bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining Work Ethic Across Populations
Authors: Woehr David J. , Arciniega Luis M. , Lim Doo H.
Published: January 2007

The authors examined the measurement equivalence of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) across the diverse cultures of Korea, Mexico, and the United States. Korean- and Spanish-language versions of the MWEP were developed and evaluated relative to the original English version of the measure. Confirmatory factor analytic results indicated measurement invariance across samples drawn from each country. Further analyses indicated potential substantive differences for some of the seven subscales of the MWEP across samples. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are presented.
The Telephone Interview Probe
Authors: Corkum Penny , Andreou Pantelis , Schachar Russell , Tannock Rosemary , Cunningham Charles
Published: January 2007

With increasing interest in studies evaluating treatment outcome in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there is a need for treatment-sensitive instruments that are feasible, yield valid and reliable scores, and measure outcome in a “time-locked” and “situation- and symptom-specific” manner. These instruments are needed to evaluate the outcome for which the treatment is targeted at specific settings (e.g., school), specific times of day (e.g., the late afternoon or early evening medication dose), and specific symptoms (e.g., hyperactivity). The Telephone Interview Probe (TIP) was developed to meet this need for outcome research with children with ADHD. The present study evaluated the feasibility, reliability, validity, and treatment sensitivity of scores on the TIP scales (Inattention, Hyperactivity-Impulsivity, Oppositional Behavior, and Problem Situation). Psychometric properties of the TIP were evaluated using classical test theory, as well as generalizability theory. The TIP proved to possess all the attributes required for use in large-scale treatment studies.
Chemical Recycling of Mixed Polyurethane Foam Stream Recovered from Shredder Residue into Polyurethane Polyols
Authors: Sendijarevic Vahid
Published: January 2007

Recently, Troy Polymers, Inc. developed a chemical process for recycling of polyurethane foam scrap from shredder residue into polyols for polyurethanes (Sendijarevic, V. (2004). Process for Chemical Recycling of Polyurethane-containing Scrap, U.S. Patent No. 6,750,260 (assigned to Troy Polymers, Inc. and Polyventure, Inc.), June 15). This process is ideally suited for recycling polyurethane (PU) foam scrap from shredder residue (SR), which is a mixture of different types of PU foams based on different types of polyether and polyester polyols and different types of isocyanates, TDI and MDI. The PU foams separated from SR are contaminated with other types of cellular (foam) and fluff non-urethane materials.

In stage one of this process, the PU foam is subjected to glycolysis, followed by filtration of the liquid glycolyzed product. In stage two, the glycolyzed products are used as initiators in reaction with propylene oxide to prepare novel PU polyols.

A number of successful laboratory glycolyses have been carried out utilizing two different types of PU foams recovered from SR: (1) the best case scenario – handpicked PU foams from SR with > 80% conversion into liquid initiator and (2) the worst case scenario – mixed PU materials separated by an automated separation process from ELV shredder residue with 50% conversion into a liquid initiator. Both TDI-and PMDI-based flexible foams are prepared from the novel recycled polyols prepared by propoxylation of the glycolyzed products (initiators) obtained from the mixed PU materials.

Preliminary economic analysis indicates that the commercial production of the polyols from the foam scrap can be cost effective.
Outgassing of Rigid Open-celled Polyurethane Foam Used in Vacuum Insulation Panels Under Vacuum Condition
Authors: Yang C. G. , Xu L. , Wang J. , Shi F. L.
Published: January 2007

Rigid open-celled polyurethane foam is the main type of core material in vacuum insulation panels (VIPs). The formulation and manufacturing process of the foam are experimentally analyzed, and the factors that affect cell structure and heat insulation performance are discussed. Vacuum level in VIPs is one of the most important factors contributing to the heat insulation performance of VIPs. By the throughput method, outgassing properties of the core material of open-celled PU foam are investigated. Outgassing has a great negative influence on vacuum level in VIPs. The specific outgassing rate of the foam is tested not only at room temperature but also at low and high temperatures. It has been found that the specific outgassing rate is large, and has a decreasing trend with decreasing temperature. In a log–log plot of specific outgassing rate versus time, the decay exponent ranges from 0.62 to 0.8 with temperature changes from 20 to 70 C. At room temperature, pressure in VIPs used in refrigerators will reach more than 300 Pa due to outgassing in its service life, if there are no getters adopted. After the foam is baked at 120 C for 15 min, the specific outgassing rate is greatly reduced.
Often Overlooked Factors in PIR Surfactant Development
Authors: Eilbracht Christian , Schiller Carsten , Hohl Peter
Published: January 2007

Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams have been part of an evolving technology since their inception. The PIR foam producers have seen polyols change from polyethers to blends of polyethers, polyesters and compatiblizers to pure polyesters. The MDIs have changed viscosities. Indexes have varied. However, the most dramatic alterations have been to the blowing agent selection; from CFCs to CFC/HCFC blends, to HCFCs, to cyclopentane, to cyclo-/ isopentane, to iso-/n-pentane, to n-pentane. Each of these changes has placed different demands upon the surfactant mostly due to changes of compatibility and solubility of components.

There have also been modifications to equipment and processes to adapt to the physical properties of the current set of ingredients. Blowing agents can be blended into polyol systems, or they can be introduced as a third chemical stream. This detail can place special requirements on formulations and chemicals, including surfactants.

The unique techniques in the production of flexible metal-faced continuously laminated board-stock at high speeds must also consider various types of flow in order to insure proper cell formation and therefore the impact on foam properties. Surfactants impact especially on the flowability of the liquid reaction mixture as well as the volume flow of the expanding polymer.

This article discusses various important factors in surfactant development for polyisocyanurate foams and clearly demonstrates, based on high-pressure machine evaluations, how optimized surfactants can improve foam processing and final foam properties.
Relationship of Fractional Free Volumes Derived from the Equations of State (EOS) and the Doolittle Equation
Authors: Guo Qingping , Park Chul B. , Xu Xiang , Wang Jin
Published: January 2007

This research investigates the relationships of the pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) and the zero-shear viscosity of polymer melts through their correlations with the fractional free volume. Polystyrene (PS) has been used as a case example in this study. First, the fractional free volume is determined from the Simha–Somcynsky (SS) equation of state (EOS) or the Sanchez–Lacombe (SL) EOS using the PVT data of a polymer melt. Then the fractional free volume is also determined from the Doolittle equation (with respect to the occupied volume) using the zero-shear viscosity and PVT data. These two fractional free volumes are compared to check if the EOS and the Doolittle equation consistently describe the PVT behaviors and the zero-shear viscosity through the fractional free volume. Before comparison, the fractional free volume based on the Doolittle equation is recalculated with respect to the total volume to be consistent with other fractional free volumes defined with respect to the total volume.
Strategic Pedagogy and Pedagogic Strategy
Authors: Gow James
Published: January 2007

Despite trends to consider film in the context of international relations, there has been very little real focus on how filmic sources can assist the understanding of war and peace. There is merit in analysing film in its own right; however, beyond this it can be a useful device for teaching and researching particular wars and aspects of them, as well as the relationship of film to war in general. This is demonstrated here by reference to the films about the Yugoslav War of the 1990s. However, exploring the detail of combat or cause or social impact in a particular conflict is not the only role film can play in teaching or research strategies. It is within the power of the moving image medium to explore the very essence and character of both a particular war and the very nature of war itself. This is shown to be the case with Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, where the constant tussle between escalation and ethics, which underpins the conceptual frames of strategy, relating ends and means, is evident. War ceases to be war if the restraints are removed. When they are, the ‘river of escalation’ leads into the dark-hearted loss of soul, the critical loss of political perspective and purpose and the apocalypse of futility.
The Anti-War/Peace Movement in Britain and the Conditions of Information War
Authors: Pickerill Jenny , Webster Frank
Published: January 2007

Using the concept of Information War we explore the conditions and mediation of contemporary war. Examples from British anti-war and peace movements are then employed to better understand the importance of ‘symbolic struggles’, focusing on the importance of the internet in recent opposition to wars. These examples signify a shift away from the era where the mediation of war could be closely controlled towards one where the influences of journalists and public opinion are more ambiguous and uncertain. While there is little doubt that those who wage war remain powerful and superior, their need to seek legitimacy amongst their publics, together with the use of new media, provide an environment through which voices of dissent can more easily be amplified.
The Fear of Living Dangerously: Journalists who Report on Conflict
Authors: Tumber Howard
Published: January 2007

Overwhelmingly the images and narratives of war and confl ict in various parts of the world are constructed in the imagination of policy makers and the general public by journalists in the fi eld. But how do journalists operate ‘in the fi eld’? This article is based on an analysis of journalists' autobiographies. It examines how war reporters refl ect on their life and motives, their experiences and their work. How do the dangers and fears that they face impact upon the ‘truths’ that they construct? How are Western journalistic notions of truth and objectivity understood and kept at the core of the war correspondent? How do gender dynamics impact upon the lives of journalists and, as a consequence, on their work and therefore on popular understandings of particular confl icts, and of confl ict in general? Finally, the article focuses on ‘witnessing’ in the changed circumstances of war, and how that affects journalists and journalism.
Temporality, Proximity and Security: Terror in a Media-Drenched Age
Authors: Hoskins Andrew
Published: January 2007

With newsmakers striving for ever greater visual immediacy and proximity to events, developments in the portability and the availability of audio-visual recording and broadcast devices continue to transform both how we experience mass-mediated terrorist attacks and their impact. At the same time, through shifting context, the reframing of meaning and massive selectivity, television and the broader media plunder the past for signs of stability, as though to mitigate the inherent instability of an obsession with the here-and-now with an intelligible there-and-then. This article addresses some of these temporal and spatial transformations of the media–catastrophe nexus of the post-9/11 climate in both containing and exacerbating insecurities.
Security, Media, Legitimacy: Multi-Ethnic Media Publics and the Iraq War 2003
Authors: Gillespie Marie
Published: January 2007

The article examines how multi-ethnic publics negotiate questions of legitimacy. It explains the deep public scepticism surrounding the Iraq war (2003) and subsequent security policy, not just in terms of declining trust in Prime Minister Tony Blair and in the news media, but as a corrosive ‘legitimacy deficit’ with significant implications for the prospects of participatory democracy and multicultural citizenship. The arguments are grounded in a collaborative ethnography of news audiences across the UK, including multilingual and multi-ethnic ones. Using a Weberian framework, the article analyses the patterning of interviewees' responses to the justifications given for going to war, and it assesses the implications of the ‘legitimacy deficit’ for notions of security and UK security policy.
Discourses in Transition: Re-Imagining Women's Security
Authors: Hamber Brandon , Hillyard Paddy , Maguire Amy , McWilliams Monica , Robinson Gillian , Russell David , Ward Margaret
Published: January 2007

This article employs data gathered in Lebanon, Northern Ireland and South Africa as part of a project entitled ‘Re-Imagining Women's Security and Participation in Post-Conflict Societies’. It refl ects on three different ‘imaginings’ of security–the state security discourse, the human security discourse and a gendered security approach–with the aim of showing that security discourses are currently undergoing a process of transition which parallels that taking place in post-conflict societies around the world. The article is particularly concerned to explore how a gendered security approach might empower women to re-imagine security in contextualised, bottom-up ways, and advocate social transformation within the broader processes of post-conflict transition. In order to consider women's demands for security policies and approaches in the twenty-fi rst century, the article explores the direct testimony of women in three post-conflict societies, with specifi c reference to three key areas of security central to women's re-imaginings of the concept.
Security is Coming Home: Rethinking Scale and Constructing Resilience in the Global Urban Response to Terrorist Risk
Authors: Coaffee Jon , Wood David Murakami
Published: January 2007

This article argues that contemporary security as a concept, practice and commodity is undergoing a rescaling, deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation, with previously international security concerns penetrating all levels of governance. Security is becoming more civic, urban, domestic and personal: security is coming home. In the context of the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), asymmetric confl ict, the ‘war on terror’ and the ‘splintering’ of cosmopolitan urban centres, policy is increasingly centred around military derived constructions of risk. This securitisation is bound up in neoliberal economic competition between cities and regions for ‘global’ status, with security emerging as a key part of the offer for potential inward investment. The result is increasing temporary and permanent fortifi cation and surveillance, often symbolic or theatrical, in which privileged transnational elites gain feelings of safety at the expense of the liberty and mobility of ordinary citizens.
The Joint Effect of Topic Interest and Follow-Up Procedures on the Response in a Mail Questionnaire
Authors: Roose Henk , Lievens John , Waege Hans
Published: January 2007

Leverage-saliency theory provides a seminal basis for research on the differential effects of response-facilitating techniques in surveys. In this article, a quasi-experimental design is applied to analyze the effect of follow-up procedures, taking into account the sample persons’ interest in the survey topic. The authors use multilevel logistic regression to map response on a mail questionnaire in the second step of a two-step data collection procedure. It is found that—after controlling for the effects of sociodemographic and performance-related covariates—the effect of follow-up procedures is larger for those less interested in the survey topic. As such, these findings are an empirical confirmation of the leverage-saliency theory. Some implications for survey research are discussed.
A Unified Maximum Likelihood Approach for Analyzing Structural Equation Models With Missing Nonstandard Data
Authors: Lee Sik-Yum , Song Xin-Yuan
Published: January 2007

In this article, the authors present a unified approach for maximum likelihood analysis of structural equation models that involve subtle model formulations and nonstandard data structures. Based on the idea of data augmentation, they describe a generic Monte Carlo expectation-maximization algorithm for estimation. They propose path sampling for computing the observed data likelihood functions that usually involve complicated integrals and show how to apply this method for computing the Bayesian information criterion for model comparison. An application of the proposed unified approach to a two-level nonlinear structural equation model with missing continuous and ordered categorical data is presented. An illustrative example with a real data set is given.
Statistical Inference for Generalized Yule Coefficients in 2 × 2 Contingency Tables
Authors: Bonett Douglas G. , Price Robert M.
Published: January 2007

The odds ratio is one of the most widely used measures of association for 2 × 2 tables. A generalized Yule coefficient transforms the odds ratio into a correlation-like scale with a range from -1 to 1. Yule’s Y, Yule’s Q, Digby’s H, and a new coefficient are special cases of a generalized Yule coefficient. The new coefficient is shown to be similar in value to the phi coefficient. A confidence interval and sample size formula for a generalized Yule coefficient are proposed. The proposed confidence interval is shown to perform much better than the Wald intervals that are implemented in statistical packages.
Addressing Data Sparseness in Contextual Population Research
Authors: Clarke Philippa , Wheaton Blair
Published: January 2007

The use of multilevel modeling with data from population-based surveys is often limited by the small number of cases per Level 2 unit, prompting a recent trend in the neighborhood literature to apply cluster techniques to address the problem of data sparseness. In this study, the authors use Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effects of marginal group sizes on multilevel model performance, bias, and efficiency. They then employ cluster analysis techniques to minimize data sparseness and examine the consequences in the simulations. They find that estimates of the fixed effects are robust at the extremes of data sparseness, while cluster analysis is an effective strategy to increase group size and prevent the overestimation of variance components. However, researchers should be cautious about the degree to which they use such clustering techniques due to the introduction of artificial within-group heterogeneity.
Experimental Plans in Factorial Surveys
Authors: Dülmer Hermann
Published: January 2007

The factorial survey is an experimental design where respondents are asked to judge descriptions of varying situations (vignettes) presented to them. Combining the vignette variables (factors) and their levels is done by the researcher, who also takes the responsibility for getting an optimal design. To represent the universe of possible level combinations as accurately as possible, random designs are mostly used. A possible alternative are quoted designs. Up to now, there has been little discussion and only few research studies done about the pros and cons of random and quota samples for factorial surveys. The purpose of this article is to contribute to filling this gap. The conclusions drawn from the statistical considerations are illustrated by example analyses on the basis of fictitious data. Since the data structure produced by a factorial survey is a hierarchical one, the empirical analyses are carried out by using a multilevel program.
Moral Reasoning of Adolescent Male Offenders
Authors: Ashkar Peter J. , Kenny Dianna T.
Published: January 2007

This study compares the moral reasoning abilities of juvenile sexual and nonsexual offenders using a novel methodology that explores responses to questions addressing morality in a variety of offending contexts. Seven sexual and nine nonsexual adolescent male offenders from a maximum security detention facility in New South Wales, Australia, are presented with and asked to discuss a variety of hypothetical offending situations involving sexual and nonsexual offences. It is hypothesized that the quality of moral reasoning employed by offenders will be impaired in offending contexts in which they have prior experience. Responses are assessed using a modified version of the Moral Judgment Interview Standard Issue Scoring Manual. Responses by sexual offenders in sexual offending contexts and by nonsexual offenders in nonsexual offending contexts were dominated by preconventional reasoning, and both groups employed a greater use of conventional reasoning in noncongruent offending contexts.
Implementing “Corrections of Place” Ideas
Authors: Lane Jodi , Turner Susan , Fain Terry , Sehgal Amber
Published: January 2007

Restorative justice has recently become popular among practitioners, but there have been few rigorous evaluations of programs. For approximately 5 years, Ventura County, California, probation staff and other local organizations worked together on the South Oxnard Challenge Project (SOCP), a juvenile probation program designed to implement Clear’s “corrections of place” (COP) ideas. The program is evaluated using a randomized experimental design and the results of surveys with youth clients, staff, and the youths’ caregivers regarding the effectiveness of the SOCP in reaching COP-related goals are reported. Results reflect that there were few differences between SOCP clients and routine probationers’ perceptions of their experiences. SOCP staff members were significantly more likely to believe they were reaching COP goals than were routine probation officers. Caregivers believed the SOCP was more helpful than routine probation.
Personality, Criminal Behavior, and Risk Assessment
Authors: Listwan Shelley Johnson , Van Voorhis Patricia , Ritchey Phillip Neil
Published: January 2007

The present study explores the relationship between personality and long-term recidivism. A longitudinal design is used that examines recidivism rates for a cohort of federal prison inmates during a period of 10 to 12 years. The study explores whether personality, as measured by the Jesness Inventory, is related to recidivism, defined as any new arrest and arrest for a specific charge including drugs, property offenses, or violence. The Jesness Inventory types are collapsed into four groups: neurotics, aggressives, dependents, and situationals. Findings from the survival analysis indicate that personality (e.g., neurotics and aggressives) is related to recidivism. The analysis pertaining to type of charge concludes that personality (e.g., neurotics) is significant in the models predicting drug offenses. The research explores whether corrections should extend personality research beyond its traditional focus (e.g., responsivity) to a greater consideration of personality as a risk factor.
Crime in Adult Offspring of Prisoners
Authors: Murray Joseph , Janson Carl-Gunnar , Farrington David P.
Published: January 2007

Studies from several countries suggest that parental criminality is a strong predictor of children’s own criminal behavior. Recently, the authors found that parental incarceration predicted boys’ delinquency in an English cohort, even after controlling for parental criminality and other childhood risks. The present study uses data from Project Metropolitan (Sweden) on 15,117 children born in the same year as the English cohort (1953) to test whether results in England were replicated in Sweden. In Sweden, parental incarceration predicted children’s own criminal behavior, but unlike in England, the effects of parental incarceration disappeared after statistically controlling for the criminality of the parent. This cross-national difference may have been the result of shorter prison sentences in Sweden, more family friendly prison policies, a welfare-oriented juvenile justice system, an extended social welfare system, and more sympathetic public attitudes toward crime and punishment.
What is Correctional About Clinical Practice in Corrections?
Authors: Magaletta Philip R. , Patry Marc W. , Dietz Erik F. , Ax Robert K.
Published: January 2007

It is clear that adequate academic and continuing education/training for correctional mental health professionals is imperative if their practice is to be effective. To help shape such training, the clinical and correctional knowledge ranked most meaningful and relevant by psychologists practicing in federal prisons is determined. Overall, results suggest nine core bodies of knowledge representing a mix of clinical (e.g., psychopathology, suicide prevention, psychopharmacology) and prison-based domains (e.g., interdepartmental communications, safety, confrontation avoidance) form the heart of their work. In terms of where such knowledge was obtained, graduate school is frequently endorsed for the more clinical domains, but the correctional domains are transmitted namely through on-the-job training. Recommendations for training psychologists to practice in corrections include the development of a two-tiered training strategy that offers a curriculum in basic psychological knowledge unique to corrections and an advanced curriculum that builds on foundational clinical knowledge obtained in graduate school.
Actuarial Assessment of Violence Risk
Authors: Grann Martin , Långström Niklas
Published: January 2007

The assigning of different weights to risk factors in actuarial formulas for the assessment of violence risk in criminal offenders has been debated. The authors explore the predictive validity of an index with 10 well-established risk factors for criminal recidivism with respect to violent reconvictions among 404 former forensic psychiatric examinees in Sweden. Four different weighting conditions are tested experimentally, including Nuffield’s method, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression, and an artificial neural network procedure. Simpler weighting techniques do not improve predictive accuracy over that of a nonweighted reference, and the more complex procedures yield a statistical shrinkage effect. The authors hypothesize that the general lack of causal risk factors in prediction models may contribute to the observed low utility of weighting techniques.
Actuarial Assessment of Risk for Reoffense Among Adult Sex Offenders
Authors: Langton Calvin M. , Barbaree Howard E. , Seto Michael C. , Peacock Edward J. , Harkins Leigh , Hansen Kevin T.
Published: January 2007

This study extended previous research comparing a set of widely employed actuarial risk assessment schemes as well as a new instrument, the Static-2002, in a sample of 468 sex offenders followed for an average of 5.9 years. All of the risk assessment instruments (Violence Risk Appraisal Guide [VRAG], Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide [SORAG], Rapid Risk Assessment for Sex Offense Recidivism [RRASOR], Static-99, Static-2002, and Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool-Revised [MnSOST-R]) were found to predict the recidivism outcomes for which they were designed. Although significant, indices of accuracy were generally lower than those reported by the developers of these instruments, even under conditions that have been shown to optimize predictive performance. For serious recidivism, the predictive accuracy of the Static-2002 and SORAG was significantly superior to that of the RRASOR, and the SORAG was significantly superior to the MnSOST-R as well. There were no significant differences among instruments in accuracy of predicting sexual recidivism.
Do Workplace Flexibility Policies Influence Time Spent in Domestic Labor?
Authors: Noonan Mary C. , Estes Sarah Beth , Glass Jennifer L.
Published: January 2007

Using data from a U.S. midwestern sample of mothers and fathers, the authors examine whether using workplace flexibility policies alters time spent in housework and child care. They hypothesize that an individual’s policy use will lead to more time in domestic labor and that his or her spouse’s policy use will lead to less time in domestic labor. Several results support their hypotheses. Mothers who work part-time spend more time in housework and their husbands spend less time in housework. Also, mothers who work at home spend more time in child care. One policy has the opposite of the predicted effect: Wives with flexible work schedules do less housework, and their husbands do more. Overall, mothers’ policy use has counterbalancing effects on their own and their spouses’ domestic labor time, implying that policy use has little net impact on total domestic labor time within dual-earner families.
The Aftermath of Welfare Reform
Authors: Seccombe Karen , Hartley Heather , Newsom Jason , Hoffman Kim , Marchand Gwen C. , Albo Christina , Gordon Cathy , Zaback Tosha , Lockwood Richard , Pope Clyde
Published: January 2007

This research reports the initial findings of a statewide study that looks at health, insurance, and access to health care among families leaving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for work. Most national and state-level evaluation projects focus primarily on the employment characteristics of TANF leavers and pay little or no attention to health and access to health care. The quantitative data are from a sample of 637 adults in Oregon leaving TANF for work, and they are personalized by qualitative data from a subsample of 90 respondents. Our findings reveal significant barriers to accessing the health care system, even at a time when Medicaid enrollment is considered automatic, in a state with a relatively generous expanded Medicaid program.
Linking Mother–Father Differences in Parenting to a Typology of Family Parenting Styles and Adolescent Outcomes
Authors: Simons Leslie Gordon , Conger Rand D.
Published: January 2007

Using longitudinal data from a sample of 451 families with a child in eighth grade at the time of study, three research questions have been addressed: First, the study explored the ways in which mothers and fathers differ with regard to four parenting styles. Second, the study examined the manner in which individual parenting styles combine to form family parenting styles. Finally, the study investigated the extent to which these various styles are related to delinquency, depression, and school commitment for adolescents. Regardless of reporter, the most common family parenting styles are those in which both parents display the same style of parenting. Having two authoritative parents is associated with the most positive outcomes for adolescents. In the absence of this optimal family parenting style, there is evidence that having one authoritative parent can, in most cases, buffer a child from the deleterious consequences associated with less optimal styles of parenting.
Life satisfaction in individuals with a spinal cord injury and pain
Authors: Budh Cecilia Norrbrink , Österåker Anna-Lena
Published: January 2007

Objective: To assess and describe life satisfaction in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) with regard to pain.

Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study of self-reported life satisfaction in individuals with SCI, with and without pain.

Setting: Spinal outpatient clinic.

Subjects: Two hundred and thirty patients with SCI were mailed a questionnaire.

Interventions: Mailed survey.

Main measures: Ratings of pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, mood, and life satisfaction (LiSat-9).

Results: In total 191 (83%) of the questionnaires were returned and analysed. Patients with pain experienced lower life satisfaction compared with individuals who were pain free. Continuous pain interfered to a greater extent than did intermittent pain. In logistic regression analysis the univariate relationship between pain and low life satisfaction was removed. Predictive for lower scores of life satisfaction were higher ratings of mood disorders.

Conclusion: Life satisfaction is negatively affected in patients with SCI and pain compared to patients with SCI but without pain. Higher levels of anxiety and depression seem to be predictive for this decreased life satisfaction.
Quality of paediatric rehabilitation from the parent perspective: validation of the short Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC-20) in the Netherlands
Authors: Siebes Renate C , Maassen Gerard H , Wijnroks Lex , Ketelaar Marjolijn , van Schie Petra Em , Gorter Jan Willem , Vermeer Adri
Published: January 2007

Objective: In the present study we aim to assess the reliability and validity of the 20-item version of the Dutch Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC).

Design: The reliability, concurrent validity, predictive validity and construct validity of the Dutch MPOC-20 were determined. A subset of MPOC-20 data was extracted from a large Dutch MPOC (56-item version) database.

Subjects: Participants were 405 mothers and 22 fathers of children aged 1-18 years recruited through nine paediatric rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands.

Main measures: The participants filled out the MPOC-20 items, the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), and two additional questions about satisfaction with services and the amount of stress they experienced.

Results: The internal consistency analyses (alphas 0.75-0.87) and the test-retest analyses (intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) 0.78-0.91) showed that the Dutch MPOC-20 is a reliable tool. The concurrent validity of the Dutch MPOC-20 was confirmed by positive correlations between MPOC-20 scale scores and the CSQ (r 0.39-0.69), and between MPOC-20 scale scores and an overall satisfaction variable (r 0.37-0.66). The predictive validity of the Dutch MPOC-20 was supported by moderately negative correlations between MPOC-20 scores and a stress variable (r -0.27 to -0.44). The construct validity of the Dutch MPOC-20 was confirmed by significant scale intercorrelations (r 0.41-0.84) and a factor analysis.

Conclusions: The 20-item version of the MPOC (Dutch MPOC-20) is a reliable and valid measure of the family-centredness of paediatric rehabilitation.
Pre-emptive swallowing stimulation in long-term intubated patients
Authors: Hwang Chang Ho , Choi Kyoung Hyo , Ko Yoon Suk , Leem Chae Man
Published: January 2007

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pre-emptive swallowing stimulation on the recovery of swallowing function in long-term intubated patients.

Design and subjects: Patients in the intensive care unit intubated for at least 48 hours due to respiratory distress from March to August 2004 were randomly divided into two groups. Fifteen patients of mean age 55.39±17.9 years were stimulated (experimental group) and 18 patients of mean age 61.39±13.5 years were not stimulated (control group). The duration of intubation was 15.59±6.7 days in the experimental group and 15.79±6.5 days in the control group. Duration of stimulation in the experimental group was 7.39±3.6 days. After extubation, we compared the severity of dysphagia via video-fluoroscopic swallow study.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the percentage of aspiration and the swallowed volume between the two groups. However, oral transit time in the experimental group (0.379±0.07 seconds) was significantly shorter than that of the control group (0.839±0.10 seconds), and the oropharyngeal swallowing efficiency of the experimental group (73.39±17.4%/s) was significantly higher than that of the control group (50.19±13.0%/s).

Conclusion: Pre-emptive swallowing stimulation during intubation assists in the recovery of swallowing function in long-term intubated patients.
The ability of the Biodex Stability System to distinguish level of function in subjects with a second-degree ankle sprain
Authors: Perron Marc , Hébert Luc J , McFadyen Bradford J , Belzile Sylvain , Regnieàre Mario
Published: January 2007

Objective: To assess the capacity of the Biodex Stability System using a one-leg stance protocol to differentiate between injured and non-injured limbs and between level of disabilities.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Military and civilian clinic.

Subjects: Thirty-four individuals with a second-degree lateral ankle sprain and 36 healthy subjects.

Methods and measures: Subjects were tested on the Stability System 30 days after injury using a one-leg stance protocol in the dynamic limit-of-stability mode. All subjects also filled out a disability questionnaire (Lower Extremity Functional Scale). The groups were compared based on the overall dynamic limit-of-stability score and its relationship with the score on the disability questionnaire was also examined.

Results: The overall dynamic limit-of-stability scores (subjects with a lateral ankle sprain: 13.0% (5.5)-26.0% (9.2); healthy subjects: 16.9% (7.9)-27.9% (9.6)) clustered in the lower end of the theoretical range of 0–100%. Statistically significant differences in the overall dynamic limit-of-stability scores were found between the injured and non-injured limbs but group differences were small and clinically not relevant. No significant relationships were found between the overall dynamic limit-of-stability scores and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale scores (58.2 (11.8)) of the subjects with a lateral ankle sprain.

Conclusions: The one-leg stance protocol carried out in the dynamic limit-of-stability mode is very challenging and offers a very limited capacity to differentiate between injured and non-injured limbs. The main outcome of the Stability System does not appear to be a good indicator of the functional capacity of people with a lateral ankle sprain.
The effect of exercise on outcomes for older acute medical inpatients compared with control or alternative treatments: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: de Morton Natalie A , Keating Jennifer L , Jeffs Kim
Published: January 2007

Objective: To determine the effect of exercise interventions for acutely hospitalized older medical patients on functional status and hospital outcomes.

Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PEDro, Current Contents and Sports Discus were searched until February 2006. Additional studies were identified through reference and citation tracking and contacting authors of eligible trials.

Review methods: Eligible studies were prospective randomized or pseudor and omized controlled trials comparing exercise for medical inpatients to alternate or no treatment controls. Of 3138 potentially relevant articles screened by two independent reviewers, seven randomized controlled trials and two pseudorandomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers extracted data relating to patient and hospital outcomes and assessed the method quality.

Results: Pooled analysis of multidisciplinary interventions that included exercise indicated a significant increase in the proportion of patients discharged to home at hospital discharge (relative risk 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 –1.14) and a small but important reduction in acute hospital length of stay (weighted mean difference – / 1.08 days; 95% CI – / 1.93 to – / 0.22) and total hospital costs (weighted mean difference – / US$280; 95% CI – / $493 to – / $65) compared with usual care. Pooled analysis of exercise intervention trials found no effect on the proportion of patients discharged to home or acute hospital length of stay. The effect of exercise on functional outcome measures is unclear. There was no influence of exercise intervention on adverse events.

Conclusions: Multidisciplinary intervention that includes exercise improves patient and hospital outcomes for acutely hospitalized older medical patients.
A randomized controlled study of botulinum toxin A in the treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain associated with spasticity
Authors: Kong Keng-He , Neo Jong-Jong , Chua Karen SG
Published: January 2007

Objectives: To assess the effects of botulinum toxin A (BT-A) on hemiplegic shoulder pain associated with spasticity.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of a rehabilitation department. Participants: Patients, more than three months post stroke, with hemiplegic shoulder pain associated with shoulder adductor and elbow flexor spasticity, randomly assigned to BT-A or placebo.

Intervention: One-time injection of BT-A (500 units) into the pectoralis major and biceps brachii on the hemiplegic side.

Main measures: Visual analogue scale of shoulder pain (0 –10), shoulder adductor and elbow flexor tone using the Ashworth Scale and passive range of shoulder abduction. These were assessed at baseline, four weeks, eight weeks and 12 weeks post injection.

Results: Seventeen patients were enrolled, eight in the BT-A group and nine in the placebo group. At baseline, the median visual analogue scale score for shoulder pain was 6, the median Ashworth Scale shoulder adductor and elbow flexor spasticity score was 2 and the median range of shoulder abduction 76 degrees. Subjects who received BT-A showed significantly greater improvements in median shoulder adductor and elbow flexor Ashworth Scale scores than placebo at week 4 (P B / 0.01) but not at week 8 and 12. For shoulder pain and passive shoulder abduction range, all subjects showed postinjection improvements and no difference could be demonstrated between the two groups.

Discussion: Possible reasons for the negative finding in this study include the small sample size and the presence of causes of shoulder pain not related to spasticity which could have confounded outcome.
Goal-directed training: linking theories of treatment to clinical practice for improved functional activities in daily life
Authors: Mastos M , Miller K , Eliasson A C , Imms C
Published: January 2007

Background: Goal-directed training is an activity-based approach to therapy. Meaningful, client-selected goals are used to provide opportunities for problem solving and to indirectly drive the movements required to successfully meet the task demands. This is in contrast to interventions that focus on changing body functions. Here, the principles of goal-directed training will be studied through two case studies with the aim of linking theories of treatment to clinical practice.

Principles illustrated: The approach is based on the dynamic systems motor control theory and occupation-based therapy models, which suggest that movement patterns emerge from the interaction between the person's abilities, environment and the goal. Motor learning principles are applied to structure and schedule practice.

Theory in practice: Four components provide the basis for goal-directed training: (1) selection of a meaningful goal; (2) analysis of baseline performance; (3) intervention/ practice regime; and (4) evaluation of outcome. Two individuals with acquired brain injury practised self-care tasks: eating and tying hair into a ponytail. Intensive training was undertaken over four weeks and the intervention outcome measured using the Goal Attainment Scale.

Conclusions: The positive achievements in the self-care tasks illustrated that theories of motor control and motor learning can be applied to goal-directed training. The examples demonstrated that the approach could be applied to individuals with a range of abilities.
Techniques for Deep Sea Near Bottom Survey Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Authors: Yoerger Dana R. , Jakuba Michael , Bradley Albert M. , Bingham Brian
Published: January 2007

This paper reports the development and at-sea deployment of a set of algorithms that have enabled the autonomous underwater vehicle ABE to conduct near-bottom surveys in the deep sea. Algorithms for long baseline acoustic positioning, terrain-following, and automated nested surveys are reported.
A Unified Passivity-based Control Framework for Position, Torque and Impedance Control of Flexible Joint Robots
Authors: Albu-Schäffer Alin , Ott Christian , Hirzinger Gerd
Published: January 2007

This paper describes a general passivity-based framework for the control of flexible joint robots. Recent results on torque, position, as well as impedance control of flexible joint robots are summarized, and the relations between the individual contributions are highlighted. It is shown that an inner torque feedback loop can be incorporated into a passivity-based analysis by interpreting torque feedback in terms of shaping of the motor inertia. This result, which implicitly was already included in earlier work on torque and position control, can also be used for the design of impedance controllers. For impedance control, furthermore, potential energy shaping is of special interest. It is shown how, based only on the motor angles, a potential function can be designed which simultaneously incorporates gravity compensation and a desired Cartesian stiffness relation for the link angles. All the presented controllers were experimentally evaluated on DLR lightweight robots and their performance and robustness shown with respect to uncertain model parameters. Experimental results with position controllers as well as an impact experiment are presented briefly, and an overview of several applications is given in which the controllers have been applied.
Tradeoffs Between Directed and Autonomous Driving on the Mars Exploration Rovers
Authors: Biesiadecki Jeffrey J. , Leger P. Chris , Maimone Mark W.
Published: January 2007

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) have collected a great diversity of geological science results, thanks in large part to their surface mobility capabilities. The six wheel rocker/bogie mobility system provides driving capabilities in a range of terrain types, while the onboard IMU measures actual rover attitude changes (roll, pitch and yaw, but not position) quickly and accurately. Four stereo camera pairs provide accurate position knowledge and/or terrain assessment. Solar panels generally provide enough energy to drive the vehicle for at most four hours each day, but drive time is often restricted by other planned activities. Driving along slopes in nonhomogeneous terrain injects unpredictable amounts of slip into each drive. These restrictions led to the creation of driving strategies that alternately use more or less onboard autonomy, to maximize drive speed and distance at the cost of increased complexity in the sequences of commands built by human Rover Planners each day.

Commands to the MER vehicles are typically transmitted at most once per day, so mobility operations are encoded as event-driven sequences of individual motion commands. Motions may be commanded using quickly-executing Directed commands which perform only reactive motion safety checks (e.g., real-time current limits, maximum instantaneous vehicle tilt limit), slowly-executing position measuring Visual Odometry (VisOdom) commands, which use images to accurately update the onboard position estimate, or slow-to-medium speed Autonomous Navigation (AutoNav) commands, which use onboard image processing to perform predictive terrain safety checks and optional autonomous Path Selection.

In total, the MER rovers have driven more than 10 kilometers over Martian terrain during their first 21 months of operation using these basic modes. In this paper we describe the strategies adopted for selecting between human-planned Directed drives versus rover-adaptive Autonomous Navigation, Visual Odometry and Path Selection drives.