bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of the GENTLE/s robot-mediated therapy system on arm function after stroke
Authors: Coote Susan , Murphy Brendan , Harwin William , Stokes Emma
Published: April 2008

Objective: To evaluate the effect of robot-mediated therapy on arm dysfunction post stroke.

Design: A series of single-case studies using a randomized multiple baseline design with ABC or ACB order. Subjects (n = 20) had a baseline length of 8, 9 or 10 data points. They continued measurement during the B — robot-mediated therapy and C — sling suspension phases.

Setting: Physiotherapy department, teaching hospital.

Subjects: Twenty subjects with varying degrees of motor and sensory deficit completed the study. Subjects attended three times a week, with each phase lasting three weeks.

Interventions: In the robot-mediated therapy phase they practised three functional exercises with haptic and visual feedback from the system. In the sling suspension phase they practised three single-plane exercises. Each treatment phase was three weeks long.

Main measures: The range of active shoulder flexion, the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment and the Motor Assessment Scale were measured at each visit.

Results: Each subject had a varied response to the measurement and intervention phases. The rate of recovery was greater during the robot-mediated therapy phase than in the baseline phase for the majority of subjects. The rate of recovery during the robot-mediated therapy phase was also greater than that during the sling suspension phase for most subjects.

Conclusion: The positive treatment effect for both groups suggests that robot-mediated therapy can have a treatment effect greater than the same duration of non-functional exercises. Further studies investigating the optimal duration of treatment in the form of a randomized controlled trial are warranted.
Flying Fast and Low Among Obstacles: Methodology and Experiments
Authors: Scherer Sebastian , Singh Sanjiv , Chamberlain Lyle , Elgersma Mike
Published: April 2008

Safe autonomous flight is essential for widespread acceptance of aircraft that must fly close to the ground. We have developed a method of collision avoidance that can be used in three dimensions in much the same way as autonomous ground vehicles that navigate over unexplored terrain. Safe navigation is accomplished by a combination of online environmental sensing, path planning and collision avoidance. Here we outline our methodology and report results with an autonomous helicopter that operates at low elevations in uncharted environments, some of which are densely populated with obstacles such as buildings, trees and wires. We have recently completed over 700 successful runs in which the helicopter traveled between coarsely specified waypoints separated by hundreds of meters, at speeds of up to 10 m s—1 at elevations of 5—11 m above ground level. The helicopter safely avoids large objects such as buildings and trees but also wires as thin as 6 mm. We believe this represents the first time an air vehicle has traveled this fast so close to obstacles. The collision avoidance method learns to avoid obstacles by observing the performance of a human operator.
An Architecture for Fast and Accurate Control of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators
Authors: Yee Harn Teh  , Featherstone Roy
Published: April 2008

This paper presents a new control architecture for fast, accurate force control of antagonistic pairs of shape memory alloy wires. The main components are: a differential-mode controller which controls the output force, an anti-slack mechanism, a rapid-heating mechanism and an anti-overload mechanism. The closed-loop response is fast and accurate, even in the presence of large external motion disturbances. There is no sign of limit cycles, and the performance is unaffected by large load inertias. This paper also presents an architecture for position control, in which a position feedback loop is added to the force control architecture. Experimental results show force control accuracies as high as 1 mN in a 1 3 N range, force output rates as high as 50 N s21 , and highly accurate position control with steady-state errors below the resolution of the position encoder.
Legless Locomotion: A Novel Locomotion Technique for Legged Robots
Authors: Balasubramanian Ravi , Rizzi Alfred A. , Mason Matthew T.
Published: April 2008

We present a novel locomotion strategy called legless locomotion that allows a round-bodied legged robot to locomote approximately when it is high-centered. Typically, a high-centered robot is stuck since the robot's legs do not touch the ground. Legless locomotion uses the legs as a reaction mass to set up oscillatory body rotations which when coupled with ground contact gradually translate the robot. Legless locomotion's continuous dynamics differs from previously studied locomotion methods because of the simultaneous interaction of gravity-induced oscillations, a configuration-dependent system inertia, and non-holonomic contact constraints. This paper employs simple models to capture the complex dynamics and uses the intuition developed from the models to develop gaits that provide planar accessibility. We also present a quantification of leg less locomotion's properties using simulations and motion-capture experiments.
Lay Involvement and Legitimacy
Authors: Weiner Kate
Published: April 2008

In 2002, the Family Heart Association (FHA), a U.K. patient-focused charity working in the area of inherited high cholesterol conditions, merged with the professional organization in this field to form HEART UK. This article explores how this merger might be understood in the context of current scholarly interest in patient organizations that has focused on the emergence of novel forms of lay—expert relations and knowledge production. The article argues that the merger does not signal radical shifts concerning the relationship between credentialed biomedical experts and lay people. Instead, the merger can be understood as a strategic move concerned with reinforcing legitimacy with policy makers and potential funders. In view of the range of claims being made in relation to lay health groups, this study suggests that one must remain attentive to the circumstances under which novel lay—expert collaborations emerge.
Cure Kinetics and Mechanical Properties of Compatibilized Blends of Low Density Polyethylene and Poly Dimethyl Siloxane Rubber
Authors: Jana R.N. , Nando G.B.
Published: April 2008

The cure kinetics of the blends of Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Polydimethyl siloxane rubber (PDMS) (50 : 50 w/w) with different proportion of ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA) copolymer as an in situ compatibilizer, is studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheometry, using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as the curing agent. EMA reacts with PDMS to form EMA grafted PDMS (EMA-g-PDMS) which acts as the compatibilizer for the blend systems. The grafting of EMA is confirmed from FT-IR studies. The different kinetic parameters such as reaction enthalpy (▵H), activation energy (▵E), frequency factor (Z), and order (n) of the curing reaction are evaluated from the DSC trace. The reaction enthalpy decreases with increasing proportion of EMA in the blends whereas, the activation energy for the curing reaction shows the reverse trend. The order of the curing reaction is found to be of first order. The mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, modulus, energy to rupture, etc.) are found to increase with increasing proportion of EMA in the blends and becomes the maximum at 6wt% of EMA, which is taken as the optimum level of EMA for the blend systems. The improvement of mechanical properties of the blend vulcanizates with the EMA content in the blend is due to better dispersion of the blend constituents in presence of the compatibilizer as confirmed from scanning electron microscopy.
Effect of EPM-g-MAH on the Flexural and Morphological Properties of Poly(lactic acid)/Organo-montmorillonite Nanocomposites
Authors: Chow W.S. , Lok S.K.
Published: April 2008

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by using both solution intercalation and melt intercalation methods. Maleic anhydride grafted ethylene propylene rubber (EPM-g-MAH) was used as a toughening agent for the PLA/OMMT nanocomposites. The flexural properties of PLA/OMMT nanocomposites were studied by using three-point bending test (ASTM D790). The structure of PLA/OMMT nanocomposites has been investigated by using a wide-angle X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The microstructures of the PLA/OMMT nanocomposites were assessed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The flexural yield displacement of PLA/OMMT prepared by melt intercalation method was increased by the addition of EPM-g-MAH. FESEM micrographs show that more fibrillated structure could be observed from the fractured surface of PLA/OMMT/EPM-g-MAH nanocomposites prepared by melt intercalation method. XRD results revealed the formation of PLA nanocomposites as the OMMT was intercalated and exfoliated.
Wear Behavior of a Glass Fiber-Reinforced PEI Composite
Authors: Viña J. , García M.A. , Castrillo M.A. , Viña I. , Argüelles A.
Published: April 2008

The wear behavior of a thermoplastic polymer, polyetherimide, and of a composite with this polymer as matrix and a reinforcement of glass fiber fabric has been analyzed. The test was carried out according to the Standard ASTM G99 using a device pin-on-disk. Obviously, the reinforced material has higher wear strength than the nonreinforced material. Also, the evolution of the wear with the temperature has been studied at ambient temperature and at 50, 100, 150, and 200°C. The effect of the temperature is very important because when it was increased the wear was increased, except to 200°C. At 200°C there was an important decrease. The test temperature was measured in the inner of the furnace and when it was 200°C in this zone, the temperature in the contact point was higher and it would be close to glass transition temperature of the polymer (~217°C), this is the reason for an important micro-structural variation in the material.
The Association Between Low Vision and Function
Authors: Berger Sue , Porell Frank
Published: April 2008

Objective: This study considers the relationship between low vision and function, specifically exploring whether vision loss is differentially associated with activities of daily living (ADL) versus instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability. Methods: Guided by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework, multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed for IADL and ADL on a sample of 9,115 adults aged 65 years and above from the 1998 Health and Retirement study. Results: The data supports the fact that ADL and IADL disabilities are associated with vision loss, and there is a differential relationship among functions, with IADLs being more challenging and requiring better visual abilities. Discussion: The findings provide evidence that ADL and IADLs require different skills and are associated differently depending on numerous variables. As the incidence of people living with vision loss is increasing to epidemic proportions due to an aging population, understanding the relationship between vision and participation in meaningful activities has important implications.
Challenges in Multiple Cross-Sector Partnerships
Authors: Babiak Kathy , Thibault Lucie
Published: April 2008

This research examines challenges associated with partnerships among a group of cross-sector organizations. The context for this study is a nonprofit organization in Canada's sport system and its numerous partners in public, nonprofit, and commercial sectors. The results reveal challenges in the areas of structure and strategy. Specifically, data uncover structural challenges with respect to problems with governance, roles, and responsibilities guiding the partnerships and with the complexity of partnership forms and structures. The data also uncover strategic challenges, in light of the focus on competition versus collaboration among various partners and the changes in missions and objectives through the duration of the relationship. The results and implications for nonprofit organizations involved in multiple cross-sector partnerships are discussed.
Delegation of Coordination and Outcomes in Cross-Sector Partnerships
Authors: Dorado Silvia , Giles Dwight E. , Welch Theodora C.
Published: April 2008

This article furthers knowledge on cross-sector partnerships. It distinguishes between partnerships that produce predefined outcomes and those that produce co-defined ones. Predefined outcomes are defined by one partner prior to the formation of the partnership and could have been attained easily with alternative partners. Co-defined outcomes are defined by partners in mutual consultation and tailored to the resources and goals of the participants. The article identifies delegation as a factor that crucially defines whether partnerships produce pre- or co-defined outcomes. Delegation occurs when there is a clear-cut division between coordination and participation so that staff members engaged as coordinators are otherwise disengaged from the partnership. Delegated partnerships—those with coordinators engaged only in coordinating duties—are likely to produce predefined outcomes whereas undelegated partnerships are likely to produce co-defined outcomes. The article builds on a grounded theory study of 11 service learning partnerships formed by institutions of higher education and community organizations.
Sociodemographic and Personality Characteristics of Canadian Donors Contributing to International Charity
Authors: Rajan Suja S. , Pink George H. , Dow William H.
Published: April 2008

This study aims to establish a sociodemographic and personality profile of Canadians who donate internationally, fills the gap in the literature with regard to individual-level determinants of international giving, and compares these determinants with those of domestic donors. Women, volunteers, and individuals of non-Canadian origin, with higher income, higher education, higher level of religiosity, higher political awareness and participation, and higher frequency of extended family participation were more likely to contribute internationally. Higher education and a higher level of religiosity seem to influence international giving more than they did domestic giving. In terms of the variations in amount of international donations the important determinants are income, education, level of religiosity, and feeling of financial security. These results suggest that international charities should probably target their efforts at more-educated, higher-income and more-religious individuals. The other target donors are volunteers, women, individuals of non-Canadian origin, and politically aware and socially involved individuals.
How Tough are Better Business Bureau/Wise Giving Alliance Financial Standards?
Authors: Bhattacharya Rinku , Tinkelman Daniel
Published: April 2008

The use of financial efficiency ratios to judge charities' performance is controversial. The authors investigate the stringency of one widely used set of standards by examining reported 2001 data for more than 111,000 organizations. The authors suggest the ability of many organizations to comply inhibits protests against the widespread use of these ratios.

The Wise Giving Alliance adopted stricter standards in 2003, and the authors find that more organizations will be able to meet the new standards. As in the past, the great majority of organizations report compliance. The authors note marked differences in the rates of compliance with both the program spending and fund-raising efficiency standards by sector. Also, organizations with larger special events tend to incur relatively larger costs. The authors question the use of the same ratios for all organizations.

The authors note no evidence of widespread expense allocation manipulation around the critical levels of ratios monitored by the Alliance.
Mapping the Paths of the Yugoslav Model: Labour Strength and Weakness in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia
Authors: Grdešić Marko
Published: April 2008

This article addresses three interrelated issues. First, it re-assesses the legacy of Yugoslav self-management and looks at the reasons why this particular historical legacy provided labour in Yugoslavia with certain advantages not in evidence elsewhere in East Europe. Second, it tries to give a theoretically founded explanation as to why the paths of Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia diverged in terms of the strength of trade unions. And finally, it proposes a typology within which to organize the experiences that these countries and their labour movements have gone through in the last decade and a half.
Unionism and Workers' Strategies in Capitalist Transformation: The Polish Case Reconsidered
Authors: Mrozowicki Adam , Van Hootegem Geert
Published: April 2008

This article reassesses recent debates on labour weakness in Central and Eastern Europe after the end of `actually existing socialism', examining the relationship between workers' life strategies and the development of trade unionism in Poland. Biographical interviews with workers reveal three distinct patterns of coping with social change, structural conditions and their relationship to workers' activity in unions. It is suggested that recent signs of union renewal can only be sustained by re-linking the union agenda with the workers' diversified and pragmatized life strategies.
Can Cross-Border Bargaining Coordination Work? Analytical Reflections and Evidence from the Metal Industry in Germany and Austria
Authors: Traxler Franz , Brandl Bernd , Glassner Vera , Ludvig Alice
Published: April 2008

To contain downward pressures on labour standards, Europe's unions have attempted to coordinate their bargaining strategies. Little is known about whether such coordination can actually work. Analytical accounts have deduced its feasibility from national experiences with decentralized forms of coordination, while empirically only anecdotal evidence on its effectiveness is available. This article contributes to the analytical debate by pointing out the different logics of national and transnational bargaining coordination. Empirically, it tests the prospects for cross-border coordination by analyzing how Austrian collective agreements in the metal industry related to their German counterparts from 1969 to 2003. We conclude by discussing the implications for EU-level bargaining coordination.
Globalizing Evolution
Authors: Jankowiak William , Gray Peter B. , Hattman Kelly
Published: April 2008

An evolutionary perspective on physical attractiveness suggests that individuals find those characteristics associated with reproductive success attractive. Theory and existing data consistent with this view link perceptions of physical attractiveness to traits such as symmetry, status, and reproductive value. Here, we take this evolutionary perspective global to ask how do Chinese men and women rate the sexual beauty of East Asian compared with Caucasian models? We enlisted 74 Chinese men and women from Hohhot, a northern city, and Chengdu, a southern city, to rank photos of both Chinese and Caucasian male and female models obtained from Chinese magazines. We also elicited emic accounts for the ratings as complementary source of qualitative data. Results revealed that Chinese women ranked Caucasian male and female models as more attractive. Chinese men, however, did not differentially rank East Asian and Caucasian women, though they did rank Caucasian men as being more attractive. We suggest that, while an evolutionary novelty, a process of globalization can still be linked to potentially adaptive preferences for physical attractiveness, and call for more research in this vein.
Buckling of Disbonds in Honeycomb-core Sandwich Beams
Authors: Southward T. , Mallinson G.D. , Jayaraman K. , Horrigan D.
Published: April 2008

The buckling behavior of a disbond in a sandwich beam is analyzed by modeling the sandwich as a beam on a Winkler foundation. The foundation stiffness is derived through a stress function approach, modeling the core as a two-dimensional, orthotropic material in plane strain. When the resulting stiffness term is used in the Winkler foundation model, the predicted buckling loads vary from the specimen test results by only 1.7% (with a standard deviation of 2.3%). This is the most accurate published prediction of disbond buckling and is discussed in terms of previous studies. An extensive specimen test program is described, the results of which are used to validate the Winkler foundation model. The buckling load, as a function of core thickness, is found to have a minimum when the core thickness is approximately equal to the natural wrinkling half-wavelength of the sandwich. Further, a characteristic curve is found using the wrinkling wavelength and the Euler buckling load as normalizing values. A semi-empirical formula for the buckling load is developed from a non-dimensional analysis and predicts the specimen test results to within 2.8% (standard deviation of 3.6%).
Modeling Compressive Skin Failure of Sandwich Composites in Fire
Authors: Feih S. , Mathys Z. , Gibson A.G. , Mouritz A.P.
Published: April 2008

A thermal-mechanical model is presented for calculating the residual compressive strength of flammable sandwich composite materials in fire. The model can also estimate the time-to-failure of the laminate face skin to sandwich composites exposed to fire. The model involves a two-stage analysis: thermal modeling and mechanical modeling. The thermal component of the model predicts the temperature profile and amount of decomposition through sandwich composites exposed to one-sided heating by fire. The mechanical component of the model estimates the residual compressive strength of the sandwich composite and the onset of skin failure. The model is tested for sandwich composite materials with combustible glass/ vinyl ester skins and balsa core. Experimental fire tests are performed on the sandwich composites under combined compressive loading and one-sided heating at constant heat flux levels between 10 kW/m 2 (Tmax · 250°C) and 50 kW/m2 (·600°C). The model predicts that the time-to-failure increases with the skin thickness and decreases with an increase to the applied compressive stress or heat flux. The predictions are supported by experimental data from fire-under-load tests. It is envisaged that the model can be used to design sandwich composite materials with improved compressive load capacity in fire.
A Foot in Both Worlds: Asian Americans' Perceptions of Asian, White, and Racially Ambiguous Faces
Authors: Willadsen-Jensen Eve C. , Ito Tiffany A.
Published: April 2008

Past research on racial perception has often focused on responses from White participants, making it difficult to determine the role of perceiver race in the perception of others. Similarly, studies examining perceptions of individuals whose racial category membership is unclear have not systematically examined responses from non-Whites. This was addressed by showing Asian participants pictures of Whites, Asians, and racially ambiguous White-Asian faces. Event-related potentials were recorded to measure early attention responses. Participants initially oriented more to outgroup White than ingroup Asian or racially ambiguous faces. Shortly after that, they showed sensitivity to the racial context in which the faces were presented, more deeply processing ingroup Asian and racially ambiguous faces when they were seeing lots of other Asians, but more deeply processing outgroup White and racially ambiguous faces when they were seeing lots of other Whites. Still later, responses were more sensitive to the objective physical properties of the faces, with racially ambiguous faces differentiated from both Whites and Asians. These results demonstrate the fluidity of racial processing, and when compared to responses obtained from White participants, show how perceiver race and racial context influences attention to racial cues.
Knowing Who's Boss: fMRI and ERP Investigations of Social Dominance Perception
Authors: Chiao Joan Y. , Adams Reginald B. , Tse Peter U. , Lowenthal William T. , Richeson Jennifer A. , Ambady Nalini
Published: April 2008

Humans use facial cues to convey social dominance and submission. Despite the evolutionary importance of this social ability, how the brain recognizes social dominance from the face is unknown. We used event-related brain potentials (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural mechanisms underlying social dominance perception from facial cues. Participants made gender judgments while viewing aggression-related facial expressions as well as facial postures conveying dominance or submission. ERP evidence indicates that the perception of dominance from aggression-related emotional expressions occurs early in neural processing while the perception of social dominance from facial postures arises later. Brain imaging results show that activity in the fusiform gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and lingual gyrus, is associated with the perception of social dominance from facial postures and the magnitude of neural response in these regions differentiates between perceived dominance and perceived submissiveness.
Perspective-Taking from a Social Neuroscience Standpoint
Authors: Mason Malia F. , Macrae C. Neil
Published: April 2008

A primary focus of research undertaken by social psychologists is to establish why perceivers fail to accurately adopt or understand other people's perspectives. From overestimating the dispositional bases of behavior to misinterpreting the motivations of out-group members, the message that emerges from this work is that social perception is frequently imperfect. In contrast, researchers from disciplines outside social psychology seek to identify the strategies and skill sets required to successfully understand other people's perspectives. These investigations attempt to identify the mechanisms through which perceivers intuit mental states that underlie behavior (e.g. wants, motivations, beliefs). In this article, we review findings from perspective-taking research in developmental psychology, primatology (i.e. primate cognition) and cognitive neuroscience. We then discuss why understanding how accurate perspective-taking occurs may inform understanding of when and why this process fails.
Eye-Gaze Direction Modulates Race-Related Amygdala Activity
Authors: Richeson Jennifer A. , Todd Andrew R. , Trawalter Sophie , Baird Abigail A.
Published: April 2008

Although previous research has found greater activity in the human amygdala in response to Black male compared with White male targets, the basis of this effect remains unclear. For example, is it race alone that triggers amygdala activity, or do other stimulus cues, in conjunction with racial group membership, also play a critical role in this regard? To address this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure amygdala activity in response to Black and White male targets displaying different eye-gaze directions (i.e. direct or averted gaze), as gaze cues have been shown to influence the socio-emotional aspects of person construal. The results revealed that eye-gaze direction significantly moderates race-related amygdala activity. Specifically, Black targets only generated greater amygdala activity than White targets when the faces bore direct gaze. This finding is noteworthy as it demonstrates the importance of compound stimulus cues in the appraisal of social targets.
Social Psychology and Neuroscience: Strange Bedfellows or a Healthy Marriage?
Authors: Dovidio John F. , Pearson Adam R. , Orr Patrick
Published: April 2008

In this paper, we assess what neuroscience theory and method have contributed to the study of group processes and intergroup relations and what we see as potential future contributions to the discipline. We briefly review the historical relation between neuroscience and social psychology, identify issues that may limit the value of neuroscience to the study of group processes and relations, and then argue that social neuroscience indeed holds significant promise for understanding many key elements of group processes and intergroup relations. Both the potential problems and the potential benefits of bridging neuroscience and social psychology are considered in terms of theoretical considerations, empirical issues, and practical implications. We conclude that, although not all group phenomena may be reducible to neural activity and pathways, there are significant benefits to social psychology by having an even broader multidisciplinary orientation within social psychology, one that incorporates the complementary perspectives, techniques, and knowledge of neuroscience.
Lessons to be learned: a case study approach — acute appendicitis masquerading as macroamylasaemia
Authors: Ganesh Muniappan , Salam Imroz
Published: April 2008

Macroamylasaemia is a condition in which serum amylase is elevated in the presence of a low to normal urinary amylase and normal renal function. It is rare but can masquerade as other clinical disorders. Discussed here is a case report of a patient who presented initially with abdominal pain (later recognized as being due to gangrenous appendicitis) and in whom there was a very high serum amylase level, leading to an erroneous initial diagnosis and management as acute pancreatitis. The CT scan of the abdomen was normal without any evidence of pancreatitis. Subsequently, the renal amylase:creatinine clearance ratio (Cam/Ccr) was found to be low, being characteristic and diagnostic of macroamylasaemia; the latter was, in turn, the cause for the elevated serum amylase level. The underlying macroamylasaemia had thus masqueraded as pancreatitis. The patient underwent appendicectomy and hence made an excellent recovery. It is vitally important to recognize this condition in order to avoid both an incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate treatment/management.
Benefits of a health impact assessment in relation to fuel poverty: assessing Luton's Affordable Warmth Strategy and the need for a national mandatory strategy
Authors: Stewart Jill , Habgood Veronica
Published: April 2008

The links between fuel poverty and poor health are well documented, yet there is no statutory requirement on local authorities to develop fuel poverty strategies, which tend to be patchy nationally and differ substantially in quality. Fuel poverty starts from the perspective of income, even though interventions can improve health. The current public health agenda calls for more partnership-based, cost-effective strategies based on sound evidence. Fuel poverty represents a key area where there is currently little local evidence quantifying and qualifying health gain arising from strategic interventions. As a result, this initial study sought to apply the principles of a health impact assessment to Luton's Affordable Warmth Strategy, exploring the potential to identify health impact arising — as a baseline for future research — in the context of the public health agenda. A national strategy would help ensure the promotion of targeted fuel poverty strategies.
Gender, economics and culture: diversity and the international evolution of smoking prevalence
Authors: Stevens Andy RA , Caan Woody
Published: April 2008

Aims: To examine whether the observed diversity between national patterns of smoking prevalence could require modification of the World Health Organization (WHO) linear model for an international `smoking pandemic' (a worldwide epidemic) to address data from non-western countries.

Method: We conducted secondary research using current measures in three publicly available databases: Globalink, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank (all internetaccessible). The measures we used are the separate percentage data for men and women on: smoking and employment and national income per capita (US$) and percentage growth per annum.

Results: Regression analysis showed that women smokers were more frequent in countries with higher national income, but women were less likely to smoke in countries of rapid growth. Men were less likely to smoke in countries with higher national income, but more likely to smoke in countries of rapid growth. Two principle components together explained 62% of all the variance in the international data. The largest factor was positively correlated with the percentage of employed females, the percentage of female smokers and national income per capita, but negatively correlated with the percentage of male smokers and percentage annual growth. The effect of female employment was not continuous, but above a threshold of 51%, was associated with a higher prevalence of female smoking. The smaller, second factor was only weakly correlated with any smoking variables.

Conclusions: In his 1994 model (subsequently adopted by the WHO) Lopez looked at historical trends in `stages' of smoking prevalence. These have been associated with `stages' of economic development. We extended this analysis to look at a dynamic change (% annual growth) and a social indicator (employment). Male and female smoking is affected differentially by economic change and by level of income. These are also strongly related to the percentage of women in employment. This has implications for workplace policies on smoking.
Testing time for sustainability and health: striving for inclusive rationality in project appraisal
Authors: Barton Hugh , Grant Marcus
Published: April 2008

There is a widespread recognition that cities, towns and villages have become increasingly dependent on motorized transport and a car-based land-use pattern. This has led to a series of unintended consequences - in particular, a lack of regular exercise, the decline of local communities and excessive greenhouse gas emissions - with huge long-term impacts on health and wellbeing. Official policies are trying to change the trend, with much rhetoric about 'sustainable development' and 'sustainable communities'. Yet many of the decision processes that control change in the built environment have not caught up with the new agenda. This paper is concerned with the way in which new development proposals are tested for their health and sustainability credentials. It reviews the theory and practice in this field, with a particular focus on environmental impact analysis and health impact assessment. It identifies the relative strengths and weaknesses of these tools, examining the degree to which they are systematic in their approach to health and sustainability, and include all those who have a legitimate interest in the outcomes. Then a new technique - Spectrum appraisal - is presented. Spectrum is a logical and very practical process that facilitates consensus-building and creativity in decision-making. Practical applications show how the technique can be used to help ensure a healthier, more sustainable urban environment.
Searching for Paradise in the Florida Everglades
Authors: Ogden Laura A.
Published: April 2008

This article explores the process by which the cultural history of Royal Palm Hammock, the most visited site within Everglades National Park, Florida, informs the landscape's natural history. To understand this process, I analyze the scientific literature, including naturalists' fieldwork reports, surveys, fieldnotes and other archival material spanning the late 1800s to the mid-1930s, as well as ethnographic interviews conducted with local Everglades hunters who depended upon this landscape during the latter part of this era. As I demonstrate, local people, serving as guides and informants, critically contributed to the production of ecological knowledge about Royal Palm Hammock, though the evidence of these contributions has been distorted by the natural history literature's negative stereotypes of local landscape practices.
Governing through nature: camps and youth movements in interwar Germany and the United States
Authors: Cupers Kenny
Published: April 2008

Focusing on youth camp development in Germany and the United States during the interwar period, this article argues not only that such camps played a crucial role in the ways in which national societies dealt with their youth, but also that their history forces us to rethink relations between place-making, nationhood, and modern governing. First, the article addresses the historiography of youth movements in relation to current debates about spatiality, nationalism, and governmentality. The main part of the article examines organized camps, in particular by the German Bünde, the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth), and the American Boy Scouts, focusing on their transition from relatively spontaneous activities of particular social movements, to objects of professional design, national-scale planning and intricate management in the interwar period. This development demonstrates how in the seemingly trivial activity of camping, nationalism is interwoven with the project of conducting youth through contact with nature. Despite divergent contexts and political ideologies, youth camp development in this period constituted a set of practices in which the natural environment was deployed to improve the nation's youth, and to eventually reproduce them as governable subjects.
'Race' in post-universalist perspective
Authors: Anderson Kay
Published: April 2008

This article takes the subject of the rise of racial discourse in the 19th century as a focus for extending critical race theory (CRT) in Cultural and Historical Geography. It pursues a critique beyond the familiar claim of race's legitimatory function to elicit the fundamentally unstable and crisis-ridden origins of innatist thought. Crucially, this requires a situated account —one that emphasizes the singular challenge that Australian colonial encounters aroused in Enlightenment notions of human unity and development. Far from confirming European views of `savage' others, it argues that nature/native encounters on that continent precipitated a crisis in existing ideas — all the more contentious to today —of what it meant to be human. And, in emphasizing the palpably material sense in which Australia problematized European classificatory schema, the article opens one pathway from representational to `more than representational' accounts in Cultural Geography. It also offers a potentially transformative understanding of the violence of humanism, in relation to both human and nonhuman.
Shopping Malls: Measuring Interpersonal Distance under Changing Conditions and across Cultures
Authors: Ozdemir Aydin
Published: April 2008

This research measures interpersonal distances between shopping mall users under changing conditions of enclosure and density. It also explores the relationship between culture and interpersonal distance. Four shopping malls in Turkey and the United States are used. The research is carried out through unobtrusive observations with time-lapse digital photography to record naturally occurring interactions between mall users. More than three thousand interpersonal distances are measured. Type of enclosure is defined by the exploratory surveys, and density conditions of each area are measured after manual counts of people present in the digital photographs of open and enclosed mall areas. Overall comparisons and descriptions provide evidence about cross-cultural, age, and gender differences in interpersonal distance. Pairs in Turkish malls interact more closely than those in U.S. malls; adolescents interacting with other adolescents have the largest interpersonal distance; male—female pairs interact more closely than male—male and female—female pairs in all malls.
The U.S. Presidential Election and Health Care Workforce Policy
Authors: McHugh Matthew D. , Aiken Linda H. , Cooper Richard A. , Miller Phillip
Published: April 2008

The candidates for the 2008 presidential election have offered a range of proposals that could bring significant changes in health care. Although few are aimed directly at the nurse and physician workforce, nearly all of the proposals have the potential to affect the health care workforce. Furthermore, the success of the proposed initiatives is dependent on a robust nurse and physician workforce. The purpose of this article is to outline the current needs and challenges for the nurse and physician workforce and highlight how candidates' proposals intersect with the adequacy of the health care workforce. Three general themes are highlighted for their implications on the physician and nurse workforce supply, including (a) expansion of health care coverage, (b) workforce investment, and (c) cost control and quality improvement.
A Person-Centered, Strength-Based Treatment of Aggression and Sexually Inappropriate Behavior in Mental Health
Authors: Singh Ashvind N. , Strand Paul S.
Published: April 2008

A major strength of behavior analysis is the link between the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. However, the individual is rarely consulted about their definition of the problem behavior or regarding what, if any, behavior should be the target of treatment. A case study of a hospital-based treatment for an adult with serious and persistent mental illness who engaged in aggressive and sexually inappropriate behaviors is presented. Treatment involved a positive behavior supports approach based on the person's strengths. During treatment, incidents of sexually inappropriate behavior and acts of physical aggression decreased and reached near-zero levels within the first 6 months. Results of this person-centered approach suggest the value of withholding judgment prior to a complete assessment and enlisting help of the individual to develop treatment goals and strategies. This approach is recovery focused in terms of symptom and functional recovery as perceived and driven by the individual.
The Effects of Leadership Style on Hotel Employees' Commitment to Service Quality
Authors: Clark Ronald A. , Hartline Michael D. , Jones Keith C.
Published: April 2008

One of the continuing challenges in the hotel industry is providing consistent levels of quality service across units. Although recruitment, selection, and training practices are often standardized across units (within a given market), frontline employees' performance varies. This study examines the role that individual unit management plays in this process by looking at how a manager's commitment to service quality and that person's leadership style affect the way frontline employees do their job. The fundamental implication of this study is that managers who are committed to service quality and employ an empowering leadership style can create a transformational climate that conveys their commitment to quality service to their frontline employees. This leads to employees who are more likely to share the organization's values, who understand their role in the organization, who are more satisfied with their jobs, and who perform at a higher level of quality in serving hotel guests.
Bio-jETI: a service integration, design, and provisioning platform for orchestrated bioinformatics processes
Authors: Margaria Tiziana , Kubczak Christian , Steffen Bernhard
Published: April 2008

Background

With Bio-jETI, we introduce a service platform for interdisciplinary work on biological application domains and illustrate its use in a concrete application concerning statistical data processing in R and xcms for an LC/MS analysis of FAAH gene knockout.

Methods

Bio-jETI uses the jABC environment for service-oriented modeling and design as a graphical process modeling tool and the jETI service integration technology for remote tool execution.

Conclusions

As a service definition and provisioning platform, Bio-jETI has the potential to become a core technology in interdisciplinary service orchestration and technology transfer. Domain experts, like biologists not trained in computer science, directly define complex service orchestrations as process models and use efficient and complex bioinformatics tools in a simple and intuitive way.
AMMO-Prot: amine system project 3D-model finder
Authors: Navas-Delgado Ismael , Montañez Raúl , Pino-Ángeles Almudena , Moya-García Aurelio A , Urdiales José Luis , Sánchez-Jiménez Francisca , Aldana-Montes José F
Published: April 2008

Background

Amines are biogenic amino acid derivatives, which play pleiotropic and very important yet complex roles in animal physiology. For many other relevant biomolecules, biochemical and molecular data are being accumulated, which need to be integrated in order to be effective in the advance of biological knowledge in the field. For this purpose, a multidisciplinary group has started an ontology-based system named the Amine System Project (ASP) for which amine-related information is the validation bench.

Results

In this paper, we describe the Ontology-Based Mediator developed in the Amine System Project (http://asp.uma.es) using the infrastructure of Semantic Directories, and how this system has been used to solve a case related to amine metabolism-related protein structures.

Conclusions

This infrastructure is used to publish and manage not only ontologies and their relationships, but also metadata relating to the resources committed with the ontologies. The system developed is available at http://asp.uma.es/WebMediator.
Reconstructing networks of pathways via significance analysis of their intersections
Authors: Francesconi Mirko , Remondini Daniel , Neretti Nicola , Sedivy John M , Cooper Leon N , Verondini Ettore , Milanesi Luciano , Castellani Gastone
Published: April 2008

Background

Significance analysis at single gene level may suffer from the limited number of samples and experimental noise that can severely limit the power of the chosen statistical test. This problem is typically approached by applying post hoc corrections to control the false discovery rate, without taking into account prior biological knowledge. Pathway or gene ontology analysis can provide an alternative way to relax the significance threshold applied to single genes and may lead to a better biological interpretation.

Results

Here we propose a new analysis method based on the study of networks of pathways. These networks are reconstructed considering both the significance of single pathways (network nodes) and the intersection between them (links).

We apply this method for the reconstruction of networks of pathways to two gene expression datasets: the first one obtained from a c-Myc rat fibroblast cell line expressing a conditional Myc-estrogen receptor oncoprotein; the second one obtained from the comparison of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia derived from bone marrow samples.

Conclusion

Our method extends statistical models that have been recently adopted for the significance analysis of functional groups of genes to infer links between these groups. We show that groups of genes at the interface between different pathways can be considered as relevant even if the pathways they belong to are not significant by themselves.