bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cytotoxicity of Eluates from a Gamma-Ray-Polymerized Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)
Authors: Cehrel[UNKNOWN] Murat Cav[UNKNOWN]it , Sah[UNKNOWN]in Sa[UNKNOWN]me , Ergunay Koray , Ustaceleb Semsett[UNKNOWN]n , Sev[UNKNOWN]l Ugur Adnan
Published: April 2004

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of gamma-ray-polymerized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). A total of 32 disk-shaped PMMA specimens were polymerized by gamma-irradiation with 1 Mrad for 4 h (Group 1), 2 Mrad for 8 h (Group 2), 3 Mrad for 12 h (Group 3), and thermally polymerized (Group 4). Four- and 6-day eluates of the specimens were prepared in Eagle’s Minimal Essential Medium (EMEM) without Fetal Calf Serum (FCS). The eluates and EMEM supplemented by 20% FCS were placed into Vero (green African monkey kidney) cell cultures, and incubated at 37 C for 24, 48, and 72 h. EMEM kept at 37 C for 4 and 6 days was also tested up to 72 h, and served as controls. After each incubation period, the number of viable cells were counted and stained at the termination of the experiments for histological evaluation. The number of viable cells for Group 1 was slightly lower than that of other groups after 24 h. The time-dependent increase in cells exposed to Group 3 eluates was comparable with the control group. There was a dose-dependent effect on cell response for gamma-ray-polymerized specimens. The number of viable cells and the morphological appearance of cells in all groups were similar. Eluates from PMMA polymerized by low doses of gammaray with reduced polymerization periods have early inhibitory effects on cell response. Higher doses of gamma-irradiation lead to better cellular response, and therefore, may be future candidates for polymerization of PMMA.
A Covalent Method of Gentamicin Bonding to Silica Supports
Authors: Ginalska Grażyna , Osińska Monika , Uryniak Adam
Published: April 2004

Results of a novel method of covalent bonding of an antibiotic (gentamicin) to silica bead supports are shown. Gentamicin was immobilized to four types of matrix: silica gel and porous glass beads activated by either silanization (APTES) or by adhesively bound keratin (with immobilization yield ranging from 36.5 to 91%). Gentamicin was immobilized to the supports after opening its carbohydrate ring in the molecule. This method of gentamicin activation before the immobilization process did not inhibit its antibiotic activity. The four gentamicin-containing immobilized preparations were stable, meaning that they did not release the antibiotic into the solution during the 30 days of incubation, not even during shaking experiments.
Correlates of Behavioral Disturbances and Pattern of Psychotropic Medication Use in Five Skilled Nursing Facilities
Authors: Ramadan Fadi H. , Naughton Bruce J. , Prior Roger
Published: April 2004

There are several treatment options for behavioral disturbances (BDs) in dementia. However, the choice of a specific psychotropic agent is directed by personal preferences and local community practice patterns. We examined the relationship between common clusters of BDs and the use of different classes of psychotropic agents in our community. A cross-sectional study of 430 long-term care residents from 5 nursing homes was undertaken. The Behavior Measurement Scale (BMS) was used to measure the frequency of BDs grouped in 4 categories. Residents with > 4 BD episodes in at least one category during a 2-week observation period were the behavior group and were considered to have clinically significant BDs. A sample of patients who had < 4 BDs in all BMS categories during the same observation period defined the nonbehavior group. A BD cluster was defined as > 4 BDs occurring in one or more BMS categories during the 2-week observation. Data on functional status, comorbidity, use of benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and neuroleptic agents were collected with chart review. The chi-square test was used to examine the correlation between variables. Clinically significant BDs were identified in 27.2% (117/430) of the residents in the sample. Five of 15 behavior clusters accounted for 73% of all clinically significant BDs. The 5 clusters were verbally nonaggressive behaviors (cluster 1, 20.5%), behaviors from all 4 categories (cluster 2, 17.9%), verbally and physically nonaggressive behaviors (cluster 3, 14.5%), physically nonaggressive behaviors (cluster 4, 12.8%), and verbally aggressive and nonaggressive behaviors (cluster 5, 7.7%). Cluster 5 had a negative correlation with functional impairment ( P = .009). There was a significant correlation between cluster 2 and benzodiazepine use ( P = .014). No other significant correlation was found between any of the 5 clusters and demographic variables, comorbidity status, and use of antidepressant or neuroleptic medications. Residents in the behavior group had higher impairment in self-feeding ( P = .036) and bathing ( P < .001) and were more likely to be treated with benzodiazepines ( P = .004) and neuroleptic agents ( P = .009) than residents in the nonbehavior group (n = 116). The higher use of neuroleptics and benzodiazepines in the behavior group compared with the nonbehavior group indicates that BDs are being identified for treatment, but the medications used may not be efficacious. The lack of association between specific classes of psychotropic medications and distinct behavior clusters indicates that clinicians are not using a standardized approach to target the neurochemical abnormalities that may underlie certain behavior clusters. Some behavior clusters correlate with impairment in specific activities of daily living categories such as bathing and feeding, making room for nonpharmacologic interventions. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2003; 16:8-14).
Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Psychotic Symptoms in Dementia
Authors: Cohen-Mansfield Jiska
Published: April 2004

This article proposes an initial nomenclature and systematic approach for the nonpharmacologic understanding and treatment of psychotic symptoms in dementia. An analysis of delusions and hallucinations must examine alternative etiologies, including misdiagnosis and misunderstanding, the misinterpretation of reality because of cognitive losses, sensory deprivation and vision loss, ambiguous sensations, and delirium and medical causes. Nonpharmacologic treatments frequently follow directly from etiology, such as improving sensory function via hearing aids or eyeglasses, providing stimulation, changing antecedents prone to misinterpretation (eg, reflections in windows), or circumventing misinterpretations (eg, ensuring that an equivalent object is available so there is no sense of loss or theft). Given the differences between psychotic symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease and those in other diseases, the term psychosisshould be abandoned for most dementia patients, and assessments of etiology should be developed. Future research should clarify what proportion of symptoms currently identified as psychotic are attributable to related etiologies.
Can Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementias with Lewy Bodies be Distinguished Clinically?
Authors: Weiner Myron F. , Hynan Linda S. , Parikh Bhavin , Zaki Nasir , White Charles L. , Bigio Eileen H. , Lipton Anne M. , Martin-Cook Kristin , Svetlik Doris A. , Cullum C. Munro , Vobach Steven , Rosenberg Roger N.
Published: April 2004

To determine if Alzheimer’s disease (AD), its Lewy body (LB) variant (LBV), and diffuse LB disease (DLBD) are distinguishable at initial clinical evaluation, data from autopsy-confirmed AD, LBV, and DLBD were examined. No significant differences were found in age at onset, age at death, total duration of illness, duration of illness before initial visit, duration of illness from initial visit to death, or severity of illness at initial evaluation. Hallucinations and delusions were significantly more frequent for LBV and DLBD, respectively, than for AD, and falls were more frequent for DLBD than for AD. Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) were less frequent in neuroleptic-free AD subjects than in LB subjects; the percentage of AD patients with EPS after neuroleptic exposure was less than that among LB patients. Seizures were significantly more common for DLBD than for AD or LBV. LB dementias differed from AD at initial evaluation, with more frequent hallucinations and delusions, EPSs, and seizures, and longitudinally in neuroleptic sensitivity, but the data did not distinguish LBV from DLBD.
Pathological Gambling among Elderly Veterans
Authors: Kausch Otto
Published: April 2004

The purpose of the present study was to examine elderly patients, aged 60 and older, admitted to a residential gambling treatment program and to compare them to a younger cohort on a variety of mental health factors and measures. A retrospective chart review was performed for 37 elderly gamblers consecutively admitted to the Gambling Treatment Program of a VA center between December 1999 and December 2002. These elderly subjects were compared with a younger cohort of 98 gamblers. On intake, the gamblers completed the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and a variety of mental health questionnaires. Compared to the younger cohort, elderly gamblers were more likely to be retired but demonstrated similar impairment on the ASI composite employment severity score. Elderly gamblers were just as likely as the younger gamblers to have a lifetime history of serious suicidal ideation. They were equally likely as the younger cohort to carry a psychiatric diagnosis, and depression was the most common diagnosis.
Pharmacotherapy Outcome in Older Pathological Gamblers: A Preliminary Investigation
Authors: Grant Jon E. , Grosz Rebecca
Published: April 2004

Although pharmacotherapy is often effective for pathological gambling, little is known about how it affects older populations. The present study examines the response to pharmacotherapy in a series of pathological gamblers age 60 years and older. Fourteen older patients who fulfilled DSM-IVcriteria for pathological gambling were treated in an outpatient clinic. Subjects were assessed retrospectively with the Clinical Global Impressions scale (both severity and improvement measures) using information collected on gambling symptoms during clinic visits. Eight (57.1%) older patients achieved sustained response to pharmacotherapy. The present findings indicate that many older pathological gamblers respond to “off-label” use of pharmacotherapy. The present findings are preliminary. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.
Rows and Consequences
Authors: Seaton Jean
Published: April 2004

The Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster considers the past history of rows between governments and the media - not just the BBC - and what has followed from them. Her conclusion is that "It remains essential that the [BBC] governors have to be seen to govern, the processes of governance tightened and made more explicit. But it is important to realise that outcomes are the result of politics, not justice. Yes, rows between the media and governments have consequences. They have only occasionally been fatal."
Dairy Daze
Authors: Jenner Brian
Published: April 2004

Reporter Jenner describes how he returned to a world he had completely forgotten - the Peterborough column. Not on The Daily Telegraph but on the Daily Mail. The Telegraph rebranded their diary "The London Spy" and two former Peterborough editors decided it would be a great wheeze to pinch it for the Mail. Jenner reports the hilarious progress of a staid Telegraph institution to the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of the Mail.
Journalism by the Book
Authors: Young Louisa
Published: April 2004

Journalist turned novelists Louisa Young points out that "Everyone believes he or she has a novel inside them ("And most of the time that's where it should stay!" respond the knackered, uncharitable readers of publishers' slushpiles.) Ninety-five per cent, I think, of novels submitted to publishers don't get published. Of those that do, few enough make any waves, fans, or money." But where others fail, Young succeeded. Here she charts her progress from humble hack to selling the movie rights of a book to Spielberg.
Science in Cyberspace: Science and Engineering World Wide Web Sites for Girls
Authors: Steinke Jocelyn
Published: April 2004

In the absence of real-life role models, images of women scientists and engineers on the World Wide Web can be important sources of information about women in science, engineering, and technology. This study analyzed the content of 27 science and engineering Web sites for girls and examined recurring themes in 168 of the biographies of women scientists and engineers found on these sites. Most of the Web sites included information about scientific, engineering, and technological disciplines and presented occupational information—information shown to be important for increasing girls’ interest in these areas. The biographies of women scientists and engineers found on these Web sites addressed issues concerning parental attitudes, acceptance by male colleagues, and family-friendly policies in workplaces— issues shown to be related to girls’ future interest in careers in science, engineering, and technology. By providing detailed information about the experiences and personal lives of women scientists and engineers, the biographies on these Web sites may be useful in countering existing cultural stereotypes of women scientists and engineers and initiating changes in perceptions needed to narrow the gender gap in science, engineering, and technology.
Creating the “Pillars”: Multiple Meanings of a Hubble Image
Authors: Greenberg Joshua M.
Published: April 2004

The “Pillars of Creation” is arguably the most famous image produced by the Hubble space telescope, and it has led a quite unexpected life. On one hand, by tracing the trajectory of the image from its genesis through the traditional media channels between science and the public, this paper is a straightforward case study in the black-boxing of a scientific image. However, by continuing the story and following the “Pillars” into the hands of a group of enthusiasts whose interpretations of it differ from those of the scientific community, we find that the power of black-boxed scientific rhetoric can be co-opted by those who would use it for their own purposes.
Bridging the Gap: The Virtual Chemotherapy Unit
Authors: Scavuzzo Jennifer , Gamba Nicole
Published: April 2004

Due to the complexity of pediatric chemotherapy administration, systems promoting safety must be utilized. Computerized order entry has been proven to reduce errors in the ordering of chemotherapeutic agents. A task force (the Breakthrough Committee) at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) evaluated systems and identified the need to streamline the chemotherapy admission process from the outpatient clinic to the inpatient unit. In the outpatient setting chemotherapy orders were handwritten, whereas inpatient orders were computerized. Patients due for chemotherapy admissions were unable to start chemotherapy until they were physically admitted to an inpatient bed. In many cases, patients would not start receiving chemotherapy until late in the evening or even overnight. The Breakthrough Committee created the Virtual Chemotherapy Unit (Virtual Unit), which standardizes the ordering and documentation for all chemotherapy admissions. As per its name, the Virtual Unit is not an actual hospital unit but merely a location in the computer system where the patient is admitted prior to having a bed on the inpatient unit. Patients are now able to start chemotherapy infusions in the outpatient setting early in the day, rather than waiting until arrival to the inpatient unit. The nurses in the outpatient clinic are able to document chemotherapy administration online, giving the inpatient staff the ability to view the medications that were given. The Virtual Unit bridges the gap in chemotherapy ordering and documentation by utilizing 1 online episode per patient admission. Oncology nurses at CHOP played a fundamental role in the creation of the Virtual Unit. Nurses identified situations with potential for error in the ordering and administration of chemotherapy. These scenarios were analyzed and used in creating a safer system.
Customizable Workflow Monitoring
Authors: Hur Wonchang , Bae Hyerim , Kang Suk-Ho
Published: April 2004

We have considered the customization of monitoring services in Workflow Management System (WFMS). WFMS is a software tool to manage business processes effectively and efficiently. An important function of WFMS is monitoring, and WFMS usually involves many monitoring users having different responsibilities, roles, and preferences. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of customization for workflow monitoring that can produce a monitoring environment fitted to each user’s requirements. We have identified four components in customizing the workflow monitoring: data objects, analysis methods, presentation styles, and audit events. We have also developed a customization model, called monitoring template, to combine the components. A participant can specify each of the components on a template based on the participant’s own preference, which will then be used to provide workflow monitoring services that are automatically customized for the user. A prototype system has been implemented on top of a commercial WFMS to demonstrate the effectiveness of the customizable workflow monitoring.
Acupuncture Treatment for Depression During Pregnancy: Conceptual Framework and Two Case Reports
Authors: Schnyer Rosa N. , Manber Rachel , Fitzcharles Andrew J.
Published: April 2004

Severe depression is common during pregnancy. It is associated with more negative pregnancy outcome and is a risk factor for postpartum depression. Treatment options available for depressed women during pregnancy are limited. Preliminary data suggest acupuncture as an effective treatment for depression. This article presents a systematic and standardized approach to acupuncture treatment, and its implementation is demonstrated using two case reports selected from a larger pool of participants in an ongoing study testingthe efficacy of acupuncture in treating depression during pregnancy. Baseline characteristics and outcome are presented from the integrated perspective of Western psychiatry and Chinese medicine.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Rural Residents in Western North Carolina
Authors: Arcury Thomas A. , Preisser John S. , Gesler Wilbert M. , Sherman Jill E.
Published: April 2004

This analysis examines prevalence and identifies the predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among adults living in a rural region and analyzes the general health concerns for which rural adults use CAM remedies. Data are from a cross-sectional survey of 1,059 adults residing in 12 nonmetropolitan counties in Appalachian North Carolina conducted in 1999. “Home remedies” is the most extensively used CAM category in this population, with “honey-lemon-vinegar-whiskey and herbs” being the most widely used. The use of specific home remedies is associated with age, gender, and education. Chiropractors are the only widely used alternative therapist. Home remedies are differentially used to treat health conditions.
Interview with John A. Astin, PhD
Authors: Cowen Virginia S.
Published: April 2004

Dr. John A. Astin received his PhD in health psychology from the University of California, Irvine. He has been a research fellow in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine and director of mind-body research at the Complementary Medicine Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine. In 2002, he joined California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco as a research scientist. His research and clinical work has focused on several related areas: the use of mind-body therapies, particularly mindfulness meditation, to treat various health-related problems; psychosocial factors associated with use of complementary and alternative medical therapies; the psychological construct of control and its relationship to mental and physical health; and the role of spirituality in healthcare. His research has appeared in such journals as Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA, and the Annals of Internal Medicine. He is coauthor (with Deane Shapiro) of the book, Control Therapy: An Integrated Approach to Psychotherapy, Health, and Healing. Along with his scholarly pursuits, Dr. Astin is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and recording artist and has produced five albums of original music that are distributed worldwide.
Saving Behavior among Korean Households
Authors: Hong Gong‐Soog , Sung Jaimie , Kim Soon‐Mi
Published: April 2004

Using the 1998 Korean Household Panel Study, this article examines the factors affecting the likelihood of being a saver and identifies the factors influencing the savings rate. About 69% of Koreans are savers, and they save about 24% of their household income. Household income, number of earners, and planning to live independently after retirement are positively associated with being savers. Households headed by those aged 40 and older are less likely to save than households headed by those between ages 30 and 39. The savings rate is positively related to household income, the amount of liquid assets, and the number of earners in the household. Households headed by older individuals tend to have a lower savings rate. The savings rate is higher for households saving for children or retirement than for those saving for a precautionary measure. The savings rate is lower for landowners. Implications are discussed.
An Empirical Method for a Model of Self‐Employed Households
Authors: Sonoda Tadashi
Published: April 2004

This article presents an empirical method for a simple model of self‐employed households. In this model, the “internal wage” plays a crucial role of equilibrating the demand and supply of family labor within the household. By paying special attention to this wage, all structural parameters of the model can be estimated and are used to verify the seemingly anomalous characteristics of self‐ employed households: They earn less (per hour or week) and work longer than salary and wage workers and their own price elasticity of output supply is small or negative.
Intergenerational Interdependence: Mid‐Life Couples' Help Exchange in a Three‐Generational Model
Authors: Lin Li‐Wen
Published: April 2004

This research examined the extent to which help exchanged between generations is female‐based and how husband and wife as a couple interact with their children and aging parents. Data from 84 middle‐aged intact married couples in Indiana and Michigan were taken froma regional survey done in nine states. The data, gathered as reports from middle‐generation couples concerning the help they received from and gave to their parents and children, were analyzed by LISREL. The results showed that women's intergenerational exchange behaviors were good predictors of the help they and their spouses as a couple exchanged with other generations. In addition, the more help a couple received from their parents, the more help they gave to their children. Intergenerational transmission of helping patterns played an important role in the two‐way exchanges between kin in the scope of three generations. The norm of reciprocity also made important contributions to the intergenerational exchange.
Compulsive Buying Behavior and Its Relationship to Perceived Social Status Associated with Buying, Materialism, Self‐Esteem, and Apparel‐Product Involvement
Authors: Yurchisin Jennifer , Johnson Kim K. P.
Published: April 2004

Compulsive buyers are individuals who experience and routinely act on powerful, uncontrollable urges to purchase. The relationships that existed between compulsive buying behavior and perceived social status associated with buying, materialism, self‐esteem, and apparel‐product involvement for adults between the ages of 18 and 24 were investigated. This age range was selected because it is the average onset age of compulsive buying behavior. A convenience sample of 305 undergraduates completed a questionnaire that contained measures of compulsive buying, perceived social status associated with buying, materialism, self‐esteem, and apparel‐product involvement. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The full regression model and the regression coefficients for all four of the predictor variables were statistically significant. The compulsive buying behavior of participants was negatively related to self‐esteem and positively related to perceived social status associated with buying, materialism, and apparel‐product involvement.
Childhood as Generation or Life Phase?
Authors: Närvänen Anna-Liisa , Näsman Elisabet
Published: April 2004

During the last few decades a view of childhood as a generation has been introduced within what is called ‘new childhood studies’. Childhood as a structural and structuring concept, with methodological emphasis on studies on the aggregated level, is proposed by one of the main proponents of this view, Jens Qvortrup, while another perspective, here represented by Leena Alanen, takes Mannheim’s theoretical work on generations as a point of departure. These two points of view have had an impact on the new childhood studies, but at the same time they have not been made subject to critical discussion and are, thus, uncontested. There are, however, several conceptual as well as methodological issues and problems that should be discussed with regard to both perspectives. Issues raised in this article are, for example, the multiple meanings of the term ‘generation’ and the inherent problems in Mannheim’s conceptualization and its proposed use in childhood studies. Finally we discuss whether concepts like ‘life phase’ within life course research, and ‘age category’would be more clear and applicable than the proposed uses of ‘generation’, considering the theoretical interests behind this research.
Small Chamber Tests for Measurement of VOC Emissions from Flooring Adhesives
Authors: Yu C. W. F , Crump D. R.
Published: April 2004

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building products can adversely affect indoor air quality. Within Europe, standard test methods have been developed to determine VOC emissions from building products, which form a basis for labelling of low emission products. This paper assesses the reproducibility of testing of VOC emissions from a flooring adhesive using a 1 m3 environmental chamber and a BRE micro-chamber. The adhesive was used for a recent inter-laboratory comparison to validate a labelling scheme called EMICODE, for controlling emissions of VOCs from flooring products. There was good agreement of results from the repeated BRE 1 m3 environmental chamber tests, and to an acceptable degree, the micro-chamber test. Sample preparation and the analytical method were important factors affecting the reproducibility of testing in the inter-laboratory study. Results are also reported on the use of an emission cell (FLEC) to assess VOC emissions from flooring adhesives.
Measurements of Natural Radioactivity in Some Water and Soil Samples of Punjab State, India
Authors: Bajwa B. S. , Sharma Navjeet , Walia Vivek , Virk H. S.
Published: April 2004

In the present investigation a nuclear track-etch technique using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors was used to estimate the trace uranium concentration in water and soil samples collected from different sources and locations of the Amritsar and Bathinda cities of Punjab. The uranium concentration in the water samples collected from Amritsar was found to vary from 3.17 to 4.19 mg L 1 and in the Bathinda city it varied between 4.28 and 16.48 mg L 1. A lake sample, collected from the NFL water works site in Bathinda city had a uranium content of only 1.21 mg L 1 which was several times lower than those samples collected from hand-pumps and tube - wells from this area. The uranium concentration in soil samples of Amritsar city was found to vary from 0.61 to 1.27 ppm. In addition, soil samples from other cities of the Punjab were analysed using the Gamma-spectroscopic technique to determine 226Ra, 232Th and 40K concentrations in soil. The average values of the concentration of 1 respectively.
Identification of Fungi, Especially Stachybotrys Chartarum from Gypsum Boards, by Means of PCR and Sequencing of Ribosomal DNA
Authors: Land Carl Johan , Must Aime , Högberg Nils
Published: April 2004

Gypsum boards infested by Stachybotrys chartarum are often found in built-in constructions. A PCR-based analysis method has been developed for S. chartarum using specific primers based on the Tri5 gene. Another method for detecting fungi is by species identification via sequencing of ribosomal DNA. Sequencing of ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) and the 5.8 s rDNA is straightforward and provides a basis for species identification. The sequences were searched for by means of BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) in the GenBank. The PCR technique will be an important step in the future both toward detecting fungal infestations at an early stage because of the ability to detect specifically the infestation without time-consuming cultivation in the laboratory and allowing reliable species identification based on sequences obtained from databases.
Floor-Supply Displacement Ventilation in a Small Office
Authors: Kobayashi Nobukazu , Chen Qingyan
Published: April 2004

This paper presents a study of the performance of a floor-supply displacement ventilation system using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The experiment was carried out in a full-scale environmental chamber with a floor-supply system to obtain reliable flow information for the validation of a CFD program. The validated program was used further to evaluate the performance of the floor-supply displacement ventilation system with different air change rates, diffuser numbers, furniture arrangement, and cooling loads. The evaluation criteria are thermal comfort level and indoor air quality.
The Role of Antioxidants in Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Authors: Sardas Semra
Published: April 2004

In living cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed continuously as a consequence of metabolic and other biochemical reactions as well as external factors. Antioxidant defence systems to counter this cannot provide complete protection from the noxious effects of ROS which includes oxidative damage to DNA. Experimental studies in animals and in vitro have suggested that ROS are an important factor in carcinogenesis. There is a crucial balance between free-radical generation and antioxidant defence as a force in disease prevention. An imbalance between protection against free radicals and their generation can be associated with the pathogenesis of a wide variety of diseases. Since oxidative/electrophilic stress is generally perceived as one of the major causes for the accumulation of mutations in the genome, antioxidants are believed to provide protection against cancer. A number of natural and synthetic antioxidants are known to retard chemical carcinogenesis in experimental animal models, and epidemiological studies suggest that a diet rich in plant products containing natural antioxidants may be a deterrent to carcinogenicity. Some prospective assessment of the effect of supplemental antioxidants such asvitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and carotenoids can be recommended for the maintenance of health and the prevention of disease as well as a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
Radon Measurement Protocol for Residences with Different Ventilation Rates
Authors: Tung Thomas C. W. , Burnett J.
Published: April 2004

A radon measurement protocol is proposed for residential premises in which the radon production rate of a room is quantified as the product of the emanation rate from materials and their exposed area. The protocol is based on short-term continuous monitoring in which the sampled room is maintained in a well-sealed state for at least three days. To examine the practicality and accuracy of the protocol, a living room in a high-rise residential apartment was selected. No mechanical ventilation was used in the measurements from which a real-time indoor radon growth curve was obtained. The radon production rate of the sampled room was found to be 414.6 Bq h-1. A tracer gas test, to measure the leakage rate of the room, was conducted simultaneously at the startup of the measurement to check the accuracy of the protocol. The air exchange rate due to infiltration (leakage) obtained from the radon profile and tracer gas test were 0.041 and 0.046 h-1, respectively, a deviation of 12.2% from the result of tracer gas test. The test showed that the protocol could be accepted to quantify the radon production rate of a room. The relationships between the radon production rate, indoor radon level and ventilation rate of a room are also discussed in this paper.
Icelandic Citizens’ Everyday Life Health Information Behaviour
Authors: P·lsdÛttir ¡gústa
Published: April 2004

The article presents some of the results from research on Icelandic citizens’ behaviour regarding information about health and lifestyle in the context of their everyday life. The focus is on the socio-cognitive aspects of information behaviour. The research was carried out as a postal survey using a random sample of 1000 people aged 18–80. The findings support the notion that human information behaviour is being shaped by cognitive and social factors together. The results demonstrate a relationship between respondents’ information seeking styles, sex and education. Women were found to seek more information than men, and they were also found to be more likely to consider the information useful than men. Respondents’ level of education appears to affect their information seeking habits, especially among women. Level of education also relates to how people value the reliability of information from the different sources.
Moving Communities of Practice Forward: The Challenge for the National Electronic Library for Health and Its Virtual Branch Libraries
Authors: Yeoman Alison , Urquhart Christine , Sharp Susan
Published: April 2004

The aim of this evaluation was to examine how specialist portals within the UK’s National electronic Library for Health were developing as communities of practice to support continuing professional development. Objectives included a literature review, to inform the development of an appraisal framework for the individual portals, and interviews with portal development teams and stakeholder groups. Appraisals of the websites and the data from the interviews showed that most of the specialist portals had evolved beyond the initial stages of community of practice development. Further planning of outsourcing would require a balance between maintaining a recognizable identity for the portals and not stifling the creativity of the development tea
Information Management Strategies and Death Certification in the UK
Authors: Gladwin Jean , Clarke Aileen
Published: April 2004

There is a great desire by the public, health professionals and judiciary to dramatically alter the certification of death in the UK. Proposed changes have major implications for the way death certification data are collected, disseminated, processed, analysed and ultimately used to inform management decision-making and policy for public health. The article describes current information management strategies with regard to certifying death and identifies challenges, highlighting the local level use of mortality data. Suggestions to resolve some of the information management issues that have relevance beyond the UK are made and areas for further research are identifie
Trust in Healthcare: An Information Perspective
Authors: Höglund Lars , Maceviciute Elena , Wilson T. D.
Published: April 2004

This article reports on an exploratory analysis of existing data obtained through a national survey carried out in Sweden. The survey questionnaire seeks information on a wide range of issues, including healthcare, library use and Internet use. The analysis presented here explores the relationship among these variables and the concept of trust in healthcare institutions. The results indicate that most of the correlations theoretically suggested were very small and that trust in health institutions in general is high but not strongly related to standard demographic variables found in a general survey of a large population. This exploratory study suggests that more specific indicators of health, experience from health institutions and health-related media exposure are needed to test, in greater depth, the relationships between information exposure, health and attitudes towards health institutions.
Working with Older People and Their Carers to Research and Develop Responsive ICT Support Services
Authors: Magnusson Lennart , Hanson Elizabeth
Published: April 2004

This article provides an overview of the ways in which information and communication technology can act as a useful tool to help older people and their family carers to improve the quality of their everyday life by providing appropriate information, education and support in relation to their caring situation. This is carried out by reference to the ACTION concept, which is outlined and subsequently discussed. In particular, ACTION is put forward as an innovative way of working in partnership with older people and their families to create and evaluate services that are truly responsive to their caring needs and preferences.
Condorcet’s Democratic Theory of Representative Government
Authors: Urbinati Nadia
Published: April 2004

The basic theoretical premise of this article is that representation does not necessarily imply a break with democratic principles. Its goal is to challenge the traditional liberal-elitist approach to representative government according to which this system is a mixed regime that is not identifiable with democracy since its main institution, election, is a mechanism that is inherently aristocratic, although it can be implemented in a democratic way. I question this powerful argument by questioning its main assumption: the idea that representative government, since its 18th-century inception, has had a linear and univocal history which was essentially undemocratic.I go back to the age of the French Revolution and analyse Condorcet’s plan of constitution in order to prove my case. Condorcet devised institutional mechanisms and procedures that were able to make representative government democratic by overcoming the polarization between representation and participation and making them related forms of political action constituting the continuum of decision-making and opinion formation in modern democratic society.
Diversity and Multicultural Pedagogy
Authors: Johnson Kirk , Inoue Yukiko
Published: April 2004

This article explores the practice of multicultural education within a Pacific Island university with a majority of faculty from Caucasian background and over 90 percent of students from Asian/Pacific Island ethnicities. This article is Phase II of a research project that began in 1999 with the goal to further understand the practice of multicultural pedagogy in higher education. Phase I measured the attitudes of faculty toward diversity and multiculturalism in general while this article attempts to narrow the focus to their perceptions of their actual practice of multicultural pedagogy in the classroom and in curriculum development. Through survey methodology and descriptive analysis, a picture emerges of the link between attitudes and practice. It was found that faculty ranked high on their willingness to engage and incorporate multicultural strategies in their teaching. Many often did not feel, however, that they had the skills or knowledge to do so. Many also felt that they were not well equipped to deal with a multicultural environment. While the data suggest that many are willing and open to diversity and multiculturalism, they struggle with strategies to incorporate those attitudes in their teaching. In comparing some of the data from the two phases of the research we argue that a culture of political correctness seems to mask certain ethnocentric beliefs that may then be reflected in classroom teaching and curriculum development.
An Overview of Intelligent Fault Detection in Systems and Structures
Authors: Worden K. , Dulieu-Barton J. M.
Published: April 2004

This paper describes a coherent strategy for intelligent fault detection. All of the features of the strategy are discussed in detail. These encompass: (i) a taxonomy for the relevant concepts, i.e. a precise definition of what constitutes a fault etc., (ii) a specification for operational evaluation which makes use of a hierarchical damage identification scheme, (iii) an approach to sensor prescription and optimisation and (iv) a data processing methodology based on a data fusion model.
Time to Get Down to Business?
Authors: Osgood Jayne
Published: April 2004

In this article theories of the gendered nature of new managerialism are drawn upon to examine the economic rationale behind educational reform (Trow, 1994) and the marketization and economization (Ozga, 2000) of early years education and childcare services. The author concentrates on the policy attention that the early years and childcare sector has attracted from the New Labour Government since 1998, and the implications of this attention. Through an analysis of the views and experiences of practitioners at the grassroots of early education and childcare it is argued that the application of business approaches is unhelpful and inappropriate. The evidence suggests that the top-down application of a specific policy designed to emphasize and promote new managerialist entrepreneurialism was unwelcome to an overwhelmingly resistant, almost exclusively female, group of practitioners. In conclusion, it is argued that whilst practitioners are committed to heightening their professionalism, the most appropriate means of realizing this is not through a business approach, but rather one which develops and nurtures practitioners’ preferred feminized ways of operating, along collaborative lines with an appreciation of the emotional investment and personal sacrifices they make.
The Language of Race
Authors: Levinson Meira
Published: April 2004

Lawrence Blum’s ‘ I’m Not a Racist, But...’ : The Moral Quandary of Race is purposeful moral philosophy done well. It is, however, not without fault. I challenge Blum on three issues regarding the language of race. First, I suggest that disagreements about the racial language we use are part and parcel of the debate about racism, rather than being something that we can and should resolve ahead of time. Second, I question whether the language of ‘racialized groups’ can be institutionalized in a way that is clearly distinct from the language of ‘race’. I focus especially on challenges to implementation within the classroom context. Third, I argue that Blum wrongly assumes that changing our language will change our social psychology. By contrast, data from both system justification theory and stereotype threat theory indirectly demonstrate that individuals are likely to perpetuate racist assumptions and behaviors, even if they adopt ‘racialized group’ language.
Faith, Knowledge and Indoctrination
Authors: Siegel Harvey
Published: April 2004

Michael Hand’s pithy and challenging essay (Hand, 2003) offers a neat, clear and powerful argument against ‘faith schools’. I am in considerable sympathy with Hand’s position. However, I think his argument can be strengthened, and weaknesses in it remedied or avoided. In this brief note, I offer some modest suggestions, which are intended as ‘friendly amendments’ to Hand’s argument.
Normal Genetic Variation, Cognition, and Aging
Authors: Greenwood P. M. , Parasuraman Raja
Published: April 2004

This article reviews the modulation of cognitive function by normal genetic variation. Although the heritability of “g” is well established, the genes that modulate specific cognitive functions are largely unidentified. Application of the allelic association approach to individual differences in cognition has begun to reveal the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms on specific and general cognitive functions. This article proposes a framework for relating genotype to cognitive phenotype by considering the effect of genetic variation on the protein product of specific genes within the context of the neural basis of particular cognitive domains. Specificity of effects is considered, from genes controlling part of one receptor type to genes controlling agents of neuronal repair, and evidence is reviewed of cognitive modulation by polymorphisms in dopaminergic and cholinergic receptor genes, dopaminergic enzyme genes, and neurotrophic genes. Although allelic variation in certain genes can be reliably linked to cognition—specifically to components of attention, working memory, and executive function in healthy adults—the specificity, generality, and replicability of the effects are not fully known.
Clinical Neuropharmacology of Drugs of Abuse: A Comparison of Drug-Discrimination and Subject-Report Measures
Authors: Kelly Thomas H. , Stoops William W. , Perry Andrea S. , Prendergast Mark A. , Rush Craig R.
Published: April 2004

Advances in molecular pharmacology and behavioral science have helped elucidate the structure and function of the central nervous system and its relationship to behavior and has sparked the development of pharmacological agents that have increasingly selective and potent effects with fewer adverse side effects. The sensitivity and predictive validity of the two most commonly used methodologies for assessing the neuropharmacological effects of centrally active drugs, subject report of drug effects and drug discrimination, were examined. The sensitivity of the measures was comparable across stimulant, sedative, and opioid drugs. Results with drug-discrimination methodologies were generally consistent with hypothesized neuropharmacological mechanisms across all drug classes, whereas subject reports conformed under more limited testing conditions. Firm conclusions regarding the relative utility of drug-discrimination and subjectreport measures for clinical studies of neuropharmacological mechanisms are limited by the small number of studies in which the two methodologies have been tested using identical pharmacological pretreatment manipulations.
Evaluation of a School-Based, Universal Violence Prevention Program
Authors: Vazsonyi Alexander T. , Belliston Lara M. , Flannery Daniel J.
Published: April 2004

The current investigation examined the differential effectiveness of Peace Builders, a large-scale, universal violence prevention program, on male and female youth identified as low, medium, or high risk for future violence. It included eight urban schools randomly assigned to intensive intervention and wait-list control conditions. The current sample included N = 2,380 predominantly minority children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Results indicated differential effectiveness of the intervention, by level of risk; high-risk children reported more decreases in aggression and more increases in social competence in comparison to children at medium and low levels of risk. Findings add to a growing number of promising science-based prevention efforts that seek to reduce aggression and increase social competence; they provide encouraging evidence that relatively low-cost, schoolwide efforts have the potential to save society millions in victim, adjudication, and incarceration costs.