bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postnatal lung function in the developing rat
Authors: Bolle Ines , Eder Gunter , Takenaka Shinji , Ganguly Koustav , Karrasch Stefan , Zeller Claudia , Neuner Maria , Kreyling Wolfgang G. , Tsuda Akira , Schulz Holger
Published: January 2008

Little is known about lung function during early stages of postnatal maturation, although the complex structural changes associated with developing rat lung are well studied. We therefore analyzed corresponding functional (lung volume, respiratory mechanics, intrapulmonary gas mixing, and gas exchange) and structural (alveolar surface area, mean linear intercept length, and alveolar septal thickness) changes of the developing rat lung at 7–90 days. Total lung capacity (TLC) increased from 1.54 ± 0.07 to 16.7 ± 2.46 (SD) ml in proportion to body weight, but an increase in body weight exceeded an increase in lung volume by almost twofold. Series dead space volume increased from 0.21 ± 0.03 to 1.38 ± 0.08 ml but decreased relative to TLC from 14% to 8%, indicating that parenchymal growth exceeded growth of conducting airways. Diffusing capacity of CO (Dco) increased from 8.1 ± 0.8 to 214.1 ± 23.5 μmol·min−1·hPa−1, corresponding to a substantial increase in surface area from 744 ± 20 to 6,536 ± 488 cm2. Dco per unit of lung volume is considerably lower in the immature lung, inasmuch as Dco/TLC in 7-day-old rats was only 42% of that in adult (90 day-old) rats. In humans, however, infants and adults show comparable specific Dco. Our functional and structural analysis shows that gas exchange is limited in the immature rat lung. The pivotal step for improvement of gas exchange occurs with the transition from bulk alveolarization to the phase of expansion of air spaces with septal reconstruction and microvascular maturation.
Isolation of rat trachea interstitial fluid and demonstration of local cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation
Authors: Semaeva Elvira , Tenstad Olav , Bletsa Athanasia , Gjerde Eli-Anne B. , Wiig Helge
Published: January 2008

Access to interstitial fluid from trachea is important for understanding tracheal microcirculation and pathophysiology. We tested whether a centrifugation method could be applied to isolate this fluid in rats by exposing excised trachea to G forces up to 609 g. The ratio between the concentration of the equilibrated extracellular tracer 51Cr-labeled EDTA in fluid isolated at 239 g and plasma averaged 0.94 ± 0.03 ( n = 14), suggesting that contamination from the intracellular fluid phase was negligible. The protein pattern of the isolated fluid resembled plasma closely and had a protein concentration 83% of that in plasma. The colloid osmotic pressure in the centrifugate in controls ( n = 5) was 18.8 ± 0.6 mmHg with a corresponding pressure in plasma of 22 ± 1.5 mmHg, whereas after overhydration ( n = 5) these pressures fell to 9.8 ± 0.4 and 11.9 ± 0.4 mmHg, respectively. We measured inflammatory cytokine concentration in serum, interstitial fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in LPS-induced inflammation. In control animals, low levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in serum, trachea interstitial fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected. LPS resulted in a significantly higher concentration in IL-1β and IL-6 in interstitial fluid than in serum, showing a local production. To conclude, we have shown that interstitial fluid can be isolated from trachea by centrifugation and that trachea interstitial fluid has a high protein concentration and colloid osmotic pressure relative to plasma. Trachea interstitial fluid may also reflect lower airways and thus be of importance for understanding, e.g., inflammatory-induced airway obstruction.
TNF-α acts via TNFR1 and muscle-derived oxidants to depress myofibrillar force in murine skeletal muscle
Authors: Hardin Brian J. , Campbell Kenneth S. , Smith Jeffrey D. , Arbogast Sandrine , Smith Jacqueline , Moylan Jennifer S. , Reid Michael B.
Published: January 2008

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) diminishes specific force of skeletal muscle. To address the mechanism of this response, we tested the hypothesis that TNF acts via the type 1 (TNFR1) receptor subtype to increase oxidant activity and thereby depress myofibrillar function. Experiments showed that a single intraperitoneal dose of TNF (100 μg/kg) increased cytosolic oxidant activity ( P < 0.05) and depressed maximal force of male ICR mouse diaphragm by ∼25% within 1 h, a deficit that persisted for 48 h. Pretreating animals with the antioxidant Trolox (10 mg/kg) lessened oxidant activity ( P < 0.05) and abolished contractile losses in TNF-treated muscle ( P < 0.05). Genetic TNFR1 deficiency prevented the rise in oxidant activity and fall in force stimulated by TNF; type 2 TNF receptor deficiency did not. TNF effects on muscle function were evident at the myofibrillar level. Chemically permeabilized muscle fibers from TNF-treated animals had lower maximal Ca2+-activated force ( P < 0.02) with no change in Ca2+ sensitivity or shortening velocity. We conclude that TNF acts via TNFR1 to stimulate oxidant activity and depress specific force. TNF effects on force are caused, at least in part, by decrements in function of calcium-activated myofibrillar proteins.
Great Powers and Hierarchical Order in Southeast Asia: Analyzing Regional Security Strategies
Authors: Goh Evelyn
Published: January 2008

The small and medium-sized states in Southeast Asia have faced significant geostrategic changes with the end of the Cold War and the rise of China. Over the last decade, scholars have debated how these countries would cope with growing Chinese power, and how their relations with the other major powers in the region would change. Some analysts have suggested that the region is shifting toward a more China-centered order, but this view is premature. Eschewing the simple dichotomy of balancing versus bandwagoning, Southeast Asian countries do not want to choose between the two major powers, the United States and China. This avoidance strategy is not merely tactical or time-buying; instead, Southeast Asian states have actively tried to influence the shape of the new regional order. Key Southeast Asian states are pursuing two main pathways to order in the region: the “omni-enmeshment” of major powers and complex balance of influence. They have helped to produce an interim power distribution outcome, which is a hierarchical regional order that retains the United States' dominant superpower position while incorporating China in a regional great power position just below that of the United States.
Power Shifts and Escalation: Explaining China's Use of Force in Territorial Disputes
Authors: Fravel M. Taylor
Published: January 2008

Although China has been involved in twenty-three territorial disputes with its neighbors since 1949, it has used force in only six of them. The strength of a state's territorial claim, defined as its bargaining power in a dispute, offers one explanation for why and when states escalate territorial disputes to high levels of violence. This bargaining power depends on the amount of contested land that each side controls and on the military power that can be projected over the entire area under dispute. When a state's bargaining power declines relative to that of its adversary, its leaders become more pessimistic about achieving their territorial goals and face strong preventive motivations to seize disputed land or signal resolve through the use of force. Cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal case studies demonstrate that such negative shifts in bargaining power explain the majority of China's uses of force in its territorial disputes.
America's Liberal Illiberalism: The Ideological Origins of Overreaction in U.S. Foreign Policy
Authors: Desch Michael C.
Published: January 2008

Why has the United States, with its long-standing Liberal tradition, come to embrace the illiberal policies it has in recent years? The conventional wisdom is that al-Qaida's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent war on terrorism have made America less Liberal. The logic of this argument is straightforward: interstate war has historically undermined domestic liberties, and the war on terrorism is causing the United States to follow this well-worn path. This explanation confronts a puzzle, however: illiberal U.S. policies—including the pursuit of global hegemony, launching of a preventive war, imposition of restrictions on civil liberties in the name of national security, and support for torture under certain circumstances—manifested themselves even before the September 11 terrorist attacks and were embraced across the political spectrum. Indeed, it is precisely American Liberalism that makes the United States so illiberal today. Under certain circumstances, Liberalism itself impels Americans to spread their values around the world and leads them to see the war on terrorism as a particularly deadly type of conflict that can be won only by employing illiberal tactics.
The development of a process model of collective turnover
Authors: Bartunek Jean M. , Zhi Huang  , Walsh Ian J.
Published: January 2008

Based on three case studies, we constructed an inductive process model of collective turnover, those instances in organizational life when two or more people choose to leave their organization in close temporal proximity based on shared social processes. The model highlights three phases through which an escalating interaction process that culminates in collective turnover unfolds. First, two or more members of an organizational group experience unresolved dissatisfaction with some aspect of their organization. Second, individual negative experiences are transformed into shared group perceptions through group sensemaking and emotional contagion that occurs in cohesive groups that view themselves as superior to others. Third, when group members feel no hope of improvement but have other opportunities available and few constraints on leaving, they collectively decide to leave their organization, begin searching for placements, and, turn over. We propose theoretical and practical implications of this model.
The language of teamwork: Reproducing professional divisions in the operating theatre
Authors: Finn Rachael
Published: January 2008

Bringing together arguments from organizational studies and medical sociology, this study views teamwork as a discursive resource through which the social world is constituted in particular ways. Drawing upon an ethnographic case study of the operating theatre department, the nature and effects of these constitutive practices are examined. Significantly, this article argues that rather than unifying the professions, teamwork produces unintended divisive effects. Teamwork is used to promote unity, whilst at the same time pursuing divergent professional interests around the nature of collectivity. Employing distinct interpretive repertoires, professions construct different versions of team work and make competing legitimacy claims. These discursive practices both reflect and reproduce structural inequality between the professions. Ultimately, the privileged position of surgeons and anaesthetists over nurses and operating department practitioners is legitimated and maintained. This discursive action has far-reaching effects beyond the control of team members, with implications for policy-makers and organizational management. Exposing its performative and ideological nature, this analysis highlights teamwork discourse as co-constitutive with the structural context in which it occurs. The importance of critical reflection on the nature of teamwork as a concept is demonstrated.
Interaction Between a Nanofiber and an Arbitrarily Oriented Crack
Authors: Gawandi A.A. , Whitney J.M. , Brockman R.B. , Tandon G.P.
Published: January 2008

The interaction between a hollow cylindrical nanofiber and a crack in an infinite medium is investigated. The two-dimensional problem, when the crack lies in the cross-sectional plane of the fiber, is solved for a transversely isotropic fiber in an isotropic matrix phase. The reported work to date on crack—fiber interaction problems seems to be based on a conventional solid fiber cross-section, whereas in this study, a hollow fiber cross-section is considered. The crack is considered at various orientations with respect to the nanofiber. Mismatch between Young's modulus and Poisson's ratios of the fiber and matrix, fiber diameter, and fiber wall thickness, are some of the parameters in the study. Finite element method is used as the analysis tool to compute energy release rates in mixed mode conditions. Fiber—matrix interface tractions are also computed to investigate secondary failure mechanism. The behavior of a hollow nanofiber is shown to be significantly different from that of a fiber with a solid cross-section. However, with increasing nanofiber wall thickness the results of the present investigation are seen to converge to the solutions of a solid fiber. Finally, the influence of the properties of the interphase region between the hollow nanofiber and matrix on energy release rates is investigated.
Combined Approach for the Characterization of Composites Manufactured by RFI and Industrial Application
Authors: Margueres Philippe , Lopez Torres Jorge , Perie Jean-Noël , Kashif Syed Muhammad  , Collombet Francis
Published: January 2008

A combined approach is proposed here to characterize composite structures made of a recent semi-preg called HexFIT® developed by Hexcel Composites® for resin film infusion (RFI). Physicochemical and mechanical tests were first carried out on specimens obtained by oven cured vacuum bag molding and then compared with autoclave cured specimens. Non-destructive evaluation techniques (US, IR, and RX) were used to sample specimens in manufactured plates for mechanical testing taking into account the effects of the process conditions. Multi-instrumented tensile tests undertaken on specimens with different widths allowed us to highlight limitations in classical tensile tests. The manufacture of a structural part called corner fitting is also presented taking into account the effects of the stacking sequence and the cure cycle. The preliminary results highlight the need to correctly define experimental protocols taking into account manufacture conditions and the inner architecture of the reinforcements.
Fuzzy Robust Design of FRP Laminates
Authors: Wei Junhong  , Chen Jianqiao  , Ge Rui
Published: January 2008

Based on the previous published works in fuzzy reliability analysis method, this article aims to develop a fuzzy robust optimal design methodology for FRP laminates. Both the probability and the fuzzy factors are considered in the optimal design. By considering the fuzziness of the constraint condition, a fuzzy reliability design model is first established. Using the model as a base and taking into account the possible variations in fiber angle and ply thickness, a fuzzy robust design method is developed. The key point in the robust design is to obtain a stable design solution by reducing the influence of the variations in design variables on the structure performance. Examples are worked out to demonstrate the applicability and the necessity of the method.
Reform and everyday practice
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Mahuya
Published: January 2008

International human rights regulations, norms for the treatment of prisoners and welfare state imperatives—institutionalised in numerous national and international regulatory bodies—have helped make the ‘human element’ an imposing factor in processes of imprisonment and punishment. Questions such as whether prisons exist to punish offenders or to care for them, heal their minds and bodies and reintegrate them into society, have become significant in managing prisoner populations. In this article, I explore the idea and practice of reform by drawing on key government documents and reports on reform and ethnographic fieldwork in a central prison in Kolkata, India. First, I critically examine the idea of reform and explore its colonial underpinnings and its implications in actual prison management. I then present the organisational practice of reform through instances from everyday life in prison. Finally, I focus on prisoners’ conceptions of reform to show how they offer a critical perspective on reform. Through this, I argue that there is a disjunction between the idea and practice of reform. The idea of reform entails making a prisoner into a ‘normal’ citizen, fit to return to life in society. In the practice of reform, emphasis is placed on improving the material conditions of prison life, and the reformative practices become strategies of control. The programme of reform then becomes a site for exercising arbitrary control over the prisoners as the facilities for improving the material conditions of prison life are granted arbitrarily. The prison is an institution where the state deliberately maintains opacity by restricting its interaction with civil society. The practices of reform in prison and the issues of prison governance that they entail, are crucial aspects through which the character of the state finds expression.
Transgender Sex Workers and Sexual Transmigration between Guadalajara and San Francisco
Authors: Howe Cymene , Zaraysky Susanna , Lorentzen Lois
Published: January 2008

Detailed study of microcommunities of transgender sex workers in Guadalajara and San Francisco reveals a close relationship between migratory motives, economic aspirations, and sexuality. The resonance of both cities as “gay meccas” in their respective nation-states provides a background for the operation of these imagined sites of tolerance in transgender sex workers' lives. Migration is gendered and sexualized, and, despite infra-structural support in San Francisco, these workers find more holistic support “at home.”
Gender, Race, and Nationality in the Making of Mexican Migrant Labor in the United States
Authors: Karjanen David
Published: January 2008

Gender ideologies and race and nationality among employers and employees are important in reproducing migrant Mexican workers' status in a segmented U.S. labor market. A survey of 110 employers combined with interviews shows how gender, race, and nationality are reproduced within and outside of the workplace. Employers prefer Mexican workers because of what they feel is a stronger work ethic among recent immigrants, but these preferences are influenced by preexisting ideas about native-born and black workers. Immigrant men are seen as “providers” while Mexican women are seen as good, docile workers except when they have “domestic” issues such as families.
Immigration from the Inside Out: Understanding Mexico's Job(less) Situation through the Views of Middle-Class Mexicans
Authors: Ochoa Álvarez Carmen
Published: January 2008

In the wake of presidential elections in Mexico and with immigration reform in the United States still largely undetermined, scholars and politicians on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are the first to recognize the fundamental need to address Mexico's emigration problem from within. Focusing on the views and experiences of those who stay behind provides important insights on this issue. Although anecdotal evidence suggests that middle-class Mexicans are emigrating in greater numbers as a result of mounting economic pressures, there is little empirical evidence that this is the case. Rather, they have resorted to strategies such as taking second jobs or making substantial cuts in household and leisure expenses. A strong social and cultural investment ties middle-class Mexicans to their country, and this investment has consequences for Mexico's labor market reform and, by extension, its emigration patterns and flows.
The New Labor Culture and Labor Law Reform in Mexico
Authors: Kohout Michal
Published: January 2008

There are two competing labor law reform proposals in the Mexican legislature, both of which would profoundly reshape labor-capital-government relations should they be passed. The Plan Abascal is based on idealized relations of production derived from the post-Fordist theory that new global economic realites demand new regulations that allow employers more flexibility to deal with sudden market shifts. In contrast, the reform authored by an independent union confederation protects workers against employer and government unilateralism and exploitation.
The City Quietly Remade
Authors: Heathcott Joseph
Published: January 2008

The case of St. Louis in the 1940s demonstrates the central importance of this decade in American urban history. To understand how planners and elected officials made such extensive use of federal funds in the 1950s and 1960s for public housing and urban renewal, we have to recast the 1940s as a critical period in the formation both of a new urban vision and of a political coalition emboldened to carry it out. Frustrated in their attempts to rebuild in brick and mortar, slum clearance advocates in St. Louis set about redefining the terms of debate over the future of the city itself. They mobilized behind a vision of the city at a crossroads, poised between progress and decay. Yet despite such stark rhetoric, slum clearance was not so much a technological or economic imperative, but a carefully assembled political agenda to remake the urban landscape.
From Political Outsider To Power Broker in Two “Great American Cities”
Authors: Klemek Christopher
Published: January 2008

Beyond her well-known writings against urban renewal, Jane Jacobs guided the design and implementation of a pair of housing projects while she was a resident of New York in the 1960s and then Toronto in the 1970s. These two firsthand attempts to apply Jacobs's influential ideas on urbanism not only demonstrate her skills as a political activist but also illustrate how some Canadians forged powerful new urban coalitions just as U.S. city politics was becoming increasingly fragmented and incapacitated.
Which Urban Crisis?
Authors: Pritchett Wendell E.
Published: January 2008

During the 1960s and 1970s, Congress and policymakers engaged in a heated debate over the proper role of the federal government in urban America enacted several initiatives to deal with the problems facing older cities, including creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, throughout these years, federal officials, members of Congress, and other interested parties remained divided over the extent and nature of the “urban crisis.” During the early 1960s, much of the debate about urban areas focused on the problems of “metropolitan growth,” but in late 1960s, urban problems became increasingly identified with issues of racial conflict. By the early 1970s, policymakers had concluded that federal programs had generally failed to improve the state of urban America, and they oversaw a devolution of power back to local governments.
Cocaine/crack cocaine consumption, treatment demand, seizures, related offences, prices, average purity levels and deaths in the UK (1990—2004)
Authors: Schifano Fabrizio , Corkery John
Published: January 2008

A recent trend of escalating use of cocaine/crack cocaine was observed in the UK. The number of mentions on death certificates; last year use of cocaine; treatment demand, number of drug offenders, seizures, prices and average purity levels were the indicators used for this descriptive and correlational study. Figures (1990—2004) were taken from official UK sources. A total of 1022 cocaine/crack cocaine death mentions (i.e. deaths from any cause where the presence of cocaine/crack cocaine was also detected) were identified, with cocaine/crack cocaine being the sole drug mentioned in 36% of cases. The number of cocaine/crack cocaine death mentions showed a year-on-year increase and correlated positively with the following cocaine (powder) figures: last year use ( p < 0.001); number of offenders ( p < 0.001) and number of seizures ( p < 0.001), but correlated negatively with price ( p < 0.001). Furthermore, the number of cocaine/crack cocaine death mentions correlated positively with the number of crack offenders ( p < 0.001) and seizures ( p < 0.001), but correlated negatively with both crack purity ( p < 0.001) and price ( p < 0.05). With conditions of increasing drug availability having been met in the UK, decrease in cocaine prices were associated with higher consumption levels and this, in turn, contributed to the increase in number of cocaine-related fatalities. There are limitations with the information collected, since no distinction is usually made on medical death certificates between cocaine and crack cocaine. The present study being an ecological one, it proved difficult to address the role of confounding variables that may well explain some of the associations observed.
Case Report: Clozapine use in two women with schizophrenia during pregnancy
Authors: Duran Alaattin , Ugur M. Mufit , Turan Senol , Emul Murat
Published: January 2008

Stabilized patients who receive clozapine may wish to have children; but studies on pregnant women receiving clozapine treatment are limited. In this study, we report on clozapine use during pregnancy in two women. The first woman (Case 1) had two deliveries while she was receiving clozapine treatment for schizophrenia. Both her deliveries were term, uncomplicated vaginal deliveries, and the clozapine dose was reduced throughout pregnancy. The second woman (Case 2) developed schizophrenia after her first child was born. She became pregnant after clozapine initiation. She delivered twins by term, uncomplicated vaginal delivery. In our cases, no specific risks for the mothers and their children can be attributed to the use of clozapine. Physicians must be aware of the changes in fertility induced by prolactin-sparing drugs. Mothers who receive clozapine treatment should not be advised to breastfeed their children.
Co-morbid substance misuse in psychiatric patients: prevalence and association with length of inpatient stay
Authors: Sinclair Julia M.A. , Latifi Abdul Hameed , Latifi Abdul Waheed
Published: January 2008

Improved management of mental illneSS with co-morbid SubStance miSuSe iS an important clinical objective. ThiS Study aimed to aSSeSS the prevalence of SubStance miSuSe in pSychiatric inpatientS, and to examine the relationShip between alcohol miSuSe and length of hoSpital admiSSion. A prevalence Study conducted over four monthS, examined rateS of co-morbid SubStance miSuSe in patientS admitted for pSychiatric inpatient care. Demographic detailS and length of hoSpital Stay were collected for all patientS and thoSe who gave informed conSent were Screened for levelS of alcohol and SubStance miSuSe. Two hundred and thirty-eight patientS were admitted during the Study period in which 178 (74.8%) conSented to take part in the Study. A group of 44 (50.6%) men and 26 (29.2%) women were Screened poSitive for alcohol miSuSe (χ2 = 8.7, P = 0.003). CannabiS uSe waS acknowledged by 31 (35.2%) men and 10 (11.2%) women (χ2 = 13.5, P < 0.0001). PreSence of co-morbid alcohol miSuSe waS aSSociated with a Significantly Shorter hoSpital admiSSion ( z = 3.34, P = 0.0008). Co-morbid SubStance miSuSe (including alcohol) waS reported Significantly more frequently by men than women. Overall, patientS with co-morbid alcohol miSuSe had Shorter hoSpital admiSSionS, SuggeSting different patternS of preSentation and progreSS in hoSpital. HoSpital admiSSion preSentS an opportunity to identify SubStance miSuSe and evaluate treatmentS for co-morbid conditionS within a Safe environment.
Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic effects of MK-0343, a GABAAα2,3subtype selective agonist, compared to lorazepam and placebo in healthy male volunteers
Authors: de Haas S.L. , de Visser S.J. , van der Post J.P. , Schoemaker R.C. , van Dyck K. , Murphy M.G. , de Smet M. , Vessey L.K. , Ramakrishnan R. , Xue L. , Cohen A.F. , van Gerven J.M.A.
Published: January 2008

The use of non-selective γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) enhancers, such as benzodiazepines in the treatment of anxiety disorders is still widespread but hampered by unfavourable side effects. some of these may be associated with binding properties to certain subtypes of the GABAAreceptor that are unnecessary for therapeutic effects. MK-0343 was designed to be a less sedating anxiolytic, based on reduced efficacy at the α1 subtype and significant efficacy at α2 and α3 subtypes of the GABAAreceptor.

This paper is a double-blind, four-way cross-over ( n = 12) study to investigate the effects of MK-0343 (0.25 and 0.75 mg) in comparison to placebo and an anxiolytic dose (2 mg) of the non-selective agonist lorazepam. Effects were measured by eye movements, body sway, Visual Analogue scales (VAs) and memory tests.

Lorazepam impaired saccadic peak velocity (sPV), VAs alertness scores, postural stability and memory and increased saccadic latency and

inaccuracy. MK-0343 0.75 mg was equipotent with lorazepam as indicated by sPV (-42.4 deg/s), saccadic latency (0.02 s) and VAs alertness scores (1.50 ln mm), while effects on memory and postural stability were smaller. MK-0343 0.25 mg only affected postural stability to a similar extent as MK-0343 0.75 mg.

The effect profile of MK-0343 0.75 mg is different from the full agonist lorazepam, which could reflect the selective actions of this compound. Although less effect on VAs alertness was expected, diminished effects on memory and postural stability were present. Clinical studies in anxiety patients should show whether this dose of MK-0343 is therapeutically effective with a different side-effect profile.
High ambient temperature increases intravenous methamphetamine self-administration on fixed and progressive ratio schedules in rats
Authors: Cornish Jennifer L. , Clemens Kelly J. , Thompson Murray R. , Callaghan Paul D. , Dawson Bronwyn , McGregor Iain S.
Published: January 2008

Methamphetamine is a drug that is often consumed at dance parties or nightclubs where the ambient temperature is high. The present study determined whether such high ambient temperatures alter intravenous methamphetamine self-administration in the rat. Male Hooded Wistar rats were trained to self-administer intravenous methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) under a fixed ratio 1 (FR1) or progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement at an ambient temperature of 23 ± 1°C. They were then given their daily self-administration session at a raised ambient temperature of 30 ± 1°C. Methamphetamine self-administration was increased at 30°C under both FR1 and PR reinforcement schedules, with the latter effect indicating that heat enhances the motivation to obtain methamphetamine. High temperatures did not alter self-administration of the D1 receptor agonist SKF 82958 in methamphetamine-experienced rats suggesting some specificity in the methamphetamine effect. When rats were given access to drink isotonic saline solution during methamphetamine self-administration sessions they drank much more solution at 30°C than 23°C. However, availability of isotonic saline to drink did not alter the heat-induced facilitation of methamphetamine self-administration (PR schedule) indicating that the heat effect does not simply reflect increased motivation for intravenous fluids. Hyperthermia was evident in rats self-administering methamphetamine at high ambient temperatures and fluid consumption did not prevent this effect. Heat did not affect blood levels of methamphetamine, or its principal metabolite amphetamine indicating that the facilitatory effect of heat did not reflect altered methamphetamine pharmacokinetics. Overall, these results show that high ambient temperatures increase the reinforcing efficacy of methamphetamine and encourage higher levels of drug intake.
Flame Retardants in Commercial Use or Development for Polyolefins
Authors: Weil Edward D. , Levchik Sergei V.
Published: January 2008

Polyolefins, used widely in electrical applications, roofing, and automotive parts, have a high heat of combustion and tend to burn with substantial fuel evolution and little char. Since the polyolefins can usually accept high loadings of solid additives, aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide have found use. At lower loadings, vapor-phase-active flame retardants of the halogen-antimony oxide type have proved useful; older chlorinated types are still in use, and both old and new bromine compounds are widely employed in polyolefins. Much effort has been expended on intumescent phosphorus-based additives and there are some newer ones which show promise.
Experimental Research on the Spatial Distribution of Toxic Gases in the Transport of Fire Smoke
Authors: Lizhong Yang , Wenxing Feng , Junqi Ye
Published: January 2008

Current assessment models and experimental tests on gas toxicities in a fire hazard are mainly based on the hypothesis that uniform smoke and gas layers exist in the compartment. This study, through experiments conducted in a reduced-scale compartment—corridor model, examines the assumption and explores the characteristics of spatial distribution of toxic gases in smoke transport from a fire hazard. The results suggest that the toxic gases in the upper layer in the corridor are characterized by uniform expansion, while those in the lower layer are not. It has also been found that evolutions of the gases in different layers are not synchronous, while they are identical at the same height where the densities are close. Further analyses indicate that the formation of CO from the deoxidization of O2, CO 2, and the unburned hydrocarbon in the smoke movement delays the time of the maximum concentration.
Ignition of New Zealand Wood Products in the LIFT, RIFT and ISO 5657 Apparatus using the ASTM E 1321-97 Protocol
Authors: Merryweather G. , Spearpoint M.J.
Published: January 2008

The results from ignition tests conducted using the Lateral Ignition and Flame spread Test (LIFT) apparatus, Reduced scale Ignition and Flame spread Test (RIFT) apparatus, and ISO 5657 ignitability apparatus from nine different types of New Zealand wood-based products are used to obtain the critical ignition heat flux and thermal inertia using the procedure specified in ASTM E 1321-97a. It is found that vertically oriented samples in the LIFT and RIFT has a higher minimum ignition heat flux compared with the horizontal samples in the ISO 5657 apparatus. There is only a limited agreement between the three test methods for thermal inertia values.
Co-membership in immigration gatekeeping interviews: construction, ratification and refutation
Authors: Johnston Alexandra Marie
Published: January 2008

I analyze the construction of co-membership in a high-stakes gatekeeping encounter: US permanent residency (or `green card') interviews. Co-membership is sometimes attempted (intentionally or not) by visa applicants in this critical face-to-face encounter in order to create rapport and a favorable outcome. I show how co-membership is formed or avoided through the following steps: (i) an aspect of social identity is foregrounded through small talk and/or nonverbal means; (ii) the aspect is acknowledged as shared by the interactants and therefore a potential basis for co-membership; and (iii) the attempt at co-membership is ratified, not ratified, or actively refuted by one or all of the interactants. Excerpts are drawn from videotaped visa interviews and audiotaped playback sessions with one US immigration officer and 51 visa applicants. I examine cases in which the officer ratifies, does not ratify and refutes co-membership, and how this affects the interview tone and outcome for the applicant.
The Security Imaginary: Explaining Military Isomorphism
Authors: Pretorius Joelien
Published: January 2008

This article proposes the notion of a security imaginary as a heuristic tool for exploring military isomorphism (the phenomenon that weapons and military strategies begin to look the same across the world) at a time when the US model of defence transformation is being adopted by an increasing number of countries. Built on a critical constructivist foundation, the security-imaginary approach is contrasted with rationalist and neo-institutionalist ways of explaining military diffusion and emulation. Merging cultural and constructivist themes, the article offers a `strong cultural' argument to explain why a country would emulate a foreign military model and how this model is constituted in and comes to constitute a society's security imaginary.
Changes in Work Centrality and Other Life Areas in Israel
Authors: Sharabi Moshe , Harpaz Itzhak
Published: January 2008

This unique longitudinal study examines the state of work centrality and other life areas (family, leisure, community and religion) in Israel among the same individuals (n=407) over a 12-year period. A new representative sample (serving as a control group) of the Israeli labour force in 1992–93 (n=942) assists us in exploring whether the changes occurred by cohort, life course or period effect. The restudied sample maturation led to a decrease in the importance of leisure, while the importance of work, family, community and religion remained stable. The increase of work centrality between the 1980s and the 1990s was found to be influenced by period effect; there was no evidence of a life course or cohort effect on work centrality, while life course effect was found on the importance of community. In contrast to findings from other countries showing that young people attributed relatively high importance to leisure and relatively less importance to work, cohort effect regarding the latter was not observed in Israel. There, young people in the 1990s tended to view work and leisure as important as their predecessors did in the 1980s. Compared with research findings from the United States, Germany and Japan, work centrality in Israel was higher and more stable.
An Exploratory Survey of Nurses' Perceptions of Phase I Clinical Trials in Pediatric Oncology
Authors: Chang Ann
Published: January 2008

This study suggests that nurses' perceptions of pediatric oncology phase I clinical trials are diverse and mixed but are more likely to be positive than negative. Improving future treatments, medical benefit, improved quality of life, and hope were cited as potential benefits of phase I clinical trials, but nurses felt that families were hoping for a cure. Toxicities, false hope, and decreased quality of life were perceived as potential negative outcomes. Acting as a patient advocate was viewed as the most important nursing role, and providing information was identified to be the most important purpose of informed consent. Although not statistically significant, data suggest that age, experience, and practice setting may influence nurses' perceptions. Younger or less experienced nurses were more likely to report either positive or negative perceptions, whereas older or more experienced nurses expressed mixed or moderate perceptions. Inpatient nurses reported more negative perceptions compared with outpatient nurses. The respondents report that caring for patients on phase I had both positive and negative effects on their quality of nursing work life.
Designing a Mixed Methods Study in Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research
Authors: Wilkins Krista , Woodgate Roberta
Published: January 2008

Despite the appeal of discovering the different strengths of various research methods, mixed methods research remains elusive in pediatric oncology nursing research. If pediatric oncology nurses are to succeed in mixing quantitative and qualitative methods, they need practical guidelines for managing the complex data and analyses of mixed methods research. This article discusses mixed methods terminology, designs, and key design features. Specific areas addressed include the myths about mixed methods research, types of mixed method research designs, steps involved in developing a mixed method research study, and the benefits and challenges of using mixed methods designs in pediatric oncology research. Examples of recent research studies that have combined quantitative and qualitative research methods are provided. The term mixed methods research is used throughout this article to reflect the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods within one study rather than the use of these methods in separate studies concerning the same research problem.
Projective Drawings as Measures of Psychosocial Functioning in Siblings of Pediatric Cancer Patients From the Camp Okizu Study
Authors: Packman Wendy , Mazaheri Mary , Sporri Lisa , Long Janet K. , Chesterman Beth , Fine Joselyn , Amylon Michael D.
Published: January 2008

This research was conducted at a summer camp for siblings of children with cancer. Participants included 77 siblings (ages 6-17 years) and their parents. Before attending camp, 18 of the siblings had experienced the death of their brother or sister with cancer. Projective measures were administered before attending camp and 3 months after camp. These included the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) and the Kinetic Family Drawing-Revised (KFD-R). Siblings were administered both the HFD and KFD-R; parents were given the KFD-R. On the HFD, siblings' emotional distress scores decreased significantly pre- to postcamp. On the KFD-R, nonbereaved siblings and parents showed significant improvement in family environment scores. Bereaved siblings and parents also showed improvement (although nonsignificant). These results support Camp Okizu's effectiveness in increasing siblings' emotional well-being yet underscore the need to implement interventions to address family communication for both bereaved and nonbereaved families.
A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test—Second Edition (CVLT-II) in the Standardization Sample
Authors: Donders Jacobus
Published: January 2008

The purpose of this study is to determine the latent structure of the California Verbal Learning Test—Second Edition (CVLT-II; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 2000) at three different age levels, using the standardization sample. Maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analyses are performed to test four competing hypothetical models for fit and parsimony. A four-factor model consisting of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Delayed Memory, and Inaccurate Memory provides the best fit to the data at two age levels (16-30 years and 31-60 years, respectively) but the factor structure is somewhat less robust in the oldest age group (> 60 years). The results clarify the latent structure of the CVLT-II and suggest that a multifactorial interpretation of quantitative and qualitative indexes from this instrument is appropriate for clinical practice with most adults, although findings may need to be interpreted more cautiously among older persons.
Ethical Dilemmas in Evaluations Using Indigenous Research Workers
Authors: Alexander Leslie B. , Richman Kenneth A.
Published: January 2008

This article addresses ethical dilemmas experienced by street-level research and evaluation workers recruiting and gathering data in community-based research projects. The authors focus on a subgroup of street-level research workers, whom they call research extenders (REs), employed because they share important characteristics with the target population. Like other street-level research workers, some REs are single role (only do research work) and others are dual role (do research work and provide services). They discuss relevant literature and findings from pilot focus groups exploring how REs understand responsible ethical conduct in their research work in the community. REs face ethical issues somewhat different from those of more traditional, non-indigenous street-level research workers. These issues increase social risk for study participants and could compromise the validity of data. Researchers need to be aware of and address the distinctive set of ethical issues raised by research and evaluation projects employing indigenous, street-level research workers.
Playing a political game and playing for position: Policy and curriculum development in health and physical education
Authors: Penney Dawn
Published: January 2008

This paper addresses prospective policy relationships between health and physical education (HPE) and contemporary education policies. It specifically explores the opportunities and challenges that contemporary education discourses present for policy and curriculum development in HPE. Contemporary education discourses of lifelong learning, learning communities, personalized learning, inclusivity and excellence are critically analysed in relation to policy and curriculum development in HPE. It is contended that these discourses present a potentially strong focus for advocacy and that their adoption may be an astute political move for HPE. Recent curriculum development in senior physical education in Western Australia is used to illustrate the scope for the discourses to be embedded in curricula and for HPE to thereby be seen to firmly connect with key education agendas.
Water governance and poverty
Authors: Franks Tom , Cleaver Frances
Published: January 2008

This paper engages with policy on meeting development goals for water through interventions, which promote good governance. Addressing an under-researched area, we propose a new analytical framework for understanding water governance, not as a set of abstract principles, but as interlinked processes with variable practical outcomes for poor people. The framework is informed by theories of governance, institutions and structuration, empirical research and field insights. We apply the framework to a case in south-western Tanzania, and we identify a range of issues for further research, particularly relating to water access for the poor.
Poor cousins no more
Authors: Scheyvens Regina
Published: January 2008

In many countries there is an insidious perception that domestic tourism is the ‘poorcousin’ of the more glamorous international tourism market. Yet domestic tourism constitutes the vast majority of tourist flows world wide, and there has been significant growth within Third World countries in particular coinciding with an increase in numbers of middle-income earners. Simultaneously there has been a tendency to take for granted return visits by overseas-based nationals, the diaspora. Using a case study of Samoa, where the development of basic beach huts has provided a low-cost vacation option for both local and overseas-based Samoan tourists, this article demonstrates how domestic tourism can have significant economic, socio-cultural and political benefits. As such, domestic and diaspora tourism deserve more serious consideration than they have been granted by most governments and by tourism and development researchers to date.
Re-mapping the politics of aid
Authors: Tan-Mullins May , Rigg Jonathan , Law Lisa , Grundy-Warr Carl
Published: January 2008

The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused massive human and economic destruction. In this paper we argue that the international response to the tsunami exemplifies a shift in the way humanitarian aid is sourced and delivered, and tease out a framework for understanding the continuities and discontinuities that led to differential distribution across a range of sites in southern Thailand. On the one hand we examine the degree to which we can understand differential aid distribution in terms of persistent characteristics in the political economy, such as lack of transparency and corruption . We also consider the importance of ‘traditional’ structures, networks and resiliences and their role in influencing aid distribution. But these sorts of explanations must be nuanced in light of the emergence of new aid linkages and networks, particularly the move from formal organizations to individualized and direct donations. We suggest these patterns reflect new abilities of communities to mobilize trans-national networks, a more participatory approach to aid donation and an opportunity to re-map the multi-scalar politics of aid.