bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Context-sensitive Cognitive Rehabilitation after Brain Injury: Theory and Practice
Authors: Ylvisaker Mark
Published: October 2005

The goal of this article is to describe and offer a rationale for an approach to cognitive rehabilitation labelled “context sensitive”. This approach stands in contrast to the modern tradition of cognitive rehabilitation that features massed and decontextualized process-specific cognitive exercises. The paper begins with theoretical considerations, emphasises the history of research in transfer of cognitive skill, incorporates the World Health Organization framework, describes context-sensitive apprenticeship procedures, draws on evidence accumulated over several decades with related disability groups, and ends with answers to frequently asked questions.
Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychosocial Function: Let's Get Social
Authors: McDonald Skye
Published: October 2005

Disorders of psychosocial function manifested in a reduction in socially skilled behaviour, are prevalent following traumatic brain injury. It is clear to most clinicians that these can present the major obstacle to successful rehabilitation. Outcome studies also support this view. Despite this, there is relatively little systematic work addressing social skills remediation in Australia or elsewhere. There are even fewer studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of social skills treatment after traumatic brain injury. In this address I will consider social skills from a social skills framework that has been developed in the normal literature. This framework encompasses social behaviour and social perception (i.e., the ability to read cues accurately and social problem-solving). Social behaviour is the most common target for remediation in both the normal and brain-injured populations. There is a range of useful techniques that have proven to be efficacious in treating social skills in non-brain-injured populations and also to have some effectiveness in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. In addition, however, it is clear that both social perception (i.e., the ability to read social cues accurately and social problem-solving are also compromised after TBI). These areas are infrequently targeted for remediation, although again, there are some remediation principles that are relevant and potentially fruitful. Finally, it is important to understand the impact of psychological reactive factors such as depression and poor self-esteem in producing or maintaining poor social skills.
The Effect of Item Type on Performance of the Matrix Reasoning Subtest of the WAIS-III in Traumatically Brain Injured and Non Brain-injured Control Participants
Authors: Crowe Simon F. , Bittner Robyn M. , Raggl Ramona , Senior Graeme
Published: October 2005

Qualitative analysis of neuropsychological instruments has been a long tradition in neuropsychological assessment. This study extended this type of analysis to the Matrix Reasoning (MR) subtest of the WAIS-III. The study compared the performance of TBI participants on the item types identified within the MR subtest (i.e., pattern completion, classification, analogy and serial reasoning) with a group of normal controls. MR items were classified into categories (as defined respectively by the Psychological Corporation and by our own research definition). Ninety-three non brain-injured control and 72 brain injured control participants were included in the study. One way analysis of variance indicated that the TBI group performed significantly worse than the non brain-injured group the MR performance overall as well as for both the Psychological Corporation classification and on the research defined categories. Within group analysis revealed that both groups performed significantly differently across the item categories with the most difficult categories being analogy and serial reasoning for the research defined categories and the classification and serial reasoning categories for the Psychological Corporation-defined groups. The results of the study indicate that an item type analysis of the MR performance may further contribute to the qualitative aspects of diagnostic formulation.
Sibling Behaviours and Relationships Following Mild to Moderate Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury: Preliminary Findings
Authors: Fay Taryn , Barker-Collo Suzanne
Published: October 2005

Recent attention has begun to focus on the impact of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the family. This study examined the impact of mild to moderate childhood TBI on parental ratings of well and injured siblings' behaviours in relation to well siblings' ratings of the impact of injury and the sibling relationship. Parents of 10 children with TBI and 10 children with orthopaedic injury rated both injured and well siblings' behaviours using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Well siblings completed the Sibling Impact Questionnaire (SIQ) and Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ). Results indicated that children with TBI exhibited significantly more externalising and total behaviours than children with orthopaedic injury, while well siblings of children with TBI exhibited more internalising behaviours than siblings of children with orthopaedic injury. Well siblings' ratings of the impact of the injury and sibling relationship did not differ significantly across groups. The behaviours of well siblings and their ratings of injury impact and sibling relationship are examined in relation to the behaviours of the injured siblings for the two groups. The implications of the findings are examined in terms of the need to involve siblings in the rehabilitation process.
The Clinical Practice of a Community Rehabilitation Team for People with Acquired Brain Injury
Authors: Tate Robyn L. , Strettles Barbara , Osoteo Thelma
Published: October 2005

The aim of this study was to examine the clinical practice of a community team that is one component of the statewide, government-funded, specialist Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program for New South Wales, Australia. The 467 clients served by the community team of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney during the calendar year 2000 were identified and their use of clinical services described. A random sample of 50 clients from this group was studied in further detail, with specific reference to the type of therapy interventions they received. This was compared with the therapy interventions received 2 years later, in 2002. A total of 8046 occasions of service (OoS) were recorded for the 467 clients during 2000, with a median number of 8 OoS per client. All disciplines contributed to this number, with case managers providing the largest number of OoS (n = 2734). Between 65–75% of clients attended medical clinics and received services from case managers, with between 15–30% of clients receiving services from allied health disciplines. The random sample received a median of 9 OoS during 2000, and a median of 3 therapy interventions per client. Therapy interventions pertaining to living skills were addressed in 66% of the group, interpersonal relationships in 54%, and occupational activity in 44%. Although the community team continued to provide a comparable number of OoS in 2000 and 2002, 56% of the random sample had been discharged by 2002. There were significant group differences between those who were discharged and those who remained in the service. Additionally, for those who remained in the service, there was a significant reduction of OoS and therapy interventions between 2000 and 2002. The data were used to draw together a model of clinical practice of the community team.
Ageing and Visual Orienting in Response to Complex Spatial Cues
Authors: Lambert Anthony , Holmes Jane
Published: October 2005

An experiment is reported in which young and older adults performed a visual orienting task and a cue discrimination task. In the visual orienting task symbolic cues (letters) provided predictive information concerning the likely location of a target stimulus. Two letters, drawn from a pool of four ‘valid’ and four ‘invalid’ letters, were presented bilaterally, at either central or peripheral locations. In the cue discrimination task participants were presented with the same bilateral letter stimuli, and indicated whether these represented a valid letter on the right with an invalid letter on the left, or vice versa. In the visual orienting task young adults shifted attention appropriately in response to the letter cues, but older adults failed to do this. Older participants also performed more poorly on the cue discrimination task. However, even older participants who performed as well as young participants on the cue discrimination task failed to orient in response to the letter cues. Results are discussed in terms of effects of ageing on the ability to forge functionally effective links between different task components in the course of learning how to perform new perceptuomotor skills.
The Significance of Age-Related Androgen Depletion in Cognitive Impairment: A Review
Authors: Burkhardt Melanie S. , Foster Jonathan K. , Martins Ralph N.
Published: October 2005

The potential role of supplementing sex steroids for the prevention and delay of age-related cognitive decline has received a great deal of recent interest. Although the biological plausibility of hormone treatment has received considerable support, clinical studies of cognitive functioning after hormonal treatment in postmenopausal women with and without dementia have produced mixed results. Much less attention has been given to the corresponding role of androgens in men. In order to establish the relevance of hormonal supplementation for men in delaying or preventing cognitive decline, it is of importance to evaluate both adrenal and gonadal contributions to androgen status. Additionally, consideration must also be given to the potential interactions of androgens with risk and protective factors (e.g., apolipoprotein E genotype and education). Here we review experimental and epidemiological studies of the significance of androgens for cognitive function.
Quantitative and Qualitative Impairments in Semantic Fluency, but not Phonetic Fluency, as a Potential Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: O'Dowd Brona , Chalk Jonathan , Zubicaray Greig de
Published: October 2005

Qualitative aspects of verbal fluency may be more useful in discerning the precise cause of any quantitative deficits in phonetic or category fluency, especially in the case of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a possible intermediate stage between normal performance and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to use both quantitative and qualitative (switches and clusters) methods to compare the phonetic and category verbal fluency performance of elderly adults with no cognitive impairment (n = 51), significant memory impairment (n = 16), and AD (n = 16). As expected, the AD group displayed impairments in all quantitative and qualitative measures of the two fluency tasks relative to their age- and education-matched peers. By contrast, the amnestic MCI group produced fewer animal names on the semantic fluency task than controls and showed normal performance on the phonetic fluency task. The MCI group's inferior category fluency performance was associated with a deficit in their category-switching rate rather than word cluster size. Overall, the results indicate that a semantic measure such as category fluency when used in conjunction with a test of episodic memory may increase the sensitivity for detecting preclinical AD. Future research using external cues and other measures of set shifting capacity may assist in clarifying the origin of the amnestic MCI-specific category-switching deficiency.
Marital Dyad Perceptions of Injured Partners' Communication Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Bracy Christine A. , Douglas Jacinta M.
Published: October 2005

This study was undertaken to establish empirically whether couples in which the husband has sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) differed significantly, with respect to perceptions of husbands' interpersonal communication skills, from control couples in which the husband had sustained a traumatic orthopaedic injury (ORTHO) without injury to the brain. Fifty married couples (25 TBI dyads and 25 ORTHO dyads) were interviewed and completed a questionnaire for the study. Analysis of variance and planned comparisons were used to examine between- and within-group differences. TBI dyads were significantly different to control dyads with respect to perceptions of husbands' communication abilities. Both husbands and wives in long-term TBI dyads reported husbands to experience continuing interpersonal communication difficulties. As a group, TBI husbands self-reported significantly more communication difficulties than did ORTHO husbands. TBI wives and ORTHO wives also produced significantly different perceptions of their husbands' communication abilities. TBI wives perceived their husbands to have a number of interpersonal communication difficulties, while control group wives reported their husbands to be competent communicators.
Gendering mornes and volcanoes in French Caribbean literature
Authors: Souza Pascale De
Published: October 2005

Volcanism has shaped the natural and man-made landscapes of the Lesser Antilles but also remodelled their political and economic activities. This violent interaction has inspired literary authors to explore the role of volcanoes in providing an iconography of resistance. While Aimé
Césaire finds inspiration in volcanoes as positive symbols of revolt, other authors, particularly women, tend to be more receptive to their dual identity as rebellious figures and indiscriminate killers. mornes also play a prominent role in the iconography of resistance. Their
ruggedness mirror the invincible maroon as it emerged not so much from historical studies as from local folklore and literary portrayals. A gendered reading of mornes emerges as French Caribbean male authors tend to focus on the role they played in marooning while women writers are
more aware of mornes as life-giving forces where rivers are born, herbal remedies grow and emotionally wounded characters find solace.
L'image de Montréal et des ‘States’ dans l'œuvre d'Antonine Maillet et de Claude LeBouthillier
Authors: Desalvo Jean-Luc
Published: October 2005

Given the injustices Acadia and French-speaking Acadians have suffered throughout the course of history at the hands of various groups, including the Quebecois, there is a somewhat bitter-sweet or ambivalent view of Quebec and the Quebecois, and, especially, of Montreal in Antonine Maillet's and Claude LeBouthillier's works. This often paradoxical portrait of Montreal is principally the result of its status, on one hand, as a cultural and literary centre, indeed even as a centre of attraction, second in importance as a French-speaking metropolis after Paris and, on the other hand, of its status as an all-assimilating milieu within the context and the whole of North American or Canadian francophony. In addition to specifying the characteristics upon which Montreal's paradoxical portrait is based, this study will seek to explain the possible reasons for such a portrait of Montreal, as well as of the ‘States’, in Maillet's and LeBouthillier's works by taking into account each author's particular writing style.
Gender, space and identification in Femmes du Maroc and Citadine
Authors: Korzeniowska Victoria B.
Published: October 2005

This article is a study of two French-language Moroccan women's magazines, Femmes du Maroc and Citadine. The article assesses the extent to which the female gender identity presented in these magazines is spatially contingent and also whether it derives from the classic
binary division between masculine and feminine space which is increasingly contested in Moroccan society The article also analyses how the Moroccan woman portrayed in these magazines reconciles the opposing attractions of tradition and modernity. Finally, the article assesses whether these
magazines advance a rhetoric of allegiance to Moroccan values or whether they, in fact, encourage adherence to the dominant western European discourse about femininity and the feminine gender role promoted in major western glossy magazines.
Eyet-Chékib Djaziri: transcription subjective d'une entrevue objective (Paris - 23 juin 2003)
Authors: Levéel Eric C.G.
Published: October 2005

Eyet-Chékib Djaziri est un écrivain franco-tunisien gay qui dans son premier roman ‘autobiographique’ (Un poisson sur la balançoire) décrit sa vie d'adolescent ‘libéré’ dans le Tunis bourghibien des années soixante-dix
jusqu'à son départ pour la France à 17 ans. Éric Levéel, auteur de cet article-entrevue, a rencontré le romancier le 23 juin 2003 à Paris et pendant deux heures lui a posé de nombreuses questions sur son travail d'écriture, son
existence tunisienne et son homosexualité revendiquée dans sa vie comme dans ses écrits. À l'aide de notes prises lors de cette entrevue, Éric Levéel a tenté de retranscrire subjectivement une conversation vivante et objective. Les auteurs maghrébins
ouvertement gays étant très rares, l'auteur a voulu comparer brièvement Eyet-Chékib Djaziri avec le Marocain Rachid O. mais également analyser une vie singulière à la lumière de l'existentialisme beauvoirien et un livre selon le plaisir
de la jouissance textuelle chère à Roland Barthes.
From ‘Beyrouth’ to ‘Déroute’?: Some reflections on the 10th Sommet de la Francophonie, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 25–26 November 2004
Authors: Brown Peter
Published: October 2005

It was, indeed, the two-year old conflict in the Ivory Coast that was to dominate the Francophone Summit. November 2004 having been a month of unprecedented violence in that country, in which France was increasingly implicated: the Ivory Coast government's aerial bombings of the rebel
forces and the collateral killing of French soldiers; France's retaliatory bombing of the Ivorian air force; the subsequent flight of thousands of French citizens from the war-torn country. Just a few days before the Summit, Laurent Gbagbo, the President of the Ivory Coast, had even accused
France of ‘une politique néo-coloniale’ and hisneighbour, Burkina Faso, the Summit's host nation of trying to ‘déstabiliser’ the region.
Un rayo en un día claro: el vuelco político en España
Authors: Paramio Ludolfo
Published: October 2005

Se pretende argumentar que el vuelco electoral del 14 de marzo de 2004 fue consecuencia de dos tendencias convergentes. Por una parte, el segundo mandato de José María Aznar (2000–2004), durante el cual el PP gozó de mayoría absoluta en el Parlamento,
estuvo marcado por una sucesión de enfrentamientos con la opinión pública que fueron haciendo crecer el malestar entre los ciudadanos y caer la valoración del gobierno. Por otra parte, en ese mismo período se había ido consolidando la credibilidad
del PSOE como alternativa electoral, tras el drástico cambio de su dirección como consecuencia del desastre electoral sufrido por el partido en las elecciones generales de 2000. En ese doble contexto, el impacto de los atentados del 11 de marzo fue incrementar la participación,
invirtiendo la desmovilización del electorado de centro-izquierda que se había producido en aquellas elecciones, y actualizar los agravios frente al gobierno que se habían acumulado en años anteriores.
Book Reviews
Authors: Robinson R.A.H.
Published: October 2005

Portugal y España en los sistemas internacionales contemporáneos, António José Telo and Hipólito de la Torre Gómez, (2003) Mérida: Gabinete de Iniciativas Transfronterizas de la Junta de Extremadura, 394 pp., ISBN 84-7671-712-1
(Pbk) €10.00
Transatlantic intrigues: Humberto Delgado, Henrique Galvão and the Portuguese exiles in Brazil and Morocco, 1961–62
Authors: Raby David
Published: October 2005

The spectacular incident of the Santa Maria, the Portuguese cruise liner hijacked in January 1961 by a group of Portuguese and Spanish exiles led by Captain Henrique Galvão, has been thoroughly examined from several different perspectives (Galvão 1961; Sotomayor
1978; Piñeiro 2000). It is well known also that General Humberto Delgado, unable to leave Brazil for lack of a valid travel document, claimed responsibility for Operação Dulcineia, as it was called (Delgado and Figueiredo 1991: 171–79). Despite rumours of a rift
between the two exiled condottieri, they still claimed to be united, and for a few months after the Santa Maria affair they continued to work together, at least publicly. This article will examine their relations over the following eighteen months or so and their relations with
other exiles in Brazil and later in Morocco, where they both arrived (independently) in late 1961.
Third sector radio in Spain
Authors: Chaparro Escudero Manuel
Published: October 2005

The article traces the development of two kinds of community radio within ‘Third Sector’ media in Spain, those media not governed either by public or commercial control: community radio with an associative origin, and ‘public community radio’. The former operates
in Spain without any legal framework to protect it, a circumstance which has hindered its further development. Rejection by the government and lack of sensitivity on the part of political parties has led a number of collectives to seek support from local city halls to defend their right to
broadcast. This has created city hall, or public community radio stations: a community model that is managed publicly. The development of these broadcasting stations has in many cases turned into an important reference for participatory communication, communication as an essential feature
of development. Public community radio has succeeded in dynamizing many communities where the absence of communications media constituted an important democratic deficit.
Book Reviews
Authors: Crisell Andrew , Starkey Guy
Published: October 2005

Sean Street, A Concise History of British Radio, 1922–2002
Tiverton: Kelly Publications, 2002, 155 pp., ISBN 1-903053-14-5

Jean-Jacques Cheval (ed.), Audiences, publics & pratiques radiophoniques
Pessac: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine,
2003, 198 pp., ISBN 2-85892-300-0
Logic, art and transdisciplinarity: A new logic for the new reality
Authors: Brenner Joseph E.
Published: October 2005

The philosophical logic of Stéphane Lupasco, based on the principles of dynamic opposition and a law of the included middle, offers a needed alternative to the still quasi-exclusive application of classical, binary logic to post-classical natural and social sciences, art theory
and political and social action. The system of Lupasco, extended by Basarab Nicolescu by the principle of levels of reality, is grounded in the major discoveries in quantum physics, biology, mathematics and systems science of the twentieth century. It leads to a conception of the unity of
knowledge and to a rigorous description of the dynamics of the highest human faculties of consciousness, art and social justice. As one of the ‘pillars’ of transdisciplinarity, this logic provides an interpretation of the fundamental modes of functioning of the physical and mental
universes and the emergence of the new reality of ‘cyber-space-time’. The argument is made that an understanding of the underlying logic is essential to the transdisciplinary perspective, practice and attitude. The concepts of Lupasco and Nicolescu are thus relevant to issues discussed
in Technoetic Arts.
Biopoetry
Authors: Kac Eduardo
Published: October 2005

Since the 1980s poetry has effectively moved away from the printed page. From the early days of the minitel to the personal computer as a writing and reading environment, we have witnessed the development of new poetic languages. Video, holography, programming and the Web have further
expanded the possibilities and the reach of this new poetry. Now, in a world of clones, chimeras, and transgenic creatures, it is time to consider new directions for poetry in vivo. Below I propose the use of biotechnology and living organisms as a new realm of verbal creation.
The mirror labyrinth: reflections on bodies and consciousness at cybertimes
Authors: Leão Lucia
Published: October 2005

How has the body been discussed in cyber artworks? Technologies of communication nets such as the World Wide Web, satellites, mobile phones and GPS are triggering drastic transformations of the concept we have of the body as well as of the perception of ourselves. The purpose of this
article is to emphasize some aspects existing in art pieces that question and investigate the concept of body and the emergence of a new kind of consciousness
Incommensurate modulation at 165 °C of intermediate tridymite
Authors: Graetsch Heribert A. , Brunelli Michela
Published: October 2005

The crystal structure of the incommensurate modification of SiO2 tridymite existing between 150 and 200 °C was refined in the 3 + 1 dimensional superspace group P21(α
β 0) from synchrotron powder diffraction data. The modulation consists of rotations and tiltings of rigid SiO4/2 tetrahedra with mainly transversal displacements of the atoms. At 165 °C the wave vector is r = 0.054a∗ + 0.004b∗. The largest amplitude is ca. 0.4 Å for oxygen and ca. 0.2 Å for silicon. Si—O—Si intertetrahedral and O—Si…Si—O torsion angles vary by more than 10°. The torsion rotations are larger for pairs of adjacent tetrahedra in trans-configuration than for those in cis-configuration. The shape of six-membered rings of tetrahedra change from almost hexagonal to ditrigonal along the modulation vector.
Monoorganotin-polyoxometal-compounds – III. Synthesis and crystal structure of [(nBuSn)9(VVO)3O14(OH)6Cl2(dmso)2] · 3DMSO
Authors: Izaaryene Maher , Kastner Guido , Reuter Hans
Published: October 2005

The synthesis, molecular and crystal structure of (nBuSn)9(VVO)3O14(OH)6Cl2(dmso)2 · 3 DMSO (1) are described. The yellow compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n (No. 14) with a = 17.961(5) Å, b = 19.222(4) Å, c = 26.748(6) Å, β = 106.776(2)°, V = 8842(4) Å3, Z = 4. The neutral monoorganotin-polyoxo-vanadium molecule (nBuSn)9(VVO)3O14(OH)6Cl2 × (dmso)2 (1a) shows the same distorted icosahedral arrangement of the metal atoms and a very similar metal-oxygen framework as the well known [(iPrSn)12O14(OH)6]2+ ion (2) from which it can be derived formally by substitution of three square pyramidally coordinated {RSnO4} groups by three {OVO4} groups of the same geometry. In addition, two further {RSnO4} groups are replaced by two octahedral {RSnO3Cl(dmso)} units.
Crossover from classical to 3d-Ising critical behaviour near the antiferrodistortive phase transition of lawsonite
Authors: Schranz Wilfried , Tröster Andreas , Gardon Manuel , Krexner Gerhard , Prem Manfred , Carpenter Michael Allan , Sondergeld Peter , Armbruster Thomas
Published: October 2005

Results of X-ray scattering intensities and peak profiles of lawsonite single crystals are presented in a wide temperature range including the antiferrodistortive phase transition Cmcm – (T
c ∼ 270 K) → Pmcn. In the integrated intensities of the superlattice reflections above T
c pronounced pretransitional tails similar to those detected recently in birefringence [P. Sondergeld et al., Phys. Rev. B62, 6143 (2000)] and in excess entropy data [S. A. Hayward et al., Eur. J. Min. 14, 1145 (2002)] are observed. These tails correspond to diffuse Lorentzian shaped scattering peaks. The temperature variation of the diffuse scattering intensity and profile can be well described within a Landau-Ginzburg model. In combination with entropy data we obtain a complete set of free energy parameters. Using these coefficients we are able to fit the spontaneous part and the precursor tails of the integrated intensities, the excess birefringence and entropy in a broad temperature range outside a temperature interval of about ±3 K around T
c. In the vicinity of T
c the experimental data are in excellent agreement with the predictions of a crossover model, the effective critical exponent α
eff(τ) varying from the classical (α
eff = 0.5) to the 3d Ising limit (α
eff = 0.11). Lawsonite therefore represents an ideal system to study the crossover from classical to critical behavior.
The high-pressure structural phase transitions of sodium bismuth titanate
Authors: Thomas Pamela A. , Kreisel Jens , Glazer A. Michael , Bouvier Pierre , Jiang Quangzhong , Smith Ronald
Published: October 2005

The crystal structure of sodium bismuth titanate, Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3, as a function of pressure is reported. From a combination of neutron powder diffraction experiments using the instrument POLARIS at the ISIS pulsed neutron facility and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction experiments at ID30 at ESRF, it is found that the rhombohedral ambient pressure perovskite structure (space group R3c on average) transforms to a lower-symmetry structure which has a strong resemblance to the CaTiO3 structure and is described by space group Pnma, at 40 kbar and above. A new refinement of earlier angle-dispersive neutron data collected at ambient pressure and temperature at D2B of the ILL, which gives Bi—O bond-lengths closer to the values suggested by subsequent EXAFS experiments, is also reported. This yields a model for disorder on the bismuth site within the ambient-pressure phase, average symmetry R3c, with locally triclinic displacements of the Bi atom off the (pseudocubic) [111] direction along the (pseudocubic) [10-1] direction.
On the nanostructure of radiation-amorphized zircon and pyrochlores: a small-angle x-ray scattering study
Authors: Ríos Susana , Martin Christopher M. , Whittle Karl R.
Published: October 2005

Nanoscale structural features of amorphous zircon and pyrochlore produced by self-irradiation induced amorphization have been characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Electron density fluctuations were observed in the untreated samples and studied as a function of annealing temperature (up to 1300 °C). In untreated zircon, density fluctuations were found to have a characteristic length-scale of approximately 1 nanometer diameter. A clear scattering maximum develops at ∼3 nm–1 as a function of the degree of damage, but only for amorphous fractions higher than 70%. For the untreated pyrochlore sample such a strong signal was not observed in the scattering function. As annealing temperature increases, phase segregation is observed in zircon with a clear nucleation at 850 °C of zirconia grains. The SAXS contribution, however, points towards a lower nucleation temperature, ca. 700 °C. In the pyrochlore structure, at temperatures as low as 300 °C the appearance of a first crystalline phase, Ca2Nb2O7, is observed, with the subsequent crystallization of TiO2 at 800 °C. Observed electron density variations are compared between the two structures and discussed in terms of nanoscale phase segregation phenomena.
Separation of Organic Compounds from Surfactant Solutions by Pervaporation. The Influence of a Micellar Phase on Mass Transfer
Authors: Gittel Th. , Hartwig Th. , Schaber K.
Published: October 2005

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be separated from aqueous micellar surfactant solutions with high efficiency by pervaporation processes using organophilic polymer membranes. This seems to be a surprising result because the transmembrane flux of a VOC strongly depends on its volatility, which is rather low in the presence of a surfactant at concentrations far above the critical micellar concentration.

Based on results of equilibrium measurements in micellar systems and pervaporation experiments, a theoretical analysis of the mass transfer is given. It is shown that the mass transfer for VOCs in the liquid boundary layer of a pervaporation membrane in the presence of a micellar phase cannot be described by molecular diffusion processes alone. Obviously, the mass transfer is enhanced considerably by diffusing micelles which transport the solubilized VOC molecules in direction to the surface of the membrane.
Influence of CO and O2 Treatments on the Structure and Activity of Au/γ-Al2O3 Catalysts for CO Oxidation
Authors: Guzman Javier , Fierro-Gonzalez Juan C. , Aguilar-Guerrero Veronica , Hao Yalin , Gates Bruce C.
Published: October 2005

Gold supported on partially dehydroxylated γ-Al2O3 was prepared from Au(CH3)2(C5H7O2). The activities of the materials as CO oxidation catalysts were investigated following pretreatment in flowing O2 and, alternatively, in flowing CO. The catalytic activity data are complemented with extended X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectra recorded as the samples in flow reactors were treated in O2, in CO, and in CO + O2 while functioning as CO oxidation catalysts. Mass spectrometry was used to identify the gases evolved during the treatments. The data show that samples pretreated in O2 contained predominantly cationic gold and were more active as catalysts than samples pretreated with CO, which contained gold predominantly as zerovalent clusters. These results reinforce recent reports of the role of cationic gold in the catalytic sites for CO oxidation.
A Vision‐Based Approach for Estimating Contact Forces: Applications to Robot‐Assisted Surgery
Authors: Kennedy C. W. , Desai J. P.
Published: October 2005

The primary goal of this paper is to provide force feedback to the user using vision‐based techniques. The approach presented in this paper can be used to provide force feedback to the surgeon for robot‐assisted procedures. As proof of concept, we have developed a linear elastic finite element model (FEM) of a rubber membrane whereby the nodal displacements of the membrane points are measured using vision. These nodal displacements are the input into our finite element model. In the first experiment, we track the deformation of the membrane in real‐time through stereovision and compare it with the actual deformation computed through forward kinematics of the robot arm. On the basis of accurate deformation estimation through vision, we test the physical model of a membrane developed through finite element techniques. The FEM model accurately reflects the interaction forces on the user console when the interaction forces of the robot arm with the membrane are compared with those experienced by the surgeon on the console through the force feedback device. In the second experiment, the PHANToM haptic interface device is used to control the Mitsubishi PA‐10 robot arm and interact with the membrane in real‐time. Image data obtained through vision of the deformation of the membrane is used as the displacement input for the FEM model to compute the local interaction forces which are then displayed on the user console for providing force feedback and hence closing the loop.
Religion and Freedom
Authors: Marcotte Roxanne D.
Published: October 2005

Freedom is essential for the blossoming of a truly democratic society, but how is the relation of religion and freedom to be understood in present-day Iran, which is ruled by a religious government and where debates over the extent of freedom and its compatibility with an Islamic state have gone unresolved for more than a decade? Leading Iranian intellectuals, a number of them clerics, some critics of the present Islamic regime, others, its ideologues, have discussed the issue of the compatibility of religion and freedom. This article proposes a typology applied to some discussions by a number of Iranian intellectuals on the compatibility or incompatibility of religion and freedom within a religious government.
Postmodern Feminism and the Daoist Tradition of Inner Alchemy
Authors: Meek Jesse
Published: October 2005

The Daoist, in transcending the socially constructed identity, finds language, discourse and the body vital in their quest to achieve zhenren (the authentic person). They are pursuing ‘full contextualization for the always unique person within an ever changing world’ (Hall and Ames 1998a: 85). This relationship between language, discourse and the body, particularly in the neidan tradition, has strong correlations in postmodern feminism. The juxtaposition of postmodern feminism and Daoism gives rise to a valuable new perspective from which one can reflect upon both traditions. Such a perspective offers a new point of entry into the ongoing discussion of these traditions.
The Impact of Erythrocyte Lysing Procedures on the Recovery of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in Flow Cytometric Analysis
Authors: Greve Burkhard , Beller Constanze , Cassens Uwe , Sibrowski Walter , Göhde Wolfgang
Published: October 2005

Since preanalytic lysing of erythrocytes remains critical in flow cytometry, we investigated the influence of four lysing procedures on the quantification of leukocyte and CD34+ cells in hematopoietic cell transplants (HCTs). Samples were derived from stem cell–enriched mobilized whole blood collected by apheresis (unselected) and immunologically purified stem cell products (selected) and were measured using the dual-platform (2-PF) method with two flow cytometric systems. Additionally, cells were measured by a volume-based technique (single platform [1-PF]). Results were identical in the 2-PF mode (unselected HCTs, r = 0.998; selected HCTs, r = 0.999). In comparison with the 2-PF results, the single-platform (1-PF) measurements revealed a mean decrease of 59.5% for CD34+ cells (50.8% for CD45+ cells) in unselected HCTs and a mean decrease of 52% for CD34+ cells (49.8% for CD45+ cells) in selected HCTs. In order to check the accuracy of cell quantification using the 1-PF method, leukocyte reference values from hematology counter results were compared with flow cytometric (1-PF)–counted nucleated cells. That analysis revealed good congruency, with r = 0.998 for unselected HCTs and r = 0.999 for selected HCTs. In conclusion, all lysing procedures that we used induced substantial loss of leukocytes and CD34+ cells. As demonstrated by the high accuracy of the 1-PF technique, all erythrocyte lysing procedures caused significant cell loss, which led to inconsistent counting of CD34+ cells in nonvolumetric flow cytometric (2-PF) protocols.
HOXB4-Induced Self-Renewal of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Is Significantly Enhanced by p21 Deficiency
Authors: Miyake Noriko , Brun Ann C.M. , Magnusson Mattias , Miyake Koichi , Scadden David T. , Karlsson Stefan
Published: October 2005

Enforced expression of the HOXB4 transcription factor and downregulation of p21Cip1/Waf (p21) can each independently increase proliferation of murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We asked whether the increase in HSC self-renewal generated by overexpression of HOXB4 is enhanced in p21-deficient HSCs. HOXB4 was overexpressed in hematopoietic cells from wild-type (wt) and p21−/− mice. Bone marrow (BM) cells were transduced with a retroviral vector expressing HOXB4 together with GFP (MIGB4), or a control vector containing GFP alone (MIG) and maintained in liquid culture for up to 11 days. At day 11 of the expansion culture, the number of primary CFU-GM (colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage) colonies and the repopulating ability were significantly increased in MIGB4 p21−/− BM (p21B4) cells compared with MIGB4-transduced wt BM (wtB4) cells. To test proliferation of HSCs in vivo, we performed competitive repopulation experiments and obtained significantly higher long-term engraftment of expanded p21B4 cells compared with wtB4 cells. The 5-day expansion of p21B4 HSCs generated 100-fold higher numbers of competitive repopulating units compared with wtMIG and threefold higher numbers compared with wtB4. The findings demonstrate that increased expression of HOXB4, in combination with suppression of p21 expression, could be a useful strategy for effective and robust expansion of HSCs.
Increased extracellular local levels of estradiol in normal breast in vivo during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle
Authors: Dabrosin Charlotta
Published: October 2005

Estrogen exposure is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Tissue estrogen originates from the ovaries but a significant portion is also produced by enzyme activity locally in the breast itself. How these enzymes are regulated is not fully understood. The extracellular space, where the metabolic exchange and cell interactions take place, reflects the environment that surrounds the epithelium but there has been no previous study of hormone concentrations in this compartment. In the present study microdialysis was used to measure extracellular estrogen concentrations in breast tissue and abdominal subcutaneous fat in 12 healthy women in vivo. It was found that women with high plasma progesterone levels had significant increased levels of estradiol in breast tissue compared with fat tissue (breast tissue 168 ± 6 pM; subcutaneous fat, 154 ± 5 pM; P<0.05), whereas women with low plasma progesterone exhibited no difference. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between local breast tissue estradiol and plasma progesterone levels (r=0.709, P<0.01). There was no difference in estrone sulphate in breast and fat tissue regardless of progesterone levels. Estrone was not detectable. The results in this study suggest that progesterone may be one regulator in the local conversion of estrogen precursors into potent estradiol in normal breast tissue.
Briefing: Responding to civil emergencies — the engineer's role
Authors: Wearne Stephen
Published: October 2005

The differing roles of civil and military engineers in civil emergencies were discussed at a joint ICE and Institution of Royal Engineers meeting earlier this year. Stephen Wearne of Manchester's Centre for Research in the Management of Projects was one of the presenters.
Modernising the UK's west coast main line railway
Authors: Spoors Richard , Martin James
Published: October 2005

In December this year the rail journey from London to Glasgow will be 44 minutes shorter. It will mark substantial completion of the £8 billion, ten-year programme to modernise the UK's west coast mainline, one of the largest railway projects in the world. Over half the 650 km long, 160-year-old heavily trafficked route has already been upgraded to carry new 200 km/h tilting trains, two years ahead of schedule, and gauges have been increased for European 2·9m freight containers all the way to Glasgow. Work on all final contracts is now underway with completion scheduled for 2009. This paper provides an overview the project, its unique civil engineering challenges and the innovative working practices and technological solutions adopted.
Measuring judgements to improve performance
Authors: Blockley David , Godfrey Patrick
Published: October 2005

Engineers have always had to make professional judgements but these decisions are now being scrutinised and challenged as never before. Examples range from risk assessments to tender evaluations and the delivery of ‘best value’. This paper explains that professional engineering judgements are an expression of responsibility in which our values lead to a preference. It then shows how such judgements can be measured and analysed using the principles of soft performance management and, more importantly, what actions we should take as result. Four case studies demonstrate how the principles can be put into practice.
Operating risk: the Achilles' heel of major infrastructure projects
Authors: Allport Roger
Published: October 2005

The civil engineering profession has significantly improved its ability to deliver major infrastructure projects on time and within budget. However, the operating performance of such projects leaves more to be desired. This paper examines the nature and scale of operating risks and sets out to explain why operating performance seldom matches expectations. It looks in particular at new-build urban rail schemes, where operating outcomes are found to differ significantly and systemically from expectations, usually for the worse. It concludes that a radical change in approach for such schemes is needed.
The history of tracks and trains: a lesson in joined-up thinking
Authors: Bailey Michael
Published: October 2005

Last year was both the 400th anniversary of the first recorded use of railways in Britain, laid down by the Nottingham entrepreneur, Huntington Beaumont; and the 200th anniversary of the first recorded use of railway steam locomotion by the Cornish engineer, Richard Trevithick. This paper, based on the author's ICE Smeaton Lecture, charts the early development of rail track in the UK, from the first wooden wagonways to the wrought-iron rails of the mid-nineteenth century. In particular it compares Trevithick's failed venture into steam locomotives with Stephenson's subsequent success—confirming that then, as now, economics and advances in vehicle and infrastructure technology should develop together.
Altering the Home Care Agency/Client Relationship: Notice Requirements
Authors: Kapp Marshall B.
Published: October 2005

Many older and disabled individuals regularly receive valuable services from home health agencies (HHAs). The unilateral termination or reduction of such services by an HHA may exert a significant impact on the life of a client who has come to depend on those services. The prerogatives of Medicare-certified HHAs to terminate their relationships with clients are constrained today not only by contract and tort law principles, but also by federal statutes and regulations establishing Conditions of Participation, including provisions concerning clients’ rights. A recent important federal judicial decision interpreted and expanded the legal responsibilities of HHAs to provide formal notice to their Medicare clients before terminating or reducing home health care services to those clients, regardless of the reason for ending or altering the relationship. This article critically discusses the background, holding, and practice implications of the 2004Lutwin v. Thomsondecision, which imposes these notice requirements on HHAs.
The Role of Home Care in Palliative Care Services
Authors: Hanley Eileen
Published: October 2005

This article addresses the increasing interest in end of life care and the need for improving access to palliative care services in patients/families served by the home care industry. The author discusses factors leading to this growing demand as well as some of the recent research conducted in the field of palliative care. The benefits of and underutilization of hospice services are discussed. The author addresses a variety of options for home care providers to consider expanding access to palliative care services including recent changes in regulation that allow for collaboration with Medicare certified hospice programs. A discussion of key topics to include in staff development initiatives related to palliative care is included as are education and clinical practice resources.
Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Incidence of Dementia Among Senior Citizens of a Small Town in Japan
Authors: Arai Asuna , Katsumata Yuriko , Konno Keita , Tamashiro Hiko
Published: October 2005

Dementia is one of the common causes that lead to dependence of senior citizens in daily living. Clarifying the features of the elderly with dementia is instrumental in planning for their effective care and support in a community, and for attempts at prevention. Our purpose was to investigate the impact of sociodemographic factors among the elderly with the presumptive diagnosis of dementia. We carried out a survey annually from 1998 to 2002 in a dynamic cohort of community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years or older. Of the 945 subjects, 782 were eligible for study because at the first interview they were asymptomatic for dementia and not institutionalized. We found no significant difference in a 5-year average incidence rate between genders. However, the risk of developing dementia increased with age. The study population was categorized into three groups of living arrangement: those living with spouse and others, those living alone, and those living with persons other than the spouse. The incidence rate of dementia among the elderly who lived with spouse and others was significantly lower than for those among the other groups. This was also notable in the subjects without a history of stroke, even after adjustment for age and gender. This result indicates that living with spouse might have an important benefit in reducing the risk of developing dementia, although this effect would vary with the type of dementing disease. We suggest that preventive measures in clinical and community care of the elderly should focus on interactive social conditions such as living environments.