bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of platelet‐activating factor on nitrergic transmission in rabbit corpus cavernosum
Authors: ÖZGER SEVIL , BARUN SÜREYYA , VURAL İSMAIL MERT , ERCAN ZEYNEP SEVIM , SARİOĞLU YUSUF
Published: June 2005

Abstract  Aim:  The information currently available suggests that nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) transmitters, particularly nitric oxide, are involved in the relaxation of penile erectile tissues. Platelet‐activating factor (PAF) is a chemical mediator and is involved in many physiological and pathophysiological events. It is well known that several of the vascular actions of PAF are mediated by the generation of nitric oxide. We designed this study to test the hypothesis that PAF has an effect on NANC responses in rabbit corpus cavernosum strips.

Methods:  Rabbit corpus cavernosum strips were precontracted with phenylephrine (10−5 mol/L). Isometric  tension  changes  produced  by  carbachol (10−9−10−5 mol/L), sodium nitroprusside (10−8−10−5 mol/L) and electrical field stimulation (for 10 s at sequential frequencies of 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 Hz as square‐wave pulses of 50 mV) were recorded with a pressure transducer. These relaxations were compared to those obtained in the presence of PAF.

Results:  PAF had no effect on endothelium‐dependent, endothelium‐independent or electrical field stimulation‐induced NANC relaxation responses in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum strips. There was no statistically significant difference between the pD2 and Emax values for carbachol or sodium nitroprusside in the presence of PAF.

Conclusions:  Our results suggest that PAF does not modify the endothelium‐dependent, endothelium‐independent or electrical field stimulation‐induced NANC relaxation responses in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum strips.
Spot Revisited: Accuracy Assessment, Dem Generation and Validation from Stereo Spot 5 Hrg Images
Authors: Büyüksalih Gürcan , Koçak Güven , Topan Hüseyin , Oruç Murat , Marangoz Aycan
Published: June 2005

SPOT 5 HRG Level 1A and 1B stereo scenes covering Zonguldak testfield in north‐west Turkey have been analysed. They comprise the left and right image components with base to height ratio of 0·54. The pixel size on the ground is 5 m. The bundle orientation was executed by the PCI Geomatica V9.1.4 software package and resulted in 3D geopositioning to sub‐pixel accuracies in each axis provided that at least six control points were used in the computation. Root mean square error (rmse) values and vectors of residual errors for Levels 1A and 1B are similar, even for different control and check point configurations. Based on the scene orientation, Level 1A and 1B digital elevation models (DEMs) of the testfield have been determined by automatic matching and validated by the reference DEM digitised from the 1:25 000 scale topographic maps, interferometric DEMs from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) X‐ and C‐band SAR data and the GPS profiles measured along the main roads in the testfield. Although the accuracies of reference data‐sets are too similar to the generated SPOT DEMs, these are the only high quality reference materials available in this area. Sub‐pixel height accuracy was indicated by the comparison with profile points. However, they are in favourable locations where matching is always successful, so such a result may give a biased measure of the accuracy of the corresponding DEMs.
Environmental signaling and evolutionary change: can exposure of pregnant mammals to environmental estrogens lead to epigenetically induced evolutionary changes in embryos?
Authors: Guerrero‐Bosagna Carlos , Sabat Pablo , Valladares Luis
Published: June 2005

SummaryDNA methylation is one of the epigenetic and hereditary mechanisms regulating genetic expression in mammalian cells. In this review, we propose how certain natural agents, through their dietary consumption, could induce changes in physiological aspects in mammalian mothers, leading to alterations in DNA methylation patterns of the developing fetus and to the emergence of new phenotypes and evolutionary change. Nevertheless, we hypothesize that this process would require (i) certain key periods in the ontogeny of the organism where the environmental stimuli could produce effects, (ii) particular environmental agents as such stimuli, and (iii) that a genomic persistent change be consequently produced in a population. Depending on the persistence of the environmental stimuli and on whether the affected genes are imprinted genes, induced changes in DNA methylation patterns could become persistent. Moreover, some fragments could be more frequently methylated than others over several generations, leading to biased base change and evolutionary consequences.
Co‐option of an oral–aboral patterning mechanism to control left–right differentiation: the direct‐developing sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma is sinistralized, not ventralized, by NiCl2
Authors: Minsuk Sharon B. , Raff Rudolf A.
Published: June 2005

Summary Larval dorsoventral (DV) and left–right (LR) axial patterning unfold progressively in sea urchin development, leading to commitment of the major embryonic regions by the gastrula stage. The direct‐developing sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma has lost oral–aboral differentiation along the DV axis but has accelerated vestibular ectoderm development on the left side. NiCl2 radializes indirect‐developing sea urchins by shifting cells toward a ventral fate (oral ectoderm). We treated embryos of H. erythrogramma and the indirect‐developing H. tuberculata with NiCl2. H. tuberculata was ventralized exactly like other indirect developers, establishing that basic patterning mechanisms are conserved in this genus. H. erythrogramma was also radialized; timing, dosage response, and some morphological features were similar to those in other sea urchins. Ectodermal explant and recombination experiments demonstrate that the effect of nickel is autonomous to the ectoderm, another feature in common with indirect developers. However, H. erythrogramma is distinctly sinistralized rather than ventralized, its cells shifting toward a left‐side fate (vestibular ectoderm). This geometric contrast in the midst of pervasive functional similarity suggests that nickel‐sensitive processes in H. erythrogramma axial patterning, homologous to those in indirect developers, have been redeployed, and hence co‐opted, from their ancestral role in DV axis determination to a new role in LR axis determination. We discuss DV and LR axial patterning and their evolutionary transformation.
Time‐Series Data and the “Migraine Generator”
Authors: Fox Anthony W.
Published: June 2005

Objective.—To examine circadian and menstrual patterns of migraine frequency in order to identify properties of the putative migraine generator.

Methods.—Analysis of circadian and menstrual migraine attack frequency distributions, using between‐interval differences as estimates, at each time point, of the derivative of the equation that would, theoretically, model the observed oscillating functions.

Results.—Circadian and menstrual analyses exhibit many similarities that are consistent with a single migraine generator in the final common pathway for expression of the phenotype. These analyses are inconsistent with a role for cortisol or ACTH to be activators of the putative migraine generator, could be consistent with visual stimulation as a deactivator of the generator, and may also be consistent with a low threshold concentration of estradiol and/or progestagens as inactivators of the migraine generator.

Conclusions.—Analysis of time‐series data using differentials uncovers some previously unidentified chronobiological properties of migraine, helps select amongst various candidate provocative factors, and suggests some properties of a putative migraine generator.
Characterization and Prediction of Emergency Department Use in Chronic Daily Headache Patients
Authors: Freitag Fred G. , Kozma Chris M. , Slaton Terra , Osterhaus Jane T. , Barron Rich
Published: June 2005

Objective.—To examine the characteristics of chronic daily headache sufferers who use emergency departments (EDs) and identify factors predictive of ED visits.

Background.—Several large clinical trials have found that a sizable subset of headache patients uses EDs frequently, although such visits should be preventable.

Methods.—Participants in two large clinical trials provided baseline data on ED use, hospitalizations, disability, daily activities, and quality of life.

Results.—Of the 785 patients included, 182 (23.2%) reported at least 1 ED visit over the past year. Most of these patients (82.9%) reported one to six visits; however, 4.4% reported ≥21 visits (mean 5.0; SD 8.5). The percentage of patients with overnight hospitalizations during the previous year was significantly greater in the ED user group than non‐ED user group (17.6% vs 1.7%; P < .001), as was the number of visits to healthcare practitioners (median 24.3 vs 11.8; P < .001). Compared with non‐ED users, a higher percentage of ED users reported severe disability on the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) (85.7% vs 69.3%, P < .001) and indicated that their headache more negatively impacted mood and daily activities (all P < .05). ED users also had significantly higher depression scores and lower scores on all domains of the Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) (all P < .05). In a logistic regression model, patient age, neurologist visit, severe (vs not severe) rating on the MIDAS, Role Physical (SF‐36), and prior overnight hospitalization were significant predictors of ED use (max‐rescaled R2= 21.0%).

Conclusions.—Patients seeking ED treatment for chronic daily headache are more severely affected and have more unmet medical needs than those who do not use the ED. Management strategies that help prevent frequent ED use might be possible.
Headache in Behçet's Syndrome
Authors: Saip Sabahattin , Siva Aksel , Altintas Ayse , Kiyat Asli , Seyahi Emire , Hamuryudan Vedat , Yazici Hasan
Published: June 2005

Objective.—To study the frequencies and characteristics of different headache types seen in patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS) in a large cohort of patients.

Background.—Patients with BS may present with different neurological problems, related either directly or indirectly to the disease, with headache being the most common neurological symptom seen in this syndrome, as well as independent from neurologic involvement.

Method.—This study was carried out at the multidisciplinary Behçet outpatient clinic of the Behçet's Syndrome Research Center. Every fifth admitted patient who had fulfilled the International Study Group for Behçet's Disease classification criteria was recruited for this study. Each patient was interviewed by one of the examining neurologists through a semistructured questionnaire. In case of the presence of more than one headache type, the best defined one was diagnosed and evaluated. All patients received a complete neurological and physical examination. A χ2 test was used to evaluate the differences between frequencies. One sample t‐test was used to compare means. The prevalence rates of primary headaches were compared with results of the Turkish Headache Epidemiology study by using goodness‐of‐fit test.

Results.—Two hundred and twenty‐eight patients were studied. Headache was reported in 66.2% (151/228) of the study cohort. Primary headaches were seen in 38.6% of the patient population, which corresponds to 58% of BS patients with any type of headache. Tension‐type headache (TTHA) and migraine were seen in 23.6% and 14.9% of the whole study cohort, respectively. In 5.2% of the study cohort, the headache was associated with neurological involvement and in 3.9% to uveal inflammation. A predominantly frontal, bilateral paroxysmal throbbing pain of moderate severity was reported in 18.4% of the study cohort who did not fulfill the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS) for any of the primary headaches. It was commonly associated with exacerbations of the mucocutaneous symptoms of the syndrome. The neurological examination was normal in all of these patients. This type of headache was categorized as the nonstructural headache of Behçet.

Conclusion.—Headache is the most common neurological symptom seen in BS, both in patients with and without neurological involvement. The results of our study reveal that headache is seen in a majority of patients with neurological involvement due to BS and in a minority with uveal inflammation. The prevalence of migraine and TTHA are close to the population in general, but a nonstructural migrainous headache, which is commonly associated with exacerbations with some of the systemic symptoms of the syndrome, is noteworthy in patients with BS. This form of headache is not specific for this disorder, but may be explained by a vascular headache triggered by the immunomediated disease activity in susceptible individuals.
Something Borrowed and Something New?: Welfare Reform and Social Science
Authors: Fitzgerald Scott
Published: June 2005

William M. Epstein, Welfare in America: How Social Science Fails the Poor.

Herbert J. Gans, The War Against the Poor: The Underclass and Antipoverty Policy

Joel F. Handler, The Poverty of Welfare Reform
Fear and Loathing in Cyberspace
Authors: Schmidt Steffen W.
Published: June 2005

Stephen E. Frantzich, Computers in Congress: The Politics of Information

Stephen E. Frantzich, Political Parties in the Technological Age

David H. Freedman and Charles C. Mann, At Large: The Strange Case of the Worlds Biggest Internet Invasion

Kevin A. Hill and John E. Hughes, Cyber politics: Citizen Activism in the Age of the Internet

Dinty W. Moore, The Emperors Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth about Internet Culture

Tsutomu Shimomura with John Markoff, Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw—By the Man Who Did It

Ziauddin Sardar and Jerome R. Ravetz, (Eds.), Cyber futures: Culture and Politics on the Information Superhighway

Bruce Sterling, The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier
Understanding Public Support for Time Limits and Other Welfare Reforms
Authors: Pereira Joseph A. , Van Ryzin Gregg G.
Published: June 2005

This article presents results of a reanalysis of data from a survey of New York residents regarding that state's welfare system and proposed welfare reform. The data danger from most previous studies of public opinion about welfare because questions were asked about a range of specific welfare reform options, such as various time limits, eligibility restrictions, and work requirements, that are key features of the new federal welfare law. Specifically, the analysis explores the extent to which public support for these reforms can be explained by self interest factors, political qualification, and beliefs regarding the poor, social rights, and the welfare system. White these variables have been found to be important in prior research, they provide a somewhat less consistent explanation of support for specific features of the new welfare system in the United States.
Lobbying Reform and Nonprofit Organizations: policy Images and Constituent Policy
Authors: Wyszomirski Margaret Jane
Published: June 2005

This article explores the interaction of politics and policy through the case of the “Istook Amendment”–proposals made primarily during the 104th Congress that were designed to change policies concerning the permissible lobbying and political advocacy activities of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). It discusses elements that contributed to a shift in the policy image of NPOs, how this shift opened an opportunity for dramatic policy change, and offers possible explanations for why such change failed to be enacted. Conceptually, lobbying reform is treated both as an example of constituent policy and as a device to explore the political dynamics of this type of policy.
Power and Gender in the “New View” Public Schools
Authors: Brunner C. Cryss , Schumaker Paul
Published: June 2005

“Power over” (involving social control and domination) is contrasted with “power to” (involving social production and collaboration). Three hypotheses drawn from feminist, democratic. and regime theories are developed and supported by ethnographic research: (a) women are more likely than men to understand power as social production, (b) social fragmentation and stronger forms of democracy in cities are encouraging the use of collaborative power, and (c) the application of collaborative power helps communities achieve policy goals.
The State as Naive Entrepreneur: The Political Economy of Export Promotion in Brazil and Tunisia
Authors: Cason Jeffrey , White Gregory
Published: June 2005

Export‐promotion strategies based on the success of the East Asian newly industrializing countries have been proffered in the 1990s to middle‐income countries in Latin America. Africa, and Asia. This article argues that far from untried, export‐promotion policies were attempted in Brazil and Tunisia in the 1960s and 1970s, with only limited long‐term success. The problem of export promotion in these two countries are attributed to the lack of strategic export policies, the political costs of changing policy in a more effective direction, and the reliance on a few products and markets.
University‐Industry Collaboration on Technology Transfer: Views from the Ivory Tower
Authors: Lee Yong S.
Published: June 2005

This article reports the results of a national survey that examines the concerns of American faculty about close university industry collaboration and explores how these concerns may impinge upon their participation in industrial innovation. The data show that while academics are generally, but cautiously, in favor of close collaboration, they live with deep tension that is caused by two powerfully competing realities: the instrumental need for industry funding, and the intrinsic need to preserve intellectual freedom. A challenge to public policy is to fashion a positive‐sum strategy (e.g., tax incentives) in which firms would be encouraged to increase funding for their academic collaborators, who then may fulfill their research mission better while contributing to industrial innovation.
Strange Bedfellows: How Spanish Labor Union Leaders and Employers Find Common Ground on Immigration
Authors: Watts Julie R.
Published: June 2005

The increasing international mobility of labor and the inability of the state to control immigration flows completely have forced labor union leaders to reconsider their attitudes toward immigration from a more global perspective. The result is a tacit alliance between labor leaders and employers in favor of moderately open immigration policies. In Spain, this unusual alliance manifested itself in the 1996 Spanish immigration reform.
The Army and Chemical Weapons Destruction: Implementation in a Changing Context
Authors: Lambright W. Henry , Gereben Agnes , Cerveny Lee
Published: June 2005

In 1985, Congress directed the Army to destroy the nation's stockpile of chemical weapons. The estimate was that this task could be accomplished by 1994 at a cost of $1.7 billion. By 1998, only a portion of the stockpile has been destroyed, the deadline extended to 2007 and the estimated cost had risen to approximately $16 billion. This paper discusses the factors underlying cost escalation and missed deadlines. It examines the diffusion of control over the implementation process surrounding the chemical weapons demilitarization (Chem Demil) program in the United States. Focusing on the role of the Army and its difficulties in adjusting strategies in the face of political change from the Cold War to the post‐Cold War setting, it analyzes the course of implementation through three converging “streams of political activity.” What differentiates the federal, intergovernmental, and international stream are the nature an number of actors, and the type of pressures with which the Army must deal.
Getting the Job Done: Resolving State‐ Federal Conflicts in Superfund
Authors: Smith Randy , Silver Dan
Published: June 2005

The American system of federalism creates frequent opportunities for clashes between state and federal environmental regulators. State and federal environmental laws overlap but are not easily reconciled. Most federal environmental law provides no clear answer as to how to reconcile differing mandates of state and federal environmental regulators. In this article, we will examine these state‐federal conflicts as they played out in 1994 in, the cleanup of contaminated sites in the state of Washington. This article describes the way a regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency and the state's Department of Ecology developed a novel approach to managing the essential tension between overlapping state and federal cleanup laws.
Transmission of hepatitis C virus by saliva?
Authors: Ferreiro MC , Dios PD , Scully C
Published: June 2005

Saliva can contain a range of infectious agents and, despite several antimicrobial mechanisms, transmission of these can occur. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is of increasing importance, and HCV is transmitted by unknown routes as well as by the percutaneous route and sexual contact. Contact with blood or other body fluids may be responsible, as may be receipt of unscreened blood or blood product transfusions. HCV‐RNA can be detected by the polymerase chain reaction which also shows that HCV may be present in the saliva of HCV‐infected patients. This might provide an argument for the possible transmission of HCV via contaminated saliva. Epidemiological studies however, suggest that the infective capacity of HCV viral particles in saliva is low, but it has not been possible to determine their infective potential. Moreover, HCV‐specific receptors have not been defined on oral epithelial cells, nor has the role of host defence mechanisms been determined. New experimental animal models and the recently described infectious HCV pseudoparticles, capable of simulating HCV replication in vitro, could be useful in establishing any role of saliva in the transmission of HCV infection.
Haemostatic management of intraoral bleeding in patients with von Willebrand disease
Authors: Morimoto Y , Yoshioka A , Sugimoto M , Imai Y , Kirita T
Published: June 2005

Objectives:  To develop plans for the haemostatic management of intraoral bleeding in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD).

Subjects and methods:  Thirty‐seven episodes of haemostatic management of intraoral bleeding in 19 VWD patients were analysed retrospectively based on the medical records.

Results and conclusions:  When performing tooth extractions in patients with type 1 or 2A VWD [responsive to 1‐deamino‐8‐d‐arginine‐vasopressin (DDAVP)], 0.35–0.4 μg kg−1 of DDAVP should be administered intravenously at three times. In patients with type 2A VWD (unresponsive to DDAVP) or patients with type 2B or 2N VWD, 50–90 U [as ristocetin cofactor (VWF:RCof)] kg−1 of a factor VIII concentrate containing von Willebrand factor (FVIII/VWF concentrate) should be administered twice in routine extractions, and four to six times in surgical extractions. Gingival bleeding related to primary teeth can be mostly managed by pressure haemostasis alone. However, when treating gingival bleeding caused by marginal periodontitis, it is often necessary to administer 0.4 μg kg−1 of DDAVP or 40–70 U (as VWF:RCof) kg−1 of a FVIII/VWF concentrate. As local haemostasis is difficult to achieve in bleeding from the tongue or labial or mandibular haematoma, it is necessary to administer 0.4 μg kg−1 of DDAVP or 60–80 U (as VWF:RCof) kg−1 of a FVIII/VWF concentrate. In addition, oral administration of 20 mg kg−1 day−1 of tranexamic acid should be combined with the regimens described above.
Early growth and chronic disease: a public health overview
Authors: Law Catherine
Published: June 2005

Infant and childhood growth result from and reflect a range of influences in pre‐ and postnatal life. These include nutrition, burden of infection and the psycho‐social environment. Nutrition in young children is dependent on individual level factors such as fetal experience, infant feeding and weaning practices, and on societal factors such as education of women and economic conditions. The relationship of early postnatal growth to adult disease may be indicative or causal, and may reveal both biological and sociological processes. Although non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and obesity are risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, the relationships of these three conditions to infant growth differ. Poor infant growth has been associated with higher levels of NIDDM and ischaemic heart disease, but lower levels of adult obesity. Most research has been of populations living in developed countries at different stages of nutritional transition. However, differences in context are not simply limited to the stage of the nutritional transition. They also need to consider the nature of that transition and its social correlates, which may result in the clustering of aetiological influences such as increased body mass and poverty. The size of effect of the relationship of infant growth to adult disease is important not only to determine its relative aetiological importance but also for its potential for public health policy. Such policy also needs to consider the relationships of infant growth to a range of outcomes, both health and human capital, which are not the subject of this workshop.
Infant and child feeding practices and childhood overweight: the role of restriction
Authors: Faith Myles S. , Kerns Julia
Published: June 2005

This review addresses the association between restrictive feeding practices by parents and the development of overweight in children. To date, only one parent feeding domain – feeding restriction – has been consistently linked to variations in child eating patterns or weight status. Despite challenges to unravelling causal pathways, the most current data suggest that restrictive feeding practices are elicited by child characteristics (e.g. weight status or obesity risk) and depend on parent characteristics as well. Restriction, in turn, may maintain or exacerbate child overweight. There remain important questions to be addressed in this literature, pertinent both to the development of childhood overweight and clinically to overweight prevention. Two areas of importance are the roles of cultural differences, as well as genes that confer risk for overweight, on the relationship between restriction and child weight status.
Programme and policy issues related to promoting positive early nutritional influences to prevent obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life: a developing countries view1
Authors: Solomons Noel W.
Published: June 2005

Public health policy differs from programme insofar as the former is the expression of goals at a higher decision‐making level (international, regional, national or provincial) and the latter involves the execution of intervention measures at the community or individual level. It has recently become fashionable to speak of ‘evidence‐based’ policy. There is now ample evidence to suggest that early nutritional influences on chronic disease risk in later life are contributing to the acceleration of the overall worldwide epidemic of obesity and non‐transmissible diseases. In developing countries, in which 80% of the world's population resides, the opportunities for preventive policy must be balanced against needs, cost and effectiveness considerations and the intrinsic limitations of policy execution. Not everyone in the population is at risk of suffering from any given negative condition of interest, nor will everyone at risk benefit from any given intervention. Hence, decisions must be made between universal or targeted policies, seeking maximal cost‐efficiency, but without sowing the seeds of either discrimination or stigmatization with a non‐universal application of benefits. Moreover, although large segments of the covered population may benefit from a public health measure, it may produce adverse and harmful effects on another segment. It is ethically incumbent on policy makers to minimize unintended consequences of public health measures. With respect to the particular case of mothers, fetuses and infants and long‐term health, only a limited number of processes are amenable to intervention measures that could be codified in policy and executed as programmes.
‘It's in the water here’: the development of a community‐focused literacy strategy
Authors: Taylor Carol
Published: June 2005

This paper considers the pioneering development of a community‐focused literacy initiative that began in Derbyshire, a county in the middle of England. Read On‐Write Away! (ROWA!) is viewed from the standpoint of its former director. The article describes the strategy in the context of national policy and other government initiatives in England, and gives a historical account of the project's inception and development.
Building knowledge, building community: reflecting on the value of a national research programme in adult literacy
Authors: St Clair Ralf
Published: June 2005

In 2003 the National Literacy Secretariat (NLS) of Canada, at that time a branch of the Department of Human Resources and Development Canada, decided to review its research function. This article discusses some of the questions the review raised for the field. Many of these issues are to do with the management of knowledge – what research gets funded, to be performed by whom, and with what kind of approach – whereas others are concerned with the meaning of the research function itself, and what it can contribute to a field of practice such as adult literacy.
Parent empowerment for family literacy: a European initiative
Authors: Camilleri Juan , Spiteri Sandro , Wolfendale Sheila
Published: June 2005

The article describes the genesis of, rationale for and running of the Parent Empowerment for Family Literacy Project (PEFaL), a European‐Union funded six‐nation family literacy initiative that took place between 2001 and 2004. Whilst a number of features of the project are typical of family literacy programmes, some aspects of PEFaL are identifiably distinctive. These include the multicultural, trans‐cultural and linguistic dimensions, and an innovative attempt to encourage parent and child participants to communicate with each other across countries by email and the Internet. These features and some of the project outcomes are discussed and prospects for follow‐on activities are examined.
Boxing clever: using shoeboxes to support home–school knowledge exchange
Authors: Greenhough Pamela , Scanlan Mary , Feiler Anthony , Johnson David , Yee Wan Ching , Andrews Jane , Price Alison , Smithson Maggie , Hughes Martin
Published: June 2005

A key tenet of the Home–School Knowledge Exchange Project is that children's learning will be enhanced if the knowledge and experience that are to be found both at home and in school can be brought together. In this paper we explore ways of connecting home and school to support literacy learning at Key Stage 1, focusing on the home‐to‐school direction. We discuss how shoeboxes, filled with children's artefacts, can support a range of literacy‐related activities in school. It is suggested that the extensive diversity of knowledge and interests reflected in the chosen objects presents teachers with an invaluable opportunity to personalise children's literacy learning.
Pathway management in ambulatory wound care: defining local standards for quality improvement and interprofessional care
Authors: Hensen Peter , Ma Huong‐Lan , Luger Thomas A , Roeder Norbert , Steinhoff Martin
Published: June 2005

Growing health care costs and changes in health care delivery, such as the adoption of the diagnosis‐related groups, have tremendously affected treatment patterns all over the world. Pathway management is suitable to be responsive to the growing operating requirements and to manage effective and efficient medical care in hospitals. Pathways standardise clinical processes for patients with a similar diagnosis, procedure or symptom thereby optimising the quality of treatment and patient satisfaction. They are utilised by a multidisciplinary team with a primary focus on quality and coordination of care. Considering the key strategies of pathway management, an interprofessional team containing physicians and nurses developed and implemented a clinical pathway for ambulatory treatment of chronic wounds. A precise medical protocol was created to standardise routine procedures, to improve the treatment outcome and to provide an integrated documentation that enhances interprofessional collaboration. We designed a modular concept of four different sheets which provide pre‐defined standards: (a) medical admission, (b) findings and history, (c) topic and systemic treatment and (d) evaluation of outcome criteria. Variances must be merely written down in detail. After 1 year in clinical practice, we state that the use of a clinical pathway for chronic wound management is an effective method of improving clinical processes and patient outcomes.
Outcomes of allogenic acellular matrix therapy in treatment of diabetic foot wounds: an initial experience
Authors: Martin Billy R , Sangalang Melinda , Wu Stephanie , Armstrong David G
Published: June 2005

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of persons with UT grade 2A neuropathic diabetic foot wounds treated with an acellular matrix. Data were abstracted for 17 consecutive patients with diabetes – 76·5% males, aged 61·5 ± 8·5 years with a mean glycated haemoglobin of 9·2 ± 2·2% presenting for care at a large, multidisciplinary wound care centre. All patients received surgical debridement for their diabetic foot wounds and were placed on therapy consisting of a single application of an acellular matrix graft (GraftJacket™; Wright Medical Technologies, Arlington, TN, USA) with dressing changes taking place weekly. Outcomes evaluated included time to complete wound closure and proportion of patients achieving wound closure in 20 weeks. Acellular matrix therapy was used as initial therapy and was sutured or stapled in place under a silicone‐based non adherent dressing. Therapy was then followed by a moisture‐retentive dressing until complete epithelialisation. In total, 82·4% of wounds measuring a mean 4·6 ± 3·2 cm2 healed in the 20‐week evaluation period. For those that healed in this period, healing took place in a mean 8·9 ± 2·7 weeks. We conclude that a regimen consisting of moist wound healing using an acellular matrix dressing may be a useful adjunct to appropriate diabetic foot ulcer care for deep, non infected, non ischaemic wounds. We await the completion of further trials in this area to confirm or refute this initial assessment.
An approach to the management of necrotising fasciitis in neonates
Authors: Zuloaga‐Salcedo Soraya , Contreras‐Ruiz José , Dominguez‐Cherit Judith , Vega‐Memije Elisa
Published: June 2005

Necrotising fasciitis is a severe, life‐threatening soft tissue infection. It produces an extensive cellulitis with severe involvement of subcutaneous tissue, fascia, muscle or both, resulting in necrosis of the tissue. All age groups, including neonates, can be affected. Patients with necrotising fasciitis present with more severe constitutional symptoms and have a poor outcome, unless aggressive antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement are instituted promptly. The debridement of necrotic tissue is imperative to control the infection, but results in deep wounds that require further treatment. In this study, the neonate was treated with alginate dressings and negative pressure therapy after resolution of cellulitis, with excellent results and no untoward events.
Cogenerative Below Ambient Gas Turbine (BAGT) Performance With Variable Thermal Power
Authors: Bianchi M. , Negri di Montenegro G. , Peretto A.
Published: June 2005

The use of gas turbine and combined cycle power plants for thermal and electric power generation is, nowadays, a consolidated technology. Moreover, the employment of combined heat and power production, especially for low power requirements, is constantly increasing. In this scenario, below ambient pressure discharge gas turbine (BAGT) is an innovative and interesting application; the hot gases discharged from a gas turbine may be expanded below ambient pressure to obtain an increase in electric power generation. The gases are then cooled to supply heat to the thermal utility and finally recompressed to the ambient pressure. The power plant cogenerative performance depends on the heat and electric demand that usually varies during the year (for residential heating the heat to electric power ratio may range from 0.3 to 9). In this paper, the thermal load variation influence on the BAGT performance will be investigated and compared with those of gas turbine and combined cycle power plants.
Conjugate Flow and Heat Transfer Investigation of a Turbo Charger
Authors: Bohn Dieter , Heuer Tom , Kusterer Karsten
Published: June 2005

In this paper a three-dimensional conjugate calculation has been performed for a passenger car turbo charger. The scope of this work is to investigate the heat fluxes in the radial compressor, which can be strongly influenced by the hot turbine. As a result of this, the compressor efficiency may deteriorate. Consequently, the heat fluxes have to be taken into account for the determination of the efficiency. To overcome this problem a complex three-dimensional model has been developed. It contains the compressor, the oil cooled center housing, and the turbine. Twelve operating points have been numerically simulated composed of three different turbine inlet temperatures and four different mass flows. The boundary conditions for the flow and for the outer casing were derived from experimental test data (Bohn et al.). Resulting from these conjugate calculations various one-dimensional calculation specifications have been developed. They describe the heat transfer phenomena inside the compressor with the help of a Nusselt number, which is a function of an artificial Reynolds number and the turbine inlet temperature.
Blade Manufacturing Tolerances Definition for a Mistuned Industrial Bladed Disk
Authors: Capiez-Lernout E. , Soize C. , Lombard J.-P. , Dupont C. , Seinturier E.
Published: June 2005

This paper deals with the characterization of the blade manufacturing geometric tolerances in order to get a given level of amplification in the forced response of a mistuned bladed-disk. The theory is based on the use of a nonparametric probabilistic model of blade random uncertainties. The dispersion parameters controlling the nonparametric model are estimated as a function of the geometric tolerances. The industrial application is devoted to the mistuning analysis of a 22 blades wide chord fan stage. Centrifugal stiffening due to rotational effects is also included. The results obtained validate the efficiency and the reliability of the method on three-dimensional bladed disks.
Preliminary Study of a Novel R718 Compression Refrigeration Cycle Using a Three-Port Condensing Wave Rotor
Authors: Kharazi Amir A. , Akbari Pezhman , Mu¨ller Norbert
Published: June 2005

Using a novel 3-port condensing wave rotor enhancing the turbocompression in a R718 refrigeration cycle, which uses only water as a refrigerant, has been introduced. The wave-rotor implementation can increase efficiency and reduce size and cost of R718 units. The condensing wave rotor employs pressurized water to pressurize, desuperheat, and condense the refrigerant vapor—all in one dynamic process. The underlying phenomena of flash evaporation, shock wave compression, desuperheating, and condensation inside the wave rotor channels are described in a wave and phase-change diagram. The thermodynamic process is shown in pressure–enthalpy and temperature–entropy diagrams. A computer program based on a thermodynamic model was generated to evaluate the performance of R718 baseline and wave-rotor-enhanced cycles. The effect of some key parameters on the performance enhancement is demonstrated as an aid for optimization. A performance map summarizes the findings. It shows optimum wave rotor pressure ratio and maximum relative performance improvement of R718 cycles by using the 3-port condensing wave rotor.
Evaluation of an Enhanced Bank of Kalman Filters for In-Flight Aircraft Engine Sensor Fault Diagnostics
Authors: Kobayashi Takahisa , Simon Donald L.
Published: June 2005

In this paper, an approach for in-flight fault detection and isolation (FDI) of aircraft engine sensors based on a bank of Kalman filters is developed. This approach utilizes multiple Kalman filters, each of which is designed based on a specific fault hypothesis. When the propulsion system experiences a fault, only one Kalman filter with the correct hypothesis is able to maintain the nominal estimation performance. Based on this knowledge, the isolation of faults is achieved. Since the propulsion system may experience component and actuator faults as well, a sensor FDI system must be robust in terms of avoiding misclassifications of any anomalies. The proposed approach utilizes a bank of m+1 Kalman filters where m is the number of sensors being monitored. One Kalman filter is used for the detection of component and actuator faults while each of the other m filters detects a fault in a specific sensor. With this setup, the overall robustness of the sensor FDI system to anomalies is enhanced. Moreover, numerous component fault events can be accounted for by the FDI system. The sensor FDI system is applied to a nonlinear simulation of a commercial aircraft gas turbine engine, and its performance is evaluated at multiple power settings at a cruise operating point using various fault scenarios.
A Critical Evaluation of NOx Modeling in a Model Combustor
Authors: Jiang Lei-Yong , Campbell Ian
Published: June 2005

Reliable NOx modeling depends on the accurate prediction of both velocity and temperature fields. The velocity and temperature fields of a propane diffusion flame combustor, with interior and exterior conjugate heat transfers, were first numerically studied. The results from three combustion models, together with the renormalization group (RNG) k-ε turbulence model and the discrete ordinates radiation model are discussed, and compared with comprehensive experimental measurements. The flow patterns and the recirculation zone length in the combustion chamber are excellently predicted, and the mean axial velocities are in fairly good agreement with the experimental data for all three combustion models. The mean temperature profiles are fairly well captured by the probability density function (PDF) and eddy dissipation (EDS) combustion models. However, the EDS-finite-rate combustion model fails to provide an acceptable temperature field. Based on the acceptable velocity and temperature fields, a number of NO modeling approaches were evaluated in a postprocessing mode. The partial-equilibrium approach of O and OH radical concentrations shows a significant effect on the thermal NO formation rate. In contrast, the prompt NO, the NO reburn mechanism and the third reaction of the extended Zeldovich mechanism have negligible effects on the overall NO formation in the present study. This study indicates that the semiempirical, postprocessing NO model can provide valuable NO simulations as long as the velocity and temperature fields are adequately predicted.
Investigation of Three-Dimensional Stress Fields and Slip Systems for fcc Single-Crystal Superalloy Notched Specimens
Authors: Arakere Nagaraj K. , Siddiqui Shadab , Magnan Shannon , Ebrahimi Fereshteh , Forero Luis E.
Published: June 2005

Metals and their alloys, except for a few intermetallics, are inherently ductile, i.e., plastic deformation precedes fracture in these materials. Therefore, resistance to fracture is directly related to the development of the plastic zone at the crack tip. Recent studies indicate that the fracture toughness of single crystals depends on the crystallographic orientation of the notch as well as the loading direction. In general, the dependence of crack propagation resistance on crystallographic orientation arises from the anisotropy of (i) elastic constants, (ii) plastic deformation (or slip), and (iii) the weakest fracture planes (e.g., cleavage planes). Because of the triaxial stress state at the notch tips, many slip systems that otherwise would not be activated during uniaxial testing become operational. The plastic zone formation in single crystals has been tackled theoretically by Rice and his co-workers [Rice, J. R., 1987, Mech. Mater. 6, pp. 317–335; Rice, J. R., and Saeedvafa, M., 1987, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 36, pp. 189–214; Saeedvafa, M., and Rice, J. R., 1988; ibid., 37, pp. 673–691; Rice, J. R., Hawk, D. E., Asaro, R. J., 1990, Int. J. Fract. 42, pp. 301–321; Saeedvafa, M., and Rice, J. R., 1992, Modell. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 1, pp. 53–71] and only limited experimental work has been conducted in this area. The study of the stresses and strains in the vicinity of a fcc single-crystal notch tip is of relatively recent origin. We present experimental and numerical investigation of three-dimensional (3D) stress fields and evolution of slip sector boundaries near notches in fcc single-crystal PWA1480 tension test specimens and demonstrate that a 3D linear elastic finite element model, which includes the effect of material anisotropy, is shown to predict active slip planes and sectors accurately. The slip sector boundaries are shown to have complex curved shapes with several slip systems active simultaneously near the notch. Results are presented for surface and mid-plane of the specimens. The results demonstrate that accounting for 3D elastic anisotropy is very important for accurate prediction of slip activation near fcc single-crystal notches loaded in tension. Results from the study will help establish guidelines for fatigue damage near single-crystal notches.
Analysis of Gas-Steam Combined Cycles With Natural Gas Reforming and CO2 Capture
Authors: Corradetti Alessandro , Desideri Umberto
Published: June 2005

In the last several years greenhouse gas emissions, and, in particular, carbon dioxide emissions, have become a major concern in the power generation industry and a large amount of research work has been dedicated to this subject. Among the possible technologies to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants, the pretreatment of fossil fuels to separate carbon from hydrogen before the combustion process is one of the least energy-consuming ways to facilitate CO2 capture and removal from the power plant. In this paper several power plant schemes with reduced CO2 emissions were simulated. All the configurations were based on the following characteristics: (i) syngas production via natural gas reforming; (ii) two reactors for CO-shift; (iii) “precombustion” decarbonization of the fuel by CO2 absorption with amine solutions; (iv) combustion of hydrogen-rich fuel in a commercially available gas turbine; and (v) combined cycle with three pressure levels, to achieve a net power output in the range of 400 MW. The base reactor employed for syngas generation is the ATR (auto thermal reformer). The attention was focused on the optimization of the main parameters of this reactor and its interaction with the power section. In particular the simulation evaluated the benefits deriving from the postcombustion of exhaust gas and from the introduction of a gas-gas heat exchanger. All the components of the plants were simulated using ASPEN PLUS software, and fixing a reduction of CO2 emissions of at least 90%. The best configuration showed a thermal efficiency of approximately 48% and CO2 specific emissions of 0.04 kg/kWh.