bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet in Australia
Authors: Lea Emma , Worsley Anthony
Published: September 2003

Objective:

The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet.

Design:

Survey (written questionnaire) that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet.

Setting:

South Australia.

Subjects:

Six hundred and one randomly selected South Australians.

Results:

The main perceived barriers to adopting a vegetarian diet were enjoying eating meat and an unwillingness to alter eating habits. This was the case for men, women and all age groups, although there were sex and age differences present in over half of the barrier items. For example, family food preferences were a greater problem for women than for men, while the oldest group was more likely to agree that humans are ‘meant’ to eat meat than the younger groups. The main benefits associated with vegetarian diets were health benefits: increased fruit and vegetable intake, decreased saturated fat intake, weight control. Animal welfare-related benefits and disease prevention were also important. Age and sex differences were apparent, although age differences were more important than sex differences.

Conclusions:

The majority of respondents perceived there to be health benefits associated with the consumption of a vegetarian diet, but also, predictably, enjoyed eating meat. Given this, it is likely that interest in plant-based diets that contain some meat is higher than that in no-meat diets. An understanding of the perceived benefits and barriers of consuming a vegetarian diet will allow the implementation of strategies to influence meat and vegetarianism beliefs, dietary behaviour and, hence, public health.
Consumption of whole-grain foods by British adults: findings from further analysis of two national dietary surveys
Authors: Lang Rebecca , Thane Christopher W , Bolton-Smith Caroline , Jebb Susan A
Published: September 2003

Objective:

To assess the consumption of whole-grain foods in different age and sociodemographic groups in Great Britain, using data from two national surveys.

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis of the consumption of whole-grain foods.

Setting:

The 1986–87 Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults and the 1994–95 National Diet and Nutrition Survey of people aged 65 years and over.

Subjects:

In 1986–87, 2086 British adults aged 16–64 years; 1189 British adults aged 65 years and over in 1994–95.

Results:

In the 1986–87 survey population, consumption of whole-grain foods increased with age. Median consumption of whole-grain foods was 1 serving per week in 16–24-year-olds and 3 servings per week in the 35–64-year-olds (P <0.0001). In 1994–95, median consumption was 5 servings per week in adults aged 65 years and over. Overall, one-third of British adults ate no whole-grain foods on a daily basis, and less than 5% ate 3 or more servings per day. Manual occupation and smoking were consistently associated with a higher proportion of non-consumers and fewer servings per week of whole-grain foods, independent of age, sex, region and season (each P < 0.001). The main sources of whole-grain foods were wholemeal bread and breakfast cereals, which accounted for more than three-quarters of all servings.

Conclusions:

Consumption of whole-grain foods in the adult UK populations is more prevalent in the non-smoking, higher socio-economic groups. Amongst consumers of whole-grain foods, the frequency is similar to that reported in the USA and Norway.
Vitamin A deficiency in poor, urban, lactating women in Bangladesh: factors influencing vitamin A status
Authors: Ahmed Faruk , Azim Asfia , Akhtaruzzaman Mohammad
Published: September 2003

Aims:

To investigate the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among lactating women in a poor urban population of Bangladesh, and to examine the relationship between various factors and vitamin A status.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Setting:

Maternal and child health clinic in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.

Subjects and methods:

A total of 120 lactating women aged 17–37 years were randomly selected from women who attended a local maternal and child health clinic in Dhaka City for immunisation of their children. Various socio-economic, personal characteristics, dietary intakes of vitamin A and anthropometric data were collected. Serum retinol (vitamin A) concentration was determined as a measure of vitamin A status.

Results:

Of the subjects, 37% had low serum vitamin A levels (<30 μg dl−1), with 13.3% having sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency (<20 μg dl−1). Eighty-seven per cent had vitamin A intakes below the recommended dietary allowance. The lactating women who were either illiterate or received only informal education had significantly (P= 0.002) lower serum vitamin A levels compared with those who received formal education. The women whose husbands received formal education had significantly (P= 0.05) higher serum vitamin A levels than those whose husbands were either illiterate or received only informal education. The serum vitamin A levels of women in households with poor sanitation/latrine practice were significantly (P= 0.03) lower than those of women in households with good sanitation/latrine practice. The women with one child had significantly (P= 0.015) lower serum vitamin A levels than those with two or more children. Women with a lactation period of 6 months or more had significantly (P= 0.034) lower serum vitamin A levels than women with a lactation period of less than 6 months. The women who consumed less than the median vitamin A intake (274.8 μg day−1) had significantly (P= 0.01) lower serum vitamin A levels than those who consumed more than the median vitamin A intake. By multiple regression analysis, education level of the women, number of living children, duration of lactation and dietary intake of vitamin A were found to have significant independent relationships with serum vitamin A. The overallF-ratio (6.8) was highly significant (P= 0.000), the adjustedR2was 0.16 (multipleR= 0.44).

Conclusion:

A significant proportion of poor, urban, lactating women in Bangladesh have vitamin A deficiency. Among the various factors, education level of the women, number of living children, duration of lactation and dietary intake of vitamin A appear to be important in influencing the vitamin A status of these women.
Risk factors for low iron intake and poor iron status in a national sample of British young people aged 4–18 years
Authors: Thane CW , Bates CJ , Prentice A
Published: September 2003

Objective:

To examine the prevalence and dietary, sociodemographic and lifestyle risk factors of low iron intake and poor iron status in British young people.

Design:

National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people aged 4–18 years.

Setting:

Great Britain, 1997.

Subjects:

In total, 1699 young people provided 7-day weighed dietary records, of which 11% were excluded because the participant reported being unwell with eating habits affected. Blood was obtained from 1193 participants, with iron status indicated by haemoglobin, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation.

Results:

Iron intakes were generally adequate in most young people aged 4–18 years. However, low iron intakes (below the Lower Reference Nutrient Intake) occurred in 44% of adolescent girls (11–18 years), being less prevalent with high consumption of breakfast cereals. Low haemoglobin concentration (<115 gl−1, 4–12 years; <120 or <130 gl−1, 13+ years for girls and boys, respectively) was observed in 9% of children aged 4–6 years, pubertal boys (11–14 years) and older girls (15–18 years). Adolescent girls who were non-Caucasians or vegetarians had significantly poorer iron status than Caucasians or meat eaters, independent of other risk factors. The three iron status indices were correlated significantly with haem, but not non-haem, iron intake.

Conclusions:

Adolescent girls showed the highest prevalence of low iron intake and poor iron status, with the latter independently associated with non-Caucasian ethnicity and vegetarianism. Risk of poor iron status may be reduced by consuming (particularly lean red) meat or enhancers of non-haem iron absorption (e.g. fruit or fruit juice) in vegetarians.
The burden of disease attributable to nutrition in Europe
Authors: Pomerleau Joceline , McKee Martin , Lobstein Tim , Knai Cécile
Published: September 2003

Objective:

This review examines the extent to which differences in nutrition could explain the diversity of health in Europe and how dietary patterns might contribute to the overall burden of disease in the region.

Setting:

Europe.

Design:

Between-country variations and time trends in dietary and health patterns in Europe are described, taking into account recent evidence on east-west mortality differentials. Existing information on the contribution of dietary factors to the overall burden of disease in Europe and to the burden of cardiovascular diseases and cancer is then reviewed, including a discussion of the methodological challenges that face those seeking to quantify this burden accurately.

Results:

While evidence from ecological data have long suggested that variations in health patterns in Europe may be at least partly attributed to differences in dietary intake, recent research into the major risks to disease, disability and death is confirming the importance of poor nutrition to major health problems and overall disease burden in Europe. Findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2000 study suggest that 4.4% of the overall burden of disease in the region could be attributed to low fruit and vegetable intake, and 7.8% to overweight and obesity.

Conclusions:

The burden of disease attributed to poor nutrition in Europe appears to be substantial and probably underestimated. However, better quantification of the contribution of nutrition to the region's burden of disease awaits further research to assess the dietary intake of Europeans and to explore the relationship between nutritional factors and health outcomes in diverse parts of Europe.
Evaluation of a nutrition supplementation programme in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa
Authors: Hendricks MK , le Roux M , Fernandes M , Irlam J
Published: September 2003

Aim:

This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness regarding implementation and impact of a take-home nutrition supplementation programme, the Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) Scheme, that targets malnourished pre-school children and pregnant and lactating women in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

Methodology:

In assessing implementation of the PEM Scheme, a cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken over a 6-month period in the six regions of the Northern Cape Province. Interviews were conducted with programme managers and health personnel at clinics who were responsible for implementing the PEM Scheme. In assessing the impact of the PEM Scheme on growth, a retrospective review was done of the clinic records (including anthropometric data) of children enrolled in the PEM Scheme over a 1-year period.

Results:

About 76% of the budget allocated to the PEM Scheme had been utilised over the 1-year period. The budget for the following financial year was based solely on food supplements purchased in the previous year. Coverage of malnourished pre-school children and eligible pregnant and lactating women for enrolment was estimated to be 50% and 60%, respectively. Eighty-five per cent of health facilities in the province participated in the PEM Scheme. Some of the main problems identified included: lack of training, inappropriate targeting of certain groups, incorrect application especially of discharge criteria for pregnant and lactating women, inadequate assessment for nutrition-related disease, inadequate nutrition counselling and no standardised monitoring. Of the 319 children enrolled over a year, the mean age was 16.2 (standard deviation 16.2) months, 41% had been low-birth-weight and 18% had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Ten per cent of the children with a weight-for-ageZ-score of <−2 moved into the normalZ-score range after being on the PEM Scheme for a mean duration of 8 months. There was an overall improvement in the weight-for-ageZ-scores of 25% of the sample, with a significant difference between the mean weight-for-ageZ-scores at enrolment and follow-up (t= 4.8,P< 0.001). This was mainly related to significant improvement in the mean weight-for-ageZ-scores of children <2 years.

Conclusions:

Numerous problems with the PEM Scheme have been identified which could have limited its impact. Recommendations are proposed for improving the effectiveness and impact of the PEM Scheme in the province.
A potentially useful distribution model for dietary intake data
Authors: Myles JP , Price GM , Hunter N , Day M , Duffy SW
Published: September 2003

Background:

Conventional mixed models for the analysis of diet diary data have introduced several simplifying assumptions, such as that of a single standard deviation for within-person day-to-day variation which is common to all individuals.

Objective:

We developed a model in which the within-person standard deviation was allowed to differ from person to person.

Design:

The model was demonstrated using data on daily retinol intake from the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults. The data were from 7-day weighed dietary diaries. Estimation was performed by Markov chain Monte Carlo. Reliability of the model was assessed from the accuracy of estimation of the percentage of days on which various intakes were exceeded. For levels above the median retinol intake, estimation of percentages of days with excessive intakes was most accurate using the model with varying within-person standard deviation.

Setting:

A survey of British adults aged 16–64 years.

Subjects:

In total 2197 adults living in the UK, 1087 males and 1110 females.

Results:

Under the traditional model, estimated daily intake ranged from 716.4 to 1421.8 μg depending on age and sex, with a within-person standard deviation of 4298.9 μg. Under the new model, estimated average daily intake ranged from 388.9 to 518.3 μg depending on age and sex, but with a within-person standard deviation varying between subjects with a 95% range of 29 to 8384 μg. The new model was shown to predict the percentage of days of exceeding large intakes more successfully than the traditional model. For example, the percentage of days of exceeding the maximum recommended intake (9000 μg for men and 7500 μg for women) was 2.4%. The traditional model predicted no excessive intakes, whereas the new model predicted 2.9%.

Conclusions:

This model is potentially useful in dietary research in general and for analysis of data on chemical contaminants in foods, in particular.
Iron status of South African women working in a fruit-packing factory
Authors: Wolmarans P , Dhansay MA , Mansvelt EPG , Laubscher JA , Benadé AJS
Published: September 2003

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine the iron status, and the risk factors for iron deficiency (ID) and iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA), of non-pregnant adult women working in a fruit-packing factory.

Design:

A cross-sectional analytical study was done on 338 women, 18 to 55 years of age. Information on demographic data, risk factors for ID, smoking, and the consumption of red meat, chicken and fish was collected by questionnaire. Height and weight were measured and the body mass index (BMI) calculated. A non-fasting venous blood sample was analysed for haemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), serum iron, serum transferrin and C-reactive protein; transferrin saturation (TFS) was calculated.

Setting:

Fruit-packing factory in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Results:

The mean value for Hb was 13.06 (standard deviation (SD) 1.16) g dl−1 and for SF 48.0 (SD 47.8) μgl−1 (geometric mean 26.44 μgl−1). Women (n = 325) were categorised on the basis of iron status: 60% had a normal iron status (NIS); 12.6% had low TFS (<16%) but normal Hb (≥12 g dl−1) and SF (≥12 μgl−1) concentrations (LTS); and 27.4% had low iron status (LIS), defined as combinations of low SF (<12 μgl−1 or <20 μgl−1), low TFS (<16%) and low Hb (<12 gdl−1). More than 30% of the women were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kgm−2). The risk ratio for LIS (LIS vs. NIS) was 3.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9–7.6) if women were still menstruating or 3.2 (95% CI 1.6–6.2) if they were pregnant during the past 12 months. Women with LIS consumed significantly smaller portions of red meat, chicken and fish than did women in the other two groups.

Conclusions:

IDA (low Hb, SF and TFS) and ID (low SF and TFS) did not seem to be a major problem. Women who were still menstruating or were pregnant during the past 12 months were at greater risk for ID. The consumption of smaller portions of red meat, chicken and fish was related to LIS. A high prevalence of obesity, which demonstrated the coexistence of both under- and overnutrition, was observed.
Salt iodisation and public health campaigns to eradicate iodine deficiency disorders in Armenia
Authors: Rossi Laura , Branca Francesco
Published: September 2003

Background:

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) are endemic in the mountain regions of Armenia. Universal salt iodisation has been chosen as the control measure.

Objectives:

(1) To measure the prevalence of iodine deficiency in the Armenian population; (2) to evaluate household use of iodised salt; and (3) to monitor iodised salt promotion strategies.

Design:

Cross-sectional study on a nationally representative sample of 2627 households, including 3390 children under five and 2649 women of fertile age. Cluster sampling design on four population strata: residents, refugees, rural and urban.

Results:

Thyroid was palpable in one-third of the women, 6% of them having a visible goitre. Median of urinary iodine excretion in children was 139.5 μgl−1. One-third of the children showed low urinary iodine concentration. Iodised salt was consumed in 66% of the households. The national IDD control programme included modernisation of the Yerevan Salt Factory, legislative regulation of the iodine content of the salt, and public information by the media.

Conclusions:

Armenia was still an endemic zone for goitre in 1997. The iodine status of children under five in 1997 was not considered alarming even though 33% of them had low values of urinary iodine. After four years of intervention strategies, the use of iodised salt has increased by 17%. Further efforts should be made to control salt imports and to monitor IDD indicators in vulnerable groups.
An investigation of the association between vending machine confectionery purchase frequency by schoolchildren in the UK and other dietary and lifestyle factors
Authors: New Susan A , Livingstone M Barbara E
Published: September 2003

Objective:

Availability of confectionery from vending machines in secondary schools provides a convenient point of purchase. There is concern that this may lead to ‘over-indulgence’ and hence an increase in susceptibility to obesity and poor ‘dietary quality’. The study objective was to investigate the association between the frequency of consumption of confectionery purchased from vending machines and other sources and related lifestyle factors in adolescent boys and girls.

Design:

A secondary school-based, cross-sectional study.

Subjects and setting:

A total of 504 subjects were investigated (age range 12–15 years), from three schools in southern and northern England. Using a lifestyle questionnaire, frequency of confectionery consumption (CC) from all sources (AS) and vending machines (VM) was recorded for a typical school week. Subjects were categorised into non-consumers, low, medium and high consumers using the following criteria: none, 0 times per week; low, 1–5 times per week; medium, 6–9 times per week; high, 10 times per week or greater.

Results:

No differences were found in the frequency of CC from AS or VM between those who consumed breakfast and lunch and those who did not. No differences were found in the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake in high VM CC vs. none VM CC groups, or in any of the VM CC groups. Confectionery consumption from AS (but not VM) was found to be higher in subjects who were physically active on the journey to school (P <0.01) but also higher in those who spent more time watching television and playing computer games (P <0.01). No associations were found between smoking habits or alcohol consumption and frequency of CC.

Conclusions:

These results do not show a link between consumption of confectionery purchased from vending machines and ‘poor’ dietary practice or ‘undesirable’ lifestyle habits. Findings for total confectionery consumption showed some interesting trends, but the results were not consistent, either for a negative or positive effect.
Views of young people using augmentative and alternative communication systems
Authors: Clarke Mike , McConachie Helen , Price Katie , Wood Pam
Published: September 2003

Children with physical impairments who cannot use intelligible speech are often recommended augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. In England and Wales, it is usually the job of speech and language therapists to support development in AAC skills. This paper reports findings from discussion with children and young people who use AAC systems concerning their attitudes and opinions towards the organization of speech and language therapy, the role of the speech and language therapist in school and issues concerned with AAC systems themselves. Six young adults and 17 children from London education authorities were interviewed on a one‐to‐one basis and in focus groups. Children were interviewed who had a communication aid incorporating at least 20 symbols and/or pictures and/or written words, language understanding at the two‐word level and above, i.e. they demonstrated understanding of adult requests with at least two information carrying words. For children using communication aids, it is conceivable that their communication systems do not contain appropriate symbol vocabulary to express complex ideas, opinions and feelings. Consequently, a symbol‐based interview tool was designed to allow children to express complex issues through visual means. Most children interviewed reported that their AAC system was useful to them. Further analysis of opinions revealed that negative attitudes towards AAC systems were primarily associated with operational issues (technical skills required to operate an AAC system) and issues of self‐image/identity, and to some degree, with a lack of perceived benefit in interaction. In apparent contrast to therapists’ preferred models of working, children and young people identified a preference for therapy organized on a one‐to‐one basis targeting linguistic and operational skills. It is suggested that more acceptable and individualized design of AAC systems could have implications for their use in school and other contexts. The value of service users’ views in service planning and evaluation are discussed.
Prevalence and developmental course of ‘secret language’
Authors: Thorpe Karen , Greenwood Rosemary , Eivers Areana , Rutter Michael
Published: September 2003

The prevalence and developmental course of supposed ‘secret language’ was examined in a cohort of twins and closely spaced singletons pairs, with systematic assessments at 20 months and again at 36 months. Two forms of apparent ‘secret language’ were examined: (1) shared understanding‐speech directed generally but unintelligible to the parent, although apparently clearly understood within the child pair, and (2) private language directed exclusively to the other twin/sibling‐not intelligible to the parent, but apparently clearly understood and used only within the child pair. Both occurred in singleton pairs, but the rate was much higher in twins. In most cases it seemed to be a developmental phenomenon occurring in the second year of life with the emergence of immature speech, and decreasing considerably over the next 16 months. A small group of children, primarily male twins, was reported to use a private language at 36 months. This group had poorer cognitive and language functioning, and was characterized by highly dependent relationships. Some aspects of the twins’ home environment were less stimulating and less responsive, most probably reflecting the abilities and relationships of the children. A follow‐up of these children when they were ~6 years of age showed that language outcome was poor for the subgroup (n =4) who did not develop normal language alongside the use of a private language.
Thermodynamic and kinetic stability of intermolecular triple helices containing different proportions of C+·GC and T·AT triplets
Authors: James Peter L. , Brown Tom , Fox Keith R.
Published: September 2003

We have used oligonucleotides containing appropriately placed fluorophores and quenchers to measure the stability of 15mer intermolecular triplexes with third strands consisting of repeats of TTT, TTC, TCC and TCTC. In the presence of 200 mM sodium (pH 5.0) triplexes that contain only T·AT triplets are unstable and melt below 30°C. In contrast, triplets with repeats of TTC, TCC and CTCT melt at 67, 72 and 76°C, respectively. The most stable complex is generated by the sequence containing alternating C+·GC and T·AT triplets. All four triplexes are stabilised by increasing the ionic strength or by the addition of magnesium, although triplexes with a higher proportion of C+·GC triplets are much less sensitive to changes in the ionic conditions. The enthalpies of formation of these triplexes were estimated by examining the concentration dependence of the melting profiles and show that, in the presence of 200 mM sodium at pH 5.0, each C+·GC triplet contributes about 30 kJ mol–1, while each T·AT contributes only 11 kJ mol–1. Kinetic experiments with these oligonucleotides show that in 200 mM sodium (pH 5.0) repeats of TCC and TTC have half-lives of ∼20 min, while the triplex with alternating C+·GC and T·AT triplets has a half-life of ∼3 days. In contrast, the dissociation kinetics of the triplex containing only T·AT are too fast to measure.
The di-leucine motif in the cytoplasmic tail of CD4 is not required for binding to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef, but is critical for CD4 down-modulation
Authors: Bentham Matthew , Mazaleyrat Sabine , Harris Mark
Published: September 2003

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nef gene encodes a 205 residue, myristoylated phosphoprotein that has been shown to play a critical role in the replication and pathogenesis of the virus. One of the most studied functions of the Nef protein is the down-modulation of cell surface CD4. Nef has been reported to interact with both the cytoplasmic tail of CD4 and proteins that are components of the endocytic machinery, thereby enhancing the endocytosis of CD4 through clathrin-coated pits. A di-leucine motif in the cytoplasmic tail of CD4 (residues 413/414) was reported to be essential both for Nef mediated down-modulation and for Nef binding. In order to further characterize the involvement of this di-leucine motif in CD4 down-modulation we generated a CD4 mutant in which the leucines were substituted by alanines, termed CD4(LL-AA). We demonstrate here that, contrary to previous data obtained with the cytoplasmic tail of CD4 alone, full-length CD4(LL-AA) bound to Nef both in vivo, in recombinant baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells, and in vitro. In contrast the di-leucine motif was required for both Nef-mediated and phorbol ester-induced CD4 down-modulation, suggesting that the essential requirement for the di-leucine motif in CD4 down-modulation reflects the fact that this motif is needed for the interactions of CD4 with the endocytic machinery, not for the interaction with Nef. We have also exploited the observation that CD4(LL-AA) is refractory to Nef-mediated down-modulation to provide the first experimental evidence for a physical interaction between Nef and CD4 in intact mammalian cells.
Quality configurations:a contingency approach to quality management
Authors: Lagrosen Stefan , Lagrosen Yvonne
Published: September 2003

This article departs from Mintzberg's framework in which five different organisational configurations are defined. The purpose of the study has been to identify and describe the differences between organisations of different configurations to determine the way that quality management is used and the effects that are produced. The research population comprised the members of the Swedish Association for Quality. A questionnaire was mailed to 500 members. The questions concerned the values, models and techniques of quality management as well as the outcomes and the difficulties in using these models and techniques. The results show that the differences between the configurations are limited. Two of the more important differences are that systematic quality management is less used in the adhocracy configuration and that the effect of increased participation is more seldom seen in the professional bureaucracy configuration. On a general basis, it is also noted that the use of quality models and tools is rather infrequent and the value of committed leadership is highlighted.
Adopting a learning‐based approach to improve internal communications
Authors: Henderson Joan , McAdam Rodney
Published: September 2003

The aim of the paper is to review the internal communication process of an electrical utility organisation and propose a template for improving communications centred on learning organisation principles. It also looks at the contribution which good internal communications make to the development of sustainable business improvement. The case study central to this research is a large electrical utility organisation with almost 40 separate operational facilities geographically dispersed across Northern Ireland. It has experienced significant change over the last decade. Managers continually adapt strategies, policies and procedures in an attempt to proactively address the challenges presented by the external competitive environment. Communicating these changes to employees has posed a problem for managers and has led to confusion and allegations of operational inefficiency. The paper critically evaluates the approach adopted by the managers to address their internal communication problems in the midst of change. It goes on to propose a communication template which is a common‐sense approach to good internal communications and draws conclusions regarding the link between internal communications, organisational learning and change management.
Survey and case investigations on application of quality management tools and techniques in SMIs
Authors: Ahmed Shamsuddin , Hassan Masjuki
Published: September 2003

Quality management (QM) cannot be assured unless some objective assessments are undertaken. A number of tools and techniques are available to conduct such analysis. Although some of them are product or service specific, however, a few basic tools and techniques are commonly used in manufacturing firms. This study focuses on the state of application of QM tools and techniques in small and medium industries (SMIs). The findings reveal that by‐and‐large, lack of methodical analysis is a major weakness of SMIs. Still some rule‐of‐thumb and subjective observations are dominating over objective evaluation in the process of quality control decisions. A few case studies which have been conducted, and one that has been briefly reported here, also support this conclusion. The methodology of the study has three folds: literature review, survey in SMIs and case studies.
Comparing and combining individual x‐charts and x‐bar charts
Authors: Chan Chan‐Ieong , Ching Biu Tse Alan , Yim Frederick H. K.
Published: September 2003

Control charts have played an important role in monitoring the performance of operation processes, ever since their invention. Traditionally, according to Juran's idea and others, x‐bar charts are more sensitive than individual x‐charts. However, such a conclusion is valid only under certain conditions. Individual x‐charts can outperform x‐bar charts in some situations, especially in cases of minor and extreme changes of the center value. Since each chart has its own advantages and disadvantages, the idea of combining the results of these two charts is studied. The finding seems to be useful for practitioners in quality control.
Availability of weapon systems with multiple failures and logistic delays
Authors: Sadananda Upadhya K. , Srinivasan N.K.
Published: September 2003

Maintaining a high level of availability of weapon systems during battles becomes important from the point of view of winning the battle. Due to attrition factors (failure due to battle damage and unreliability) and logistic delays in the repair process, maintaining the required level of availability is difficult. In this paper, we develop a simulation model for availability of fighter aircraft considering multiple failures causing system failure and logistic delays in the repair process. The methodology is based on discrete event simulation using Monte Carlo techniques. The failure time distribution (Weibull) and the repair time distribution (exponential) for the considered subsystems of the aircraft and the logistic delay time distribution (log‐normal) for the logistic factors spares, crew and equipment were chosen with suitable parameters. The results indicate the pronounced decrease in availability (as low as less than 10 per cent in some cases) due to multiple failures and logistic delays. The results are, however, highly sensitive to a combination of reliability, maintainability and logistic delay parameters.
Availability optimization with genetic algorithm
Authors: Fiori de Castro He´lio , Lucchesi Cavalca Katia
Published: September 2003

This paper presents an availability optimization problem of an engineering system assembled in a series configuration which has the redundancy of units and teams of maintenance as optimization parameters. The objective is to reach the maximum value of availability, considering installation and maintenance costs, weight, volume and available maintenance teams as constraints. The optimization method uses a genetic algorithm (GA), which is based on biological concepts of species evolution. It is a robust method, because it does not converge to a local optimum. It does not need the use of differential calculus, facilitating the computational implementation. The final results are significantly indicative about the fitting of the GA parameters and the application of the methodology to solve engineering design problems involving systems availability.
Mentoring: a natural act for information professionals?
Authors: Field Judith
Published: September 2003

Provides some historical context for mentoring programs, including how mentoring has been used by the business world to develop potential future executives. Explains the benefits that can be gained from mentoring and what characteristics a good mentor should possess. This includes a list of the type of roles that they can be expected to assume when providing assistance to a mentee. Also notes the obligations of a mentee. Information professionals can also benefit from participating in mentoring programs. Describes examples of how several of the library associations have incorporated mentoring programs into the services that they now make available to their members.
The renaming of library schools in China and the effects
Authors: Chu Jingli
Published: September 2003

The names of library schools were changed from library science to library and information science in the mid‐1980s, and to information management a decade later. This paper analyzes the context surrounding the renaming, discusses the effects it caused in LIS education, including educational objectives, curriculum system, teachers’ qualifications and employment market, and describes briefly the prospects in LIS education in China.
A national library association for Vietnam
Authors: Lam Vinh‐The
Published: September 2003

Vietnam has a fairly large body of dedicated library professionals working in a well structured library system. It is an anomaly that Vietnam does not have a national library association. This article advocates the creation of such a national organization for Vietnam. The first part of the article attempts to answer the question: what is a national library association for? Examples from both developed and developing countries are given to demonstrate the values of national library associations. The second part of the article is aimed at answering the second question: why do we need a national library association for Vietnam now? The author’s main arguments are the pressing needs imposed on the Vietnamese library community by the national standardization programme and the overhaul of the national library science curriculum.
Exploring the role of internal communication during organisational change
Authors: Daly Finbarr , Teague Paul , Kitchen Philip
Published: September 2003

This paper builds upon work already completed by the authors on the nature of the link between internal communication and the successful implementation of change management programmes in Northern Ireland companies. During 1999 and 2000 the theoretical foundation in the requisite areas of this study was completed. Then in the latter half of 2000 and the early months of 2001 the pilot phase of the research was undertaken. The purpose of this paper is therefore to contextualise and relay the findings of the study thus far.
Federally regulated corporate communication: an analysis of dominant values
Authors: McGee Wanguri Deloris
Published: September 2003

Applying Sekhar’s system of values that governs ethical choices in business, this study examines two sets of data. The first is Regulation S‐P, recently instituted by the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the use of confidential client information by providers of financial services in the USA. The second set consists of the resulting corporate communications that were issued by ten organizations in compliance with the regulation. Findings indicate that dominant values expressed explicitly in the regulation itself differ from those that dominate corporate communications. In Regulation S‐P itself, the right to privacy and the right of individual choice dominate, while the tests of universalisability and the greatest good for the greatest number, as well as the values of truth, transparency and honesty, trust and cooperation, and respect for law are implied. In corporate communications, consumer protection, trust and confidence, value, respect, and satisfaction are dominant themes and values.
Freelance communications workers in the UK: the impact of gender on well‐being
Authors: Fielden Sandra L. , Tench Ralph , Fawkes Johanna
Published: September 2003

In an era when all workers are experiencing ever increasing stress levels, it may be anticipated that the move from traditional employment to freelance working would have a positive impact on the degree of occupational stress reported. In a recent UK survey of 190 freelance consultants (women n = 133; men n = 57) in the public relations and communications industry this expectation was indeed found to be supported. Over half of respondents stated that they were definitely less stressed than when they were employed and almost all reported that they were as healthy or healthier. The findings show that the positive benefits of freelance working for PR/communications consultants are significantly greater for women, who not only experience more health benefits than men, but also report significantly more improvements in their personal relationships and are significantly more satisfied with life.
Factors affecting internal communication in a strategic alliance project
Authors: Lloyd Heather L.E. , Varey Richard J.
Published: September 2003

Recently, major projects have been conducted using a strategic alliance set‐up, where participating organisations work together, collaboratively, within the same organisation structure consisting of personnel from each organisation. The ethos of the strategic alliance encourages an integrated, unified working environment. A study of the communication networks in a major strategic alliance project was undertaken in November 2000. This involved conducting a communication audit that included five unstructured interviews. Participants included a broad range of project team members, matched to some of Belbin’s team role profiles. The paper discusses the principal factors affecting internal communication, as revealed from the analysis of the interview data.
Can principles from Sun Tzu’sArt of Warbe used to address the problems of consensus‐seeking organizations?
Authors: Sai On Ko Andrew
Published: September 2003

This is a wholly theoretical paper to explore the idea of implementing Sun Tzu’sArt of Warto reduce the tendencies toward groupthink, which deals with the over‐cohesiveness of a group that causes defective decision‐making. The quality function deployment methodology was applied to measure the relationships between groupthink and theArt of War. The findings of this paper indicated that a possible weakness of theArt of Waris that it is a powerful strategic planning instrument, but is not geared toward internal communicative problems.
Legal information literacy: a pilot study
Authors: Andretta Susie
Published: September 2003

Presents the claim that information literacy skills are an essential characteristic of the independent learner and examines the development of the Information Literacy module devised at the University of North London for first year undergraduate law students. Information literacy is used here as an umbrella term which includes information retrieval skills required to interact with online environments, IT skills needed to manipulate the retrieval tools, and analytical and evaluative skills required to assess the relevance and reliability of the information found. Provides a detailed explanation of how the Information Literacy syllabus was developed through examination of the literature. Bases the statistical analysis of the module’s impact on the results of two separate questionnaires and categorises the results according to level of abilities, gender and mode of study. Identifies issues that arise from the data and that require further analysis for future study.
Sequence of the lid affects activity and specificity of Candida rugosa lipase isoenzymes
Authors: Brocca Stefania , Secundo Francesco , Ossola Mattia , Alberghina Lilia , Carrea Giacomo , Lotti Marina
Published: September 2003

The fungus Candida rugosa produces multiple lipase isoenzymes (CRLs) with distinct differences in substrate specificity, in particular with regard to selectivity toward the fatty acyl chain length. Moreover, isoform CRL3 displays high activity towards cholesterol esters. Lipase isoenzymes share over 80% sequence identity but diverge in the sequence of the lid, a mobile loop that modulates access to the active site. In the active enzyme conformation, the open lid participates in the substrate‐binding site and contributes to substrate recognition. To address the role of the lid in CRL activity and specificity, we substituted the lid sequences from isoenzymes CRL3 and CRL4 in recombinant rCRL1, thus obtaining enzymes differing only in this stretch of residues. Swapping the CRL3 lid was sufficient to confer to CRL1 cholesterol esterase activity. On the other hand, a specific shift in the chain‐length specificity was not observed. Chimeric proteins displayed different sensitivity to detergents in the reaction medium.
LumenP—A neural network predictor for protein localization in the thylakoid lumen
Authors: Westerlund Isabelle , von Heijne Gunnar , Emanuelsson Olof
Published: September 2003

We report the development of LumenP, a new neural network‐based predictor for the identification of proteins targeted to the thylakoid lumen of plant chloroplasts and prediction of their cleavage sites. When used together with the previously developed TargetP predictor, LumenP reaches a significantly better performance than what has been recorded for previous attempts at predicting thylakoid lumen location, mostly due to a lower false positive rate. The combination of TargetP and LumenP predicts around 1.5%–3% of all proteins encoded in the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa to be located in the lumen of the thylakoid.
A consensus view of fold space: Combining SCOP, CATH, and the Dali Domain Dictionary
Authors: Day Ryan , Beck David A.C. , Armen Roger S. , Daggett Valerie
Published: September 2003

We have determined consensus protein‐fold classifications on the basis of three classification methods, SCOP, CATH, and Dali. These classifications make use of different methods of defining and categorizing protein folds that lead to different views of protein‐fold space. Pairwise comparisons of domains on the basis of their fold classifications show that much of the disagreement between the classification systems is due to differing domain definitions rather than assigning the same domain to different folds. However, there are significant differences in the fold assignments between the three systems. These remaining differences can be explained primarily in terms of the breadth of the fold classifications. Many structures may be defined as having one fold in one system, whereas far fewer are defined as having the analogous fold in another system. By comparing these folds for a nonredundant set of proteins, the consensus method breaks up broad fold classifications and combines restrictive fold classifications into metafolds, creating, in effect, an averaged view of fold space. This averaged view requires that the structural similarities between proteins having the same metafold be recognized by multiple classification systems. Thus, the consensus map is useful for researchers looking for fold similarities that are relatively independent of the method used to compare proteins. The 30 most populated metafolds, representing the folds of about half of a nonredundant subset of the PDB, are presented here. The full list of metafolds is presented on the Web.
Interaction between the antigen and antibody is controlled by the constant domains: Normal mode dynamics of the HEL–HyHEL‐10 complex
Authors: Adachi Masaaki , Kurihara Youji , Nojima Hiroyuki , Takeda‐Shitaka Mayuko , Kamiya Kenshu , Umeyama Hideaki
Published: September 2003

The antigen binding fragment (Fab) of a monoclonal antibody (HyHEL‐10) consists of variable domains (Fv) and constant domains (CL–CH1). Normal modes have been calculated from the three‐dimensional structures of hen egg lysozyme (HEL) with Fab, those of HEL with Fv, and so on. Only a small structural change was found between HEL–Fab and HEL–Fv complexes. However, HEL–Fv had a one order of magnitude lower dissociation constant than HEL–Fab. The Cα fluctuations of HEL–Fab differed from those of HEL–Fv with normal mode calculation, and the dynamics can be thought to be related to the protein–protein interactions. CL–CH1 may have influence not only around local interfaces between CL–CH1 and Fv, but also around the interacting regions between HEL and Fv, which are longitudinally distant. Eighteen water molecules were found in HEL–Fv around the interface between HEL and Fv compared with one water molecule in HEL–Fab. These solvent molecules may occupy the holes and channels, which may occur due to imperfect complementarity of the complex. Therefore, the suppression of atomic vibration around the interface between Fv and HEL can be thought to be related to favorable and compact interface formation by complete desolvation. It is suggested that the ability to control the antigen–antibody affinity is obtained from modifying the CL–CH1. The second upper loop in the constant domain of the light chain (UL2–CL), which is a conserved gene in several light chains, showed the most remarkable fluctuation changes. UL2–CL could play an important role and could be attractive for modification in protein engineering.