bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deliberate Self-harm in Children and Adolescents: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Needs of Parents and Carers
Authors: Byrne Sinéad , Morgan Sophia , Fitzpatrick Carol , Boylan Carole , Crowley Sinéad , Gahan Hilary , Howley Julie , Staunton Dorothy , Guerin Suzanne
Published: October 2008

Deliberate Self-harm (DSH) is a serious public health problem and is becoming more prevalent among young people in Ireland. Research tends to focus on the DSH patient. However, parental involvement is recognized as an important factor in their child's prognosis. This study aimed to describe parents' and carers' experiences of self-harm in their child in order to identify their support needs. A focus group methodology was used to generate qualitative data. Representative participants whose children had engaged in suicidal behaviour were recruited from the Paediatric Emergency, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams and Family Support Services. Twenty-five participants attended the focus group meeting. A transcript-based conceptual analysis was conducted to identify and explore emerging themes. Participants expressed the need for support; information about suicidal behaviour in young people; skills for parenting an adolescent; and advice on managing further incidents. Parents described significant difficulties in family communication, in parent—child relationships, and in the area of discipline following self-harm. These findings support current research that identifies the need for service development and information for parents/carers of young people who self-harm.
Taking the Psycho out of Psychosomatic: Using Systemic Approaches in a Paediatric Setting for the Treatment of Adolescents with Unexplained Physical Symptoms
Authors: Griffin Angela , Christie Deborah
Published: October 2008

Difficulty expressing emotional distress verbally is widely thought to underlie the presentation of physical symptoms which cannot be explained in medical terms. Children presenting with so called psychosomatic symptoms therefore bridge both the medical and psychological domains and create a conundrum for professionals from either field if working with them alone. A multidisciplinary rehabilitative approach has long been considered the treatment of choice for children exhibiting chronic physical problems. However, there has been little focus on the use of this approach with children diagnosed as suffering from nonorganic physical symptoms, or on the nuts and bolts of the psychological interventions which have been found beneficial. This article outlines a psychological model which has been integrated into a multidisciplinary team approach with good outcomes. The unique features of each case means that evidence for treatment is limited and relies upon such examples of good practice.
Through a Mother's Lens: A Qualitative Analysis Reveals How Temporal Experience Shifts When a Boy Born Preterm Has Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Glasscoe Claire , Smith Jonathan A.
Published: October 2008

We present a qualitative case study of one woman's experience of bringing up a child with cystic fibrosis (CF), born prematurely, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This mother's existential account portrays time sequences for developmental milestones and synchronization of lifecycle events as atypical. Her perception of her child fluctuated radically; illness seemed to displace time, which collapsed with adversity. The temporal relations of CF and preterm birth are blurred at certain points. Although the challenge of compromised health may in some ways have promoted her son's development, his immature self-expression moved this mother towards an insider perspective of his experience. Cystic fibrosis is an ominous presence that demands respect even when the child is well. Anticipating the psychological impact of biomedical interventions can help to minimize trauma and maximize adaptation. Talking and play at transitional time points may assist the way parents and children assimilate temporal disruptions.
Placing post-graffiti: the journey of the Peckham Rock
Authors: Dickens Luke
Published: October 2008

This article is about the intersections between contemporary forms of urban inscription, art and the city, as they come to be configured through an emergent `post-graffiti' aesthetic practice. Exemplary of this movement is the self-proclaimed `art terrorist', Banksy, who has earned a reputation recently for his audacious interventions into some of the most significant art institutions in the western world, as well as for his politically charged stencil and sculptural work in the everyday spaces of the city. Focusing on the artist's Peckham Rock, a fragment of concrete that he surreptitiously stuck to the walls of the British Museum in May 2005, this article uses the methodological device of `the journey' in an attempt to place the connections and disconnections between a series of elite and institutional spaces, social relations and mediascapes through which `the rock' passes as its `life' as an artwork unfolds. Existing research, including that by geographers, has examined graffiti in terms of urban identity politics, territoriality and transgression. While such work has generated important insights into the nature of particular kinds of urbanism, it is often limited to a focus on graffiti `writing', a subcultural model of urban inscription originating in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s. In contrast, this article explores a more recent style of inscribing the city, as set out in a series of art publications and conferences, and unpacks what such a model might indicate regarding contemporary urban processes and experiences.
A peptomimetic inhibitor of BCL6 with potent antilymphoma effects in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Cerchietti Leandro C. , Yang Shao Ning , Shaknovich Rita , Hatzi Katerina , Polo Jose M. , Chadburn Amy , Dowdy Steven F. , Melnick Ari
Published: October 2008

The BCL6 transcriptional repressor is the most commonly involved oncogene in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). BCL6 lymphomagenic activity is dependent on its ability to recruit corepressor proteins to a unique binding site on its N-terminal BTB domain. A recombinant peptide fragment of the SMRT (silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor) corepressor that blocks this site can inhibit BCL6 biologic functions. Shortening and conversion of this peptide to D-amino acid and retro configuration as well as the addition of a fusogenic motif yielded a far more potent and stable BCL6 inhibitor that still retained the specificity of the original SMRT fragment. Like the L-peptide, retroinverso BCL6 peptide inhibitor (RI-BPI) selectively killed BCR rather than OxPhos-type DLBCL cells. The RI-BPI could recapitulate the failure to form germinal centers seen in BCL6 null mice yet was nontoxic and nonimmunogenic even when administered for up to 52 weeks. RI-BPI showed superior duration of tissue penetration and could accordingly powerfully suppress the growth of human DLBCLs xenografts in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, RI-BPI could kill primary human DLBCL cells but had no effect on normal lymphoid tissue or other tumors.
Structural assembly of two-domain proteins by rigid-body docking
Authors: Cheng Tammy MK , Blundell Tom L , Fernandez-Recio Juan
Published: October 2008

Background

Modelling proteins with multiple domains is one of the central challenges in Structural Biology. Although homology modelling has successfully been applied for prediction of protein structures, very often domain-domain interactions cannot be inferred from the structures of homologues and their prediction requires ab initio methods. Here we present a new structural prediction approach for modelling two-domain proteins based on rigid-body domain-domain docking.

Results

Here we focus on interacting domain pairs that are part of the same peptide chain and thus have an inter-domain peptide region (so called linker). We have developed a method called pyDockTET (tet hered-docking), which uses rigid-body docking to generate domain-domain poses that are further scored by binding energy and a pseudo-energy term based on restraints derived from linker end-to-end distances. The method has been benchmarked on a set of 77 non-redundant pairs of domains with available X-ray structure. We have evaluated the docking method ZDOCK, which is able to generate acceptable domain-domain orientations in 51 out of the 77 cases. Among them, our method pyDockTET finds the correct assembly within the top 10 solutions in over 60% of the cases. As a further test, on a subset of 20 pairs where domains were built by homology modelling, ZDOCK generates acceptable orientations in 13 out of the 20 cases, among which the correct assembly is ranked lower than 10 in around 70% of the cases by our pyDockTET method.

Conclusion

Our results show that rigid-body docking approach plus energy scoring and linker-based restraints are useful for modelling domain-domain interactions. These positive results will encourage development of new methods for structural prediction of macromolecules with multiple (more than two) domains.
A comparison of cecal colonization of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium in white leghorn chicks and Salmonella-resistant mice
Authors: Sivula Christine P , Bogomolnaya Lydia M , Andrews-Polymenis Helene L
Published: October 2008

Background

Salmonellosis is one of the most important bacterial food borne illnesses worldwide. A major source of infection for humans is consumption of chicken or egg products that have been contaminated withSalmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium, however our knowledge regarding colonization and persistence factors in the chicken is small.

Results

We compared intestinal and systemic colonization of 1-week-old White Leghorn chicks andSalmonella-resistant CBA/J mice during infection withSalmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium ATCC14028, one of the most commonly studied isolates. We also studied the distribution of wild type serotype Typhimurium ATCC14028 and an isogenicinvAmutant during competitive infection in the cecum of 1-week-old White Leghorn chicks and 8-week-old CBA/J mice. We found that although the systemic levels of serotype Typhimurium in both infected animal models are low, infected mice have significant splenomegaly beginning at 15 days post infection. In the intestinal tract itself, the cecal contents are the major site for recovery of serotype Typhimurium in the cecum of 1-week-old chicks andSalmonella-resistant mice. Additionally we show that only a small minority ofSalmonellaeare intracellular in the cecal epithelium of both infected animal models, and while SPI-1 is important for successful infection in the murine model, it is important for association with the cecal epithelium of 1-week-old chicks. Finally, we show that in chicks infected with serotype Typhimurium at 1 week of age, the level of fecal shedding of this organism does not reflect the level of cecal colonization as it does in murine models.

Conclusion

In our study, we highlight important differences in systemic and intestinal colonization levels between chick and murine serotype Typhimurium infections, and provide evidence that suggests that the role of SPI-1 may not be the same during colonization of both animal models.
Differences between naive and memory T cell phenotype in Malawian and UK adolescents: a role for Cytomegalovirus?
Authors: Ben-Smith Anne , Gorak-Stolinska Patricia , Floyd Sian , Weir Rosemary E , Lalor Maeve K , Mvula Hazzie , Crampin Amelia C , Wallace Diana , Beverley Peter CL , Fine Paul EM , Dockrell Hazel M
Published: October 2008

Background

Differences in degree of environmental exposure to antigens in early life have been hypothesized to lead to differences in immune status in individuals from different populations, which may have implications for immune responses in later years.

Methods

Venous blood from HIV-negative adolescents and blood from the umbilical cords of babies, born to HIV-negative women, post-delivery was collected and analysed using flow cytometry. T cell phenotype was determined from peripheral blood lymphocytes and cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity was assessed by ELISA in adolescents.

Results

HIV-negative Malawian adolescents were shown to have a lower percentage of naïve T cells (CD45RO-CD62LhiCD11alo), a higher proportion of memory T cells and a higher percentage of CD28-memory (CD28-CD45RO+) T cells compared to age-matched UK adolescents. Malawian adolescents also had a lower percentage of central memory (CD45RA-CCR7+) T cells and a higher percentage of stable memory (CD45RA+CCR7-) T cells than UK adolescents. All of the adolescents tested in Malawi were seropositive for CMV (59/59), compared to 21/58 (36%) of UK adolescents. CMV seropositivity in the UK was associated with a reduced percentage of naïve T cells and an increased percentage of CD28-memory T cells in the periphery. No differences in the proportions of naïve and memory T cell populations were observed in cord blood samples from the two sites.

Conclusion

It is likely that these differences between Malawian and UK adolescents reflect a greater natural exposure to various infections, including CMV, in the African environment and may imply differences in the ability of these populations to induce and maintain immunological memory to vaccines and natural infections.
Tumor volume in subcutaneous mouse xenografts measured by microCT is more accurate and reproducible than determined by 18F-FDG-microPET or external caliper
Authors: Jensen Mette Munk , Jørgensen Jesper Tranekjær , Binderup Tina , Kjær Andreas
Published: October 2008

Background

In animal studies tumor size is used to assess responses to anticancer therapy. Current standard for volumetric measurement of xenografted tumors is by external caliper, a method often affected by error. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if microCT gives more accurate and reproducible measures of tumor size in mice compared with caliper measurements. Furthermore, we evaluated the accuracy of tumor volume determined from 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET.

Methods

Subcutaneously implanted human breast adenocarcinoma cells in NMRI nude mice served as tumor model. Tumor volume (n = 20) was determined in vivo by external caliper, microCT and 18F-FDG-PET and subsequently reference volume was determined ex vivo. Intra-observer reproducibility of the microCT and caliper methods were determined by acquiring 10 repeated volume measurements. Volumes of a group of tumors (n = 10) were determined independently by two observers to assess inter-observer variation.

Results

Tumor volume measured by microCT, PET and caliper all correlated with reference volume. No significant bias of microCT measurements compared with the reference was found, whereas both PET and caliper had systematic bias compared to reference volume. Coefficients of variation for intra-observer variation were 7% and 14% for microCT and caliper measurements, respectively. Regression coefficients between observers were 0.97 for microCT and 0.91 for caliper measurements.

Conclusion

MicroCT was more accurate than both caliper and 18F-FDG-PET for in vivo volumetric measurements of subcutaneous tumors in mice.18F-FDG-PET was considered unsuitable for determination of tumor size. External caliper were inaccurate and encumbered with a significant and size dependent bias. MicroCT was also the most reproducible of the methods.
uPA is upregulated by high dose celecoxib in women at increased risk of developing breast cancer
Authors: Qin Wenyi , Zhu Weizhu , Hewett John E , Rottinghaus George , Chen Yin-Chieh , Flynn John T , Kliethermes Beth , Mannello Ferdinando , Sauter Edward R
Published: October 2008

Background

While increased urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression in breast cancer tissue is directly associated with poor prognosis, recent evidence suggests that uPA overexpression may suppress tumor growth and prolong survival. Celecoxib has been shown to have antiangiogenic and antiproliferative properties. We sought to determine if uPA, PA inhibitor (PAI)-1 and prostaglandin (PG)E2expression in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) and uPA and PGE2expression in plasma were altered by celecoxib dose and concentration in women at increased breast cancer risk.

Methods

NAF and plasma samples were collected in women at increased breast cancer risk before and 2 weeks after taking celecoxib 200 or 400 mg twice daily (bid). uPA, PAI-1 and PGE2were measured before and after intervention.

Results

Celecoxib concentrations trended higher in women taking 400 mg (median 1025.0 ng/mL) compared to 200 mg bid (median 227.3 ng/mL), and in post- (534.6 ng/mL) compared to premenopausal (227.3 ng/mL) women. In postmenopausal women treated with the higher (400 mg bid) celecoxib dose, uPA concentrations increased, while PAI-1 and PGE2decreased. In women taking the higher dose, both PAI-1 (r = -.97, p = .0048) and PGE2(r = -.69, p = .019) in NAF and uPA in plasma (r = .45, p = .023) were correlated with celecoxib concentrations.

Conclusion

Celecoxib concentrations after treatment correlate inversely with the change in PAI-1 and PGE2in the breast and directly with the change in uPA in the circulation. uPA upregulation, in concert with PAI-1 and PGE2downregulation, may have a cancer preventive effect.
Stressful life events and current psychological distress are associated with self-reported hypertension but not with true hypertension: results from a cross-sectional population-based study
Authors: Sparrenberger Felipe , Fuchs Sandra C , Moreira Leila B , Fuchs Flávio D
Published: October 2008

Background

The evidence linking stress to hypertension has been scarcely documented in population-based studies.

Methods

Participants were selected through a multi-stage probability sampling and interviewed at home, being submitted to measures of demographics, anthropometrics, blood pressure (BP), and risk factors for hypertension. Hypertension was defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg or use of BP-lowering drugs or as self-reported hypertension. Stressful life events were investigated through an inventory of nine major life events occurring in the year preceding the interview. Psychological distress was evaluated through a facial scale of expression of emotion in the last month.

Results

In the total, 1,484 adult individuals were investigated. Prevalence of hypertension was lower in individuals who reported any stressful life event in comparison with individuals who did not reported an event (34.3 versus 44.2%, P < 0.01), such as relative or friend death, loss of job, divorce, violence and migration. There was a trend for higher prevalence of hypertension in individuals with higher psychological distress in the last month, which was not longer significant after adjustment for confounding. In contrast, individuals who self-reported hypertension, but actually had normal blood pressure and were not using antihypertensive medication, reported higher numbers of stressful events.

Conclusion

Recent stressful life events and current psychological distress are not associated with hypertension. Associations between stress events and distress with self-reported hypertension are not intermediated by effects of stress on blood pressure, and may be ascribed to negative feeling about disease and not to the disease itself.
Lack of association of two common polymorphisms on 9p21 with risk of coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction; results from a prospective cohort study
Authors: Dehghan Abbas , van Hoek Mandy , Sijbrands Eric JG , Oostra Ben A , Hofman Albert , van Duijn Cornelia M , Witteman Jacqueline CM
Published: October 2008

Background

Recent genome wide association (GWA) studies identified two Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) (rs10757278 and rs10757274) in the region of the CDK2NA and CDK2NB genes to be consistently associated with the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI). We examined the SNPs in relation to the risk of CHD and MI in a large population based study of elderly population.

Methods

The Rotterdam Study is a population-based, prospective cohort study among 7983 participants aged 55 years and older. Associations of the polymorphisms with CHD and MI were assessed by use of Cox proportional hazards analyses.

Results

In an additive model, the age and sex adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval) for CHD and MI were 1.03 (0.90, 1.18) and 0.94 (0.82, 1.08) per copy of the G allele of rs10757274. The corresponding HRs were 1.03 (0.90, 1.18) and 0.93 (0.81, 1.06) for the G allele of rs10757278. The association of the SNPs with CHD and MI was not significant in any of the subgroups of CHD risk factors.

Conclusion

we were not able to show an association of the studied SNPs with risks of CHD and MI. This may be due to differences in genes involved in the occurrence of CHD in young and older people.
Inter- and intra-observer variability in Sonographic measurements of the cross-sectional diameters and area of the umbilical cord and its vessels during pregnancy
Authors: Barbieri Cristiane , Cecatti Jose G , Souza Carla E , Marussi Emilio F , Costa Jose V
Published: October 2008

Background

The purpose of the study was to evaluate inter- and intra-observer variability in sonographic measurements of the cross-sectional area of the umbilical cord and the diameters of its vessels in low-risk pregnancies of 12 to 40 weeks of gestation.

Methods

A prospective cross sectional study was performed in 221 pregnant women at different gestational ages. Measurements were carried out also by a second observer to evaluate inter-observer variability and repeated once again by the first observer to assess intra-observer variability. The linear correlation between the measurements (Spearman's coefficient of correlation) and their reliability through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the limits of agreement proposed by Bland and Altman were evaluated.

Results

The results showed that inter-observer and intra-observer variability did not show any significant difference between examiners. A good linear correlation between the measurements and reliability was obtained, with values of R, ICC and Cronbach's alpha all above the standard limits.

Conclusion

It is possible to conclude that inter- and intra-observer variability in the measurements of the umbilical cord and its vessels was small; their reliability and agreement were good.
Passive seismic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution
Authors: Wapenaar Kees , van der Neut Joost , Ruigrok Elmer
Published: October 2008

We introduce seismic interferometry of passive data by multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) as an alternative to the crosscorrelation method. Interferometry by MDD has the potential to correct for the effects of source irregularity, assuming the first arrival can be separated from the full response. MDD applications can range from reservoir imaging using microseismicity to crustal imaging with teleseismic data.
Nietzsche/Pentheus: The Last Disciple of Dionysus and Queer Fear of the Feminine
Authors: Schotten C. Heike
Published: October 2008

This article examines the scholarly preoccupation with the hypothesis that Nietzsche was gay by offering a reading of Nietzsche's texts as autobiographical that puts them in conversation with Euripides's drama The Bacchae. Drawing a number of parallels between Nietzsche, self-avowed disciple of Dionysus, and Pentheus, the main character of The Bacchae and demonstrated antidisciple of Dionysus, I argue that both men experience their sexual attraction to women as somehow intolerable, and they negotiate this discomfort—which is simultaneously an unjustified paranoia and fear of the feminine—through the appropriation of feminine capacities and qualities for themselves. This appropriation ultimately expresses these men's fear of the erosion of male power and the coherence of distinct gender categories that I call a “queer fear of the feminine.” However, this is neither a sign of incipient homosexuality nor a feminist move; rather, it is good old-fashioned patriarchy dressed up in drag. I conclude by offering a symptomatic reading of the popularity of the thesis that Nietzsche was gay, arguing that this reflects our own twenty-first-century tendency to read gender deviance as only ever a sign of sexual “orientation,” which is always already presumed to be homosexuality.
Unthought Nature: Reply to Penelope Deutscher and Mary Beth Mader
Authors: Stone Alison
Published: October 2008

In response to Mader's and Deutscher's questions, the author defends her approach to reading Irigaray and Butler, which entails extending the ideas of these thinkers into areas of thought with which they do not engage directly themselves. This involves relating Irigaray's ideas to the tradition of the philosophy of nature and interpreting Butler as offering, in spite of her focus on the genealogy of claims about sex, also a theory of sex itself, a theory of sex as an effect entirely of gender. This approach to reading differs from Irigaray's own reading method of expanding and transforming philosophies in light of their constitutive exclusions. An example of this, explored here, is Irigaray's expansion and transformation of Merleau-Ponty's late ontology of flesh in light of its constitutive exclusion, the “maternal sojourn.” This article also asks whether rhythmic sexual difference, which the author has attempted to differentiate from biological sex difference, ultimately remains tied to biological sex difference. This commentary suggests that it does but that reference to biological sex difference need not be politically problematic. Finally, the author asks whether the metaphysics of potentials and tendencies that she attributes to Irigaray impedes social change by inevitably reinstalling the actual as the horizon of possibility. Irigaray's strategy of reading texts and cultures for their constitutive exclusions offers a solution to this problem.
Optimization of injection conditions for a thin-walled die-cast part using a genetic algorithm method
Authors: Tsoukalas V D
Published: October 2008

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the effect of injection parameters on porosity formation for a commercial thin-walled die-cast part of aluminium alloy. The amount and distribution of porosity in die-cast parts were examined in relation to the slow shot velocity, the fast shot set point, the gate velocity, the pressure rise time, and the intensification pressure. The effect of injection parameters on porosity formation was investigated, using multivariate linear regression (MVLR) and genetic algorithm (GA) analyses in the pressure die-casting process. The experiments were conducted using the L27 orthogonal array of the Taguchi method. The experimental results from the orthogonal array were used as the training data for the MVLR model to map the relationship between injection parameters and porosity formation. With the fitness function based on this model, the GA method was used for optimization of the injection parameters. The predicted optimum injection conditions by GA were compared with the Taguchi design results and validated with experimental measurements.
Simulation of generation and tooth contact analysis of helical gears with crowned flanks
Authors: Kawalec A , Wiktor J
Published: October 2008

The present paper describes a method for the determination of equations representing modified flanks using an assumed technology of gear generation. Modification of flanks is introduced by a suitable change of the trajectory of tool motion. The developed equations allow for the creation of precise geometric models of mating teeth by considering the shapes of modified flanks obtained after gear generation. After simulation of gear generation, proper finite element analysis of tooth contact of mating teeth is done, which is necessary for checking and optimization purposes.
Theoretical and experimental formability study of two-layer metallic sheet (Al1100/St12)
Authors: Aghchai A Jalali , Shakeri M , Mollaei-Dariani B
Published: October 2008

Two-layer metallic sheets are increasingly used in industrial and domestic parts. Their advantages include an increased wear and corrosion resistance, sound and vibration damping, uniform temperature distribution due to the different heat expansion coefficients of the layers, decreased spring back and wrinkling, and finally reduced weight and cost. In this paper the formability of two-layer Al1100-St12 sheet is investigated. Theoretical and experimental approaches have been used to obtain the forming limit diagram of the two-layer Al1100-St12 sheet, and the obtained results are compared. Also the forming limit diagram of the two-layer sheet is compared with the formability of its metallic components. Results show a good agreement between theoretical and experimental results. It is also shown that the two-layer metallic sheet formability is better than its lower formability component.
Phase transformation and residual stress probed by Raman spectroscopy in diamond-turned single crystal silicon
Authors: Jasinevicius R G , Duduch J G , Montanari L , Pizani P S
Published: October 2008

Single-point diamond turning of monocrystalline semiconductors is an important field of research within brittle materials machining. Monocrystalline silicon samples with a (100) orientation have been diamond turned under different cutting conditions (feed rate and depth of cut). Micro-Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy have been used to assess structural alterations and surface finish of the samples diamond turned under ductile and brittle modes. It was found that silicon undergoes a phase transformation when machined in the ductile mode. This phase transformation is evidenced by the creation of an amorphous surface layer after machining which has been probed by Raman scattering. Compressive residual stresses are estimated for the machined surface and it is observed that they decrease with an increase in the feed rate and depth of cut. This behaviour has been attributed to the formation of subsurface cracks when the feed rate is higher than or equal to 2.5 μm/rev. The surface roughness was observed to vary with the feed rate and the depth of cut. An increase in the surface roughness was influenced by microcrack formation when the feed rate reached 5.0 μm/rev. Furthermore, a high-pressure phase transformation induced by the tool/material interaction and responsible for the ductile response of this typical brittle material is discussed based upon the presented Raman spectra. The application of this machining technology finds use for a wide range of high quality components, for example the creation of a micrometre-range channel for microfluidic devices as well as microlenses used in the infrared spectrum range.
Microassembly of micro peg and hole using an optimal visual proportional differential controller
Authors: Wang J , Tao X , Cho H
Published: October 2008

The proportional control based visual controller is the main method used in visual serving, but a small proportional gain results in a slow response, and a large proportional gain results in large overshoot or makes the system unstable. In order to improve the dynamic performance of visual servoing, a (PD) visual controller in a microassembly system is proposed. In the proposed controller the proportional part makes the system respond faster and the differential part can improve the dynamic performance. The proportional and differential gains are tuned using a genetic algorithm to obtain optimal controller parameters. In this paper, affine transformation of the feature line is used to track the object. A series of experiments are performed on the peg and hole assembly to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of this method.
An exploration of policies and practices used to showcase production facilities
Authors: Baines T S , Ball P D , Cooper S , Dawson P , Wilkinson S , Woods M , Kay J M
Published: October 2008

Manufacturers who seek innovative ways in which to differentiate their products and services should not overlook the value of showcasing their production facilities. By careful design, visitors can be exposed to a series of experiences that can help to emphasize the value built into products. This topic has, however, received almost no attention by manufacturing researchers. Therefore, this paper describes a study of six manufacturers and, from this, proposes a set of guidelines for showcasing production facilities. Although exploratory, this work provides both a guide to manufacturers and a platform for more in-depth research. The guidelines and the case studies on which they are based are all described within the paper.
Development of a control algorithm for a tie-rod-actuating steer-by-wire system
Authors: Kim C-J , Jang J-H , Yu S-N , Lee S-H , Han C-S , Hedrick J K
Published: October 2008

This paper presents a control algorithm for a steer-by-wire (SBW) system. In an SBW system in a passenger car, the usual mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the front wheels is replaced with an electrical connection. An SBW system consists of two parts: the steering-wheel system and the front-wheel system. This research considers the tie-rod-actuating type of front-wheel system, in which two independently actuating motors control the front wheels. The steering-wheel and front-wheel motors are modelled, using the bond graph method for both, but controlled by different means. The steering-wheel system control algorithm used a torque map to generate reactive torque and damping. In the development of the tie-rod-actuating-type SBW system described herein, the Ackerman constraint was used for control of the two motors to improve stability and manoeuvrability. The validity of the system was verified with a full-car model.
Development of a control algorithm for a rack-actuating steer-by-wire system using road information feedback
Authors: Kim C-J , Jang J-H , Oh S-K , Lee J-Y , Han C-S , Hedrick J K
Published: October 2008

In a steer-by-wire (SBW) system in a passenger vehicle, the conventional mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the front wheel is replaced by electric wires. The SBW system consists of two parts: the steering-wheel system and the front-wheel system. The front-wheel system is the rack-actuating type. This paper proposes a concept for the control of the rack-actuating SBW system. In particular, the controller should behave similarly to a conventional (mechanically linked) steering system. In this paper, the rack-actuating SBW system was modelled using the bond graph method. The actuator controller was designed to minimize the reference signal error. The current research also considers the improvement in steering feel using feedback control of road information, in which the steering-wheel system's control algorithm used the torque map and transfer information of the road to the driver. Verification simulation and performance simulation showed that the rack-actuating SBW controller was available in this paper.
Early reporting for cancer screening trials
Authors: Baker Stuart G , Kramer Barnett S , Prorok Philip C
Published: October 2008

Objective

Many cancer screening trials involve a screening programme of one or more screenings with follow-up after the last screening. Usually a maximum follow-up time is selected in advance. However, during the follow-up period there is an opportunity to report the results of the trial sooner than planned. Early reporting of results from a randomized screening trial is important because obtaining a valid result sooner translates into health benefits reaching the general population sooner. The health benefits are reduction in cancer deaths if screening is found to be beneficial and more screening is recommended, or avoidance of unnecessary biopsies, work-ups and morbidity if screening is not found to be beneficial and the rate of screening drops.

Methods

Our proposed method for deciding if results from a cancer screening trial should be reported earlier in the follow-up period is based on considerations involving postscreening noise. Postscreening noise (sometimes called dilution) refers to cancer deaths in the follow-up period that could not have been prevented by screening: (1) cancer deaths in the screened group that occurred after the last screening in subjects whose cancers were not detected during the screening program and (2) cancer deaths in the control group that occurred after the time of the last screening and whose cancers would not have been detected during the screening programme had they been randomized to screening (the number of which is unobserved). Because postscreening noise increases with follow-up after the last screening, we propose early reporting at the time during the follow-up period when postscreening noise first starts to overwhelm the estimated effect of screening as measured by a z-statistic. This leads to a confidence interval, adjusted for postscreening noise, that would not change substantially with additional follow-up. Details of the early reporting rule were refined by simulation, which also accounts for multiple looks.

Results

For the re-analysis of the Health Insurance Plan trial for breast cancer screening and the Mayo Lung Project for lung cancer screening, estimates and confidence intervals for the effect of screening on cancer mortality were similar on early reporting and later.

Conclusion

The proposed early reporting rule for a cancer screening trial with post-screening follow-up is a promising method for making results from the trial available sooner, which translates into health benefits (reduction in cancer deaths or avoidance of unnecessary morbidity) reaching the population sooner.
French colorectal cancer screening pilot programme: results of the first round
Authors: Goulard Hélène , Boussac-Zarebska Marjorie , Ancelle-Park Rosemary , Bloch Juliette
Published: October 2008

Objectives

In France, a national pilot population-based screening programme on colorectal cancer was set up in 2002. In 2006, 23 French districts were included, targeting a population of more than five million people. This programme offers biennial screening using the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) to average risk subjects aged between 50 and 74 years. People receive a letter inviting them to consult their GPs, who in turn provide the FOBT. People with a positive test result are proposed a full colonoscopy. The results of the programme's first-round performance indicators are presented.

Methods

The monitoring centre collected data from GPs and gastroenterologists on follow-up and colonoscopy results for people who were screened positive. Data were transferred to the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) for the analysis.

Results

The overall participation rate for the 19 districts having completed a first screening round reached 42%. The overall positive test rate was 2.7%. In the eight districts with comprehensive follow-up data for the first round, 86% of colonoscopies were completed after a positive test. A total of 1615 people were diagnosed with cancer, and 4612 people with adenoma. The cancer detection rate reached 2.3%, it was higher in men than in women (3.4% versus 1.4%), and increased with age. Forty-three percent of invasive detected cancers were stage I, 24% stage II, 23% had lymph node involvement and 10% presented with distant metastasis.

Conclusion

These results suggest that indicators are consistent with international references. During 2007–2008, the programme coverage will be progressively extended, and all 99 French districts should be actively involved in its implementation.
Low-dose lung computed tomography screening before age 55: estimates of the mortality reduction required to outweigh the radiation-induced cancer risk
Authors: Berrington de González Amy , Kim Kwang Pyo , Berg Christine D
Published: October 2008

Objectives

To estimate the risk of radiation-induced lung cancer mortality from three annual low-dose lung computed tomography (CT) screens before age 55 years (starting at age 30, 40 or 50) and the mortality reduction from screening (i.e. the efficacy) needed to outweigh these risks for never and current-smokers. The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer was also estimated for women.

Methods

The Biological Effectiveness of Ionizing Radiation VII committee's risk models were used to estimate radiation risk. Lung cancer mortality rates (based on the Bach model for current and the Cancer Prevention Study for never-smokers) were used to estimate the mortality reduction needed to outweigh this risk.

Results

For never-smokers, the estimated excess lifetime risk of radiation-induced lung cancer mortality from annual screening aged 40–42 was 1/10,000 (90% credibility interval: 0.4–3) for men and 3/10,000 (2–6) for women. For current-smokers, the estimated risks were approximately two-fold higher, with wider credibility intervals. Risks from screening age 30–32 or 50–52 years were of similar magnitude. The mortality reduction required to outweigh these risks was, for female never-smokers: 125% (40–300%) age 30–32 years, 70% (30–190%) age 40–42 years and 25% (10–70%) age 50–52 years, and for male current-smokers: 70% (20–120%) age 30–32 years, 10% (3–20%) age 40–42 years and 2% (1–4%) age 50–52 years. These figures were two to three times higher for females because of the higher radiation risks. The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer was in the range of three to six cases/10,000 females screened.

Conclusion

Before age 50, the mortality reduction from lung CT screening that is required to outweigh the radiation risk may be substantial, and in some cases unattainable (i.e. >100%).
Integrating the theory of planned behaviour and self‐determination theory in health behaviour: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Hagger Martin S. , Chatzisarantis Nikos L. D.
Published: October 2008

Purpose A meta‐analysis of studies integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and self‐determination theory (SDT) in health contexts is presented. The analysis aimed to provide cumulative empirical support for a motivational sequence in which self‐determined motivation from SDT predicts the proximal predictors of intentions and behaviour from the TPB.

Methods A literature search identified 36 integrated studies providing 45 tests of effects between TPB and SDT variables. Hunter and Schmidt's (1994) methods of meta‐analysis were used to correct the effect sizes across the studies for statistical artifacts. Age (old versus young), publication status (published versus unpublished), study design (correlational versus experimental/intervention), and behaviour type (physical activity versus other health‐related behaviours) were evaluated as moderators of the effects. A path‐analysis using the meta‐analytically derived correlations was conducted to examine the proposed motivational sequence.

Results Statistically significant corrected correlations were evident among the perceived autonomy support and self‐determined motivation constructs from SDT and the attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention, and health‐related behaviour constructs from the TPB. Only six of the 28 effect sizes were moderated by the proposed moderators. Path analysis revealed that the significant effects of self‐determined motivation on intentions and behaviour were partially mediated by the proximal predictors from the TPB.

Conclusions Evidence from this synthesis supported the theoretical integration and proposed motivational sequence. Results are discussed with reference to the complementary aspects of the TPB and SDT and the need for integrated experimental or intervention studies on a broader range of health behaviours.
Msx and Dlx Homeogene Expression in Epithelial Odontogenic Tumors
Authors: Ruhin-Poncet Blandine , Ghoul-Mazgar Sonia , Hotton Dominique , Capron Frédérique , Jaafoura Mohamed Habib , Goubin Gérard , Berdal Ariane
Published: October 2008

Epithelial odontogenic tumors are rare jaw pathologies that raise clinical diagnosis and prognosis dilemmas notably between ameloblastomas and clear cell odontogenic carcinomas (CCOCs). In line with previous studies, the molecular determinants of tooth development—amelogenin, Msx1, Msx2, Dlx2, Dlx3, Bmp2, and Bmp4—were analyzed by RT-PCR, ISH, and immunolabeling in 12 recurrent ameloblastomas and in one case of CCOC. Although Msx1 expression imitates normal cell differentiation in these tumors, other genes showed a distinct pattern depending on the type of tumor and the tissue involved. In benign ameloblastomas, ISH localized Dlx3 transcripts and inconstantly detected Msx2 transcripts in epithelial cells. In the CCOC, ISH established a lack of both Dlx3 and Msx2 transcripts but allowed identification of the antisense transcript of Msx1, which imitates the same scheme of distribution between mesenchyme and epithelium as in the cup stage of tooth development. Furthermore, while exploring the expression pattern of signal molecules by RT-PCR, Bmp2 was shown to be completely inactivated in the CCOC and irregularly noticeable in ameloblastomas. Bmp4 was always expressed in all the tumors. Based on the established roles of Msx and Dlx transcription factors in dental cell fates, these data suggest that their altered expression is a proposed trail to explain the genesis and/or the progression of odontogenic tumors.
Expression of UDP-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine: Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-6 in Gastric Mucosa, Intestinal Metaplasia, and Gastric Carcinoma
Authors: Gomes Joana , Marcos Nuno T. , Berois Nora , Osinaga Eduardo , Magalhães Ana , Pinto-de-Sousa João , Almeida Raquel , Gärtner Fátima , Reis Celso A.
Published: October 2008

Aberrant mucin O-glycosylation is often observed in cancer and is characterized by the expression of immature simple mucin-type carbohydrate antigens. UDP- N-acetyl-D-galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-6 (ppGalNAc-T6) is one of the enzymes responsible for the initial step in O-glycosylation. This study evaluated the expression of ppGalNAc-T6 in human gastric mucosa, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric carcinomas. Our results showed that ppGalNAc-T6 is expressed in normal gastric mucosa and in intestinal metaplasia. A heterogeneous expression and staining pattern for this enzyme was observed in gastric carcinomas. ppGalNAc-T6 was expressed in 79% of the cases, and its expression level was associated with the presence of venous invasion. Our results provide evidence that ppGalNAc-T6 is an IHC marker associated with venous invasion in gastric carcinoma and may contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie aberrant glycosylation in gastric carcinogenesis and in gastric carcinoma.
Emergence and synthesis: science studies, cybernetics and antidisciplinarity
Authors: Pickering Andrew
Published: October 2008

Research in science studies supports a vision of the world as an endlessly lively and emergent place. This essay briefly notes a range of philosophical and scientific positions that elaborate cognate ontologies, but I dwell at greater length on a variety of objects and practices that,
in contrast to the modern sciences, thematise, foreground and stage emergence for us. Drawn from the history of cybernetics these span the fields of robotics, organisations and management, the arts and architecture. Noting the eruption of cybernetics into many different fields, I suggest that
its history offers a model for an antidisciplinary synthesis that dissolves conventional boundaries within and beyond the academic sphere. I characterise the political valence of this synthetic assemblage in terms of Martin Heidegger's contrast between projects of enframing and revealing.