bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construct validation of an Arabic version of the Learning Transfer System Inventory for use in Jordan
Authors: Khasawneh Samer , Bates Reid , Holton Elwood F.
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this study was to translate and validate an Arabic version of the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) for use in Jordan. The study also investigated the perceptions of transfer system characteristics across selected individual and situational variables. The LTSI was administered to 450 employees of 28 different public and private sector organizations operating in Jordan. Principal axis factoring with oblique rotation was used to uncover the underlying structure of the Arabic version of the LTSI. Results showed a latent factor structure that is highly consistent with the English version of the LTSI. Results also indicated that transfer system perceptions differed across levels of education, years of experience, types of training, choice of training, sector of the organization and task of the organization. Implications for the field of human resource development are also provided.
Minimum and preferred entry qualifications and training provision for North Australian workers
Authors: Acutt Bruce , Becker Karen , Hyland Paul , Miller Linda
Published: August 2006

This paper reports on the outcomes of a replication study of a survey of British employers that requested information on the qualifications sought when recruiting employees and on subsequent training and development. While the British survey was interested in the uptake and use of the British National Vocational Qualifications, the study reported in this article is primarily focused on the uptake and use of the Australian Qualifications Framework qualifications by North Australian employers. This study was prompted by the skills shortages and recruitment difficulties being experienced by organizations throughout rural and regional Australia. Previous studies have found that vocational qualifications were not valued by UK employers and few employers were encouraging employees to undertake vocational awards. If this is also the case in Australia, it may in part explain problems in recruiting skilled workers. This research clearly demonstrates that employees in regional and rural Australia are seeking to improve their knowledge and skills through vocational training and higher education qualifications. Also, employers are providing access to training and are supporting managerial and professional employees to gain higher educational qualifications. When recruiting all types of worker other than unskilled labourers, the majority of organizations prefer to recruit workers with qualifications. In rural and regional centres, however, a more pragmatic stance of recruiting unqualified employees in some areas is observed. Clearly, employers will attempt to minimize training costs by recruiting skilled employees, but in the end they will have to provide access to training and education to ensure that they have a skilled workforce that can deliver essential services and products.
Training objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation: a Sri Lankan study
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala M.
Published: August 2006

Using a stratified random sample, this paper examines the training practices of setting objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation in Sri Lanka. The paper further sets out to compare those practices across local, foreign and joint‐venture companies based on the assumption that there may be significant differences across companies of different ownership. The findings reveal evidence of the awareness and practice of setting objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation. Overall, the results of the analysis of variance do not confirm the hypotheses that foreign‐owned companies exhibit more training practices of setting objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation than local and joint‐venture companies. The paper addresses existing practice and implications.
Zonisamide for Migraine Prophylaxis in Refractory Patients
Authors: Ashkenazi A , Benlifer A , Korenblit J , Silberstein SD
Published: August 2006

Zonisamide is a new antiepileptic drug with multiple mechanisms of action and a favourable pharmacokinetic profile. Preliminary data suggest that zonisamide may be effective in migraine prophylaxis. We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of zonisamide for migraine prophylaxis in refractory patients. We reviewed the charts of adult patients with International Headache Society-defined episodic migraine (EM) or with transformed migraine (TM) according to the Silberstein- Lipton criteria, who had been treated with zonisamide at our out-patient clinic for at least 60 days. Demographic data, zonisamide dosage and duration of treatment were collected and analysed. Headache frequency, attack duration, headache severity and headache-related disability before and after treatment initiation with zonisamide were compared. Thirty-three patients were included in the study (average age 43.9 ± 8.4 years; 23 (70%) with TM and 10 (30%) with EM). The patients had failed an average of 6.2 migraine prophylactic drugs prior to zonisamide. The average zonisamide daily dose was 337.9 ± 146.3 mg and the average duration of treatment was 186.4 ± 174.0 days. The average number of days with headache per month was reduced in the entire study population from 20.7 ± 9.5 before zonisamide treatment to 18.0 ± 11.3 after its initiation ( P = 0.06) [in TM from 24.7 ± 7.3 to 21.0 ± 10.7 ( P = 0.06); in EM from 11.6 ± 7.6 to 11.0 ± 9.7 ( P = NS)]. No significant changes in other headache parameters were found. Fourteen patients (42.4%) reported adverse events (AEs), the most common of which was fatigue. Most patients (12/14, 85.7%) rated AEs as mild or moderate. In this group of refractory migraine patients, zonisamide therapy did not result in a statistically significant beneficial effect on headache or on associated symptoms.
The Prevalence of Premonitory Symptoms in Migraine: A Questionnaire Study in 461 Patients
Authors: Schoonman GG , Evers DJ , Terwindt GM , van Dijk JG , Ferrari MD
Published: August 2006

Migraine attacks are often preceded by premonitory symptoms. Prevalence rates of migraine patients reporting one or more premonitory symptoms show considerable variability and rates range between 12% and 79%. Sources of variability might be differences in study population or research design. Using a questionnaire, we retrospectively studied the prevalence of 12 predefined premonitory symptoms in a clinic-based population. Of 461 migraine patients, 374 (81%) responded. At least one premonitory symptom was reported by 86.9% and 71.1% reported two or more. The most frequently reported premonitory symptoms were fatigue (46.5%), phonophobia (36.4%) and yawning (35.8%). The mean number of premonitory symptoms per person was 3.2 (± 2.5). Women reported 3.3 premonitory symptoms compared with 2.5 symptoms in men ( P = 0.01). Age, education, migraine subtype (with or without aura) and mean attack frequency had no effect on the mean number of symptoms per individual. In conclusion, premonitory symptoms are frequently reported by migraine patients. Sensitivity and specificity of premonitory symptoms for migraine need to be assessed using prospective methods.
Intraday Price Discovery in the DJIA Index Markets
Authors: Tse Yiuman , Bandyopadhyay Paramita , Shen Yang‐Pin
Published: August 2006

Abstract:  This paper explores the dynamics of price discovery between the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index and its three derivative products: the DIAMOND exchange‐traded fund (ETF), the floor‐traded regular futures, and the electronically traded mini futures. Even though the American Stock Exchange is the primary listing exchange for the ETF, the analysis indicates that the electronically traded ETF on the Archipelago (ArcaEx) electronic communications network dominates the price discovery process for DIAMOND shares. The E‐mini futures contribute the most to price discovery, followed by the ArcaEx DIAMOND. The DJIA index and regular futures contribute least to price discovery. The analysis is repeated using the derivatives of the S&P 500 index as a robustness check. The results indicate that multi‐market trading ensures greater pricing efficiency. Informed traders favor electronic trading because of immediate and anonymous trade execution.
An Examination of the Equity Market Response to The Gramm‐Leach‐Bliley Act Across Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, and Insurance Firms
Authors: Yildirim H. Semih , Kwag Seung‐Woog (Austin) , Collins M. Cary
Published: August 2006

Abstract:  This paper examines the wealth effects of the events surrounding the passage of the Gramm‐Leach‐Bliley Act of 1999 and changes in systematic risk from the pre‐Act period to the post‐Act period for commercial banks, investment banks, and insurance firms. The results suggest that investment banks and insurance firms are better positioned to exploit the benefits of product‐line diversification opportunities allowed by the legislation compared to commercial banks that experience no significant market reaction. Further evidence indicates a significant risk shift and overall reduction in riskiness for the financial sectors under consideration around the event period.
Bank Monitoring and Environmental Risk
Authors: Aintablian Sebouh , Mcgraw Patricia A. , Roberts Gordon S.
Published: August 2006

Abstract:  Loan announcement effects for 152 Canadian companies are examined to investigate the efficiency of monitoring by banks facing lender environmental liability. Market reaction to the announcement of bank debt to ‘environmental’ firms is more positive and significant than for ‘non‐environmental’ firms and, for firms in industries with a higher likelihood of experiencing spill events, is more positive and significant, reinforcing earlier results that establish a relationship between specific loan/borrower characteristics and announcement period excess returns and providing further evidence on the ‘uniqueness’ of bank loans by demonstrating the superior ability of banks to monitor corporate borrowers exposed to environmental liability.
Book‐Tax Differences and Inland Revenue Audit Adjustments in New Zealand
Authors: Cho Jennie , Wong Jilnaught , Wong Norman
Published: August 2006

Abstract:  Using confidential data from US manufacturing firms' tax returns and Inland Revenue Service (IRS) audit adjustments, Mills (1998) tests, and finds support for, her hypothesis that IRS audit adjustments increase as the book‐tax differences increase. We test Mills' hypothesis using confidential data obtained from the New Zealand Inland Revenue (hereafter Inland Revenue). Confidential data provide the key variable of interest, Inland Revenue's proposed audit adjustment, which is not available from public sources. These data provide the exact audit adjustment amounts, eliminating measurement errors inherent in proxy variables, and enable a temporal alignment of the book‐tax differences with the Inland Revenue audit adjustments, thereby enhancing the internal validity of the relation between book‐tax differences and Inland Revenue audit adjustments. Because the results of our study using New Zealand data, another time period, a more diverse set of firms, and a different institutional environment are consistent with those of Mills, we argue for the generalizability of Mills' hypothesis that proposed audit adjustments are positively related to the excess of book income over taxable income.
Genetic structure within and among regional populations of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) from Denmark and the Netherlands
Authors: Van de Zande L. , Van de Vliet M. , Pertoldi C. , Loeschcke V. , Müskens G. , Bijlsma R.
Published: August 2006

The Eurasian badgerMeles meleshas a wide distribution area ranging from Japan to Ireland. In western Europe badger habitats are severely disturbed by anthropogenic factors, leading to fragmentation into subpopulations and formation of a metapopulation substructuring of once continuous panmictic populations. We have examined the genetic structure of Dutch and Danish badger populations on a relatively small scale (within countries) and a larger scale (between countries). The levels of genetic variation of populations were moderate and did not differ significantly among populations (overallHO=0.30, overallHE=0.34). Considerable genetic differentiation between the Dutch and Danish populations was found (overallFST=0.32, mean pairwise Dutch–DanishFST=0.42), indicating a large‐scale substructuring of these western European badger populations. Further analysis showed that the Danish badger population can be substructured into three clusters [P(k=3)=0.99], but the Dutch populations cluster into one more or less panmictic population [P(k=1)=0.99] with little or no substructuring. The presence of migration barriers, such as roads, together with the peninsular geography of Denmark, may have led to this structuring of badger populations. In contrast, measures that improve migration and connection to other populations from neighboring countries may have prevented substructuring of the Dutch badger population.
Growth and sexual dimorphism in a population of hybrid macaques
Authors: Schillaci M. A. , Froehlich J. W. , Supriatna J.
Published: August 2006

Growth and sexual dimorphism have long been the focus of investigation for researchers interested in the life history and socioecology of nonhuman primates. Previous research has shown that sex differences in the duration of growth, or bimaturism, are primarily responsible for the sexual dimorphism observed in anthropoid primates with multimale–multifemale social structure, such as macaques. The present study investigates sex differences in patterns of craniofacial and somatometric growth relative to head and body size and relative to dental development in a population of hybrid macaques (Cercopithecidae: Macaca) from Sulawesi, Indonesia. How these patterns may contribute to sexual dimorphism in this hybrid population is also examined. The results of the study suggest that there is no substantial effect on the levels of sexual dimorphism associated with hybridization in these macaques. Although sex differences in patterns of size‐related, or allometric, growth patterns play a significant role in the development of sexual dimorphism for some cranial dimensions in these hybrids, bimaturism seems to be the primary component in the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism in this hybrid population. The observed levels of hybrid dimorphism and the predominant ontogenetic pattern of bimaturism characterized by prolonged male growth are consistent with previously published reports on dimorphism and growth in other cercopithecine primates.
Habitat selection and feeding ecology of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in thicket vegetation: is the cheetah a savanna specialist?
Authors: Bissett C. , Bernard R. T. F.
Published: August 2006

Habitat selection and feeding ecology of a reintroduced population of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus were studied in a 16 000 ha game reserve in the Eastern Cape Province (South Africa). Seventy per cent of the reserve is characterized by very dense thicket vegetation (valley bushveld) and the remainder is open and savanna‐like. The results illustrated a strong effect of sex and group size on the behaviour of cheetahs. The coalition (three adult males) killed significantly larger animals (55% of kills weighed more than 65 kg) than single female cheetahs (less than 2% of kills weighed more than 65 kg). Female cheetahs showed temporal and spatial avoidance of lions by hunting at dawn and dusk and positioning their home ranges [95% utilization distribution (UDs)] significantly farther from the pride of lions than did the coalition. The coalition hunted earlier and later than female cheetahs, and 46% of their kills were made in darkness. In addition, their home range overlapped that of the lions and they showed neither temporal nor spatial avoidance of the lions. The rates of kleptoparasitism were lower and the kill retention times were longer than those reported elsewhere in Africa, and it is suggested that this is a consequence of the cover provided by the thicket vegetation and prey size. The home ranges (95% UDs) of female cheetahs incorporated more thicket vegetation than that of the coalition, indicating that the coalition is less susceptible to predation than single females. These data suggest that cheetahs possess greater behavioural flexibility than previously reported, that they can hunt successfully in thicket vegetation, sometimes in darkness, that they are not restricted to killing small to medium‐sized prey, and that they may not be savanna specialists.
Allometry of egg and hatchling mass in birds and reptiles: roles of developmental maturity, eggshell structure and phylogeny
Authors: Deeming D. C. , Birchard G. F.
Published: August 2006

The factors determining hatchling mass (HM) are investigated in a wide range of birds and reptiles using regression analysis, analysis of covariance and comparative analysis by independent contrasts. In birds, initial egg mass (IEM) at laying is the most important factor affecting HM and phylogenetic relatedness has no significant effects on HM. Developmental maturity of the avian neonates did not affect the proportion of IEM converted into HM. For all reptile species, IEM also significantly affected HM but phylogenetic relatedness did not. By contrast, allometric relationships between IEM and HM in the different orders of reptiles were affected by shell type. The robustness of allometric relationships across taxa in birds and reptiles suggests that there is a physiological link between IEM and HM, which contrasts with that observed for the relationship between egg mass and incubation period. This result has significant implications for the inter‐relationships between IEM and embryonic growth, which are discussed for birds and reptiles.
Cyanobacterial calcification and its rock‐building potential during 3.5 billion years of Earth history
Authors: ALTERMANN W. , KAZMIERCZAK J. , OREN A. , WRIGHT D. T.
Published: August 2006

Microbially mediated calcification can be traced back for at least 2.6 billion years. Although morphological comparison of fossil and recent microbial carbonates suggests that mineralization processes associated with cyanobacteria and their interactions with heterotrophic bacteria have remained similar from the Archaean until today, the metabolic and chemical details remain poorly constrained. Microbial consortia often exhibit an ability to change solution chemistry and control pH at the microscale, passively or actively. This leads to oversaturation of Ca2+ and ions and to the removal of kinetic inhibitors to carbonate precipitation, like sulphate or phosphate. The kinetic barriers of low carbonate ion activity, ion hydration and ion complexing, especially in saline waters, inhibit spontaneous carbonate mineral precipitation from saturated solutions but oxygenic photosynthesis and sulphate reduction by sulphate‐reducing bacteria can overcome these natural barriers. Sulphate in seawater tends to form pairs with Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. The removal of sulphate reduces complexing, raises carbonate alkalinity, and along with pyrite formation, enhances carbonate precipitation. Cyanobacteria can store Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in organic envelopes and precipitate carbonates within their sheaths and extracellular polymeric substances, thus, triggering sedimentary carbonate production. We propose that this interplay of cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria has been the major contributor to the carbonate factory for the last 3 billion years of Earth history.
The fate of the homoctenids (Tentaculitoidea) during the Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction (Late Devonian)
Authors: BOND DAVID
Published: August 2006

The homoctenids (Tentaculitoidea) are small, conical‐shelled marine animals that are among the most abundant and widespread of all Late Devonian fossils. They were a principal casualty of the Frasnian–Famennian (F‐F, Late Devonian) mass extinction, and thus provide an insight into the extinction dynamics. Despite their abundance during the Late Devonian, they have been largely neglected by extinction studies. A number of Frasnian–Famennian boundary sections have been studied, in Poland, Germany, France, and the USA. These sections have yielded homoctenids, which allow precise recognition of the timing of the mass extinction. It is clear that the homoctenids almost disappear from the fossil record during the latest Frasnian ‘Upper Kellwasser Event’. The coincident extinction of this pelagic group, and the widespread development of intense marine anoxia within the water column, provides a causal link between anoxia and the F‐F extinction. Most notable is the sudden demise of a group, which had been present in rock‐forming densities, during this anoxic event. One new species, belonging to Homoctenus is described, but is not formally named here.
Oxygen isotopic composition of sulfate in deep sea pore fluid: evidence for rapid sulfur cycling
Authors: TURCHYN A. V. , SIVAN O. , SCHRAG D. P.
Published: August 2006

We present new data of oxygen isotopes in marine sulfate (δ18OSO4) in pore fluid profiles through organic‐rich deep‐sea sediments from 11 ODP sites around the world. In almost all sites studied sulfate is depleted with depth, through both organic matter oxidation and anaerobic methane oxidation. The δ18OSO4 increases rapidly near the top of the sediments, from seawater values of 9 to maxima between 22 and 25, and remains isotopically heavy and constant at these values with depth. The δ18OSO4 in these pore fluid profiles is decoupled from variations in sulfur isotopes measured on the same sulfate samples (δ34SSO4); the δ34SSO4 increases continuously with depth and exhibits a shallower isotopic increase. This isotopic decoupling between the δ34SSO4 and the δ18OSO4 is hard to reconcile with the traditional understanding of bacterial sulfate reduction in sediments. Our data support the idea that sulfate or sulfite and water isotopically exchange during sulfate reduction and that some of the isotopically altered sulfur pool returns to the environment. We calculate that the rapid increase in the δ18OSO4 in the upper part of these sediments requires rates of this oxygen isotope exchange that are several orders of magnitude higher than the rates of net sulfate reduction calculated from the sulfate concentration profiles and supported by the δ34SSO4. We suggest several mechanisms by which this may occur, including ‘net‐zero’ sulfur cycling, as well as further experiments through which we can test and resolve these processes.
Biodiversity from a historical geology perspective: a case study from Marajó Island, lower Amazon
Authors: ROSSETTI D. F. , DE TOLEDO P. M.
Published: August 2006

Assessing patterns of abundance and distribution of Amazonian species is still an overwhelming task that requires integration of multiple disciplines. This work is based on background information gathered from previous reconstructions of the geological history of the lower Amazon drainage basin, in order to analyse biodiversity patterns within the context of landscape transformation. A highly dynamic geological scenario is depicted for this area during the Plio‐Pleistocene and Holocene, which consisted of a large palaeovalley formed as a response of tectonic reactivation. This palaeovalley was filled with sediments transported by a north/northwest orientated palaeo‐Tocantins River. The palaeodrainage became abandoned as the main river course was deviated to the northeast, initiating the separation of Marajó Island from mainland. Geology had a direct impact on the modern physiognomy, with open vegetation dominating in areas with Holocene sedimentation, while closed forests prevailing in older Quaternary and, probably also, Pliocene terrains. Data from fossil and modern mammalian groups indicate the connection of Marajó Island to the mainland during the Last Glacial Maximum, when open vegetation seems to have dominated. Tectonic subsidence was responsible for the maintenance of this vegetation pattern on the eastern side of the Marajó Island, keeping it as a habitat favourable for savanna adapted faunal elements. Based on this kind of information, this work attempts to highlight the importance of integrating studies combining geological and biological events as the key to understand biodiversity patterns in Amazonia. It is expected to open new lines of research dealing with the comprehension of ecology, species and genetic diversity, biogeography, evolutionary scenarios, and speciation mechanisms.
An eastern Tethyan (Tibetan) record of the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) mass extinction event
Authors: WIGNALL P. B. , HALLAM A. , NEWTON R. J. , SHA J. G. , REEVES E. , MATTIOLI E. , CROWLEY S.
Published: August 2006

A record of the Early Jurassic mass extinction event is reported from eastern Tethyan (Tibetan) locations for the first time. In the Mount Everest region a thick Lower Jurassic carbonate formation, here named the Yungjia Formation, is developed within the predominantly clastic Triassic–Jurassic succession. Within the formation a sharp transition from peloidal packstones/grainstones to thin‐bedded, pyritic micrite‐shales interbeds records a sharp pulse of deepening and development of dysoxic bottom waters. Both the lithiotid bivalves and the lituolid foraminifera are important constituents of the lower Yungjia Formation but they disappear at this flooding surface or a short distance below it. This extinction event is comparable to that seen at the base of the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary in western Tethyan platform carbonates but the Tibetan events occurred late in the Toarcian Stage as indicated by nannofossil biostratigraphy and C isotope chemostratigraphy. The Early Jurassic extinction event (and the associated spread of oxygen‐poor waters) was therefore not synchronous throughout the Tethyan region.
A reactive MILP approach to the multidepot heterogeneous fleet vehicle routing problem with time windows
Authors: Dondo Rodolfo , Cerdá Jaime
Published: August 2006

The time‐window‐constrained vehicle routing problem (VRPTW) is a well‐known combinatorial problem. Its goal is to discover the best set of routes for a vehicle fleet in order to service a given number of customers at minimum cost. Vehicle capacity, maximum service time and time‐window constraints must be satisfied. Most proposed VRPTW optimizing approaches intend to discover the best or a near‐optimal solution at once. Improvement methods are old strategies that apply heuristics to insert customers into tours and/or rearrange nodes to obtain better routes. They are performed until no further improvement is achieved. Little research has been focused on model‐based reactive approaches seeking a better solution by exploring a small solution space around the current solution. This work presents a new model‐based improvement methodology for the multi‐depot heterogeneous‐fleet VRPTW problem to enhance an initial solution through solving a series of MILP mathematical problems that allow exchanges of nodes among tours and node reordering on every route. By restricting the range of improvement options, the problem size can be bounded and a limited number of binary variables is required for real‐world problems. The improvement formulation is based on a continuous time‐domain representation that handles assignment and sequencing decisions through different sets of binary variables and uses the notion of a generalized predecessor instead of a direct predecessor. Several types of VRPTW problems have been efficiently solved.
On‐orbit servicing: a time‐dependent, moving‐target traveling salesman problem
Authors: Bourjolly Jean‐Marie , Gurtuna Ozgur , Lyngvi Aleksander
Published: August 2006

The robotic capability of maintaining and repairing space assets, on‐orbit servicing (OOS), has the potential to change the way spacecraft are designed, manufactured and operated. The most common OOS mission concept envisions an orbital “depot”, where consumables and spare parts for spacecraft will be stored. A “servicing platform”, based at this depot, will be used to service a number of client spacecraft and then return to the depot for resupply. We model OOS as a time‐dependent, moving‐target traveling salesman problem and present an algorithm for minimizing the total amount of energy or time required for OOS operations.
Post‐War Politics and the Historiography of French Strategy and Diplomacy Before the Second World War
Authors: Jackson Peter
Published: August 2006

This article surveys the evolution of the historical literature on France and the origins of the Second World War. It links history writing about French institutions and policy‐making to wider trends in French politics and society as well as to various approaches to understanding the history and culture of France. It argues that for many years the historiography was dominated by narratives of decline within France which were rooted in long‐standing traditions of interpreting the French past in terms of decline, fall, and renewal. These were exacerbated by war‐time and post‐war political score‐settling and by the increasing political dominance of Gaullism during the 1960s and 1970s. It also identifies a tendency among American and especially British historians to view French history and politics as terminally in a state of crisis as well as a Cold War tendency towards the militarization of historical interpretations of the inter‐war period. It then traces the emergence of a fully fledged revisionist view linked, at least in part, to the growing prominence attributed to financial and industrial issues by the international historians of the 1960s and 1970s. It ends with a plea to move towards methodologies that focus on the interrelationship between cultural and material factors as the most promising means of taking the study of this important subject forward.
Slavery and Unfree Labour in the Indian Ocean
Authors: Carter Marina
Published: August 2006

The Indian Ocean, a relatively neglected and unexplored theatre of the slave trade, has only belatedly drawn the attention of historians, for so long preoccupied with its Atlantic counterpart. Recent studies have emphasized the African dimension of the trade to the almost complete exclusion of Asian sources of supply and have therefore done little to probe the diverse and unique features of slavery in the region. In particular, the presence and role of Indian slaves has hitherto been given scant attention, despite its significance in the colonial history of the region. The present paper provides an overview of the literature on the slave trade in Indians, and suggests a number of avenues for further research, in particular in developing linkages between the various strands of migration of Indian slaves, convicts, and indentured labourers throughout the Indian Ocean littoral.
“It's All About Perspective”: Using Simulations in Multicultural Teaching
Authors: Williams Kat
Published: August 2006

Many feminist pedagogues create a classroom climate that transforms the student from a passive beneficiary of knowledge to an active participant in the classroom community. This objective is accomplished in many different ways and while there is no way to ensure student participation in the classroom and not one technique that works for every situation, the common thread is the rejection of traditional, passive forms of learning in favor of alternative, active teaching methods. History is not experienced the same way by all people – it is not a seamless narrative or a single story, but a series of competing voices. To demonstrate my use of historical simulations in the classroom this article focuses on World War II and the alternative perspectives, including women's baseball, to which students are exposed and ultimately represent in the simulation.
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Mitral Valve Repair by Modified “Edge to Edge” Technique
Authors: Cianciulli Tomás Francisco , Lax Jorge Alberto , Saccheri María Cristina , Morita Luis Alberto , Picone Victorio Próspero , Prezioso Horacio Alberto
Published: August 2006

The “edge to edge” or “double‐orifice” technique is an alternative surgical option of mitral valve repair to treat mitral regurgitation. Echocardiography is very useful to evaluate the postoperative valve function, but since this technique is not frequently used, there is little experience about its echocardiographic features, which are different from those of the classic mitral valve repair. In this report, we present a patient who underwent this repair with a modified approach called “triple‐orifice technique” and was evaluated by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.
Genetic Testing, Genetic Information, and the Role of Maternal‐Child Health Nurses in Israel
Authors: Barnoy Sivia , Appel Dorit , Peretz Chava , Meiraz Hana , Ehrenfeld Mally
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To examine the rate of genetic testing, the characteristics of those who had these tests, and to examine the public's openness to the possibility of expanding nurses' roles in maternal‐child health (MCH) clinics to include providing genetic information.

Design: The study was conducted in nine MCH clinics in the central district of Israel. All women attending the clinics during 1 week were requested to complete the questionnaire. The sample consisted of 361 participants.

Findings: A high rate of genetic testing (80.4%) was shown. Higher education, being secular, and native‐born Israeli predicted testing performance. Half of the tested participants reported that they did not understand the test results and were interested in receiving explanations regarding these results. Forty‐four percent of respondents were interested in receiving genetic information from an MCH nurse.

Conclusions: A high rate of genetic testing performance was reported. The public reported lack of information regarding genetic tests and their results. An appropriate setting for providing this information is the maternal‐child health clinics.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pain Management in the United States
Authors: Ezenwa Miriam O. , Ameringer Suzanne , Ward Sandra E. , Serlin Ronald C.
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To critically examine research on racial and ethnic disparities in pain management with a focus on who has been studied, the magnitude of disparities, and potential explanations for those disparities.

Design: A systematic literature review. Articles included were reports of original research in which at least two racial or ethnic groups were compared on adequacy of pain management.

Methods: Review of research articles published between 1990 and 2004 with the primary aim of identifying the influence of race or ethnicity on pain management in the US. Databases were CINAHL, Medline, and Pubmed. Relevant articles were categorized by pain type. Effect sizes were calculated where sufficient data were provided.

Findings: Studies were focused on Blacks or African Americans, Whites or non‐Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Terms for describing these groups were neither well defined nor consistently used within and across studies. Disparities in pain management were reported in relation to minority status, but the magnitudes of these disparities were mostly small.

Conclusions: Greater clarity and consistency are needed in the use of the terms race, ethnicity, and minority. Groups were treated as if they were homogeneous, and details were lacking about whether subgroups of different races or ethnicities had been studied. Although reported disparities in pain management were small, they were consistent. Further research is needed to examine differences within groups and to explain possible reasons for disparities across groups.
The Relationship of Racism, Chronic Stress Emotions, and Blood Pressure
Authors: Peters Rosalind M.
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To test a middle‐range theory of chronic stress emotions to examine the effects of perceived racism and emotion‐focused coping on psychological and physiological health outcomes in African Americans.

Design: A descriptive‐correlational, causal modeling study was conducted with a convenience sample of 162 community‐dwelling adults.

Methods: Participants completed the Racism and Life Experience Scale; Krieger Racial Discrimination Questionnaire; Toronto Alexithymia Scale; Emotional Approach Coping Scale; State‐Trait Personality Inventory; and a demographic data sheet. Automated blood pressure (BP) readings were obtained.

Analysis: Structural equation modeling techniques were used to examine the hypothesized causal and correlational links between the theoretical constructs, as well as to examine the relationship between the observed variables and the latent constructs measured.

Finding and Conclusions: The proposed model fits the sample data. Racism was a commonly experienced stressor associated with chronic stress emotions, but not with BP. Emotion‐focused coping was strongly associated with socioeconomic status and chronic stress emotions but not with BP.
Racial Disparities in Acute Outcomes of Life‐Threatening Injury
Authors: NeSmith Elizabeth G.
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To critically analyze racial and ethnic disparities in acute outcomes of life‐threatening injury in the United States (US).

Design: Integrative review of literature.

Methods: A search of Medline (1966–2005) and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; 1982–2002) scientific literature databases was undertaken to identify research aimed at correlating minority race and ethnicity to acute outcomes of life‐threatening injury in the US.

Results: Although injury is the leading cause of death for adults 15 to 44 years of age, racial and ethnic health disparities in acute outcomes of life‐threatening injury have been relatively unexplored: only seven of 352 (2%) studies. The findings from these studies were mixed. Four studies indicated significant relationships between race or ethnicity to acute outcomes in injury morbidity and mortality, but three studies showed no significant relationships between these variables. Other variables associated with health disparities, such as income and education, were rarely (income) or not (education) addressed.

Conclusions: These inconclusive results indicate the need for more research aimed at investigating racial and ethnic disparities in acute outcomes of life‐threatening injury.
Recruiting and Retaining Arab Muslim Mothers and Children for Research
Authors: Aroian Karen J. , Katz Anne , Kulwicki Anahid
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To describe successful and not‐so‐successful strategies for recruiting and retaining Arab Muslim immigrant women and their adolescent children for research.

Design and Methods: A longitudinal study of mother‐child adjustment of Arab immigrants to the US is used for illustration. A panel of experts was assembled and provided culturally specific advice about gatekeepers, advertising, data collectors, data collection, and how to track and encourage participation at subsequent time points in the study.

Findings: Most of the strategies recommended by the panel were overwhelmingly positive, including advice about data collectors, how to collect data, financial incentives, avoiding offending families, and personal contacts. Hiring data collectors who were able to establish personal and culturally appropriate relationships with study participants was the single most successful recruitment and retention strategy. Advice from cultural experts about which gatekeepers to engage and how to advertise for study participants was not productive.

Conclusions: Researchers should not only assemble a panel of cultural experts to provide advice about group specific strategies to build trust and maintain cultural sensitivity, but also to budget generously for time for data collectors to build and maintain rapport with study populations who, like Arab immigrant women, highly value personal relationships.
Experiences and Demands of Families With Mentally Ill People at Home in Botswana
Authors: Seloilwe Esther S.
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To describe the experiences and demands of families who care for their mentally ill relatives at home in Botswana.

Design: Grounded theory design with triangulated data sources.

Methods: A convenience sample was drawn from both urban and rural areas and composed of both men and women. Data‐collection methods included in‐depth interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. Data were collected using an interview protocol in the local language. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and translated into English. Analysis was done by open and axial coding and grouping like data together to generate core categories, using the constant comparison method.

Findings: The interview data revealed a myriad of experiences and problems that families encountered in providing care to their relatives. The situation was perceived as difficult and burdensome because of lack of control and inadequate resources. The complexity of the situation required negotiation between the family members, their ill relatives, and health professionals.

Conclusions: This study indicated some of the difficulties caregivers encounter and the coping mechanisms they use to deal with the day‐to‐day care of their ill relatives. Community resources are needed to assist families to effectively care for their relatives.
Systematic Review of Relaxation Interventions for Pain
Authors: Kwekkeboom Kristine L. , Gretarsdottir Elfa
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To review randomized trials of relaxation interventions used for the treatment of pain in adults and to synthesize evidence regarding the efficacy of specific techniques.

Design: Integrative review.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the terms “relaxation” and “pain” in CINAHL, Medline, and PsychInfo from 1996 to March 2005. Studies were reviewed and categorized based on the type of relaxation intervention (progressive muscle relaxation [PMR], autogenic training, jaw relaxation, rhythmic breathing, and other relaxation exercises), and summarized with respect to various study characteristics and results.

Findings: Researchers reported support for relaxation interventions in 8 of the 15 studies reviewed. The most frequently supported technique was progressive muscle relaxation, particularly for arthritis pain. Investigators reported support for jaw relaxation and a systematic relaxation intervention for relieving postoperative pain. Little evidence was found for autogenic training, and no support for rhythmic breathing or other relaxation techniques.

Conclusions: Most of the studies reviewed had weaknesses in methodology, which limited the ability to draw conclusions about interventions. Further research is needed to confirm positive findings related to PMR, jaw relaxation, and systematic relaxation, to address questions related to the dose‐response relationship and the individual differences that might influence response to relaxation interventions. These and other relaxation techniques require testing in carefully designed and conducted trials.
Symptom Perception and Adherence to Asthma Controller Medications
Authors: Ohm Ruth , Aaronson Lauren S.
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To explore asthma symptom perception and the relationship between asthma symptom perception and adherence to asthma treatment.

Design: Adult patients (N=120) of asthma/allergy specialty clinics, taking Advair® as a controller medication, were enrolled in this cross‐sectional descriptive study.

Methods: Ninety‐seven participants completed 4 weeks of daily diaries to assess subjective symptom perception and measured peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR), both done twice daily. Individual perceptual accuracy scores (PAS) were determined by correlating the subjective symptom perception scores with the PEFRs. Measures included demographic variables, illness identity (personal control and treatment control, consequences, and timeline‐cyclical subscales of the IPQ‐R), asthma severity (FEV1 percentage) and a single‐item indicator of perceived asthma severity. Adherence was measured by the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and by an Advair® dose count (percentage of doses taken as prescribed).

Findings: Independent t tests comparing adherence rates of good versus poor perceivers were not significant, using either the percentage Advair® dose count or the MARS. Multiple regression analyses showed that years with asthma, illness identity, and peak flow variability were all significant explanatory variables for perceptual accuracy.

Conclusion: Peak flow variability adds complexity to the relationship between perceptual accuracy and adherence that warrants further investigation.
33 cases of airsoft gun pellet ocular injuries in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1998–2002
Authors: Saunte Jon Peiter , Saunte Mads Egil
Published: August 2006

Purpose:  To evaluate the incidence and ocular effects of blunt trauma due to injury from airsoft gun pellets.

Methods:  We conducted a non‐comparative case series based on the files of 33 patients who suffered ocular injury from airsoft guns and were admitted to one university emergency eye clinic in Copenhagen during a 5‐year period.

Results:  A total of 33 eyes in 33 patients were examined. Thirty male and three female patients were affected. Mean age was 13 years (range 3–49 years). Mean follow‐up time was 6.5 days (range 1–540 days). On initial examination, we found: hyphaema (n = 28), corneal abrasion (n = 22), retinal oedema (n = 11), subconjunctival haemorrhage (n = 10), palpebral haemorrhage and/or oedema (n = 9), iris dialysis (n = 7), intraocular pressure (IOP) > 31 mmHg (n = 4), IOP < 9 mmHg (n = 4), vitreous haemorrhage (n = 2) and cataract (n = 1). One patient had brown corneal discoloration due to severe chronic hyphaema that required surgery. The final visual acuity was 1.0 in 20 patients and ≤ 0.7 in five patients.

Conclusion:  The airsoft gun trauma resulted in anterior and posterior segment ocular injuries that required acute medical intervention and for which some patients were hospitalized. Trauma mainly occurred in children and youths. A longterm risk of glaucoma is expected. Eye care professionals and parents as well as manufacturers of airsoft guns should advise participants to wear adequate protection when involved in this activity.
CD 95 mediated apoptosis in embryogenesis: implication in tooth development
Authors: Matalová E , Šetková J , Blackburn J , Míšek I , Sharpe PT
Published: August 2006

Structured abstract

Authors –  Matalová E, Šetková J, Blackburn J, Míšek I, Sharpe PT

Introduction –  Understanding of apoptotic mechanisms involved in tissue shaping is of particular interest because of possible targeted modulation of the development of organ structures such as teeth. Research of CD 95 mediated apoptosis has been focused particularly on cell death in the immune system and related disorders. However, CD 95 mediated apoptosis is also involved in embryogenesis of many organs as the kidney, the lung, the intestine and tissue networks such as the nervous system.

Design –  Narrative review.

Results –  This review briefly summarizes the current knowledge of CD 95 mediated apoptosis in embryogenesis with possible implication in tooth development. CD 95 receptor and CD 95 ligand are found at early stages of tooth development. The data suggest some positive correlations with dental apoptosis distribution, particularly in the primary enamel knot where apoptosis occurs during elimination of this structure. CD 95 deficient (lpr) adult mouse tooth phenotype, however, did not show any alterations in final tooth pattern and morphology.

Conclusion –  To date studies of apoptotic machinery during tooth development show spatial localization of many of the components together with precise and localized timing of cell death. There is still much to be learned about the regulation and importance of apoptosis in tooth development. Nevertheless, the involvement of apoptotic regulatory mechanisms interplaying with other molecules participates to the cellular cross‐talk in developing tissues, which opens possible targeted modulations as suggested, e.g. for future molecular dentistry.