bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘A frightening experience’: detainees’ and carers’ experiences of being detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act
Authors: Riley Genevieve , Freeman Elaine , Laidlaw Jim , Pugh David
Published: July 2011

Aims

This research reports on the views of detainees and their carers of their experiences of being detained under Section 136 (S136) of the Mental Health Act 1983. Individual interviews were conducted with 18 detainees and six carers.

Method

A semi-structured questionnaire was administered face-to-face to gather qualitative data, which was analysed using a grounded theory approach.

Results

The results indicated a general dissatisfaction with the quality of care and treatment from both police and professionals. Though several detainees recognized the need for police to be involved, most felt they lacked the skills needed to meet the needs of mentally ill people. Nearly all participants felt that the police station was an inappropriate setting for further assessment, and found their experiences in police cells distressing, making them feel like criminals.

Conclusions

Detainees and carers would like to see the provision of a place of safety other than emergency departments or police stations, and this study reinforces the Mental Health Code of Practice 2008 which states that police stations should only be used on an exceptional basis.
Could lactates in vitreous humour be used to estimate the time since death?
Authors: Mihailovic Zoran , Atanasijevic Tatjana , Popovic Vesna , Milosevic Miroslav B
Published: July 2011

Vitreous humour (VH) is a useful medium for postmortem analysis. During the supravital period, anaerobic glycolysis that occurs results in the increased lactate concentration (L) in cytosol. We analysed the concentration of lactic acid in 567 samples of VH from 63 autopsy cases by a repetitive withdrawal of VH from the same corpse, while the outside temperature remained constant. The samples were taken from the same eye in intervals of three hours for the period of 24 hours. The subjects were divided into two groups: group 1 included individuals who died during winter and were kept for analysis at 4°C, while group 2 consisted of those who died during spring and autumn (continental climate) and were stored at 20°C. Only the cases of a sudden traumatic death of previously healthy individuals were included in the study. Statistically significant correlation of L against postmortem interval (PMI) was observed in the group 1 experiment ( r = 0.675; P < 0.01), but the effect of hypothermia made the estimation of PMI practically impossible. A much stronger correlation of L against PMI was observed in group 2 ( r = 0.866, P < 0.01); a functional relationship between PMI and L were demonstrated using the formula PMI = 1.696 × L − 10.562, which enabled more accurate prediction of the PMI.
Can we assess the age of bruises? An attempt to develop an objective technique
Authors: Grossman Sophie E , Johnston A , Vanezis P , Perrett D
Published: July 2011

Aims

The aims of this study were (A) to investigate whether the number of years of forensic experience affected the accuracy with which forensic experts (FEs) were able to age bruises and (B) to identify the properties and colours of a bruise that were utilized by FEs in their assessment of bruise age. The study then investigated the possibility of using a more objective technique. It was decided to use readily available digital photography and software to objectively assess changes in bruise colouration and to investigate if this can be used to age bruises.

Methods

Twenty-three FEs were shown 25 photographs of bruises of varying but known ages and asked to estimate the ages. In part two of the study, bruises were inflicted on volunteers using a vacuum pump and photographs taken of the bruise daily from infliction to resolution. The images were analysed using Adobe Photoshop®. Red, green and blue (RGB) values were recorded for each bruise and analyses carried out comparing the values over time between subjects and within subjects.

Results

This study both enhanced and supported a previous conclusion that visual assessment of photographs is an unreliable method for ageing bruises. Additionally, it found that the degree of forensic experience had no effect on accuracy. It also identified that colour (particularly yellow, red and purple) and intensity of colour were the most commonly used properties of a bruise in the assessment of its age. The RGB method proved to be a reliable technique with which to measure bruise colour, but its validity in the assessment of bruise age was poor.

Conclusions

Visual assessment of bruises is unreliable and the accuracy of ageing was not improved by the degree of forensic experience. The RGB method gave highly reproducible results, but did not accurately assess bruise age. However, results within subjects suggested that there may be individual variation in haemoglobin metabolism.
Effect of seated restraint and body size on lung function
Authors: Parkes John , Thake Doug , Price Mike
Published: July 2011

Background

Previous studies of death during law enforcement restraint have focused on lying restraint positions; this study extends this work to seated restraint positions.

Methods

Lung function in a standing control position was compared with lung function in seated positions using 40 volunteers. [Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text]

Results

No significant reduction in lung function was detected in an upright seated position. When participants were leant forward while seated, significant reductions in lung function occurred. The application of restraint holds in the seated, leant forward position resulted in a non-significant further reduction in lung function. Reductions in lung function were greater in those participants with higher body mass index (BMI).

Conclusions

Seated restraint positions with the person leant forward may increase the risk of harm or death during prolonged restraint. The risk will be further increased where the person exhibits higher BMI.
Ambidexterity in Agile Distributed Development: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Ramesh Balasubramaniam , Mohan Kannan , Cao Lan
Published: July 2011

Distributed software development has become a common reality with the advent of off-shore development and the need to be close to markets. Also, the dynamic nature of the environment in which businesses operate suggests the use of agile development methods. Whereas distributed software development requires the use of formal processes advocated by plan-driven approaches, rapidly changing environments are appropriate candidates for the use of agile development methods. This tension in agile distributed development poses conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability in the software development process. We conducted a multisite case study of three projects that use agile distributed development to examine how these organizations developed contextual ambidexterity—the ability to pursue conflicting demands simultaneously. Our findings, presented as a conceptual framework, indicate that conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability posed by agile distributed development can be addressed by a set of balanced practices that shape performance management and social context—two important antecedents of contextual ambidexterity.
Are New IT-Enabled Investment Opportunities Diminishing for Firms?
Authors: Dos Santos Brian L. , Zheng Zhiqiang (Eric) , Mookerjee Vijay S. , Chen Hongyu
Published: July 2011

Today, few firms could survive for very long without their computer systems. IT has permeated every corner of firms. Firms have reached the current state in their use of IT because IT has provided myriad opportunities for firms to improve performance and, firms have availed themselves of these opportunities. Some have argued, however, that the opportunities for firms to improve their performance through new uses of IT have been declining. Are the opportunities to use IT to improve firm performance diminishing? We sought to answer this question. In this study, we develop a theory and explain the logic behind our empirical analysis; an analysis that employs a different type of event study. Using the volatility of firms' stock prices to news signaling a change in economic conditions, we compare the stock price behavior of firms in the IT industry to firms in the utility and transportation and freight industries. Our analysis of the IT industry as a whole indicates that the opportunities for firms to use IT to improve their performance are not diminishing. However, there are sectors within the IT industry that no longer provide value-enhancing opportunities for firms. We also find that IT products that provided opportunities for firms to create value at one point in time, later become necessities for staying in business. Our results support the key assumption in our work.
Supplier Diversification Strategies in the Presence of Yield Uncertainty and Buyer Competition
Authors: Tang Sammi Yu , Kouvelis Panos
Published: July 2011

The benefits of supplier diversification are well established for price-taking firms. In this paper, we investigate the benefits from supplier diversification for dual-sourcing duopolists. We consider a two-echelon supply chain in which suppliers sell components to buyers who produce and sell substitutable products. The suppliers' output processes are uncertain and modeled as having a proportional random yield. Buyers engage in a quantity-based Cournot competition. We find that an increase in supplier correlation leads to more correlated buyers' outputs and a decrease in their profits. In the presence of end-market competition, dual sourcing still brings value by reducing the inefficiency caused by random yield: Namely, when the suppliers' yield processes are strongly negatively correlated, dual sourcing increases the expected market output and improves the firms' profits over sole sourcing. However, unlike a monopolist firm, a duopolist does not necessarily allocate its supplier orders to minimize output variability. We generalize the main results to a two-stage order-quantity–output-quantity game and to one with asymmetric suppliers.
Fabrication and characterization of organic semiconductor for electromagnetic interference shielding material
Authors: Mahmud Habibun Nabi Muhammad Ekramul , Kassim Anuar
Published: July 2011

Conducting polymer films produced by electropolymerization technique are highly conductive, simple, and suitable for use especially in electronic devices. An attempt has been made to produce polypyrrole-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PPy-PVA) conducting polymer composite films using 0.1 m
p-toluene sulfonate dopant at a potential of 1.2 V (vs. standard calomel electrode) on indium tin oxide glass electrode. The potential application of the prepared PPy-PVA conducting polymer composite films as an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material has been investigated in the present study. The EMI shielding effectiveness of PPy-PVA composite films prepared from different experimental conditions was analyzed in the microwave frequency range of 8–12 GHz. The shielding effectiveness of 45.67–35.7 dB has been demonstrated by PPy-PVA conducting polymer composite films, which appears to be very attractive in any EMI shielding applications where a minimum shielding effectiveness of 35 dB is required.
Assessment of the Validity of Reported Antibiotic Allergic Reactions in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Miller Lauren E. , Knoderer Chad A. , Cox Elaine G. , Kleiman Martin B.
Published: July 2011

Study Objective. To determine whether a reported antibiotic allergy was likely to have been immunologically mediated.

Design. Questionnaire‐based study.

Setting. Tertiary care, freestanding children's hospital.

Patients. One hundred patients aged 1 month‐18 years for whom guardians reported an allergy to an antibiotic at the time of hospital admission between October 2009 and March 2010.

Intervention. Guardians of the patients were interviewed by using a standardized allergy assessment questionnaire.

Measurements and Main Results. Based on answers to the questionnaire, the reported allergic reactions were categorized to determine if they were true allergies or adverse reactions. Among the 100 patients, reported allergies were categorized as immunologically mediated reactions in 58%, non‐immunologically mediated adverse drug reactions in 27%, no reaction in 3%, and unknown in 12%. Reactions to penicillins, cephalosporins, or sulfonamides were reported most frequently and were attributed to immunologically mediated reactions in 68% (26/38), 74% (17/23), and 67% (10/15) of instances, respectively.

Conclusion. Use of the allergy assessment questionnaire determined that 58% of the 100 reported antibiotic allergies fulfilled criteria for an immunologically mediated reaction. These findings underscore the utility of an allergy assessment questionnaire, versus a simple drug history, in improving the accuracy of reported antibiotic reactions.
Effects of an Inhaled β2‐Agonist on Cardiovascular Function and Sympathetic Activity in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Snyder Eric M. , Wong Eric C. , Foxx‐Lupo William T. , Wheatley Courtney M. , Cassuto Nicholas A. , Patanwala Asad E.
Published: July 2011

Study Objective. To determine the effect of a short‐acting, inhaled β2‐adrenergic receptor agonist, albuterol sulfate, administered by nebulization, on cardiovascular function and sympathetic activity in healthy individuals.

Design. Prospective, placebo‐controlled, single‐blind, crossover study.

Setting. University research center.

Subjects. Seventeen healthy subjects.

Intervention. After a screening visit to rule out cardiovascular abnormalities and anemia, each subject participated in two more separate visits. At the second visit, they were administered a single dose of either nebulized albuterol sulfate 2.5 mg diluted in 3 ml of normal saline or placebo (3 ml of normal saline). One week later, subjects returned for their third visit and received the other treatment.

Measurements and Main Results. At the two study visits, before and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after administration of albuterol or placebo, we measured plasma catecholamine levels (epinephrine and norepinephrine), cardiac output, heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and we calculated stroke volume, mean arterial pressure, and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). Inhaled placebo resulted in no significant change overall in any of the measured or calculated cardiovascular parameters. Compared with baseline values, albuterol administration after 30, 60, and 90 minutes, increased cardiac output (mean ± SD 4.2 ± 1.1, 4.4 ± 1.3, and 4.3 ± 1.1 L/min, respectively, vs 3.6 ± 1.0 L/min) and stroke volume (51 ± 15, 56 ± 14, and 56 ± 13 ml, respectively, vs 46 ± 12 ml), did not significantly change blood pressure, and decreased SVR (1401 ± 432, 1393 ± 424, and 1384 ± 391 dynes ·sec/cm5, respectively, vs 1661 ± 453 dynes ·sec/cm5) (p<0.05 for all comparisons). Heart rate was significantly changed with both albuterol and placebo, but only at 30 minutes after treatment. Albuterol, but not placebo, also increased plasma norepinephrine levels.

Conclusion. In these healthy subjects, administration of a nebulized β2‐agonist resulted in enhanced ventricular function and a decrease in SVR, suggesting peripheral vasodilation. In addition, the increase in norepinephrine level with albuterol, but not placebo, may have important implications in patients with known cardiovascular disease.
A Reliable and Safe Method of Collecting Blood Samples from Implantable Central Venous Catheters for Determination of Plasma Gentamicin Concentrations
Authors: Chen Jennifer , Boodhan Sabrina , Nanji Munira , Chang Ann , Sekharan Santhosh , Lavoratore Sara , Brand$aTo Leonardo R. , Skolnik Jeffrey M. , Dupuis L. Lee
Published: July 2011

Study Objective. To evaluate the extent of agreement between plasma gentamicin concentrations determined from samples collected by using implantable subcutaneous central venous catheters (ports) with the push‐pull method and those collected by finger lancet punctures in children with febrile neutropenia.

Design. Prospective, randomized study.

Setting. University‐affiliated, tertiary care hospital.

Patients. Sixty‐two children with cancer who had single‐ or double‐lumen ports and who received gentamicin for treatment of febrile neutropenia between February 2008 and October 2009.

Intervention. One blood sample was collected from the port by using the push‐pull method at the same time one blood sample was collected by finger lancet puncture for determination of plasma gentamicin concentrations.

Measurements and Main Results. Forty‐four pairs of samples were available for assessment of agreement, and 43 were available for pharmacokinetic analysis. Agreement between plasma gentamicin concentrations determined from blood samples from ports and finger lancet punctures was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland‐Altman analysis, and comparison of simulated dosage adjustments. Changes in port patency were monitored for 1 week after port sampling. Differences in simulated dosage adjustments calculated by using either the port or finger lancet puncture samples that differed by greater than 20% were considered clinically significant. Agreement between the 44 finger lancet puncture and port sample pairs was excellent (ICC 0.991, 95% confidence interval 0.984–0.995). Port plasma gentamicin concentrations were 4.7% lower than those concentrations determined in blood from finger lancet punctures. The observed limits of agreement ranged from −20.5% to 11%. Differences in dosage adjustments calculated by using port and finger lancet puncture plasma gentamicin concentrations were not clinically significant in 38 (88%) of 43 cases. No changes in port patency were observed in the week after port sampling.

Conclusion. The push‐pull method of blood sampling is a reliable and safe option for determining plasma gentamicin concentrations in children with ports.
Dosing Options for Decreasing the Time to Achieve Therapeutic Anticoagulation When Reinitiating Warfarin: A Case Series
Authors: Schultz Karen T. , Bungard Tammy J.
Published: July 2011

Study Objectives. To determine dosing options for decreasing the time to achieve a therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) threshold of 2.0 when restarting warfarin in an ambulatory population whose previous warfarin maintenance doses are known, and to identify thromboembolic and major bleeding events up to 90 days after disruption of warfarin therapy.

Design. Retrospective medical record review.

Setting. Ambulatory anticoagulation management service (AMS) in Canada.

Patients. Thirty‐six patients managed by the AMS whose warfarin doses were withheld for a minimum of 4 consecutive days, who did not use vitamin K for warfarin reversal, and who had at least 90 days of follow‐up after restarting warfarin between January 1, 2005, and April 1, 2010.

Measurements and Main Results. Forty‐one episodes of warfarin reinitiation in the 36 patients were identified. Time to therapeutic INR was defined as days to reach a therapeutic INR threshold of 2.0, regardless of usual target INR or indication for warfarin therapy. Restarting warfarin at previous maintenance doses (i.e., no loading dose) took a median of 20.5 days (interquartile range [IQR 14.3–31.3 days) to achieve a therapeutic INR. In contrast, administering a loading dose approximating 40% more than the previous daily maintenance dose for 2 or 3 days, on either the first day or after the first day of warfarin reinitiation, shortened the time to achieve a therapeutic INR to a median of 5.0 days (IQR 4.0–6.0 days) or 6.0 days (IQR 5.0–7.8 days), respectively. No thromboembolic events occurred during the 90‐day follow‐up period. Six episodes of major bleeding occurred. All occurred in patients who received a warfarin loading dose; however, most had INRs less than 2.0 and had risk factors for bleeding.

Conclusion. In select patients, the option of administering a warfarin loading dose of approximately 40% greater than the previous daily maintenance dose for 2 or 3 days shortens the time to achieving therapeutic anticoagulation.
Factors Associated with the Prescribing of Olanzapine, Quetiapine, and Risperidone in Patients with Bipolar and Related Affective Disorders
Authors: Prabhakar Maithri , Haynes William G. , Coryell William H. , Chrischilles Elizabeth A. , Miller Del D. , Arndt Stephan , Ellingrod Vicki L. , Warren Lois , Fiedorowicz Jess G.
Published: July 2011

Study Objective. To identify the factors associated with newly prescribed, first‐line, second‐generation antipsychotics (SgAs) associated with weight gain—olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine.

Design. Retrospective medical record review.

Setting. Outpatient and inpatient psychiatry services at a tertiary care, academic medical center.

Patients. Three hundred forty consecutive adults who had major depressive disorder with psychotic features, bipolar I, bipolar II, bipolar not otherwise specified, or schizoaffective disorder over two time periods (August 30‐October 30, 2009, and April 1‐May 31, 2010).

Measurements and Main Results. Clinical and sociodemographic variables associated with newly prescribed olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine were identified by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Several clinical factors were individually associated with initiation of these SGAs: mania (odds ratio [OR 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI 1.2–10.8, p=0.02), psychosis (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–6.9, p=0.002), and inpatient treatment (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.8–7.9, p=0.0005). Prevalent use of lithium (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.9, p=0.03) and being married (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.8, p=0.02) were inversely associated with new use of an SGA. Mania, psychosis, married status, and lithium use remained independently associated on multivariate analysis. Factors related to metabolic or vascular risk were not associated with SGA initiation.

Conclusion. Psychiatric clinicians were influenced heavily by clinical features related to mental status and acuity when determining whether to prescribe SGAs. However, factors related to vascular risk were not associated. Future observational studies should consider current clinical status as an important factor in determining propensity to receive antipsychotics or other short‐term treatments for bipolar and related disorders.
Cancer Immunotherapy: Sipuleucel‐T and Beyond
Authors: Hammerstrom Aimee E. , Cauley Diana H. , Atkinson Bradley J. , Sharma Padmanee
Published: July 2011

In April 2010, sipuleucel‐T became the first anticancer vaccine approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Different from the traditional chemotherapy agents that produce widespread cytotoxicity to kill tumor cells, anticancer vaccines and immunotherapies focus on empowering the immune system to overcome the tumor. The immune system consists of innate and adaptive components. The CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are the most crucial components of the adaptive arm of the immune system that act to mediate antitumor responses. However, T‐cell responses are regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms, which may interfere with effective antitumor responses. Many anticancer immunotherapies use tumor‐associated antigens as vaccines in order to stimulate an immune response against tumor cells. Sipuleucel‐T is composed of autologous mononuclear cells incubated with a fusion protein consisting of a common prostate cancer antigen (prostatic acid phosphatase) linked to an adjuvant (granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor). It is postulated that when the vaccine is infused into the patient, the activated antigen‐presenting cells displaying the fusion protein will induce an immune response against the tumor antigen. In a recent randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, phase III clinical trial, sipuleucel‐T significantly improved median overall survival by 4.1 months in men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer compared with placebo. Although overall survival was improved, none of the three phase III clinical trials found a significant difference in time to disease progression. This, along with cost and logistic issues, has led to an active discussion. Although sipuleucel‐T was studied in the metastatic setting, its ideal place in therapy is unknown, and clinical trials are being conducted in patients at different stages of disease and in combination with radiation therapy, antiandrogen therapy, and chemotherapy. Various other anticancer vaccines and immunotherapies for other tumor types are currently under investigation and in clinical trials. These immunotherapies were formulated to incorporate tumor‐associated antigens aimed at stimulating effector T‐cell responses or to block regulatory mechanisms that suppress the function of effector T cells. Additional studies will determine how these therapies can best improve clinical outcomes in patients with cancer.
Physical modelling of deformations around piling augers in clay
Authors: HIRD C.C. , NI Q. , GUYMER I.
Published: July 2011

Small-scale model tests are reported in which miniature augers were installed in beds of transparent synthetic soil simulating clay. As the auger advanced, the movement of reflective particles seeded into the soil and illuminated by laser light was recorded photographically. The displacement field in a vertical plane aligned with the auger axis was then determined using particle image velocimetry. The pattern of deformation of the soil around an auger of the type used to form a cast-in-situ screw pile was similar to that around a cylindrical straight-sided pushed pile. Deformations around an auger of the type used to form a rotary displacement pile depended on the rotation speed of the auger and the extent to which the flights carried soil upwards away from the tip. Lateral displacements in the model tests exhibited roughly similar trends to those observed in the field.
Behaviour of a concrete-filled steel tube beam–column T-joint
Authors: Afefy Hamdy Mohy El-Din , Mahmoud Mohamed Hussein , Taher Salah El-Din Fahmy
Published: July 2011

This paper presents an experimental study for different details of a beam–column T-joint made from a concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) system, where both girder and column were CFT type. A total of ten half-scale specimens divided into three groups were studied. Group No. 1 was a control group to obtain a comprehensive overview of the CFT system compared with reinforced concrete, and also to study the effect of shear connectors in both girder and columns on the general behaviour of such a system. The remaining two groups represented two different details of beam to column connection with different strengthening techniques. Global responses such as the peak strength, deformation, strain and ductility achieved were recorded and analysed under the effect of monotonic static loading. The experimental data showed the great influence of the shear connectors and detailing of the joint on the overall behaviour of such joints made from CFTs. In addition, the superiority of the CFT system over the equivalent reinforced concrete system under the same loading conditions is highlighted.
3D Reservoir Simulation of X Field Onshore Niger Delta Nigeria: The Power of Multiple Iterations
Authors: Ahmed S. , Nyeche M. , Engel S. , Nworie E. , De Mooij H.
Published: July 2011

The re-development of brown fields traditionally depend on the extensive and proper integration of all subsurface Petroleum Engineering data. This paper demonstrates the impact and importance of incorporating feedback from dynamic reservoir modeling, in particular the history matching of calibrated production data, into the static model building thus creating an integrated static/dynamic modelling (loop) process.

This case study describes the subsurface modelling work done for a 67 ft oil-rim reservoir with a large gas-cap in the Niger Delta (Nigeria). The reservoir has been on production since the early 90s and till date has produced over 30MMstb of oil. The first-pass static model was constructed based on consistent geologic concepts incorporating data from 3D seismic and well logs. Initial simulation and history matching of this model suggested that the historical production from the reservoir could only be reasonably matched with higher oil volumes in place compared to the original Base Case Model. The static model was subsequently updated, by re-evaluation of the structural uncertainties as well as an update of the property modeling. The new model, whilst still consistent with the hard data (wells and seismic) achieved a high confidence history match. Based on the revised model, six new wells are planned to be drilled in this reservoir in 2011 to develop additional over 20MMstb of oil reserve.

The integration between the various Petroleum Engineering disciplines (Production Geology / Seismology, Petrophysics, Reservoir Engineering and Production Technology) and the use (early) of dynamic results to guide the update of the static model proved powerful. This "closing the loop" approach results in a better understanding of the subsurface, delivers more robust results in optimal placement of wells and ultimately enables a more optimal development of the field.
Growth and Innovation Policy in a Small, Open Economy: Should You Stimulate Domestic R&D or Exports?
Authors: Bye Brita , Faehn Taran , Grünfeld Leo A.
Published: July 2011

In small and open economies, absorption of foreign knowledge through international trade often plays a more important role for domestic innovation and growth than investment in domestic R&D. This suggests that trade policies can increase knowledge spillovers from abroad. Public support to R&D can be motivated both by positive internal knowledge externalities and by its ability to expand absorptive capacity. This dynamic, empirical, general equilibrium analysis models these interplays between R&D, trade and productivity. It compares public R&D support and export promotion of R&D based products with respect to long term growth and welfare impacts. We find that export promotion is inferior to R&D support in spurring R&D. However, it is not outperformed in terms of welfare generation. The reason is that existing and politically persistent policy interventions create inefficiencies that can be counteracted by R&D-based export promotion as a second-best policy.
Project risk management in complex petrochemical system
Authors: Kirin Snezana , Sedmak Aleksandar , Nesic Lela , Cosic Ilija
Published: July 2011

Investigation of risk in complex industrial systems, as well as evaluation of
main factors influencing decision making and implementation process using
large petrochemical company as an example, has proved the importance of
successful project risk management. This is even more emphasized when
analyzing systems with complex structure, i.e. with several organizational
units. It has been shown that successful risk management requires modern
methods, based on adequate application of statistical analysis methods.
(Dys)functional relations between knowledge quality and education system
Authors: Avramovic Zoran
Published: July 2011

Functional analysis of the relation between knowledge and education system
from the viewpoint of quality is used in the paper. It is proved that it is
not necessarily true that there is a correspondence between knowledge quality
and construction of the education system, i.e. that the former quality is not
an inevitable condition of the latter. In the first part of the paper, we
distinguish the concept of quality from non-quality knowledge. Out of 19
indicators, five knowledge qualities are normative (exceptional sense), and
the others descriptive (specific sense) characteristics. In the second part,
the conceptual approach to education system focuses on its (dys)functional
and non-functional connections. The tradition of national knowledge, the
character of social relations established between the actors within the
system and the influence of implicit knowledge on teacher and student actions
in education system are discussed. All these factors can influence positively
and negatively the direction and content of knowledge quality in education
system. Knowledge quality in school curricula and textbooks may be ensured
and then (not) realized due to the influence of traditional, social and
implicit factors on educational interaction. The concept of constellation is
used to explain the favorable and unfavorable relation between knowledge
quality and education system. In the concluding part, the author argues that
education system cannot ensure complete realization of knowledge quality
since it is, to a considerable extent, conditioned by school and non-school
factors.
Differences among university students in motivation to learn: A cross-cultural study
Authors: Kolenc Janez
Published: July 2011

This study attempts to reject the stereotype that competition is not a
desired personal characteristic and a specific motivational factor. We have
investigated and revealed positive dimensions and statistically significant
correlations between the self-concept and motivation to learn. The new model
of self-concept, based on different kinds of competition and motivation to
learn, has been postulated. Some arguments have been provided to assume that
this model differs from culture to culture. For this reason, the participants
from three countries took part in the study. Countries were chosen on the
basis of political and cultural indicators in Eastern/Southern versus
Western/Southern European characteristics: Slovenia, Serbia and Spain. The
study comprised of 225 Slovenian, 99 Serbian and 140 Spanish participants.
There are two particular goals of the research. The first is to find out
whether there are any differences in self-concept, motivation to learn and
competition among participants from different countries. According to the
second goal, the investigation of the correlations between self-concept,
motivation to learn and competition within each national group is underlined.
Some quantitative methods of social sciences have been used to achieve these
goals. We found out that the cultural indicator has a significant impact on
self-concept, motivation to learn and competition. Further to this, we argue
that the ?Southern? disposition predominates over Eastern as well as Western
dimensions, which means that Slovenians are among the more competitive
participants.
What are the themes in young children’s stories? An analysis of the content of children’s written productions
Authors: Gómez Paz , Maker June
Published: July 2011

The authors examined themes in written narratives of second grade students
including gender and ethnic differences. Eighty-seven stories were considered
for this research, six general themes were found, and content and comparative
analyses were performed among themes. Children tended to write more
frequently about personal experiences and activities, and about settings that
involved nature and animals; however, interactivity and social context was
almost always present in children?s stories. Boys and girls tended to write
about almost the same topics, with a higher tendency of girls to write about
family including female characters performing gender-oriented tasks. Finally,
the researchers found some ethnic differences in children?s stories,
especially fantasy stories, nature, and family.
Influence of teacher experience and training on their attitudes towards education of children with impaired vision in secondary schools
Authors: Jablan Branka , Jolic-Marjanovic Zorana , Grbovic Aleksandra
Published: July 2011

As a contemporary educational tendency, inclusion captures a great deal of
attention from researchers, and hence there are numerous studies dealing with
various aspects of this process. This paper is aimed at studying whether
experience in work with children with impaired vision and training for work
with children with disabilities lead to differences in teacher evaluations
of: (a) the problems the children with impaired vision are facing in regular
school; (b) readiness of regular school for inclusive education of this group
of children. The sample comprised 63 teachers in regular secondary schools:
54% have had previous experience in working with children with impaired
vision, while 42.9% attended training for work with children with
disabilities. The results of two-factor analysis (ANOVA) suggest that teacher
experience and training have an independent effect on their evaluations.
Compared to the teachers without experience in work with visually impaired
children, the teachers who have had this experience evaluate considerably
lower the problems of adaptation and students? fitting in school environment,
complying with the demands of compulsory curriculum and the level of teacher
education, while they evaluate much higher school readiness when it comes to
the level of training of teaching staff. The teachers trained for work with
children with disabilities evaluate lower than teachers without previous
training the student problems in the accomplishment of the compulsory
curriculum and much higher teacher training, adjustment of textbooks and
teaching aids. The obtained findings indicate that teacher experience and
training play a significant role in teacher readiness for inclusive
education.
Personal and socio-demographic characteristics as correlates of value orientations and interests of students in Vojvodina
Authors: Gajic Olivera , Budic Spomenka , Lungulov Biljana
Published: July 2011

Social transition and changes in the cultural context inevitably impose the
need of redefining the value systems which are particularly reflected through
the differences of the multicultural framework such as, for example,
Vojvodina. The paper presents the results of a theoretical and empirical
study of students? interests and value orientations. The results are viewed
through the prism of influence of respondents? individual and
socio-demographic characteristics. Non-experimental causal method was used to
study the correlation between variable groups. Interviewing was the research
technique. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire
constructed for the purposes of the research. The study was conducted during
the school year 2007/08 in Novi Sad, on the sample of 480 respondents -
students of the University of Novi Sad, aged 19 to 24. Gender was studied in
the group of personal (individual, constitutional) features and it proved out
to be a significant correlate of certain interests: sport, cultural and
creative, as well as relational values (nourishing harmonious family
relations, marriage, parenthood, partnership, feeling of belonging et al.).
In the group of socio-demographic characteristics (structural forms of the
family, financial status, social background, socio-cultural space:
rural-urban) it was established that social background correlates with
interest in sport activities, educational and artistic interests, while
variables social background and place of residence correlate with social life
and social relations as dominant value orientations. Research results provide
pedagogical implications for educational work with youth aimed at developing
the values connected with constructive activities and encouragement of
proactive orientation with respect to one?s own surroundings and existence,
as well as the guidelines for introducing new contents into the existing
curricula, in accordance with the expressed values and interests of youth.
Spatial Conditions: An Unheeded Medium in Teaching and Learning
Authors: Keiding Tina Bering
Published: July 2011

This article addresses spatiality as an educational category by asking how spatiality influences students' experiences of interactions in project-based teaching. It examines students' experiences with two different spatial conditions - namely, separate rooms, each accommodating a single group, or a much larger open space hosting multiple groups. It concludes that students' experiences of the two types of spatiality provide very different contexts for interaction and learning. The advantages of separate rooms for multiple groups arise from their affordance of spontaneous inspiration, feedback and learning, but they present challenges regarding the handling of complexity. Single-group rooms support focus in discussions, but prevent members of one group from drawing inspiration from others. Deconstruction of students' utterances about their interaction with students from other groups indicates that the experience of knowing each other, belonging to and being a part of the community appears to be the factor which makes a difference in students' engaging in professional interactions. The findings suggest that the multiple-group room assists in the development of competencies in the areas of networking, professional interaction and learning.
Shifting Ontologies of a Serious Game and its Relationships with English Education for Beginners
Authors: Hansbøl Mikala , Meyer Bente
Published: July 2011

This article takes as its point of departure a language project which is a subproject under the larger ongoing (2007–2011) research project Serious Games on a Global Market Place. The language project follows how the virtual universe known as Mingoville ( http://www.mingoville.com ) becomes an actor in English education for beginners. The virtual universe provides an online environment for students beginning to learn English in schools and at home. This article will focus on the shifting ontologies of Mingoville and teaching and learning situations in beginners' English. It takes as its point of departure neither Mingoville as part of the media ecologies of the classroom, nor the epistemological ramifications of Mingoville. Instead, it suggests that opening up the shifting ontologies of Mingoville (i.e. what mediates Mingoville and its relationships with doing beginners' English) may offer a different and useful approach to understanding how Mingoville becomes a multiple actor. It reveals that such an actor both influences and is influenced by manifold constitutive entanglements involved in organizing English teaching and learning activities for beginners. Theoretically and methodologically, the article and the empirical gatherings and analysis are inspired by science and technology studies (STS) and Actor Network Theory (ANT). The arguments and descriptions provided throughout the article will focus on the shifting ontologies of Mingoville as it moves into, and out of, different teaching and learning situations of English for beginners.
Copyrights and Creative Commons Licensing: Pedagogical Innovation in a Higher Education Media Literacy Classroom
Authors: Kapitzke Cushla , Dezuanni Michael , Iyer Radha
Published: July 2011

This article examines the role of copyrights in contemporary media literacies. It argues that, provided they are ethical, young people's engagement with text should occur in environments that are as free from restriction as possible. Discussion of open culture ecologies and the emergent education commons is followed by a theorisation of both literacy and copyrights education as forms of epistemology - that is, as effects of knowledge producing discourses and practices. Because Creative Commons licenses respect and are based on existing copyright laws, a brief overview of traditional copyrights for educators is first provided. We then describe the voluntary Creative Commons copyright licensing framework (‘some rights reserved’) as an alternative to conventional ‘all rights reserved’ models. This is followed by an account of a series of workshop activities on copyrights and Creative Commons conducted by the authors in the media literacy classes of a preservice teacher education program in Queensland, Australia. It provides an example of a practical program on critical copyrights that may be adapted and used by schools and other higher education institutions.
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Preceding the Development of Juvenile Xanthogranuloma: A Case and Review of Recent Developments
Authors: Bains Ashish , Parham David M.
Published: July 2011

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) both belong to the histiocytosis group of disorders, which have varied prognostic and clinical significance. Their normal cellular counterparts share a common CD34-positive hematopoietic stem cell precursor that matures along CD14-negative or -positive pathways. Rare cases of LCH and JXG show overlapping findings, suggesting that this divergent maturation is not irreversible. We report a case of an infant diagnosed with cutaneous LCH shortly after birth. Two years after diagnosis, a recurrent lesion in his external auditory canal contained lipidized cells with CD68 and factor XIIIa expression and lacked Birbeck granules and CD1a, consistent with JXG. Our case and previous reports of this phenomenon raise the question of a histogenic relationship between LCH and JXG, and we speculate that the lesional cells of origin are subjected to therapy-induced modulation that results in a varied differentiation.
Polyps and Masses of the Pediatric Urinary Bladder: A 21-Year Pathology Review
Authors: Huppmann Alison R. , Pawel Bruce R.
Published: July 2011

Although not uncommon in adults, bladder tumors are rare in children. In addition, the histologic types of tumors seen in the pediatric population differ from those seen in adults. Although rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common pediatric bladder tumor, many other benign, malignant, and reactive lesions can be encountered. All may present clinically as a mass or polyp in the bladder. This study was designed to describe the pathology and patient demographics of pediatric bladder masses, because there are few studies describing these entities. Retrospectively reviewing our experience over a 21-year period, we identified 98 specimens from 65 patients with polyps or masses in the urinary bladder. As expected, the most frequent diagnosis was rhabdomyosarcoma. This was followed by fibroepithelial polyp and a variety of additional nonurothelial tumors. Only 7 urothelial tumors were identified, including 1 low-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma. Inflammatory lesions, such as cystitis cystica and nephrogenic adenoma, were invariably associated with an irritating factor when a history was provided. Our findings emphasize that diagnoses made in the pediatric urinary bladder are distinct from those in adults, although a wide variety of lesions may still be seen.
Reducing Sediment Production from Forest Roads during Wet-Weather Hauling
Authors: Toman Elizabeth Myers , Skaugset Arne E.
Published: July 2011

Forest roads produce fine sediment with traffic during wet weather. If the forest road is connected to a stream, it can be a source of turbidity and fine sediment, which may be detrimental to aquatic organisms, especially salmonids. The goal of this work was to investigate turbid runoff during wet-weather use from the pavement of forest roads designed to reduce sediment production. This research tested alternatives for road pavements that were designed specifically to minimize turbid runoff caused by subgrade mixing during wet-weather hauling. Alternative designs of the pavement for unbound aggregate roads influenced the production of sediment, but results were not consistent; the pavement treatments produced different results across different research locations. There was no statistically significant treatment effect. This factor suggested that fine sediment in surface runoff did not originate from the subgrade but rather from the surface aggregate. Road managers who want to minimize the production of sediment from forest roads should be concerned with the unbound aggregate pavement rather than the subgrade. Road segments that developed ruts produced considerably more sediment than road segments where ruts did not form. Thus, to minimize sediment production during wet-weather hauling, managers should design the aggregate pavement to resist rut formation and with consideration of the availability of fine sediment in the aggregate.