patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee).

Methods: Four patients (mean age 23.75 years; three female, one male) with unilateral patellar tendinopathy participated in this study. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design was implemented and involved repeated measures of knee pain, knee function, and peak isometric force of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Measurements of isokinetic average torque of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles were collected prebaseline and postintervention. The intervention phase involved a six-week eccentric exercise program. Data were analyzed both visually and statistically.

Results: Visual results indicated reductions in intensity (n = 3) and unpleasantness (n = 3) of knee pain, improved knee function (n = 3), increased isometric quadriceps peak force of the ipsilateral side (n = 3) and the contralateral side (n = 4), increased isometric hamstring peak force of the ipsilateral side (n = 1) and the contralateral side (n = 1), and increased concentric average torque of the ipsilateral quadriceps (n = 2) and the contralateral side (n = 3). Most visual analyses were supported by the C-statistic.

Discussion: The eccentric exercise program showed mixed clinical benefits for four patients with patellar tendinopathy. However, none of the patients achieved full recovery within the suggested six-week treatment period.
Aerobic Exercise for Children
Authors: Darrah Johanna , Kelly Michelle
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Pediatric physical therapists are becoming increasingly involved in designing and implementing fitness programs for both typically developing children and children with cerebral palsy. This review discusses some of the methodological challenges associated with evaluating aerobic exercise in children, as well as current evidence on the effects of aerobic exercise for children with motor disabilities, specifically cerebral palsy. We then provide some general guidelines about implementing aerobic exercise programs with children.

Summary of Key Points: Our knowledge of the effect of aerobic fitness programs in children is limited. Research designs that fail to control for important child variables such as age and maturity; inadequate control of program parameters such as intensity, duration, and frequency; and the use of many different outcome measures make it difficult to discern the true effects of aerobic exercise. Furthermore, outcomes evaluating the components of activity and participation are seldom included.

Conclusions: Recent research suggests that children, both typically developing and those with chronic conditions, can benefit physiologically from aerobic exercise. However, the effect of aerobic exercise on functional outcomes for children with motor disabilities is not well understood.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Decision-Making: Exploring the Role of Pretest Probability in Patients with Rotator Cuff Pathology
Authors: Razmjou Helen , Haines Ted , Holtby Richard
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the indicators of diagnostic validity and to demonstrate the informative value of the pretest probability of two tests, the supraspinatus test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), on diagnosis and management by using three case scenarios of rotator cuff pathology as examples.

Summary of Key Points: Patients' attributes and validity indices of clinical tests are important to consider in reaching an optimal diagnosis. We compared the impact of the supraspinatus (Jobe) test with MRI of the shoulder in three fictional cases with different severity of rotator cuff pathology. The methodological approach of clinical decision-making at the patient level is discussed.

Conclusion and Recommendations: Clinicians are required to make decisions based on incomplete data and imperfect clinical tests with falsenegative and false-positive results. Estimating the pretest probability of pathology is often an educated guess. However, without an explicit estimate of the pretest probability of suspected pathology, a test result has no clearly defined informative value. The Bayesian approach provides a logically correct way to arrive at a specific post-test probability.
Value of Confidence Intervals in Determining Clinical Significance
Authors: McNeely Margaret L. , Warren Sharon
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Establishing treatment effectiveness is a priority for both clinicians and clinical researchers in the rehabilitation field. Although there is a need for high-quality research in rehabilitation, there is also a need for clinicians to learn and practise the skills of critically appraising research literature. In critically appraising the literature, understanding the role of the confidence interval is essential. The purpose of this review is to draw attention to the value of confidence intervals in interpreting the clinical significance of trial findings.

Summary of Key Points: Confidence intervals can be calculated for many different statistical procedures and are advocated for assessing both statistical and clinical significance. Confidence intervals are particularly useful in helping avoid possibly erroneous conclusions that two groups have similar results when non-significant findings are reported.

Conclusions: Probability values and confidence intervals are complementary and closely related mathematically. The function of the confidence interval is fundamentally an inferential one. Confidence intervals are, thus, of particular relevance when interpreting research findings. Confidence intervals should be reported in the results of clinical trials or, if not included, should be calculated wherever possible.
Accuracy of Assignment of Orthopedic Inpatients to Receive Weekend Physical Therapy Services in an Acute Care Hospital
Authors: Taylor Lisa , Goodman Kristen , Soares Daniela , Carr Heather , Peixoto Gina , Fox Pat
Published: September 2008

Purpose: To ascertain whether physical therapists (PTs) were accurately applying hospital criteria when assigning patients to weekend PT services in an acute care hospital.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients assigned to weekend PT services while staying in an inpatient orthopedic unit. Data extraction forms were completed to establish the accuracy of 299 entries to the weekend list. Quantitative analysis was performed to determine the percentage of inaccurate assignments and the percentage of patients who were treated on the weekend and to compare the patient profiles of those accurately and inaccurately assigned with the weekend list.

Results: The percentage of subjects inaccurately assigned to weekend PT services (7.4 per cent) was relatively small. Profiles of those inaccurately assigned were not found to differ significantly from those accurately assigned. Weekend therapy staff treated the majority of inaccurately assigned patients. However, this was not found to reduce the availability of treatment to accurately assigned patients.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that criteria are being used by PTs with an acceptable level of accuracy to assign patients to weekend PT services. However, further investigation is required for validation and standardization of weekend PT services criteria.
Aerobic Testing and Training for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A Review with Clinical Recommendations
Authors: Howe Jo-Anne A. , Gomperts Michelle A.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: In this article, we review the evidence for aerobic training in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The effects of aerobic training on enhancing cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease are summarized. Clinical considerations and recommendations for aerobic testing and training are also presented.

Summary of Key Points: Persons with MS may limit their participation in physical activity, predisposing them to deconditioning and additional disability, previously attributed to the disease process itself. However, individuals with mild to moderate levels of disability who participate in aerobic training can improve aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and HRQOL and reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Aerobic testing and training are safe for these patients provided that they are adequately screened and managed for fatigue, dysautonomia, and thermosensitivity. These historical concerns should not preclude active participation in aerobic training as current evidence suggests that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Conclusions: To minimize activity limitations and participation restrictions and enhance physical and psychosocial well-being, aerobic exercise should be promoted and included in the overall management plan of clients with MS.
Evidence-Based Stroke Rehabilitation: Case Analysis Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework
Authors: Penney Jennifer , MacKay-Lyons Marilyn J. , McDonald Alison
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this case report is to provide an evidence-based analysis of the progress and outcomes of a patient undergoing stroke rehabilitation using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a clinical framework. The analysis involves a description of the anticipated motor recovery of this patient, based on retrospective and prospective studies, and a comparison of expected outcomes with actual outcomes.

Methods: This case analysis involved a 62-year-old man who participated in 12 weeks of stroke rehabilitation after sustaining lacunar infarcts in the right basal ganglia and temporal lobe. Standardized outcome measures were used to document change in impairments in body functions and structures, activity limitations and participation restrictions over a one-year period. Contextual factors and baseline findings were used to predict the subject's functional outcome based on the available literature. The actual outcome was then compared with the predicted outcome.

Results: By using the available evidence, we predicted, with reasonable accuracy, the functional outcome of the patient.

Conclusions: ICF is a useful framework for analyzing outcomes of stroke rehabilitation. Suggestions for future research are provided, based on the findings of this case.
Factor Analysis: An Overview in the Field of Measurement
Authors: O'Brien Kelly
Published: September 2008

Purpose: This article provides an overview of factor analysis from the perspective of measurement in clinical research.

Summary of Key Points: Factor analysis is a statistical technique that identifies interrelationships among a set of items in an instrument and/or questionnaire and groups them into homogeneous domains. Exploratory factor analysis can be used to reduce the number of items in a questionnaire and identify its underlying domains. Confirmatory factor analysis can be used to test a hypothesis about the domain structure of a questionnaire. Principal component analysis and common factor analysis are the most common techniques and differ based on the amount of variability that is analyzed among items. Steps of the factor analytical process include assessing correlation matrices, factor extraction, choosing the number of factors to retain, assessing the factor loading matrix, factor rotation and factor interpretation. Because no standardized method exists, factor analysis involves decision-making at each step.

Conclusions: The different techniques and methods of factor analysis each have unique strengths and limitations. Clinicians and researchers reviewing articles on factor analysis should ensure that authors state a priori their purpose, conceptual approach, preferred technique and methods that will guide their decision-making.
Cervical Manipulation and Informed Consent: Canadian Manipulative Physiotherapists' Opinions on Communicating Risk
Authors: Carlesso Lisa , Bartlett Doreen J. , Padfield Beverley , Chesworth Bert M.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The study objective was to generate an information sheet for Canadian manipulative physical therapists (CMPTs) to use when seeking informed consent for high-velocity, low-amplitude cervical manipulation.

Methods: A cervical manipulation information sheet (CMIS) was created with five sections: Introduction, Benefits, Risks, Procedures and Effectiveness. The content of the information sheet was generated using the Delphi method, followed by a mail-out survey to a random sample of CMPTs (N = 307) to determine the information sheet's acceptability and clinical utility. The proportion of CMPTs who agreed with the content of the information sheet and the proportion of CMPTs who indicated a willingness to use the sheet clinically were calculated.

Results: The survey response rate was 74 per cent. The proportion (95 per cent confidence interval) of respondents who agreed with the content of the CMIS and approved its clinical acceptability was 0.95 (0.94-0.96) and 0.61 (0.58-0.64), respectively. Written comments from the CMPTs reflected concern about wording in the Risks section.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that CMPTs agreed with the content of the CMIS but not how it was written. Physical therapists should consider the CMIS a proposed guideline for clinician use. Ideally, a patient version should also be created.
Accuracy of Pedometry for Ambulatory Adults with Neurological Disabilities
Authors: Manns Patricia J. , Orchard Jeffery L. , Warren Sharon
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the contribution of gait variability to pedometer accuracy.

Method: Participants completed one 100 m walking trial wearing a Yamax SW-200 pedometer (New Lifestyles Canada, Deep River, Ontario). Error scores and percent error scores were calculated. Gait speed was measured over the 100m distance. Gait variability was measured by walking on a 10 m paper walkway with ink pads on the bottoms of the participants' shoes. The ink marks were used to calculate average step length and step width. A stepwise linear regression analysis determined the contribution of step length (SL) variability, step width variability, and gait speed to error score.

Results: Forty-five ambulatory volunteers (27 males, 18 females; age 54 6 14 years) with neurological disabilities participated in the study. Mean SL variability and gait speed were 6.6 6 3.4% and 53.8 6 21.1 m/min, respectively. On average, the pedometer underestimated the number of actual steps taken by 11.2%. Both SL variability and gait speed were significant predictors of error score, with gait speed accounting for 41% and SL variability accounting for 8% of the variance in error score.

Conclusions: In a sample of ambulatory persons with neurological disabilities, gait speed was the most important determinant of pedometer accuracy, but SL variability also made a significant contribution to error score.
Shifting the Public-Private Mix: A Policy Analysis of Physical Therapy Funding in Ontario
Authors: Landry Michel D. , Paul Williams A. , Verrier Molly C. , Zakus David , Deber Raisa B.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Physical therapy (PT) services across Canada are funded through a mix of public and private sources; this mix varies widely and appears to be shifting over time. The purpose of this research was to develop a conceptual framework for documenting and analyzing the public-private mix of funding in Ontario.

Methods: Policy case study methodology was used and included triangulation of primary (key informant interviews) and secondary data sources (review of the literature and available documents).

Results: We identified three broad categories or tiers for PT funding in Ontario: (1) public, (2) quasipublic, and (3) private. Within these tiers, there are multiple funding streams ranging from global budgets in hospitals to private out-of-pocket payments.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that multiple funding streams, along with significant variation in how clients access PT services and what services physical therapists can provide within each stream, result in a highly fractured and complex public/private funding system, which may have implications for cost, quality, and access.
Ethics of Self-Referral for Profit: Case Example of a Physician-Owned Physiotherapy Clinic
Authors: Saporta Adam , Gibson Barbara E.
Published: September 2008

Purpose: This article examines the ethics of self-referral through a case example of a physician-owned physiotherapy clinic.

Summary of Key Points: The rapid growth of private health facilities operating in Canada has raised some unique ethical issues that have implications for physiotherapy practice. One such issue is that of self-referral practices by physicians to their own privately operated enterprises. In this article, the ethics and legalities of self-referral are examined using the Moral and Legal Template for Health Care Practice developed by Geddes and colleagues. The analysis suggests that health care professional practices that may be considered “legal” under current regulatory requirements may not stand up to ethical scrutiny.

Conclusion: We conclude with a discussion of the implications for ethical physiotherapy and other health care practices and include a number of recommendations for changes to current professional and regulatory guidelines. To ensure that patients are being provided with the best possible care, physiotherapists must be aware of the ethical responsibilities that shape our profession and the practice of health care as a whole. Clear policies from regulatory and professional bodies are essential in establishing ethical practice and guiding the profession.
Natures of Change: Weathering the World in Post-Tsunami Tamil Nadu
Authors: Hastrup Frida
Published: September 2008

This article analyzes local concerns with nature and natural changes in response to the tsunami of 2004 based on anthropological fieldwork in the South Indian fishing village of Tharangambadi. It explores the fishermen's effort to restore confidence in their environment after the disaster, and argues that this entails a subtle strategy of relating to climate and weather that aims at gradually transferring the rupture of the tsunami to a more manageable pattern of seasonal variation. In analytical terms, the article investigates how the fishermen work to reassert their subjectivity in the aftermath of the overwhelming disaster through operating with different perspectives on their environment. In conclusion, the article suggests that these shifting perspectives more generally reflect notions of different intensities of change and creative local modes of adaptation ensuing from a disruption like the tsunami.
Zoning: Environmental Cosmopolitics In and Around the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala
Authors: Posocco Silvia
Published: September 2008

This article considers debates concerning the contribution of anthropology to an understanding of vernacular and marginal forms of cosmopolitanism in relation to the environmental cosmopolitics of zoning practices in and around the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), Petén, Guatemala. Zoning practices realize political and economic restructuring, integration, and fragmentation through conditionality and exceptionalism. The rationale for zoning of MBR territories evident in UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme and USAID MAYAREMA Resource Management Project have combined the instrumentalism of aid-tied development with a cosmopolitan appeal to the protection of the global environment in the interests of “humanity” imagined as an internally differentiated, and yet singular entity. As zoning practices have emerged as forms of conditionality placed on a range of human activities, they have been called into question by “Other” discrepant and cosmopolitan constituencies advancing different imagined relations between cosmos and polis, “environment” and “society.” The article considers discrepant zoning practices and related imaginings adopted by the Communities of Population in Resistance. Q'eqchi' perspectives are also addressed, notably with reference to the environmental cosmopolitics of indigenous religious practice. By exploring the environmental cosmopolitics of the MBR, the article argues that through anthropological knowledge practices, plural and over lapping cosmovisions and related vernacular and discrepant forms of environmental cosmopolitanism are brought into view. The task lies in grappling with relativization, pluralization, and complexity as these follow on from anthropological knowledge practices and environmental cosmopolitan zoning practices alike.
An inventory and morphometric analysis of British Columbia glaciers, Canada
Authors: Schiefer Erik , Menounos Brian , Wheate Roger
Published: September 2008

We describe an automated method to generate an inventory of glaciers and glacier morphometry from a digital topographic database containing glacier boundaries and a digital elevation model for British Columbia, Canada. The inventory contains over 12 000 glaciers with a total cumulative area that exceeds 25 000 km2, based on mapping from aerial photographs circa the mid-1980s. We use the inventory to examine dimensional characteristics among glaciers, namely the scaling relations between glacier length, width and area. Glacier length is a good predictor of glacier area, and its predictive ability improves when glaciers are stratified by the number of up-valley accumulation basins. The spatial pattern of glacier mid-range altitude parallels glaciation limits previously mapped for British Columbia and similarly reflects large-scale controls of orographic precipitation and continentality. The inventory is also used to refine models that relate glacier mid-range and terminus altitudes to regional position, aspect and, in the case of terminus altitudes, an index of glacier shape. Relations between glacier altitude limits and controlling spatial and topographic factors are used to make further climatic and mass-balance inferences from the glacier inventory.
Is the high-elevation region of Devon Ice Cap thickening?
Authors: Colgan William , Davis James , Sharp Martin
Published: September 2008

Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada, has been losing mass since at least 1960. Laser-altimetry surveys, however, suggest that the high-elevation region (>1200 m) of the ice cap thickened between 1995 and 2000, perhaps because of anomalously high accumulation rates during this period. We derive an independent estimate of thickness change in this region by comparing ∼40 year mean annual net accumulation rates to mean specific outflow rates for 11 drainage basins. The area-averaged rate of thickness change across the whole region is within error of zero (0.01 ± 0.12 m w.e. a−1), but two drainage basins in the northwest are thickening significantly, and two basins in the south are thinning significantly. The laser-altimetry observations are biased towards the drainage basins where we find thickening. Recent changes in the rate of accumulation or the rate of firnification cannot explain the observed thickening, but decreased ice outflow, due to the penetration of Neoglacial cooling to, and subsequent stiffening of, the basal ice, may provide an explanation. Thinning in the south may result from increased ice outflow from basins in which fast flow and basal sliding extend above 1200 m.
STIFFENED PLATES SUBJECTED TO UNIFORM BLAST LOADING/IŠSKIRSTYTĄJA SPROGIMO APKROVA VEIKIAMOS SUSTANDINTOS PLOKŠTĖS
Authors: Kadid Abdelkrim
Published: September 2008

An investigation has been carried out to examine the behaviour of stiffened plates subjected to uniform blast loading. The aim of this work is to determine the dynamic response of the plates with different stiffener configurations and consider the effect of mesh dependency, loading duration, and strain‐rate sensitivity. Numerical solutions are obtained by using the finite element method and the central difference method for the time integration of the non‐linear equations of motion. Special emphasis is focused on the evolution of mid‐point displacements, and plastic strain energy. The results obtained allow an insight into the effect of stiffener configurations and of the above parameters on the response of the plates under uniform blast loading and indicate that stiffener configurations and time duration can affect their overall behaviour.

Santrauka

Atlikta išskirstytąja sprogimo apkrova veikiamų sustandintų plokščių elgsenos analizė. Šio darbo tikslas – atlikti plokščių dinaminės elgsenos analizę, esant skirtingam sąstandų išdėstymui bei įvertinant baigtinių elementų tinklo, apkrovimo trukmės ir deformacijų pokyčio jautrumo įtaką skaičiavimo rezultatams. Netiesinės judėjimo lygties skaitiniai sprendiniai gauti integruoti laiko atžvilgiu taikant baigtinių elementų ir skirtumų metodus. Itin daig dėmesio skirta viduriniojo taško įlinkių ir plastinių deformacijų energijai vertinti. Gauti skaičiavimo rezultatai parodė, kokią įtaką sąstandų išdėstymas ir anksčiau išvardyti parametrai turi išskirstytąja sprogimo apkrova veikiamų plokščių elgsenai.
DETERIORATION OF STEEL PROPERTIES IN CORRODED SHEETS APPLIED TO SIDE SURFACE OF TANKS FOR LIQUID FUELS/SURŪDIJUSIŲ LAKŠTŲ, NAUDOTŲ SKYSTOJO KURO TALPYKLŲ IŠORINIAMS PAVIRŠIAMS, PLIENO SAVYBIŲ BLOGĖJIMAS
Authors: Maślak Mariusz , Siudut Janusz
Published: September 2008

Results of experimental investigations concerning a quantitative assessment of the influence of corrosion intensity in sheets applied to side surface of tanks for liquid fuels on values of mechanical properties of steel they have been made from, have been presented and analysed. Noticeable reduction of steel yield point as well as growth of its brittleness have been observed mainly in sheet zones with not uniform and pitting corrosion. The reason for such an occurrence is associated to impairment of cementite skeleton of steel, as well as to accumulation of micro‐damages and micro‐notches, both inside of material structure and on its surface, what resulted in local stress concentrations.

Santrauka

Pateikti ir aptarti eksperimentinių tyrimų, susijusių su lakštų, naudotų skystojo kuro talpyklų išoriniams paviršiams, rūdijimo intensyvumo poveikio į plieno, iš kurio jie buvo pagaminti, mechaninių savybių skaitiniu įvertinimu, rezultatai. Vertas dėmesio plieno takumo ribos sumažėjimas, taip pat jo trapumo padidėjimas, buvo pastebėti lakštų srityse, pakenktose tolygiojo ir taškinio rūdijimo. Tokio atvejo priežastis siejama su plieno cementito griaučių gadinimu, taip pat su mikropažaidų ir mikrogriovelių sankaupa, abiems esant medžiagos sandaroje ir ant jos paviršiaus. Tai sukėlė vietinių įtempių santalką.
ANALYSIS OF TIMED PETRI NETS FOR REACHABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION APPLICATIONS/PETRI LAIKO TINKLŲ PASIEKIAMUMO TAIKYMO STATYBOJE ANALIZĖ
Authors: Nassar Khaled , Casavant Albert
Published: September 2008

Petri nets have been used for many years to model complex processes. Examples are software design, workflow management, data analysis, concurrent programming, reliability engineering, real‐time computing systems, operating systems, distributed systems, and biological processes. Timed petri nets enable the study of timed process reachability, i. e. can a certain state in the process be reached, given an initial state of TPN representing a given process. This paper shows how the reachability of TPN can be utilized to analyze several aspects of construction projects. TPN are introduced and contrasted to Activity Cycle Diagrams and are also formalized to allow for the reachability problem to be assessed. The benefits and limitations of the analysis are presented through the classic earth-moving problem. Santrauka Petri laiko tinklai jau daugelį metų yra taikomi sudėtingiems procesams modeliuoti. Jų pavyzdžiai yra programinės įrangos kūrimas, organizacinių procesų valdymas, duomenų analizė, vientisas planavimas, patikima inžinerija, kompiuterinės sistemos, operacinės sistemos, išskirstytos sistemos ir biologiniai procesai. Petri laiko tinklai leidžia tirti apibrėžtų procesų įvykdymo pasiekiamumą per nustatytą laiką, t. y. ar tam tikra proceso būklė gali būti pasiekta turint Petri laiko tinklų pradinę būseną, aprašančią procesą. Šiame straipsnyje parodoma, kaip Petri laiko tinklų pasiekiamumas gali būti pritaikytas statybos projektams analizuoti keliais aspektais. Apibūdinami Petri laiko tinklai yra gretinami su veiksmų ciklinėmis diagramomis ir suformuoti taip, kad būtų galima įvertinti pasiekiamumo problemas. Taip pat yra pristatomi analizės privalumai ir trūkumai nagrinėjant klasikinį žemės darbų uždavinį.
MARKETING PRACTICES OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING FIRMS: IMPLEMENT OR NOT TO IMPLEMENT?/RINKODAROS PRAKTIKA PROFESIONALIOSE INŽINERIJOS KONSULTACINĖSE ĮMONĖSE: TAIKYTI JĄ AR JOS NETAIKYTI?
Authors: Jaafar Mastura , Aziz Abdul Rashid Abdul , Wai Andy Lian Shin
Published: September 2008

This article explores the necessity of applying marketing practices by engineering consulting firms that serve the construction industry. Most construction professionals perceive marketing as an unimportant management function. The present study provides support to similar previous studies conducted in other countries which found marketing is more ‘trappings’ rather than ‘substance’. Stiff competition drives civil and structural engineering (C&S) firms in Malaysia to suit their marketing practices in ensuring survival. In relation to this, company profile or characteristics such as firm organization, operational structure and nature of environment help providing an explanation on the readiness of these firms to fully implement marketing practices. The results also suggest that these firms use minimal marketing with the professional image projected by the directors or principals as playing an important role.

Santrauka

Nagrinėjama rinkodaros praktikos taikymo būtinybė statybos pramonės inžinerinėse konsultacinėse įmonėse. Dauguma statybos specialistų rinkodarą vertina kaip nelabai svarbią valdymo funkciją. Šis tyrimas patvirtina jau anksčiau kitose šalyse atliktų tyrimų rezultatus. Šiais tyrimais nustatyta, kad rinkodara yra daugiau „puošmena“ nei esminis valdymo kriterijus. Dėl nelanksčios inžinerijos ir statybos įmonių konkurencijos Malaizijoje būtina taikyti marketingo praktiką. Todėl suformuotas įmonės įvaizdis, įmonės organizacinė ir veiklos struktūra, mikroaplinka rodo įmonės rinkodaros taikymo pasirengimą. Gauti rezultatai rodo, kad įmonėse, kuriose dėl aukštos kvalifikacijos valdininkų sudarytas profesionalumo įvaizdis, rinkodaros lygis yra silpnas.
Questioning as an instructional method: Does it affect learning from lectures?
Authors: Campbell Julie , Mayer Richard E.
Published: September 2008

What can be done to improve student engagement and learning in college lectures? One approach is to ask questions that students answer during the lecture. In two lab experiments, students received a 25‐slide PowerPoint lecture in educational psychology that included four inserted multiple‐choice questions (questioning group) or four corresponding statements (control group). Students in the questioning group used a personal response system (PRS), in which they responded to questions using a hand‐held remote control, saw a graph displaying the percentage of students voting for each answer, and heard the teacher provide an explanation for the correct answer. Students in the control group received the corresponding slide as a statement and heard the teacher provide an explanation. The questioning group outperformed the control group on a retention test in Experiment 1 (d = 1.23) and on a transfer test in Experiment 2 (d = 0.74), but not on other tests. The results are consistent with a generative theory of learning, and encourage the appropriate use of questioning as an instructional method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive control for nonlinear uncertain systems with actuator amplitude and rate saturation constraints
Authors: Leonessa Alexander , Haddad Wassim M. , Hayakawa Tomohisa , Morel Yannick
Published: September 2008

A direct adaptive nonlinear tracking control framework for multivariable nonlinear uncertain systems with actuator amplitude and rate saturation constraints is developed. To guarantee asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop tracking error dynamics in the face of amplitude and rate saturation constraints, the control signal to a given reference (governor or supervisor) system is modified to effectively robustify the error dynamics to the saturation constraints. Illustrative numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cultural consonance, a 5HT2A receptor polymorphism, and depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of gene × culture interaction in urban Brazil
Authors: Dressler William W. , Balieiro Mauro C. , Ribeiro Rosane P. , Santos José Ernesto Dos
Published: September 2008

In this study in urban Brazil we examine, as a predictor of depressive symptoms, the interaction between a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 2A receptor in the serotonin system (−1438G/A) and cultural consonance in family life, a measure of the degree to which an individual perceives her family as corresponding to a widely shared cultural model of the prototypical family. A community sample of 144 adults was followed over a 2‐year‐period. Cultural consonance in family life was assessed by linking individuals' perceptions of their own families with a shared cultural model of the family derived from cultural consensus analysis. The −1438G/A polymorphism in the 2A serotonin receptor was genotyped using a standard protocol for DNA extracted from leukocytes. Covariates included age, sex, socioeconomic status, and stressful life events. Cultural consonance in family life was prospectively associated with depressive symptoms. In addition, the interaction between genotype and cultural consonance in family life was significant. For individuals with the A/A variant of the −1438G/A polymorphism of the 2A receptor gene, the effect of cultural consonance in family life on depressive symptoms over a 2‐year‐period was larger (β = −0.533, P < 0.01) than those effects for individuals with either the G/A (β = −0.280, P < 0.10) or G/G (β = −0.272, P < 0.05) variants. These results are consistent with a process in which genotype moderates the effects of culturally meaningful social experience on depressive symptoms. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Behavioral and nutritional factors and geohelminth infection among two ethnic groups in the Terai region, Nepal
Authors: Parajuli Rajendra Prasad , Umezaki Masahiro , Watanabe Chiho
Published: September 2008

Geohelminthiasis is a major health problem in many developing countries. This study was designed to evaluate the role of behaviors and the nutritional status of people with geohelminth infection in two indigenous ethnic groups in lowland Terai, Nepal. One hundred and fourteen individuals (55 Mushar and 59 Tharu) aged 20–60 years participated, and a structured questionnaire was used to investigate socioeconomic status and behaviors. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric measurements. Ninety five stool samples of the participants were collected for parasitological analysis. The results showed that the prevalence of geohelminthiasis was 42.1%: 26.3% of the subjects were infected with roundworm, 9.5% with hookworms, and 6.3% with whipworm. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that “not using soap for hand‐washing” (adjusted OR = 5.27; 95% CI: 1.41–19.78) and height (adjusted OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99) were associated with the prevalence of roundworm. “Walking barefoot when outdoor” was associated with the prevalence of hookworm (χ‐square test, P = 0.01). Ethnicity was not associated with the prevalence of either of the geohelminths. Because unhygienic behaviors and chronic malnutrition were closely associated with the people's recognition and subsistence pattern, elimination of geohelminth infection in Terai would be possible if deworming campaigns were implemented with in‐depth health education and modern agricultural technology. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamic in‐hand movements in adult and young juvenile chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Authors: Crast Jessica , Fragaszy Dorothy , Hayashi Misato , Matsuzawa Tetsuro
Published: September 2008

Descriptions of manual function in nonhuman primates have largely focused on static precision and power grasping (as first defined by Napier,1956), while identification and description of dynamic manual function are rare and incomplete. Here, we describe several forms of in‐hand movements used by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) when manipulating small objects. In‐hand movements are defined as the movement of an object within one hand via manipulation of the digits. We presented adult and young juvenile chimpanzees (ages 5–29 years) with a task that required inserting small objects through correspondingly shaped cutouts in a transparent Plexiglas panel. While attempting to insert the objects through the cutouts, the subjects used at least two forms of in‐hand movements to change their grip on the object for more precise alignment. We describe in detail the in‐hand movements they used and the variability observed in form and execution among the subjects. In general, the adult subjects used in‐hand movements more frequently and used a wider variety of forms than did the young juvenile subjects, suggesting that in‐hand movements are in the process of fine‐tuning around the age of 5 years in chimpanzees. The dexterity exhibited by the adults, however, shows that the neuromuscular and morphological requirements for relatively complex digital manipulation are present in the adult chimpanzee. Am J Phys Antropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nano titanium oxide organosol: Synthesis, characterization, and application for electrorheological fluid
Authors: Zhao Yan , Wang Baoxiang , Ding Changlin , Zhao Xiaopeng
Published: September 2008

A liquid–liquid phase transfer method was employed to prepare novel nano titanium oxide/silicone oil organosol. First, titanium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous phase and then modified with several surfactants. It is found that only sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) can cap nanoparticles and then nanoparticles could be transferred into organic phase by the phase transfer method. The transfer process was certified by the rapid change of color for the aqueous and organic phase. Other surfactants including hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and oleic acid were unable to ensure the phase transfer in the organic phase. The procedure was also verified by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), particle size analyzer, UV–vis, etc. The results also showed the narrow size distribution of the nanoparticles. The mechanism of phase transfer is also discussed for different surfactant. Because of its good antisedimentation and high electrorheological effect, organosol is a novel path for the design and application of electrorheological fluid. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Vinyl polymerization of norbornene with pyrazolylimine nickel(II)/methylaluminoxane catalytic systems
Authors: Wang Yuan‐Yuan , Lin Shang‐An , Zhu Fang‐Ming , Gao Hai‐Yang , Wu Qing
Published: September 2008

The polymerization of norbornene (NBE) was investigated in the presence of two novel pyrazolylimine nickel complexes [2‐(C3HN2Me2‐3,5){C(Ph)[4‐R2C6H2(R1)2‐2,6]}NiBr2(complex1,R1=iPr and R2= H; complex2,R1= H and R2= NO2)] activated by methylaluminoxane. The two catalytic systems showed high activity [up to 1.27 × 106g of polynorbornene (PNBE)/(mol of Ni h)] for NBE polymerization and provided PNBEs with high molecular weights (weight‐average molecular weight ≤ 17.46 × 105g/mol) and narrow molecular weight distributions (ca. 2). The electron withdrawing of the nitro group in complex2could not enhance the catalytic activity for NBE polymerization; however, the molecular weights of the polymers were increased. The catalytic activity, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution were influenced by the polymerization conditions, such as the polymerization temperature and Al/Ni molar ratios. The obtained PNBEs were characterized by means of1H‐NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The analysis results for PNBEs indicated that the NBE polymerization was a vinyl‐type polymerization rather than a ring‐opening metathesis polymerization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008