bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting of pain, disability, and sick leave regarding a non-clinical sample among Swedish nurses
Authors: Nilsson Annika , Lindberg Per , Denison Eva
Published: July 2010

Objective

Health care providers, especially registered nurses (RNs), are a professional group with a high risk of musculoskeletal pain (MSP). This longitudinal study contributes to the literature by describing the prevalence and change in MSP, work-related factors, personal factors, self-reported pain, disability and sick leave (>7 days) among RNs working in a Swedish hospital over a 3-year period. Further, results concerning prediction of pain, disability and sick leave from baseline to a 3-year follow-up are reported.

Method

In 2003, a convenience sample of 278 RNs (97.5% women, mean age 43 years) completed a questionnaire. In 2006, 244 RNs (88% of the original sample) were located, and 200 (82%) of these completed a second questionnaire.

Results

Logistic regression analyses revealed that pain, disability and sick leave at baseline best predicted pain, disability, and sick leave at follow-up. The personal factors self-rated health and sleep quality during the last week predicted pain at follow-up, while age, self-rated health, and considering yourself as optimist or pessimist predicted disability at follow-up, however weakly. None of the work-related factors contributed significantly to the regression solution.

Conclusions

The results support earlier studies showing that a history of pain and disability is predictive of future pain and disability. Attention to individual factors such as personal values may be needed in further research.
British Plant Communities
Authors: Pigott C. D. , Ratcliffe D. A. , Malloch A. J. C. , Birks H. J. B. , Proctor M. C. F.
Published: July 2010

British Plant Communities is the first systematic and comprehensive account of the vegetation types of this country. It covers all natural, semi-natural and major artificial habitats in Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland), representing the fruits of fifteen years of research by leading plant ecologists. The book breaks new ground in wedding the rigorous interest in the classification of plant communities that has characterized Continental phytosociology with the deep concern traditional in Great Britain to understand how vegetation works. The published volumes have been greeted with universal acclaim, and the series has become firmly established as a framework for a wide variety of teaching, research and management activities in ecology, conservation and land-use planning.
Applied Choice Analysis
Authors: Hensher David A. , Rose John M. , Greene William H.
Published: July 2010

Almost without exception, everything human beings undertake involves a choice. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development and application of quantitative statistical methods to study choices made by individuals with the purpose of gaining a better understanding both of how choices are made and of forecasting future choice responses. In this primer the authors provide an unintimidating introduction to the main techniques of choice analysis and include detail on themes such as data collection and preparation, model estimation and interpretation and the design of choice experiments. A companion website to the book provides practice data sets and software to estimate the main discrete choice models such as multinomial logit, nested logit and mixed logit. This primer will be an invaluable resource to students as well as of immense value to consultants and professionals, researchers and anyone else interested in choice analysis and modelling.
Biology and Violence
Authors: Denno Deborah W.
Published: July 2010

The author examines criminal behaviour from birth to adulthood in a sample of nearly 1,000 subjects in order to determine the biological and sociological influences on violence. Over 100 predictors of violent behaviour found to be significant in past biological and sociological studies of crime are analysed. The results indicate that both biological and environmental factors produce strong, and independent, effects on both delinquency and adult crime and violence among both males and females. Powerful influences on violence include behavioural disorder during youth, low school achievement, hyperactivity, lead poisoning, and low levels of parental education. The results do not confirm the findings of previous studies that indicate direct relationships between delinquency and early intelligence, mental retardation, socioeconomic status, or early central nervous system dysfunction. The author concludes that many of the factors contributing to criminal and violent behaviour can be prevented because they have clear environmental origins that can be eliminated.
Analysis Without Measurement
Authors: Katzner Donald W.
Published: July 2010

In plying their trade, social scientists often are confronted with significant phenomena that appear incapable of measurement. Past practice would suggest that the way to deal with these cases is to work harder at finding appropriate measures so that standard quantitative analysis can still be applied. Professor Katzner's approach, however is quite different. Rather than concentrating on the construction of measures, he raises the question of how such phenomena can be investigated and understood in the absence of numerical gauges to represent them.
African Railwaymen
Authors: Grillo R. D.
Published: July 2010

This was the first anthropological monograph to have dealt at length with the labour force of a major East African industry. It is a study of the African employees of the East African Railways and Harbours stationed at Kampala, Uganda, and living on the Railway-owned Nsambya housing estate. Set in the years 1964–5, shortly after Uganda's and Kenya's Independence, the book explores some of the consequences for African migrant workers of the changes affecting their society. Dr Grillo describes how falling prices for primary agricultural products, educational expansion and rising wages have created a high demand for employment. Those fortunate enough to find work enjoy a relatively high standard of living. Partly in consequence, the Railway labour force has become stabilised with a low turnover of employees, the majority of whom bring wives and children to live in town. They are, however, still migrants who maintain social and economic ties with their areas of origin. By fulfilling customary and personal obligations, individuals retain a position within an 'ethnic' system which provides one framework for relationships of solidarity and opposition. The industry itself with its work-units, occupational groups and grading system provides another.
The Abolition of the Brazilian Slave Trade
Authors: Bethell Leslie
Published: July 2010

When at the beginning of the nineteenth century Britain launched her crusade against the transatlantic slave trade, Brazil was one of the greatest importers of African slaves in the New World. Negro slavery had been the cornerstone of the Brazilian economy and of Brazilian society for over 200 years and the slave population of Brazil required regular replenishment through the trade. In this detailed study Dr Bethell explains how during the period of Brazilian independence from Portugal, Britain forced the Brazilian slave trade to be declared illegal, why it proved impossible to suppress it for twenty years afterwards and how it was finally abolished. He covers a major aspect of the history of the international abolition of the slave trade and slavery and makes an important contribution to the study of Anglo-Brazilian relations which were dominated - and damaged - by the slave trade question for more than half a century.
Acquiring Phonology
Authors: Smith Neil
Published: July 2010

Children often mispronounce words when learning their first language. Is it because they cannot perceive the differences that adults make or is it because they can't produce the sounds involved? Neither hypothesis is sufficient on its own to explain the facts. On the basis of detailed analyses of his son's and grandson's development, Neil Smith explains the everyday miracle of one aspect of first-language acquisition. Mispronunciations are now attributed to performance rather than to competence, and he argues at length that children's productions are not mentally represented. The study also highlights the constructs of current linguistic theory, arguing for distinctive features and the notion 'onset' and against some of the claims of Optimality Theory and Usage-based accounts. Smith provides an important and engaging update to his previous work, The Acquisition of Phonology, building on ideas previously developed and drawing new conclusions with the aid of fresh data.
Benefit-Cost Analysis
Authors: Campbell Harry F. , Brown Richard P. C.
Published: July 2010

Benefit-Cost Analysis offers the perfect introduction to benefit–cost analysis. The book closely integrates the theory and practice of benefit–cost analysis using a spreadsheet framework. The spreadsheet model is constructed in a truly original way which contributes to transparency, provides a check on the accuracy of the analysis, and facilitates sensitivity, risk and alternative scenario assessment. A case study incorporating the various issues is progressively developed on a spreadsheet with the links between each stage thoroughly explained. The complete case study spreadsheet can serve as a template for the reader's own appraisal of projects in the field. In addition to the worked examples in the text some exercises are appended at the end of each chapter.
For further information please visit http://www.uq.edu.au/economics/bca
The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Comedies
Authors: Gay Penny
Published: July 2010

Why did theatre audiences laugh in Shakespeare's day? Why do they still laugh now? What did Shakespeare do with the conventions of comedy that he inherited, so that his plays continue to amuse and move audiences? What do his comedies have to say about love, sex, gender, power, family, community, and class? What place have pain, cruelty, and even death in a comedy? Why all those puns? In a survey that travels from Shakespeare's earliest experiments in farce and courtly love-stories to the great romantic comedies of his middle years and the mould-breaking experiments of his last decade's work, this book addresses these vital questions. Organised thematically, and covering all Shakespeare's comedies from the beginning to the end of his career, it provides readers with a map of the playwright's comic styles, showing how he built on comedic conventions as he further enriched the possibilities of the genre.
The Cambridge Introduction to George Eliot
Authors: Henry Nancy
Published: July 2010

As the author of The Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch, George Eliot was one of the most admired novelists of the Victorian period, and she remains a central figure in the literary canon today. She was the first woman to take on the kind of political and philosophical fiction that had previously been a male preserve, combining rigorous intellectual ideas with a sensitive understanding of human relationships and making her one of the most important writers of the nineteenth century. This innovative introduction provides students with the religious, political, scientific and cultural contexts they need to understand and appreciate her novels, stories, poetry and critical essays. Nancy Henry also traces the reception of her work to the present, surveying a range of critical and theoretical responses. Each novel is discussed in a separate section, making this the most comprehensive short introduction available to this important author.
On the near-wall characteristics of acceleration in turbulence
Authors: YEO K. , KIM B.-G. , LEE C.
Published: July 2010

The behaviour of fluid-particle acceleration in near-wall turbulent flows is investigated in numerically simulated turbulent channel flows at low to moderate Reynolds numbers, Reτ = 180~600). The acceleration is decomposed into pressure-gradient (irrotational) and viscous contributions (solenoidal acceleration) and the statistics of each component are analysed. In near-wall turbulent flows, the probability density function of acceleration is strongly dependent on the distance from the wall. Unexpectedly, the intermittency of acceleration is strongest in the viscous sublayer, where the acceleration flatness factor of O(100) is observed. It is shown that the centripetal acceleration around coherent vortical structures is an important source of the acceleration intermittency. We found sheet-like structures of strong solenoidal accelerations near the wall, which are associated with the background shear modified by the interaction between a streamwise vortex and the wall. We found that the acceleration Kolmogorov constant is a linear function of y+ in the log layer. The Reynolds number dependence of the acceleration statistics is investigated.
A theory of MHD instability of an inhomogeneous plasma jet
Authors: LEONOVICH ANATOLY S.
Published: July 2010

A problem of the stability of an inhomogeneous axisymmetric plasma jet in a parallel magnetic field is solved. The jet boundary becomes, under certain conditions, unstable relative to magnetosonic oscillations (Kelvin–Helmholtz instability) in the presence of a shear flow at the jet boundary. Because of its internal inhomogeneity the plasma jet has resonance surfaces, where conversion takes place between various modes of plasma magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations. Propagating in inhomogeneous plasma, fast magnetosonic waves drive the Alfven and slow magnetosonic (SMS) oscillations, tightly localized across the magnetic shells, on the resonance surfaces. MHD oscillation energy is absorbed in the neighbourhood of these resonance surfaces. The resonance surfaces disappear for the eigenmodes of SMS waves propagating in the jet waveguide. The stability of the plasma MHD flow is determined by competition between the mechanisms of shear flow instability on the boundary and wave energy dissipation because of resonant MHD-mode coupling. The problem is solved analytically, in the Wentzel, Kramers, Brillouin (WKB) approximation, for the plasma jet with a boundary in the form of a tangential discontinuity over the radial coordinate. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability develops if plasma flow velocity in the jet exceeds the maximum Alfven speed at the boundary. The stability of the plasma jet with a smooth boundary layer is investigated numerically for the basic modes of MHD oscillations, to which the WKB approximation is inapplicable. A new 'unstable mode of MHD oscillations has been discovered which, unlike the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, exists for any, however weak, plasma flow velocities.
Influence of tectonic fractures zones on gravitational rock slope failures: New insights from 2‐D physical modeling
Authors: Bois T. , Bouissou S.
Published: July 2010

Inherited structural discontinuities are known to play a dominant role in rock slope stability. The influence of their density and persistence on failure kinematics, resulting mobilized volume and slope morphology remains poorly constrained. The influence of these parameters is addressed using a 2‐D physical modeling technique. Rather than undertaking a parametric analysis, we examine geologically stable model configuration based upon the well‐documented landslide at Randa, Switzerland. The models consisted of a homogeneous material in which several fracture zones were introduced in order to study simplified but realistic configurations of discontinuities. Results showed that the type of gravitational failure (deep‐seated landslide or sequential failure) and resulting slope morphology are very sensitive to the number and geometry of preexisting fracture zones. First, an increase in the density of fractures led to formation of the gravitational failure and increased the final mobilized volume. Second, fracture persistence exerted a strong control upon the kinematics of slope movements but had little influence on the final volume of the mobilized mass.
Restoring a flow regime through the coordinated operation of a multireservoir system: The case of the Zambezi River basin
Authors: Tilmant A. , Beevers L. , Muyunda B.
Published: July 2010

Large storage facilities in hydropower‐dominated river basins have traditionally been designed and managed to maximize revenues from energy generation. In an attempt to mitigate the externalities downstream due to a reduction in flow fluctuation, minimum flow requirements have been imposed to reservoir operators. However, it is now recognized that a varying flow regime including flow pulses provides the best conditions for many aquatic ecosystems. This paper presents a methodology to derive a trade‐off relationship between hydropower generation and ecological preservation in a system with multiple reservoirs and stochastic inflows. Instead of imposing minimum flow requirements, the method brings more flexibility to the allocation process by building upon environmental valuation studies to derive simple demand curves for environmental goods and services, which are then used in a reservoir optimization model together with the demand for energy. The objective here is not to put precise monetary values on environmental flows but to see the marginal changes in release policies should those values be considered. After selecting appropriate risk indicators for hydropower generation and ecological preservation, the trade‐off curve provides a concise way of exploring the extent to which one of the objectives must be sacrificed in order to achieve more of the other. The methodology is illustrated with the Zambezi River basin where large man‐made reservoirs have disrupted the hydrological regime.
Fundamentals of elasticity of (Mg1−x, Fex)2SiO4 olivine
Authors: Núñez‐Valdez M. , Umemoto K. , Wentzcovitch R. M.
Published: July 2010

We study the influence of iron on the elasticity of (Mg1−x, Fex)2SiO4 olivine (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.125), a major constituent of the Earth's upper mantle. We calculate static elastic properties by first principles for this solid solution and investigate the effect of atomic arrangement, an artifact of supercell calculations, on all single crystal and poly‐crystalline elastic moduli. From calculated wave propagation velocities we find the heterogeneity ratios of shear to compressional wave velocity, and bulk sound to shear wave velocity. Their values are, though limited to composition considerations, marginally consistent with seismic tomography.
Relaxation and derelaxation of pure and hydrogenated amorphous silicon during thermal annealing experiments
Authors: Kail F. , Farjas J. , Roura P. , Secouard C. , Nos O. , Bertomeu J. , Alzina F. , Roca i Cabarrocas P.
Published: July 2010

The structural relaxation of pure amorphous silicon (a-Si) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) materials, that occurs during thermal annealing experiments, has been analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Unlike a-Si, the heat evolved from a-Si:H cannot be explained by relaxation of the Si–Si network strain but it reveals a derelaxation of the bond angle strain. Since the state of relaxation after annealing is very similar for pure and hydrogenated materials, our results give strong experimental support to the predicted configurational gap between a-Si and crystalline silicon.
Reduced frequency noise in superconducting resonators
Authors: Barends R. , Vercruyssen N. , Endo A. , de Visser P. J. , Zijlstra T. , Klapwijk T. M. , Baselmans J. J. A.
Published: July 2010

We report a reduction in the frequency noise in coplanar waveguide superconducting resonators. The reduction of 7 dB is achieved by removing the exposed dielectric substrate surface from the region with high electric fields and by using NbTiN. In a model-analysis the surface of NbTiN is found to be a negligible source of noise, experimentally supported by a comparison with NbTiN on SiOx resonators. The reduction is additive to decreasing the noise by widening the resonators.
Defining and using 'best available science': a policy conundrum for the management of aquatic ecosystems
Authors: Ryder Darren S. , Tomlinson Moya , Gawne Ben , Likens Gene E.
Published: July 2010

Integrative research has been the dominant theme in this Special Issue, demonstrated by contemporary examples of effective collaborations and solutions for the successful engagement of scientists in the policy and management arena. Evident in these papers is the increasing use of the term ‘best available science’ (BAS) as a basis for well-informed resource management decisions. The term is used to engender credibility and trust among stakeholders and promotes greater awareness, communication, involvement, transparency and understanding among research, policy and management communities. However, there remains no clear statement of the properties of BAS or guidance on its practical application in the decision-making process. We define the attributes that underpin BAS and examine the issues of uncertainty, risk and communication as key challenges to successful integrative management. We advocate an interdisciplinary process that facilitates understanding of discipline-based knowledge structures, articulates uncertainty and risk about the scientific information, and promotes engagement and trust among the generators and users of information. Ultimately, successful management of aquatic ecosystems will rely on scientists, managers and decision makers who have the skills and courage to apply the best science available and not wait for the best science possible.
Giving instruction on self-care during midwifery consultations in Japan
Authors: Kawashima Michie
Published: July 2010

This study focuses on instructional talk during prenatal visits in Japan. In order to prepare an upcoming delivery, a midwife often engages in instructional talk about the patient’s self-care at home. Yet, giving instruction is an interactionally challenging task, even in the medical setting. For example, a recipient may not accept advice easily, since this may reveal a recipient’s lack of knowledge and incompetence. By using conversation analysis, I find some interactional steps through which a midwife establishes interactional relevance of instruction. These steps include (1) assuring readiness of a recipient, (2) unpacking instruction and (3) contextualizing the instruction to a recipient’s everyday life. In each step, a patient’s claim for her competency and concern is used as a resource for developing the instructions. For example, a midwife gives advice to a patient about self-care in order to address the patient concerns. Instead of simply teaching what is generally considered necessary to self-care for delivery, a midwife designs her advice according to what an individual patient has expressed as a concern and what can be anticipated for her situation given her social category. This allows a more individualized presentation manner, which may encourage a patient’s active participation in her self-care.
Establishing solidarity in radio phone-in medical consultation in China
Authors: Yu Guodong
Published: July 2010

Sex and sex-related topics are rather sensitive in the Chinese culture, thus conversations about those topics prove to be a delicate issue. The present study uses Conversation Analysis as the research methodology to analyze the use of communicative strategies in doctor–patient communication about venereal disease. The data excerpt analyzed is from a radio phone-in program that offers medical advice for males’ sex-related diseases, solves problems that the listeners have about certain sexual behavior, and provides general sexual knowledge. In the telephone call selected for the present research, the caller is the mother of the young man who is infected with venereal disease and needs help from the medical expert who is on the program. The mother employs indirect compliment, direct compliment, insider claim, and sympathy seeking as communicative strategies to build solidarity with the doctor. The various communicative strategies used lead to a smooth sequential development of the communication, and illustrate how solidarity-building serves an important function in this specific healthcare context.
Presenting medical knowledge in multilingual context
Authors: Tsai Mei-hui
Published: July 2010

Because preventive care is a critical step in promoting public health, medical professionals provide health education in order to inform the public how to avoid diseases. However, in a multilingual society such as Taiwan, where Western medical discourse is carried on mainly in Mandarin (the official language) and English (a foreign language and the lingua franca of Western medicine), the issue of how medical professionals communicate their knowledge to the lay public, especially to elderly patients who are monolingual in the local dialect of Southern Min, is a pressing concern. In this paper, I examine two osteoporosis education talks conducted by a male visiting physician at a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. My analysis focuses on the speaker’s choice of language and lexical synonyms in conveying the two key concepts of ‘bone quality’ and ‘non-solid’, i.e., osteoporosis. By applying Ferguson’s high and low varieties (1972: 234) and Tsai’s four principles in quantifying lexical formality (2008), I observe that, due to the lack of an established writing system, Southern Min is hardly used in the written slides of the speaker’s presentation, and in fact occurs even less often than English does. Instead, Chinese characters representing Mandarin are the dominant language used in the written messages. While this form of presentation might cause comprehension problems for illiterate and monolingual speakers of Southern Min, this communication problem is offset by the speaker’s preference for Southern Min, the vernacular language, in the spoken form. Further discourse analysis leads to my arguments that (1) the speaker’s preference for linguistic expressions with less formality in the spoken discourse is a strategy in providing comprehensive and easy-to-access medical knowledge for the lay audience, (2) the de-formalization process of medical jargon moves from the higher codes to the lower ones in the discourse flow, and (3) the complementary distribution of higher codes on the written slides and lower codes in the spoken form facilitates the speaker’s task of delivering medical knowledge. The pedagogical implications of this research provide a practical guideline for medical professionals with regard to promoting the public’s medical literacy.
Dissonant political discourse
Authors: Moshe Mira
Published: July 2010

This study develops and illustrates the notion of dissonant political discourse. The discourse of dissonance is to be found wherever there is public debate on controversial topics or on topics requiring a decision, notably in the political arena. Discourse of this kind is characterized by arguments demonstrating both how hard and how necessary it is to face up to any decision that will put the decision maker in an inconsistent position. Findings confirm that voices heard in the arena of political discourse make use of dissonant argument when experiencing difficulties in justifying decisions. Ironically, it is precisely the evidence of difficulties encountered by the speakers that shows how continuation of the joint debate is ensured
Metaphors we vote by
Authors: Đurović Tatjana , Silaški Nadežda
Published: July 2010

This paper looks at how the marriage metaphor structures the discourse concerning the relationship between political parties in Serbia. In January 2007, in the first general election to be held in Serbia since its union with Montenegro was dissolved in 2006, no party succeeded in gaining an absolute majority. Eventually, after more than three months of coalition talks, the main pro-reform parties agreed to form a government: the conservative and moderately nationalist right-leaning Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), together with the pro-Western Democratic Party (DS). Compiling a small data collection from the leading Serbian dailies and political weeklies we have tried to track the metaphors through highly argumentative discourse in regard to the formation of political coalitions and their break-up. The main aim of this study is to show how the metaphors may be mapped and used as a vehicle of public discourse for achieving overt or covert political and ideological objectives on the complex political scene in contemporary Serbia. We will also argue that Serbian political discourse is highly gendered, as gender roles, manifested through the assignment of wife and husband roles to political parties, are clearly delineated according to the traditional male-female dichotomy, implying stereotypical traits and patriarchal values characteristic of Serbian culture.
Black face, white voice
Authors: Nicola Nassira
Published: July 2010

In the first two and a half months of 2008, conservative American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared a state of “race war” in the United States. According to Limbaugh, the primary combatants were Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who (at the time of writing) were competing to become the Democratic nominee in the 2008 race for President. As the most successful African-American presidential candidate in American history, then-Senator Obama was the subject of racially-charged comments and the target of racially-motivated mud-slinging. Despite his professed neutrality in what he portrayed as a purely internecine affair, however, Limbaugh was an enthusiastic enlistee in this war, fighting on what appears to be both sides in the service of the greater message. This paper uses an interdisciplinary framework, drawn from linguistic anthropology, social psychology, and Goffman’s (1981) study of participant roles, to analyze the strategies which Limbaugh deployed in the earliest days of the Democratic primary season to discuss race while reinforcing the playful, prescient, and persecuted “message”-persona (Silverstein 2003) which has made him synonymous with American conservatism today.
An outcome evaluation study of a psycho‐educational course in a primary care setting
Authors: Davis Debi , Corrin-Pendry Stephanie , Savill Mark , Doherty Charlotte
Published: July 2010

Rationale: To date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of psycho‐educational courses provided in a primary care setting to adults with mild‐to‐moderate mental health concerns. Aims: To determine whether group psycho‐education could be a viable alternative to individual counselling by (1) assessing the clinical effectiveness of an 8‐week psycho‐educational course, and (2) examining the group outcomes in comparison with individual treatment outcomes from a previous study in the same counselling service. Method: A total of 57 participants attending a psycho‐educational course provided data over a 36‐month period, using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) pre‐ and post‐intervention. A comparison was then made with the data of 58 previous participants of individual counselling evaluation, using the same CORE‐OM system. Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of psychological distress after attending the course and these results are comparable to outcomes measured in the same service for individual counselling, indicating that group interventions could be considered a legitimate alternative to individual counselling, thus increasing cost effectiveness and reducing waiting times. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and further investigation are considered.
Using the Delphi Technique: Experience from the world of counselling and psychotherapy
Authors: West Angela
Published: July 2010

Background: Delphi studies have been popular in the health and social care domain for some time, particularly within nursing. They are used to elicit views and opinions from experts in the field on specific topics, without the need for face‐to‐face interviews. Focus: This paper brings Delphi methodology to the attention of potential researchers in the counselling and psychotherapy field, who may not have previously considered Delphi methodology, describing the researcher's experience of using a Delphi study through the media of electronic mail, and incorporating participant feedback. Aims: To discuss the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the complexities and limitations of the Delphi methodology. I will outline previous recommendations from Delphi researchers and offer further suggestions based on my experience of completing a Delphi study.
The Economic Value of Improvements in Beef Tenderness by Genetic Marker Selection
Authors: Weaber Robert L. , Lusk Jayson L.
Published: July 2010

A genetic simulation model is combined with an economic model of the U.S. beef industry to determine how consumer demand shifts, resulting from bull and heifer selection strategies that improve steak tenderness, affect economic profitability at four points in the beef supply chain. The results indicate that a selection strategy in which bulls in the upper 30% of genetic merit are selected each year would result in increased profitability of $9.60/head for feeder cattle and $1.23/head for fed cattle in 20 years. The net present value of the genetic improvement program is estimated to produce economic benefits of $7.6 billion.
Investigation of human haemotropic Mycoplasma infections using a novel generic haemoplasma qPCR assay on blood samples and blood smears
Authors: Tasker Séverine , Peters Iain R. , Mumford Andrew D. , Day Michael J. , Gruffydd-Jones Timothy J. , Day Sarinder , Pretorius Anne-Marie , Birtles Richard J. , Helps Chris R. , Neimark Harold
Published: July 2010

The aim of this study was to develop quantitative real-time (q)PCR assays to detect all known haemoplasma species, and a human housekeeping gene in order to demonstrate both successful DNA extraction from clinical samples and to test for sample inhibition, and to apply these qPCRs to human blood samples and blood smears. Sensitive and specific generic haemoplasma qPCR assays were developed to amplify haemoplasma species, as well as human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as an internal amplification control. An optimized technique for extracting DNA from stained blood smears was also developed. These methods were applied to anonymized blood samples obtained from 100 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected South Africans and 920 UK patients undergoing haematological examination, and to 15 blood smears recruited from previous studies describing human haemoplasmosis. Human GAPDH levels were acceptable in all but three of the blood samples and all but two of the blood smears. The latter could have arisen due to DNA degradation due to the old age (over 35 years) of these smears. Haemoplasma infection was found in one HIV-infected South African, but the species could not be characterized due to the very low levels of DNA present. This report describes novel extraction and qPCR methodologies for haemoplasma screening. Previously reported human haemoplasmosis based on cytological diagnosis alone should be viewed with caution.
Chronic meningococcaemia and immunoglobulin A deficiency
Authors: Theulin Arnaud , Rondeau-Lutz Murielle , Kuhnert Cornelia , Boileau Julien , Weber Jean-Christophe
Published: July 2010

Chronic meningococcaemia is an unusual clinical presentation of Neisseria meningitidis infection. We describe the case of a patient, who presented with total IgA deficiency and partial IgM deficiency with a low switched memory B cells count, suggestive of a borderline form of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). The role of IgA in the protection against Neisseria meningitidis, and the link between IgA deficiency and CVID are discussed.
Molecular typing and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from north China
Authors: Zhang Maojun , Gu Yixin , He Lihua , Ran Lu , Xia Shengli , Han Xiaosheng , Li Hongxing , Zhou Haijian , Cui Zhigang , Zhang Jianzhong
Published: July 2010

To obtain the genotype and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles ofCampylobacter jejuniisolates from north China, 93C. jejuniisolates (56 isolates from patients with diarrhoea, 7 isolates from Guillain–Barré syndrome patients and 30 isolates from chicken stools) were selected for multilocus sequence typing (MLST), PFGE and drug resistance testing. A total of 49 sequence types (STs) were identified from the entire panel of 93C. jejuniisolates. Fifty-six isolates belonged to 14 clonal complexes, while 37 isolates could not be assigned to any known clonal complex. The most frequently observed clonal complexes were ST-21 (11 isolates), ST-353 (10 isolates) and ST-443 (6 isolates). Fifty-three PFGESmaI patterns were identified among 93 isolates. No erythromycin-, gentamicin- or streptomycin-resistant isolates were found among the 44 strains isolated in 2008. Resistance to nalidixic acid, levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin was observed in 100 % (44/44) of the tested isolates. This study has shown the genetic characteristics ofC. jejuniisolates in north China. In addition, overlapping clonal groups were defined by both MLST and PFGE forC. jejunihuman and chicken isolates.
Reaction Processing of Al2O3 Composites Containing Iron and Iron Aluminides
Authors: Schicker Silvia , Garcia Daniel E. , Bruhn Jorn , Janssen Rolf , Claussen Nils
Published: July 2010

Different Fe‐Al2O3 and FeAl‐Al2O3 composites with metallic contents up to 30 vol% have been fabricated via reaction processing of Al2O3, Fe, and Al mixtures. Low Al contents (<∼10 vol%) within the starting mixture lead to composites consisting of Fe embedded in an Al2O3 matrix, whereas aluminide‐containing Al2O3 composites result from powder mixtures with higher Al contents. In both cases, densification up to 98% TD can be achieved by pressureless sintering in inert atmosphere at moderate temperatures (1450°‐1500°C). The proposed reaction sintering mechanism includes the reduction of native oxide layers on the surface of the Fe particles by Al and, in the case of mixtures with high Al contents, aluminide formation followed by sintering of the composites. Density and bending strengths of the reaction‐sintered composites depend strongly on the Al content of the starting mixture. In the case of samples containing elemental Fe, crack path observations indicate the potential for an increase of fracture toughness, even at room temperature, by crack bridging of the ductile Fe inclusions.
Electrolytic Treatment of Continuous CVD Silicon Carbide Fibers
Authors: Chang Xinchun , Du Yijun
Published: July 2010

Continuous CVD SiC fibers have been surface‐treated by an electrochemical method. Two important parameters, namely the electric current density (ECD) and the fiber receiving rate (FRR), have been investigated for fiber strength control during the treatment process. An optimum match between ECD and FRR has been suggested. The appropriately treated fibers reached a tensile strength of more than 3000 MPa, showing a large strength enhancement relative to the untreated fiber, which had only a strength of less than 2300 MPa. It has been observed that such an electrochemical treatment has an “etching effect” whereby the fiber surface morphology is completely changed. Nodular morphology, which may result in voids or microcrack formation on the fiber surface, is replaced by a smooth and refined structure after treatment. This method has potential for commercial applications of low strength (<2500 MPa) CVD SiC fibers.
Delamination Resistance of Two Hybrid Ceramic‐Composite Laminates
Authors: Cutler Willard A. , Zok Frank W. , Lange Fred F. , Charalambides Panos G.
Published: July 2010

Hybrid laminar composites that are comprised of alternating layers of ceramic sheets and fiber‐reinforced ceramic‐matrix composite (CMC) layers exhibit attractive mechanical properties, including a high first cracking stress and a high strain to failure. To achieve these properties, a strong bond must exist between the ceramic and CMC layers; otherwise, delamination will occur readily between the layers. The present study focuses on the delamination resistance of such laminates at ambient and elevated temperatures. The delamination resistance of interfaces that have been subjected to mixed‐mode loading has been measured for two different hybrid composites by using edge‐notched flexure specimens. At low temperatures, delamination occurs by a process that involves multiple matrix cracking within the CMC layers normal to the fibers, followed by cracking of the matrix parallel to the fibers at or near the ceramic/CMC interface. The corresponding fracture energies are typically in the range of ∼100‐300 J/m2—comparable to the delamination resistance of the CMC itself. At elevated temperatures, delamination occurs via cavitation and rupture of the matrix within the CMC layers at or near the ceramic/CMC interface, with an attendant loss in toughness (to ∼10‐30 J/m2). The loss in toughness occurs most rapidly at temperatures that are close to the strain point of the matrix phase; this represents the life‐limiting temperature for this class of composites.
Microhardness Load Size Effect in Individual Grains of a Gas Pressure Sintered Silicon Nitride
Authors: Dusza Jan , Steen Marc
Published: July 2010

Vickers microhardness as a function of the indentation load and of grain orientation was studied in individual grains of a gas pressure sintered (GPS) polycrystalline silicon nitride using indentation loads in the range from 1 to 50 g. The microhardness values are lower than the microhardness of ß‐Si3N4single crystals, which is probably caused by the softening of the silicon nitride lattice by the presence of oxygen and aluminum atoms. The indentation load size effect (ISE) was more evident in the prismatic planes of the grains. The threshold load for indent formation is below 1 g for both basal and prismatic planes of Si3N4grains in the studied GPS silicon nitride.
Microstructural Characterization of Sintered MoSi2/SiCP Composites
Authors: Li Jie , Yang G. Y. , Zhu Jing , Zhang L. Q. , Yang W. Y. , Sun Z. Q.
Published: July 2010

A MoSi2/SiCP composite was synthesized by in situ reactive sintering of a mixture of molybdenum, silicon, and carbon powders. Its microstructural features were studied by X‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM), and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM). It was determined that the composite was composed of α‐MoSi2 and β‐SiC. There were no specific orientation relationships between the MoSi2 matrix and SiCP, because the MoSi2 and SiC were formed at 1450°C by the reaction of solid Mo and C and liquid Si. The abrupt change occurring in the microstructure of the composite is explained by the presence of an interface between MoSi2 and SiCP, where no observable SiO2 amorphous layer or particles were found. Microtwins and stacking faults were frequently observed in {111} planes of SiCP.
Model for Cyclic Fatigue of Quasi‐Plastic Ceramics in Contact with Spheres
Authors: Lee Kee Sung , Jung Yeon‐Gil , Peterson Irene M. , Lawn Brian R. , Kim Do Kyung , Kun Lee Seung
Published: July 2010

A model of contact damage accumulation from cyclic loading with spheres and ensuing strength degradation in relatively tough, heterogeneous ceramics is developed. The damage takes the form of a quasi‐plastic zone beneath the contact, consisting of an array of closed frictional shear faults with attendant “wing” microcracks at their ends. Contact fatigue takes place by attrition of the frictional resistance at the sliding fault interfaces, in accordance with an empirical degradation law, allowing the microcracks to extend. At large numbers of cycles or loads the microcracks coalesce, ultimately into radial cracks. Fracture mechanics relations for the strength degradation as a function of number of cycles and contact load are derived. Indentation–strength data from two well‐studied coarse‐grain quasi‐plastic ceramics, a micaceous glass‐ceramic and a silicon nitride, are used to evaluate the model. Comparative tests in static and cyclic contact loading confirm a dominant mechanical component in the fatigue. At the same time, the presence of water is shown to enhance the fatigue. The model accounts for the broader trends in the strength degradation data, and paves the way for consideration of key variables in microstructural design for optimum fatigue resistance.
Variation of Width and Composition of Grain‐Boundary Film in a High‐Purity Silicon Nitride with Minimal Silica
Authors: Gu Hui
Published: July 2010

Contrary to the widely accepted observation that grain‐boundary amorphous films for a given Si3N4 composition have common (equilibrium) widths and compositions, a significant variation for both parameters from film to film was observed in an undoped high‐purity Si3N4 prepared using a hot isostatic pressing method. This material previously has been reported to have an equilibrium film width of 0.6 nm, as measured using a high‐resolution electron microscopy (HREM) method; this value is significantly different from that which is typical for other high‐purity Si3N4 ceramics (1.0 nm). A total of four boundaries were analyzed, using spatially resolved electron energy‐loss spectroscopy methods, which can give the chemical width and composition for the film. Widths of these grain‐boundary films were substantially different from each other; only the thinnest matches the previous HREM observations. The nitrogen content in the film decreased concurrently as the film thickened. This material had many cavities and complicated configurations at triple pockets, because of the very low total‐SiO2 content (0.55 vol%). They created locally different equilibrium conditions for grain‐boundary films, in comparison with other fully densified Si3N4, causing such strong variation in both film structure and chemistry. This observation reveals the importance of triple pockets in equilibrium film structures, providing new insight in evaluating the absorption and wetting models. The thinnest film may correspond to the amorphous structure that is required to bind two randomly oriented Si3N4 grains under greater local stress.
Nanoporous Titania Synthesized by a Nanoscale Casting Process in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Wakayama Hiroaki , Inagaki Shinji , Fukushima Yoshiaki
Published: July 2010

A nanoporous titania was made with an activated carbon template in a supercritical CO2 solvent. Titanium isopropoxide dissolved in supercritical CO2 with isopropanol was attached to an activated carbon template in an autoclave at 423 K and 32 MPa for 2 h. The activated carbon template was removed by treatment in oxygen plasma or by calcination in air at 873 K. The fibrous shape with a high surface area in the activated carbon template was replicated in the titania sample treated in the oxygen plasma. The surface area of the titania sample was 387 m2/g. The titania sample crystallized in the anatase form.