bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Examination of Tropical and Extratropical Gust Factors and the Associated Wind Speed Histograms
Authors: Paulsen B. M. , Schroeder J. L.
Published: March 2005

A gust factor, defined as the ratio between a peak wind gust and mean wind speed over a period of time, can be used along with other statistics to examine the structure of the wind. Gust factors are heavily dependent on upstream terrain conditions (roughness), but are also affected by transitional flow regimes (specifically, changes in terrain and the distance from the upstream terrain change to the measuring device), anemometer height, stability of the boundary layer, and, potentially, the presence of deep convection. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding differences in gust factors that might exist between winds generated by tropical cyclones and those generated by extratropical systems. Using high-resolution wind speed data collected from both landfalling tropical cyclones and extratropical systems, two databases of wind characteristics were developed. Gust factors from tropical cyclone and extratropical winds were examined, summarized, and compared. Further analysis was conducted to examine and compare the characteristics of the associated tropical and extratropical wind speed histograms. As expected, the mean gust factor was found to increase with increasing upstream surface roughness. Some differences were observed between data from the tropical environment and the extratropical environment. Mean gust factors from the tropical regime were found to be higher than mean gust factors from the extratropical environment within each roughness regime and the wind speed histograms generated from data from the two environments indicated some differences.
Transformed Eulerian-Mean Theory. Part I: Nonquasigeostrophic Theory for Eddies on a Zonal-Mean Flow
Authors: Plumb R. Alan , Ferrari Raffaele
Published: March 2005

A theoretical formalism for nongeostrophic eddy transport in zonal-mean flows, using a transformed Eulerian-mean (TEM) approach in z coordinates, is discussed. By using Andrews and McIntyre’s coordinate-independent definition of the “quasi-Stokes streamfunction,” it is argued that the surface boundary condition can be dealt with more readily than when the widely used quasigeostrophic definition is adopted. Along with the “residual mean circulation,” the concept of “residual eddy flux” arises naturally within the TEM framework, and it is argued that it is this residual eddy flux, and not the “raw” eddy flux, that might reasonably be expected to be downgradient. This distinction is shown to be especially important for Ertel potential vorticity (PV). The authors show how a closed set of transformed mean equations can be generated, and how the eddy forcing appears in the TEM momentum equations. Under adiabatic conditions, the “eddy drag” is just proportional to the residual eddy flux of PV along the mean isopycnals; in the diabatic layer close to the surface, it is more complicated, but becomes very simple for small Rossby number (without any assumption of small isopycnal slope).
Globalisation Rules and China’s Compliance
Authors: Chan Gerald
Published: March 2005

China can best play the game of globalisation, both to its own benefit as well as to the benefit of others, by actively engaging in the process of globalisation rather than avoiding or resisting it. Engaging in this process of globalisation means that China has to play by the rules of the game as, fortunately or unfortunately for China and many other developing countries, most if not all of these rules are designed and controlled by the West, especially the United States. By entering into global regimes and agreeing to play by the rules, China would demonstrate its confidence and willingness to subject itself to compliance tests. This paper examines China’s compliance record in the global treaty system in general and in four specific areas in particular: arms control and disarmament; global trade; human rights; and environmental protection. China’s compliance record is on the whole satisfactory, but much remains to be done. Other major countries and international organisations are closely monitoring China’s compliance behaviour. The paper concludes by suggesting that only when China has mastered the rules of the game and the skills to play them effectively can it attempt to change those rules to its advantage.
China’s Constitutional Amendments and Their Implications
Authors: Li Li
Published: March 2005

China’s fourth constitutional amendment in 2004 consists of a series of significant revisions, such as the incorporation of Jiang Zemin’s ‘Three Represents’ and the commitment to respect and protect human rights and lawful private property. Like the previous three amendments since 1982, the latest amendment is a natural result of China’s rapid development in terms of economy and society. It also comes at a time when China is seeking a ‘peaceful rise’ under the leadership of the fourth generation centred around President Hu Jintao. It will contribute not only to China’s social stability and economic growth but also to the build-up of China’s international status.
Public School Choice at the Intersection of Voluntary Integration and Not-So-Good Neighborhood Schools: Lessons From Parents’ Experiences
Authors: André-Bechely Lois
Published: March 2005

This article presents research on the school choice processes and practices in a large urban district on the West Coast. It shares the stories of three mothers’ experiences with public school choice and tells how, through the process of choosing schools for their children, they became participants in the inequities and inequalities of the district’s choice programs. By showing how these mothers accomplished their goals of getting their child into a school other than their neighborhood school, the article illuminates how school choice policies proposed to be more equitable and democratic for parents, in many ways, still reproduce the schooling inequalities that they were intended to reduce.
Securing the rural citizen
Authors: Pandian Anand
Published: March 2005

This article concerns the politics of security and caste difference in the late nineteenth century Madras Presidency. Relying on a vernacular principle of interpretation emerging from the colonial archive itself—a Sanskrit ‘Law of Coincidence’—the article makes a case for collective identity in colonial India as a conjunctural attribution. I closely examine the trajectory of a widespread peasant movement that sought in 1896 to evict a single caste from hundreds of settlements altogether. The article tracks an intimate traffic between administrative sociology and native stereotype that converged on an assessment of this caste as thieving and predatory by nature. This racialised politics of intrinsic character enabled a popular programme of violent eviction. At the same time, peasant efforts to secure property and territory from threat may be understood as an alternative project of rural government, one that marked a crucial turn in the development of a moral order in the southern Tamil countryside.
Taking stock of the Franks
Authors: Subrahmanyam Sanjay
Published: March 2005

This article reflects on a diverse set of materials that constitute a part of South Asian xenology in the early modern period. Partly derived from South India, and partly from the northern Indian core of the Mughal empire, these materials deal with the problem of the ‘Franks’, namely the Europeans—whether seen in the context of Asia or of Europe. Initially the Europeans appear as strange, wondrous and also largely untrustworthy interlocutors in the Indian Ocean. Then, with the passage of time, an image of Europe itself emerges, which is finally sealed in the later eighteenth century with the first travel accounts by Indians to Europe. However, these images are part and parcel of a more general xenological and geographical understanding of the areas that neighbour South Asia, and should hence be analysed as such.
Numerical Simulation of Saturation Behavior of Physical Properties in Composites with Randomly Distributed Second-phase
Authors: Tu Shan-Tung , Cai Wen-Zhong , Yin Yong , Ling Xiang
Published: March 2005

Second-phase materials are generally added to a matrix material in order to improve its physical properties. To enhance the thermal conductivity and stiffness of a polymer material, some powders and/or short-fibers are used. Physical properties such as thermal conductivity and elastic modulus of the composites with randomly distributed second-phase are computed by the use of the finite element methods and verified by experimentation. The computation results show that there exists a saturated property ratio of the second-phase to the matrix at a certain volume fraction. The saturated ratio increases with the increase of volume fraction and the fiber length to diameter ratio. Beyond this saturated ratio, the physical properties of the composite cannot be further improved by enhancing the corresponding property of the second-phase material. A comparison with other analytical models indicates that some models may predict the saturation behavior well while some others may not.
Morphology and Characterization of Clay-reinforced EPDM Nanocomposites
Authors: Ahmadi Seyed Javad , Huang Yu Dong , Li Wei
Published: March 2005

The clay-reinforced ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) nanocomposites with organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) and EPDM-clay conventional composites with pristine MMT are compared in terms of their morphology, mechanical properties, and solvent resistance. The maleic anhydride grafted EPDM (MAH-g-EPDM) is used as the compatiblizer for preparing clay-reinforced EPDM nanocomposites via a melt intercalation process. The formation of exfoliated nano-composites is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the morphological change during the mixing times of vulcanization process through exerting shearing force on clay particles is discussed. The mechanical properties and solvent resistance of clay-reinforced EPDM nanocomposites are examined as a function of the organoclay content in the matrix of the polymer, the result shows remarkable improvement relative to that of conventional composites.
Love’s Labours Lost? Feminism, the Disabled People’s Movement and an Ethic of Care
Authors: Hughes Bill , McKie Linda , Hopkins Debra , Watson Nick
Published: March 2005

The Disabled People’s Movement (DPM) and the Feminist Movement appeal to incompatible meanings of ‘care’. For the DPM the word ‘care’ is to be resisted. The emotional connotations implicit in the concept and experience of care inhibit the emancipatory project for independence and self-determination. Feminist theorists value the concept of care, and the emotional aspect of ‘caring about’ in ‘caring for’. Given that independence can be interpreted as an ideological distortion of ‘malestream’ public policy, feminists argue that it should be replaced by the concept of interdependence. Furthermore, feminists express concern that the DPM’s pragmatic solution to the problem of ‘care’ is a form of discursive alignment with ‘malestream’ public policy that constitutes both disabled people and women as ‘other’ subjects of modern welfare state economies.

Drawing on the work of Irigaray, we propose that a post-feminist analysis of the constitution of the parties in the caring dyad can help to make the case for a mutually beneficial ethics of care. We support the feminist voice in disability studies, particularly its call for an embodied, experiential, emotional and political view of the caring relationship. We articulate a post-structuralist feminist critique of waste and want as the discursive terrain upon which both disabled people and women are constituted as marginalized subjects in caring relationships. Irigaray’s claim that women’s immersion in the pleasure of ‘the other’ marginalizes her from her embodied experience, dims her sense of self, and locates her and her caring practices in a liminal, abject space on the margins of phallocentric culture, ground this analysis. We claim that disabled people are similarly disembodied, and constituted as waste, and that their passionate fight for dispassionate goals might be working against their demands for a dignified and inclusive existence. Finally, we make a plea to disability activists and feminists to make common cause in the struggle for an ethics of care that is founded upon embodied interdependence.
Influence of Operating Parameters on the Performance of Friction Composites Based on Combinations of Rock Fibers and Organic Fibers
Authors: Satapathy B. K. , Bijwe J.
Published: March 2005

The dynamic frictional response of a multicomponent friction composite is highly complex under a set of variable loads and speeds. The present paper discusses the sensitivity of friction and wear behavior to braking pressure and sliding speed of four selected composites based on a variation of combinations of rock fibers (Basalt and Lapinus) and organic fibers (Aramid and PAN). The studies on the sensitivity of μ and wear to the operating variables were carried out with the help of a pad-on-disc type tribo-test-rig following 4 loads × 3 speeds experimental design. Regression analysis of the μ values following an orthogonal L9 (3 × 3) experimental design method revealed that the first-order influences of braking pressure and sliding speed were significant while the contribution of their mutual interaction was minor. It was observed that aramid fiber proved most beneficial in modifying the selected performance properties except friction stability at higher pressure and speed conditions. Lapinus proved to have an edge over basalt in most aspects. The SEM studies on the worn-pad surfaces revealed the role of contact patches and differential topographic attributes in controlling the friction and wear performance of these composites.
Composting dynamics and optimum mixture ratio of chicken manure and vineyard wastes
Authors: Kulcu Recep , Yaldiz Osman
Published: March 2005

Vineyard waste and chicken manure mixtures are useful materials for composting but when these wastes are composted alone, many environmental problems occur because of their chemical characteristics. Whereas chicken manure is a very rich source of nitrogen, vineyard waste has a very high carbon content. In the present study experiments to determine an optimum mixture ratio of chicken manure and vineyard waste for composting were performed. The results showed that the optimum mixture ratio for composting these materials was 50% chicken manure and 50% vineyard waste on a dry basis.
Language, Ethnic Identity, and the Adaptation of Immigrant Youth in the Netherlands
Authors: Vedder Paul
Published: March 2005

We explored the relationships between immigrant adolescents’ first-and second-language proficiency and their psychological and sociocultural adaptation using three models: the ethnic identity model, the language assimilation model, and the language integration model. The study was conducted in the Netherlands. Participants were 161 Turkish and 95 Surinamese adolescents (ages 13 to 18 years). In the Turkish group we found support for the language assimilation model as well as for the language integration model. In the Surinamese group a stronger orientation toward the original ethnic culture corresponded to more negative adaptation outcomes. This effect mirrors the assimilation model. The ethnic identity model did not contribute to explaining adaptation differences between immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands.
Survival of Endothelial Cells in vitro on Paclitaxel-loaded Coronary Stents
Authors: Prasad C. Krishna , Resmi K. R. , Krishnan Lissy K. , Vaishnav Rajesh
Published: March 2005

Coronary stents that are developed for use with balloon angioplasty are known to cause acute occlusion and long-term stenosis. It is likely that a controlled release of drugs at the site of stent implantation might inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and reduce restenosis. However, if the drug is necrotic and affects cell survival near the implant, it may interrupt the local tissue regeneration. Different methods have been used for the immobilization of drugs with stents to get an effective concentration that inhibits cell proliferation. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Paclitaxel-loaded stents by immobilization with a biodegradable polymer, to inhibit cell proliferation. The cells used for the evaluation are human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and the proliferation rate of these cells on the drug-coated stent is compared against an uncoated stent for a 72-h period. Evaluations were also made to differentiate between cell apoptosis and necrosis to prove that the drug released is not deleterious to the surrounding tissue.

While a similar initial cell adhesion is observed in bare and coated stents, the proliferation of HUVEC is negligible when grown on a drug-coated stent (p < 0.001). By specific staining techniques, the cells on the drug-coated stents are found to be apoptotic and not necrotic, throughout the evaluation period. In vitro leukocyte adhesion and platelet deposition on the drug-coated stents are found to be low when they are exposed to human blood and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), suggesting that the coated stents may not be thrombogenic in vivo. Therefore, drug coating of stents using the described technique may have a considerable promise for the prevention of neointimal proliferation, restenosis, and associated failure of angioplasty.
Porous Poly (DL-Lactic Acid) Modified Chitosan-Gelatin Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Liu Haifeng , Yao Fanglian , Zhou Yutao , Yao Kangde , Mei Dongrui , Cui Lei , Cao Yilin
Published: March 2005

Chitosan-gelatin (Cs-Gel) scaffolds are modified with poly (DL-lactic acid) (PDLLA) dichloromethane solution of different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0%) and immersed in water after the evaporation of the solvent. The swollen scaffolds are freeze dried. The concentration of PDLLA has significant effects on both the physicomechanical properties and the cytocompatibility. Data reveal that only the 0.1% concentration could increase the tensile strength fourfold in comparison with the pristine Cs-Gel scaffold, while maintaining the human fibroblast adhesion, migration, and proliferation just like the Cs-Gel scaffold.
The Role of Insecure Attachment and Gender Role Stress in Predicting Controlling Behaviors in Men Who Batter
Authors: Mahalik James R. , Aldarondo Etiony , Gilbert-Gokhale Steven , Shore Erika
Published: March 2005

The authors hypothesized that masculine gender role stress would mediate the relationship between insecure attachment and controlling behaviors in a sample of men who batter. To examine this hypothesis,143men who were court mandated to attenda batterers’ intervention program in a northeastern state completed measures including the Controlling Behavior Index, the Gender Role Stress Scale, the Relationship Questionnaire, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. After controlling statistically for social desirability, results indicated that both fearful attachment and gender role stress significantly predicted controlling behaviors, with gender role stress partially mediating the relationship between fearful attachment and controlling behaviors. The discussion focuses on the importance of understanding partner abuse through a gendered context.
When Do War Chests Deter?
Authors: Goodliffe Jay
Published: March 2005

I present a repeated election model of campaign fund-raising and spending where the incumbent may use money not spent in one election for a future election, i.e. may create a war chest. I characterize the conditions where an incumbent creates a war chest for deterrence. The strongest incumbents do not create the largest war chests since they deter the challenger on their own. It is the weaker incumbents who must create the larger war chests to deter the challenger.
End of the offline?
Authors: Bell Emily
Published: March 2005

The Guardian's new media editor writes: My original brief for this piece was to explore the question: "Is the writing on the wall for online newspapers?" I wondered for a minute whether I had misheard and the actual question was: "Is the writing on the wall for printed newspapers?" Scroll back ten years to the Telegraph launch [of its website] and it is obvious that in achieving massive audiences and, so far, modest revenues we have travelled a far different path from the one those present on that distant occasion expected. In the next ten years the path will be steeper and the need to ascend it more urgent. But if newspapers wish to keep both their businesses and their voices, then engaging with the online world is a non-negotiable imperative
When principles stampede the herd
Authors: Smith W Leon
Published: March 2005

When the editor and publisher of The Lone Star Iconoclast, the newspaper of George W. Bush's vacation home in Crawford, Texas, began publication in 2000, he and his staff did not realize that the future would include scrutiny, criticism, and praise from throughout the world, and that by its endorsement of Senator John Kerry this small weekly newspaper would find itself intensely embroiled in a battle between principle and survival. Writes Smith: Nobody said that being a journalist is easy. It is far from it. The altar of principle dictates individual excellence and perseverance, which requires talent, sweat, and risk. To topple that altar in the name of profit is unconscionable. To abandon the mission of journalistic purity in favour of a lesser ideal, or a path without nettles, debases the profession and corrupts the product. That's why true journalists adhere to the belief that principles must be honoured.
The neglect of africa
Authors: Franks Suzanne
Published: March 2005

Serious journalism is deserting an entire continent, argues Suzanne Franks, who writes: This is the year of Africa. British politicians are falling over themselves to declare 2005 a unique opportunity for the West to sort out Africa's problems. ... In July Britain will host the G8 conference at which great pronouncements are expected on the fate of Africa, and in September there is the UN Millennium summit. But how is Africa being reported and will the media use this year as an opportunity to take Africa seriously? Over the past 30 years there has been a steady decline in the attention given to reporting Africa. This presents a paradox; for just as communications and technology have improved, so the coverage of difficult-to-reach and faraway places has in some cases deteriorated. It is now easier to fly to remote locations and to broadcast stories from them, but we are no longer so inclined to do it.
The Blessing of Hope: The Theology of Hope and the Full Gospel of Life
Authors: Moltmann Jürgen
Published: March 2005

From the perspective of the author’s own theology of hope, this article offers an affirmation and a constructive critical engagement of the ‘Full Gospel’ theology of Korean pastor, David Yonggi Cho. After acknowledgement of certain commonalities in the originating contexts of both Cho’s and the author’s respective theological perspectives, particular points of agreement and suggestions for further expansion and development are presented and elaborated with a view toward a ‘Full Gospel of the Advent of Christ’.
The Moral Psychology of Revenge
Authors: Chakrabarti Arindam
Published: March 2005

The tendency and ability to take adequate revenge for an insult or injury inflicted in the past have been often glorified as part of a ‘just and honourable’ individual or communal character. This article argues against this old—and currently popular—belief that the act of revenge is justified and reasonable. The central flaw in the idea of revenge is that it is a futile attempt to remedy past suffering. The article shows how revenge cannot be defended as ‘teaching the aggressor a lesson’ or as ‘getting even with the aggressor’ or as ‘retributive punishment’, and why at the heart of the retaliator’s motivation structure there is a tragic self-frustrating contradiction. It also explains how and why revenge spirals escalate rather than bring closure to the violence and injury. The alternative suggested by the article is not ‘forgive and forget’, but ‘remember and resist’. In conclusion, a few powerful defences of revenge are discussed as objections to this generally anti-vengeance moral stand. By answering these objections, it is proved that the rage that feeds vengeance should be restrained and retrained in a positive direction, not because it is a negative emotion—some negative emotions may, depending upon the context, be healthy—but because it is an unjust, sick and self-conflicted emotion.
Image and Effectiveness of Hospitals
Authors: D.M. Pestonjee  , H. Sharma Kajal , Patel Sonal
Published: March 2005

Hospitals as health care organisations are involved in providing preventive, curative and rehabilitative services. They are an integral part of the medical and social structure. The hospital utilises widely divergent groups of professionals, semi-professionals and non-professionals. It represents high interdependence among services. A hospital’s success is largely dependent on the quality of work of its employees. The HR role is the most crucial in a hospital as it is more people oriented and intensive rather than equipment oriented. However, HR as a function is being appreciated and initiated in the hospital perspective only recently. The present study is an attempt to sketch the roles of doctors, nurses and patients in the health care industry by utilising certain psychometric instruments. The paper also suggests certain HR interventions that may be of use to health care professionals.
Manufacturing and Testing of Active Composite Panels with Embedded Piezoelectric Sensors and Actuators
Authors: Ghasemi-Nejhad Mehrdad N. , Russ Richard , Pourjalali Saeid
Published: March 2005

This work presents the manufacturing and testing of active composite panels (ACPs) with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The composite material employed here is a plain weave carbon/epoxy prepreg fabric with 0.30 mm ply thickness. A cross-ply type stacking sequence is employed for the ACPs. The piezoelectric flexible patches employed here are Active Fiber Composite (AFC) piezoceramics with 0.33 mm thickness. Composite layers with openings are used to fill the space around the embedded piezo patches to minimize the problems associated with ply drops in composites. The AFC piezoceramic patches were embedded inside the composite laminate. High-temperature wires were soldered to the piezo leads, insulated from the carbon substructure by high-temperature materials, and were taken out of the composite laminates employing cutout hole, molded-in hole, and embedding techniques. The laminated ACPs with their embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators were vacuum bagged and co-cured inside an autoclave employing the cure cycle recommended by the composite material supplier. The Curie temperature of the embedded piezo patches should be well above the curing temperature of the composite materials as was the case here. The capacitance of the piezoelectric patches was measured before and after cure for quality control. The manufactured ACPs were trimmed and then tested for their functionality. A finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to verify the free expansion of the AFC FEA. Next, the FEA model of the manufactured ACP was developed based on the AFC FEA free expansion model and was employed to test the functionality of the AFCs embedded within the ACPs. Both static and dynamic FEA results of the modeled ACPs showed very good agreements with their corresponding experimental results. Finally, vibration suppression as well as simultaneous vibration suppression and precision positioning tests, using Hybrid Adaptive Control (HAC), were successfully conducted on the manufactured ACP beams and their functionality was further demonstrated. The advantages and disadvantages of ACPs with embedded piezoelectric sensor and actuator patches manufactured employing the abovementioned three wires out techniques are also presented in terms of manufacturing and performance.
Constitutive Equations for the Back Stress in Amorphous Glassy Polymers
Authors: Beatty Millard F.
Published: March 2005

Constitutive equations for the back stress in amorphous glassy polymers based on extended forms of the non-Gaussian James—Guth 3-chain and Arruda—Boyce 8-chain models of rubber elasticity are derived from the extended Wu and van der Giessen non-Gaussian full-network model. A simple and invariant constitutive equation for the back stress tensor is then derived from the Wu and van der Giessen model by an average-stretch approximation. Although the average-stretch model of the full-network amorphous microstructure is more general than other chain cell models, the constitutive equation is the same as the 8-chain back stress relation. Back stress equations for a class of extended phenomenological models, including the Gent material model, are described.
Permeation of Different Gases Through Foils used as Envelopes for Vacuum Insulation Panels
Authors: Schwab Hubert , Heinemann Ulrich , Beck Andreas , Ebert Hans-Peter , Fricke Jochen
Published: March 2005

Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) are distinguished by their outstandingly low thermal conductivity. In the evacuated state, the VIPs being examined in this study (which have fumed silica as a core material) have a thermal conductivity of 4 10 3 W/(m K). Gases (N2, O2, H2O,...), which penetrate the foil cover cause an increase in pressure and water content and hence, an increase in the thermal conductivity. To determine these increases, VIPs have been manufactured with laminated aluminum foils (AlF) and aluminum-coated multilayer foils (MFs). The pressure and mass increases are determined at various temperatures, humidity, and with various panel formats. Large differences in the rates of pressure increases (1 -70 mbar/yr) and in the rates of mass increases (0.02-4 mass%/yr) are recorded, depending on the foil type, climatic conditions, and panel formats. From these measurements, the air and vapor transmission rates of the foil covers and their dependence on temperature, relative humidity, and panel size are derived. Using these gas transmission rates, it is possible to estimate which pressure increases are to be expected for panel formats and climatic conditions occurring in building applications. With laminated Al foils and selected Al-coated multilayer foils, rates of pressure increases below 1-2 mbar/yr are achieved. The rates of mass increase for typical climatic conditions for laminated Al foils are significantly below 0.1 mass%/yr, while with Al-coated multilayer foils, depending on the foil quality, mass increases per time of up to 1 mass%/yr are recorded. Increases in gas pressure per time of 1 -2 mbar/yr lead to relatively small increases in thermal conductivity, allowing applications in the construction sector, where service lives of several decades are required. With respect to the humidity-related increase in thermal conductivity, one has to know the climatic conditions, which have a strong influence on the increase in mass, and, above all, the precise dependence of the thermal conductivity on the humidity in the VIP.
Dependence of Thermal Conductivity on Water Content in Vacuum Insulation Panels with Fumed Silica Kernels
Authors: Schwab Hubert , Heinemann Ulrich , Beck Andreas , Ebert Hans-Peter , Fricke Jochen
Published: March 2005

The influence of moisture in vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), with fumed silica kernels, on their thermal conductivity has been investigated. The VIPs are produced with different water contents. The thermal conductivities at different water contents are measured under stationary conditions in a hot-plate apparatus with an average temperature of 10°C (plate temperatures are 0 and 20°C). The increase in thermal conductivity is approximately proportional to the water content. The increase is ≈0.5 × 10 -3 W/(m K) per mass% of water. For typical middle European climate, a maximum moisture content of ≈6 mass% can be expected, which corresponds to a maximum increase of thermal conductivity of ≈3 × 10 -3 W/(m K) for VIPs with fumed silica kernels.
Predictions for the Increase in Pressure and Water Content of Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) Integrated into Building Constructions using Model Calculations
Authors: Schwab Hubert , Heinemann Ulrich , Wachtel Johannes , Ebert Hans-Peter , Fricke Jochen
Published: March 2005

The climatic conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and water vapor pressure) on both sides of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) that were integrated into different building constructions are measured every hour. The influence of these conditions on the increase in air pressure and water content within the VIPs is estimated using a calculation model. The results of these model calculations are correlated with the pressure and mass measurements on VIPs, exposed to actual climate but removed for laboratory measurements. First, we find that upon use of the temperature-dependent air permeation rates for VIPs, the linear increase within the VIPs can be predicted reliably. Thus, it is sufficient to use annual average temperatures for these estimates. Second, the mass increase of VIPs due to infusion of water vapor through the barrier foil can be determined using the calculation model. The ‘driving’ force in this case is the difference in vapor pressure across the foil cover, which decreases with time, once the water vapor pressure within the VIP starts increasing. In effect, the water vapor pressure and the water content within the VIPs reach equilibrium. Depending on the climatic conditions, the maximum water content between 3 and 7 m% can be predicted.
The Genetics of Cardiac Arrhythmias
Authors: Beery Theresa Terry
Published: March 2005

Cardiac rhythm problems result in high levels of morbidity and mortality, with sudden arrhythmic death claiming approximately 300,000 lives in the United States each year. Investigations into the genetic contributions to rhythm and conduction disorders have found genes or loci associated with primary rhythm/conduction disorders such as familial atrial fibrillation and atrio-ventricular block, underscoring the importance of collecting a thorough family history. Combinations of single or multiple genes and environmental risk factors may place only certain family members at risk. Some cardiac muscle problems, such as cardiomyopathy, predispose to arrhythmia and have documented genetic components. Primary health care providers need current knowledge of genetic contributions to rhythm/conduction problems so that family members at risk can be identified early and cared for appropriately. This article provides an overview of the genetic contributions to cardiac rhythm and conduction problems.
Radical contextualization: contributions to an anthropology of racial/ethnic health disparities
Authors: Chapman Rachel R. , Berggren Jean R.
Published: March 2005

There is indisputable evidence of deep and persistent racial/ethnic inequalities in health status and health care in the USA. Growing awareness of these disparities has fueled a cross-disciplinary debate about appropriate approaches to racial/ethnic disparities in public health research and policy discourse, yet anthropologists have been marginalized in this discourse. What does the current work of anthropologists have to offer that is most useful in the crucial work of understanding and eliminating health disparities? We examine anthropological research and practice that constitute core contributions to an anthropology of racial/ethnic health disparities. We identify the following themes: (1) using ethnography as a tool for new inequality knowledge; (2) studying up; and (3) formulating alternative models of biosocial pathogenesis. These elements of anthropological methods, theory and practice can contribute to a better understanding of the social processes that underpin racial/ethnic health disparities and help identify opportunities for interrupting them.
‘Getting on’: older New Zealanders’ perceptions of computing
Authors: Richardson Margaret , Weaver C. Kay , Zorn Theodore E.
Published: March 2005

This article explores older New Zealanders’ perceptions of the barriers to, benefits and negative consequences of computer-based information and communication technologies (ICTs) through the analysis of focus group discussions involving 98 respondents. Older people engage with computers in a context constituted by discourses positioning them as declining in the ability to learn skills such as computing, but creating a burden on society if they do not. In this paradoxical context, participants identified emotional and material barriers, as well as benefits and negative consequences to computer use that are shaped by age and gender. Significant gaps between the New Zealand Government’s identification of the benefits of computing for older people and the benefits identified by older people themselves are highlighted. The article argues for the need for a more balanced approach acknowledging potential negative consequences, promoting the ‘people-centred’ benefits of computer use over and above the national economic benefits emphasized in the government’s drive to encourage older people’s uptake of computer-based ICTs.
Object and Walking Probes in Ethnographic Interviewing
Authors: De Leon Jason Patrick , Cohen Jeffrey H.
Published: March 2005

Probes and prompts are integral to successful interviews. Probes help motivate informants, facilitate the flow of an interview, and elicit information, but not necessarily in the form of a question. In this article, the authors describe a method they call the “material probe.” Material probes are nonverbal and include objects and places that prompt and motivate informants. The goal is not to learn about the object or place but instead to learn about the informant through the object or place. In essence, the “material probe” triggers a response or memory and can be used in specific and or general ways.
Checking for Relationships across Domains Measured by Triads and Paired Comparisons
Authors: Durrenberger E. Paul , Erem Suzan
Published: March 2005

The authors discuss an extension of the use of the triads test for judged similarity among various roles to measure union consciousness and paired comparisons techniques to assess the relative importance of structural versus personal characteristics for negotiating good contracts, the nature of obligations between stewards and staff, and tasks that stewards find most important to them. The authors show how they moved from the mapping of cognitive domains to testing for relationships among different domains to measure the strength of competing models of union organization in the stewards and staff of a single union. The authors suggest that the detection of patterns across domains can strengthen or question findings from each separate domain. They developed this method when an officer of one of the unions with whom they worked challenged an interpretation based on a single triads test.
Hypoxia-reoxygenation induces premature senescence in FA bone marrow hematopoietic cells
Authors: Zhang Xiaoling , Li June , Sejas Daniel P. , Pang Qishen
Published: March 2005

Hematopoietic cells are often exposed to transient hypoxia and reoxygenation as they develop and migrate. Given that bone marrow (BM) failure occurred in patients with Fanconi anemia (FA), we reason that hypoxia-then-reoxygenation represents a physiologically relevant stress for FA hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells. Here we show that expansion of Fancc–/– BM cells enriched for progenitor and stem cells was significantly decreased after 2 continuous cycles of hyperoxic-hypoxic-hyperoxic treatments compared with wild-type (WT) BM cells. This inhibition was attributable to a marked decrease of lineage-depleted (Lin–) ScaI– c-kit+ cells and more primitive Lin– ScaI+ c-kit+ cells in Fancc–/– BM cells following reoxygenation. Evaluation of the cell-cycle profile of long-term BM culture (LTBMC) revealed that a vast majority (70.6%) of reoxygenated Fancc–/– LTBMC cells was residing in the G0 and G1 phases compared with 55.8% in WT LTBMC cells. Fancc–/– LTBMC cells stained intensely for SA-β-galactosidase activity, a biomarker for senescence; this was associated with increased expression of senescence-associated proteins p53 and p21WAF1/CIP1. Taken together, these results suggest that reoxygenation induces premature senescence in Fancc–/– BM hematopoietic cells by signaling through p53, up-regulating p21, and causing senescent cell-cycle arrest. Thus, reoxygenation-induced premature senescence may be a novel mechanism underlying hematopoietic cell depletion and BM failure in FA.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells express a restricted set of functionally active chemokine receptors capable of promoting migration to pancreatic islets
Authors: Sordi Valeria , Malosio Maria Luisa , Marchesi Federica , Mercalli Alessia , Melzi Raffaella , Giordano Tiziana , Belmonte Nathalie , Ferrari Giuliana , Leone Biagio Eugenio , Bertuzzi Federico , Zerbini Gianpaolo , Allavena Paola , Bonifacio Ezio , Piemonti Lorenzo
Published: March 2005

Bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are stromal cells with the ability to proliferate and differentiate into many tissues. Although they represent powerful tools for several therapeutic settings, mechanisms regulating their migration to peripheral tissues are still unknown. Here, we report chemokine receptor expression on human BM-MSCs and their role in mediating migration to tissues. A minority of BM-MSCs (2% to 25%) expressed a restricted set of chemokine receptors (CXC receptor 4 [CXCR4], CX3C receptor 1 [CX3CR1], CXCR6, CC chemokine receptor 1 [CCR1], CCR7) and, accordingly, showed appreciable chemotactic migration in response to the chemokines CXC ligand 12 (CXCL12), CX3CL1, CXCL16, CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), and CCL19. Using human pancreatic islets as an in vitro model of peripheral tissue, we showed that islet supernatants released factors able to attract BM-MSCs in vitro, and this attraction was principally mediated by CX3CL1 and CXCL12. Moreover, cells with features of BM-MSCs were detected within the pancreatic islets of mice injected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)–positive BM. A population of bona fide MSCs that also expressed CXCR4, CXCR6, CCR1, and CCR7 could be isolated from normal adult human pancreas. This study defines the chemokine receptor repertoire of human BM-MSCs that determines their migratory activity. Modulation of homing capacity may be instrumental for harnessing the therapeutic potential of BM-MSCs.
Young thrombocytes initiate the formation of arterial thrombi in zebrafish
Authors: Thattaliyath Bijoy , Cykowski Matthew , Jagadeeswaran Pudur
Published: March 2005

The zebrafish system is an excellent vertebrate genetic model to study hemostasis and thrombosis because saturation mutagenesis screens can identify novel genes that play a role in this vital physiologic pathway. To study hemostatic mutations, it is important to understand the physiology of zebrafish hemostasis and thrombosis. Previously, we identified zebrafish thrombocytes and have shown that they participate in arterial thrombus formation. Here, we recognized 2 populations of thrombocytes distinguishable by DiI-C18 (DiI) staining. DiI+ thrombocytes have a high density of adhesive receptors and are functionally more active than DiI– thrombocytes. We classified DiI+ thrombocytes as young and DiI– thrombocytes as mature thrombocytes. We found young and mature thrombocytes each formed independent clusters and that young thrombocytes clustered first. We have also shown that young thrombocytes initiate arterial thrombus formation. We propose that due to the increased adhesive receptor density on young thrombocytes, they adhere first to the subendothelial matrix, get activated rapidly, release agonists, and recruit more young thrombocytes, which further release more agonists. This increase in agonists activates the less active mature thrombocytes, drawing them to the growing thrombus. Since arterial thrombus formation is a fundamental hemostatic event, this mechanism may be conserved in mammals and may open new avenues for prevention of arterial thrombosis.
Trends in the prevalence and management of diagnosed type 2 diabetes 1994–2001 in England and Wales
Authors: de Lusignan Simon , Sismanidis Charalambos , Carey Iain M , DeWilde Stephen , Richards Nicky , Cook Derek G
Published: March 2005

Background

Type 2 diabetes is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Its prevalence appears to be increasing. Guidelines exist regarding its management. Recommendations regarding drug therapy have changed. Little is known about the influence of these guidelines and changed recommendations on the actual management of patients with type 2 diabetes. This study aims to document trends in the prevalence, drug treatment and recording of measures related to the management of type 2 diabetes; and to assess whether recommended targets can be met.

Methods

The population comprised subjects registered between 1994 and 2001 with 74 general practices in England and Wales which routinely contribute to the Doctors' Independent Network database. Approximately 500,000 patients and 10,000 type 2 diabetics were registered in each year.

Results

Type 2 diabetes prevalence rose from 17/1000 in 1994 to 25/1000 in 2001. Drug therapy has changed: use of long acting sulphonylureas is falling while that of short acting sulphonylureas, metformin and newer therapies including glitazones is increasing. Electronic recording of HbA1c, blood pressure, cholesterol and weight have risen steadily, and improvements in control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels have occurred. However, glycaemic control has not improved, and obesity has increased. The percentage with a BMI under 25 kg/m2 fell from 27.0% in 1994 to 19.4% in 2001 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing. Its primary care management has changed in accordance with best evidence. Monitoring has improved, but further improvement is possible. Despite this, glycaemic control has not improved, while the prevalence of obesity in the diabetic population is rising.
Efficacy of two distinct ethanol-based hand rubs for surgical hand disinfection – a controlled trial according to prEN 12791
Authors: Kampf Günter , Ostermeyer Christiane
Published: March 2005

Background

Aim of the study was to determine the efficacy of two distinct ethanol-based hand rubs for surgical hand disinfection in a controlled cross-over trial according to prEN 12791.

Methods

20 subjects were included. Hands were washed for 1 min with soap. The bacterial prevalue was obtained by rubbing finger tips in TSB for 1 min. Then, each subject treated the hands with the reference procedure (n-propanol, 60% v/v) or the product (Sterillium® Rub, based on 80% ethanol; Avagard, based on 61% ethanol and 1% chlorhexidine gluconate) which were all applied in 3 to 4 portions each of 3 ml for a total of 3 min. Bacterial postvalues (immediate effect) were taken from one hand, the other hand was gloved for 3 h. After gloves were taken off the second postvalue was taken for the assessment of a sustained effect.

Results

Bacterial pre-values were between 4.38 ± 0.66 and 4.46 ± 0.71. Sterillium® Rub achieved the required immediate (mean log10-reduction of 2.59 ± 1.19) and sustained effect (1.73 ± 1.08) compared with the reference treatment (immediate effect: 2.58 ± 1.16; sustained effect: 1.67 ± 0.96). Avagard, however, did not achieve the required immediate (1.82 ± 1.40) and sustained effect (1.41 ± 1.08) in comparison to the reference disinfection (immediate effect: 2.98 ± 0.90; sustained effect: 2.56 ± 1.17; p < 0.01; Wilcoxon test).

Conclusion

Based on our data, Sterillium® Rub can be regarded to be effective for surgical hand disinfection, but Avagard can not. The addition of 1% chlorhexidine gluconate to 61% ethanol (w/w) did not outweigh an ethanol concentration of 80% (w/w).