bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Homomorphic Neural Network for Modeling and Prediction
Authors: Pedzisz Maciej , Mandic Danilo P.
Published: December 2007

A homomorphic feedforward network (HFFN) for nonlinear adaptive filtering is introduced. This is achieved by a two-layer feedforward architecture with an exponential hidden layer and logarithmic preprocessing step. This way, the overall input-output relationship can be seen as a generalized Volterra model, or as a bank of homomorphic filters. Gradient-based learning for this architecture is introduced, together with some practical issues related to the choice of optimal learning parameters and weight initialization. The performance and convergence speed are verified by analysis and extensive simulations. For rigor, the simulations are conducted on artificial and real-life data, and the performances are compared against those obtained by a sigmoidal feedforward network (FFN) with identical topology. The proposed HFFN proved to be a viable alternative to FFNs, especially in the critical case of online learning on small- and medium-scale data sets.
The Perpetual Allure of the Bible for Marxism
Authors: Boer Roland
Published: December 2007

In light of the general lack of awareness of the long history of Western-Marxist fascination with the Bible, this article offers a synopsis of part of that history. After showing how the Bible was an important element in the work of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, it the offers a critique of the current engagements with it by Alain Badiou, Slavoj Žižek, Terry Eagleton and Giorgio Agamben. The third section deals with the most significant element of the religious Left in recent years, namely liberation theology. It closes with some comments concerning the growth of Marxist biblical studies and some suggestions for the way Marxism might reconnect with a non-reified biblical tradition.
An Unrecorded Book of Hours, Printed by Plantin with a (Partly) Unrecorded Series of Illustrations
Authors: van der Horst Koert
Published: December 2007

An unrecorded copy of the Officium illustrated with 16 small engravings and printed by Plantin in 1578/9 which has recently come to light in an antiquarian bookshop confirms Karen Lee Bowen's hypothesis of 1994 that a number of engravings with the same format occurring in Plantin's Missale of 1585 belong to a series which Plantin must have commissioned from the engraver Jan Wierix after the designs of Peeter van der Borcht shortly after 1572. The series in the newly discovered book is anonymous, but the engravings are copied so carefully that they may be added to the oeuvre of Jan Wierix and Peeter van der Borcht respectively. Some of these engravings were previously entirely unknown.
Reverse Waiver and the Effects of Legal, Statutory, and Secondary Legal Factors on Sentencing Outcomes for Juvenile Offenders
Authors: Burrow John
Published: December 2007

Over the past few decades, various forms of waiver have become increasingly used at the state level. Generally, the research literature has focused on three types of waiver: judicial, prosecutorial, and legislative. Reverse waiver, a fourth type, remains little studied. Moreover, little is known of the factors that judges consider when making the decision to either sentence juvenile offenders as adults or sentence them as juveniles after they have been waived. This article is an attempt to shed some light on how factors unrelated to the instant offense, often the case with reverse waiver, may affect sentencing outcomes for waived offenders. Several important findings were revealed. First, judges are sentencing the most violent and serious offenders as adults. Second, secondary legal factors such as pending charges and prior placements influence the sentencing decision. Third, the amount of experience that judges have in handling waiver cases significantly influences the sentencing decision.
Minority Threat, Crime Control, and Police Resource Allocation in the Southwestern United States
Authors: Holmes Malcolm D. , Smith Brad W. , Freng Adrienne B. , Muñoz Ed A.
Published: December 2007

Numerous studies have examined political influences on communities' allocations of fiscal and personnel resources to policing. Rational choice theory maintains that these resources are distributed in accordance with the need for crime control, whereas conflict theory argues that they are allocated with the aim of controlling racial and ethnic minorities. Existing research more consistently supports the conflict argument, but important issues remain unaddressed. The authors tested that approach by examining allocations of police resources in large cities in the Southwest, the yet-to-be-studied region in which the majority of Hispanics reside. The analyses included the key variables from the rational choice and conflict perspectives, as well as proximity to the border between the United States and Mexico. Minimal effects existed for percent Hispanic, an important conflict theory variable. However, Anglo-Hispanic income inequality and proximity to the border had effects consistent with that perspective. Class divisions within the Hispanic community may explain this pattern of findings.
Bridging the North—South Divide in Scholarly Communication in Africa — a library and information systems perspective
Authors: Lor Peter Johan
Published: December 2007

This article takes a broad, general perspective of scholarly communication in Africa, using a simple systems model based on the Lasswell formula. The model identifies and analyses the following components: Creators, Contents, Mediation, Users and Infrastructure. It recognizes that these are to be studied in their cultural, political, economic, legal and ethical contexts. Taking each component in turn, a number of critical issues and problems relevant to the North-South/South-North divide are identified and some observations are made on the position and roles of libraries. The article presents a list of desiderata and emphasizes that scholarly communication has both digital and analogue dimensions. It is a complex phenomenon that needs to be addressed holistically.
Pushing the Boundaries of Traditional Heritage Policy: maintaining long-term access to multimedia content
Authors: Miura Gregory
Published: December 2007

This paper will address the direction chosen by the Audiovisual Department of the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF) in order to maintain access to a comprehensive collection of multimedia and electronic documents. It will describe several experimental technical solutions for preservation, emphasizing the consequences of a requirement for future users to be able to use these documents for research purposes. These result in the use of emulation solutions as well as new practices of collection development policy with regard to the specific structure of information within a multimedia context
The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development
Authors: Olson Cheryl K. , Kutner Lawrence A. , Warner Dorothy E.
Published: December 2007

Numerous policies have been proposed at the local, state, and national level to restrict youth access to violent video and computer games. Although studies are cited to support policies, there is no published research on how children perceive the uses and influence of violent interactive games. The authors conduct focus groups with 42 boys ages 12 to 14. Boys use games to experience fantasies of power and fame, to explore and master what they perceive as exciting and realistic environments (but distinct from real life), to work through angry feelings or relieve stress, and as social tools. Boys did not believe they had been harmed by violent games but were concerned that younger children might imitate game behavior (especially swearing).
English- and Spanish-Speaking Women's Use of Violence
Authors: Tower Leslie E. , Fernandez Maria Elena
Published: December 2007

This study analyzes variables related to the context and consequences of women's use of violence as well as a wide range of violent behaviors used and experienced by court-ordered English- and Spanish-speaking women. Data were derived from intake assessments of 125 court-ordered women over 24 months. Almost all of the women reported a history of abuse perpetrated by their partners. Women committed significantly fewer violent acts against their partners than their partners committed against them. Differences between English- and Spanish-speaking women's victimization, use of violence, and help seeking were largely similar, however, important differences emerged.
The Elevated Risk for Non-Lethal Post-Separation Violence in Canada
Authors: Brownridge Douglas A. , Ko Ling Chan  , Hiebert-Murphy Diane , Ristock Janice , Tiwari Agnes , Leung Wing-Cheong , Santos Susy C.
Published: December 2007

The purpose of the study was to shed light on the potentially differing dynamics of violence against separated and divorced women by their ex-husbands and violence against married women by their current husbands. Using a nationally representative sample of 7,369 heterosexual women from Cycle 13 of Statistics Canada's General Social Survey, available risk markers were examined in the context of a nested ecological framework. Separated women reported nine times the prevalence of violence and divorced women reported about four times the prevalence of violence compared with married women. The strongest predictors of violence against married women, namely, patriarchal domination, sexual jealousy, and possessiveness, were not significant predictors of violence against separated and divorced women. This suggested that post-separation violence is a complex phenomenon the dynamics of which can be affected by much more than domination and ownership.
Resilient Coping
Authors: Hopwood Max , Treloar Carla
Published: December 2007

Social marginalization is associated with poor health outcomes for affected people. However, in a psychosocial study of treatment for hepatitis C infection conducted in Sydney, Australia, participants living in socially disadvantaged circumstances applied adaptive approaches learned from past experiences of drug dependence, living with symptoms of chronic illness, coping with depression and childhood sexual abuse to enable them to cope with severe treatment-related side-effects. This finding has implications for the clinical management of hepatitis C treatment; the factors and processes that facilitate adaptive coping to adversity associated with social marginalization can be assessed for their clinical contribution to coping with an arduous regimen.
Health-related Information Processing and Recent Health Problems
Authors: Karademas Evangelos C. , Sideridis Georgios D. , Kafetsios Konstantinos
Published: December 2007

Our purpose was to assess the relationship between health status and health-related information processing. We expected that persons who report a recent health problem would show greater bias towards relevant stimuli. Participants comprised two groups: the experimental with 25 students who recently had to interrupt usual activities because of their health, and a comparison group of 25 healthy students matched for demographics, health habits and current health. Using an emotional Stroop task, the experimental group demonstrated enhanced interference effects for illness and health-related versus general threat and neutral words. Satisfaction with life impacted the processing of health and illness-related stimuli.
Three Ways of Talking about Health in Communities Targeted for Regeneration
Authors: Dalton Sue , Orford Jim , Parry Jayne , Laburn-Peart Kate
Published: December 2007

Interviews were held with nine peripatetic professionals—district nurses, health visitors and social workers—working in New Deal for Communities (NDC) urban areas in the English West Midlands. They spoke of health in the community in three distinct ways: health as individual and family lifestyle; the local environment and health; and `life is a struggle for some'. Those who emphasized the individual and family lifestyle approach expressed frustration in their professional role. The two alternative discourses, while recognizing the influence of social determinants of health, were problematic in different ways, reflecting the lack of a clear alternative to the individual and family lifestyle model for public health professions.
Women and Crime in Context
Authors: Parker Karen F. , Reckdenwald Amy
Published: December 2007

This study explores the relationship between patriarchy indicators and female offending in the context of urban and rural areas. Few studies have examined how patriarchy and other structural predictors influence within-gender differences in female crime at the macro level. Using 2000 data, the authors offer multiple measures that tap public and private levels of patriarchy when examining types of female arrests across U.S. cities and small towns. The authors find that public patriarchy influences female crime rates when controlling for private patriarchy and other structural conditions. This study highlights the importance of examining within-gender differences in offending rates at the macro level, while capturing the different ways that patriarchy manifests itself in society.
Deformation kinetics during dwell fatigue
Authors: Wu X. J. , Au P.
Published: December 2007

This paper presents a deformation kinetics approach to modelling dwell fatigue. The kinetics of dislocation pile-up is formulated as a competition between dislocation glide and climb. The continuously distributed dislocation theory is used to model the nucleation of Zener–Stroh– Koehler (ZSK) cracks in anisotropic materials. The mechanism of interaction between a fatigue crack and microZSK cracks is also elucidated and a dwell fatigue life equation is derived based on the above considerations. The model is validated using data reported in the literature.
Microstructural evolution during hot deformation of duplex stainless steel
Authors: Dehghan-Manshadi A. , Barnett M. R. , Hodgson P. D.
Published: December 2007

The microstructure evolution during hot deformation of a 23Cr–5Ni–3Mo duplex stainless steel was investigated in torsion. The presence of a soft δ ferrite phase in the vicinity of austenite caused strain partitioning, with accommodation of more strain in the δ ferrite. Furthermore, owing to the limited number of austenite/austenite grain boundaries, the kinetics of dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) in austenite was very slow. The first DRX grains in the austenite phase formed at a strain beyond the peak and proceeded to <15% of the microstructure at the rupture strain of the sample. On the other hand, the microstructure evolution in δ ferrite started by formation of low angle grain boundaries at low strains and the density of these boundaries increased with increasing strain. There was clear evidence of continuous dynamic recrystallisation in this phase at strains beyond the peak. However, in the δ ferrite phase at high strains, most grains consisted of δ/ δ and δ/ γ boundaries.
High temperature fatigue and creep – automotive power train application perspectives
Authors: Fischersworring-Bunk A. , Thalmair S. , Eibl M. , Kunst M. , Dietsche A.
Published: December 2007

The present paper aims to describe the engineering durability design methodology as developed by BMW of hot power train components for both the gasoline cylinder head in aluminium alloys and the hot end components in iron based alloys under thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) conditions. The deformation is described using a viscoplastic model, which in the case for the aluminium alloys is combined with an aging model. The local damage evolution is modelled based on the growth of microcracks with a parameter derived from the J-Integral. Cyclic isothermal and non-isothermal fatigue tests were conducted in order to calibrate the lifetime model. The complexity was limited to a level that the main effects were captured but the analysis of a complex structure was still feasible. The accurate prediction of the variable temperature field is crucial for the success; in the CAE environment the temperature assessment remains the largest uncertainty. An outlook to new upcoming power train components is given.
Teaching nursing skills at a distance using a remotely controlled human patient simulator
Authors: Berg Benjamin W , Wong Lorrie , Vincent Dale S
Published: December 2007

We investigated the feasibility of using a nurse educator to control a human patient simulator and provide skills training for student nurses while located remotely from the students. Eight student nurses and a patient simulator were stationed at a site 8 km from the School of Nursing. The manikin was controlled over a private virtual local area network. Using videoconferencing at 400kbit/s, students were taught how to obtain peripheral and apical pulses on the manikin while exposed to rhythm disturbances initiated and controlled by the instructor. Students agreed that the simulation made understanding irregular rhythms easier and increased their interest in the course. On-site and remotely located nursing instructors agreed in their assessments of student performance. We conclude that a remotely located nurse educator can successfully instruct and control a manikin-based skills session in a manner that is acceptable to the nursing students.
Factors influencing the intention to use wireless technology in health care: A study in India
Authors: Gururajan Raj
Published: December 2007

Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to examine the factors influencing the adoption of wireless technology in the health-care sector in India. A qualitative approach was used to collect a set of themes relating to the adoption of wireless technology by 30 physicians in India. The themes were then used to design a questionnaire which was distributed to 300 physicians in India. A total of 200 surveys were returned (67% response rate). Both types of data (qualitative and quantitative) showed that technology factors, clinical factors, administrative factors and communication factors played a crucial role in determining the intention to use wireless technology. These factors were further validated using a second order regression model to ensure their validity and reliability. The fitted model explained 97.6% of the variance. The results showed that the clinical usefulness of wireless technology influenced its adoption.
The successes and challenges of providing a paediatric burns service by telehealth in Western Australia
Authors: Mcwilliams Tania L , Gilroy Fleur , Wood Fiona M
Published: December 2007

The Princess Margaret Hospital Burns Telehealth Service provides a multidisciplinary service for paediatric burn outpatients living in rural and remote areas of Western Australia. In the two years since its establishment in August 2005, 164 patients have been referred to the service, with 297 clinical reviews undertaken via videoconference. An evaluation of the service was undertaken by surveying all families who had been reviewed by the service in a two-month period. Thirty survey forms were returned (a response rate of 51 %). The majority of respondents felt that the telehealth service saved them money (82%), time (86%) and stress (79%) compared with conventional face-to-face outpatient clinic attendance in Perth. Ninety-three percent of responders were satisfied with the service. The estimated cost-saving in avoided travel was Aus$994 per videoconference (Aus$1 is €0.64, US$0.88). The success of the Burns Telehealth Service is reflected in its place as an integrated part of service delivery for Western Australian paediatric burn patients.
Evaluation of nursing students’ knowledge, understanding and readiness to practice e-health
Authors: Edirippulige Sisira , Smith Anthony C , Beattie Heather , Davies Elizabeth , Wootton Richard
Published: December 2007

A questionnaire focusing on the attitudes and perceptions of nursing students towards e-health was distributed to second year undergraduate nursing students at the University of Queensland. Of the 60 surveys distributed, 56 surveys were completed and returned (93% response rate). Forty-three respondents (77%) were not familiar with the term e-health. Forty-six (82%) rated their knowledge of e-health technologies as minimal. Twenty-two (39%) responded that the main barrier for them to improve their knowledge and skills in e-health was the lack of systematic education and training. Despite the fact that the majority of respondents reported computer and Internet use on a daily basis, their awareness and knowledge with regards to e-health was very limited. If e-health is to become a mainstream activity in the health sector, it is important that students are provided with formal e-health education to develop new skills and experience in this specialist field.
A comprehensive telemedicine system for remote guidance of emergency airway management
Authors: Chung Hyun Soo , Choa Minhong , Kim Sang Yong , Cho Jun Ho , Yoo Sun K
Published: December 2007

We developed a Tele-Airway Management System (TAMS) which contained two high quality videocameras which were set up to view the frontal and lateral parts of the patient. Another endoscopic camera, a videolaryngoscope, was used to view the anatomy of the airway. One patient monitor was used to view the vital signs and there was also a PC terminal. A study was conducted in two separate emergency departments with 33 novice intubators (medical students and interns of the department). Remote consultation was provided by a board certified emergency physician. The time taken to complete endotracheal intubation for the TAMS group was 82.1 s (SE 4.9) and was 103.8 s (SE 7.9) in the videolaryngoscope-only group. The difference was significant (P = 0.03). The success rate of endotracheal intubation within 2 min was 94% for the TAMS group and 63% in the videolaryngoscope-only group (P = 0.04). With a wireless communication system, the TAMS could be installed in an ambulance, which might allow paramedics to perform safe and effective airway management in the field.
Medical students represent a valuable resource in facilitating telehealth for the under-served
Authors: Wootton Richard , Swinfen Pat , Swinfen Roger , Warren Margo-Anne , Wilkinson David , Brooks Peter
Published: December 2007

Over a two-year period, eight medical students from four U21 universities spent their electives at hospitals in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka. They made a total of 49 e-referrals which resulted in 67 queries in a wide range of specialties. The median response time was 20 h (interquartile range 5–85). Follow-up data were obtained in 14 of the 30 cases from one hospital (47%). The major categories of the 67 queries were internal medicine, paediatrics and surgery, and in very similar proportions to the 785 queries managed by the Swinfen Charitable Trust over the same period. The presence of a medical student facilitated e-referrals by relieving the pressure on the local doctor to undertake the necessary clerical and technical work. The students reported a rewarding elective experience which appears to have the potential to increase the ease with which heavily burdened medical staff in developing countries can make use of e-referrals.
Cooperation versus coordination: Using real-time telemedicine for treatment at home of diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Clemensen Jane , Larsen Simon B
Published: December 2007

In conventional treatment the patient with a diabetic foot ulcer travels to hospital for consultations with the experts. We conducted an organizational analysis of the cooperation taking place when telemedicine was used for treatment at home instead. In a pilot study, five patients were offered three video consultations in their home, replacing visits to the outpatient clinic. The equipment consisted of mobile videophones and an online ulcer record. The introduction of simultaneous communication between all participants solved the problem of the patient having to act as messenger between the hospital and the visiting nurse; there were other benefits as well. However, this new organization required increased efforts for coordination and may have incurred extra costs in the case of delays. Thus when designing telemedicine systems, the goal should be to facilitate the coordination and lower the barriers to real-time communication, but at the same time provide mechanisms for asynchronous communication in situations where synchronous communication is not possible.
Equity, Statistics and the Distribution of the Rate Support Grant
Authors: Rhodes Tim , Bailey Stephen J.
Published: December 2007

Central government grants finance over sixty per cent of local authority expenditure and one grant in particular, the Rate Support Grant, finances over fifty per cent. Hence the annual distribution of the Rate Support Grant attracts considerable attention on the part of local authorities. However, the trend in shares of grant since local government reorganization, which has increasingly favoured London and the Metropolitan areas at the expense of the shire counties, has provoked considerable controversy. This paper reviews past and present methods used to distribute the Rate Support Grant in the light of this trend and provides, in particular, a critique of the present method with proposals for remedial action. Whilst the statistical aberrations described could be easily remedied, the dispute over the equity of the resulting distribution of the Rate Support Grant will remain unresolved until politicians provide more explicit guidance on the principles upon which the expenditure needs of local authorities are to be assessed.
Task Modelling for the Web (Aufgabenmodellierung für interaktive Webanwendungen)
Authors: Bomsdorf Birgit
Published: December 2007

Task modelling has entered the development process of web applications, strengthening the usage-centred view within the early steps in Web-Engineering (WE). In current approaches, however, this view is not kept up during subsequent activities to the same degree as this is the case in the field of Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI). The modelling approach presented in this contribution combines models as known from WE with models used in HCI to change this situation. Basically the WE-HCI-integration is supported by combining task and object models as known from HCI with conceptual modelling known from WE. In this paper, the main focus is on the WebTaskModel, a task model adapted to web application concerns, and its contribution towards a task-related web user interface. The main difference to existing task models is the build-time and run-time usage of a generic task lifecycle. Hereby the description of exceptions and erroneous situations during task performance (caused by, e.g., the stateless protocol or Browser interaction) is enabled and at the same time clearly separated from the flow of correct action.
EMODE – Modellgetriebene Entwicklung multimodaler, kontextsensitiver Anwendungen (EMODE – Model-driven Development of Multimodal, Context Sensitive Applications)
Authors: Behring Alexander , Heinrich Matthias , Winkler Matthias , Dargie Waltenegus
Published: December 2007

Die Entwicklung multimodaler, kontextsensitiver Anwendungen gewinnt zunehmend an Interesse. Jedoch stellen diese höhere Anforderungen an den Softwareentwicklungsprozess. In diesem Beitrag werden die Arbeiten und Ergebnisse aus dem EMODE-Projekt vorgestellt, welches sich die Verbesserung der Effizienz der Entwicklung multimodaler, kontextsensitiver Anwendungen zum Ziel gesetzt hat. Dabei nutzt EMODE modellbasierte Entwicklung; wobei insbesondere die Integration der verschiedenen Entwicklungsschritte und eine durchgehende Werkzeugunterstützung betont werden.
Modellgetriebene Entwicklung grafischer Benutzerschnittstellen (Model-Driven Development of Graphical User Interfaces)
Authors: Link Stefan , Schuster Thomas , Hoyer Philip , Abeck Sebastian
Published: December 2007

Der Ansatz der modellgetriebenen Softwareentwicklung fokussiert Modelle als Spezifikation von Software und deren automatische Transformation bis hin zum Quellcode der gewünschten Zielplattform. Da eine durchgehende Werkzeugunterstützung unter Berücksichtigung aller Aspekte eines Softwaresystems bisher nicht möglich ist, muss der Mehrwert der modellgetriebenen Ansätze noch nachgewiesen werden. Die Durchgängigkeit ist dabei unter anderem auf Grund ungenügender oder fehlender Metamodelle zur Beschreibung einiger Aspekte eines Softwaresystems nicht gegeben. Der hier vorgestellte Ansatz greift den Aspekt der Benutzerinteraktion heraus und zeigt, wie durch die Erweiterung einer Modellierungssprache auf Metamodellebene eine werkzeugunterstützte, modellgetriebene Entwicklung plattformunabhängiger Benutzerschnittstellen ermöglicht wird. Eine Fallstudie demonstriert dabei die Machbarkeit und den Mehrwert dieses Ansatzes.
Energieautarke Funksensoren: Von verrückten Ideen zu Massenmarkt-Produkten (Radio Sensors Powered by Ambient Energy: From Strange Ideas to Mass Market Products)
Authors: Schmidt Frank , Heller Wolfgang
Published: December 2007

Noch vor zehn Jahren haftete der Idee, eine Vielzahl verschiedenartiger Funksensoren zuverlässig allein mit Umgebungsenergie zu betreiben, etwas Unwirkliches an. Das richtige Thema für Perpetuum-Mobile-Erfinder… Wenn man jedoch heute „Energy Harvesting” in die Internet-Suchmaschine eingibt, liefert diese eine halbe Million Treffer. Keine Frage, das Thema ist mehr als salonfähig geworden! Überraschenderweise gibt es bislang jedoch erst sehr wenige Produkte auf dem Markt, die das Potenzial zu hohen Stückzahlen in Massenapplikationen haben. Der Artikel illustriert wesentliche technische Herausforderungen und deren Lösung auf dem Weg zu massenfähigen energieautarken Funksensoren am Beispiel ausgewählter Produkte der Firma EnOcean.
On-Body Context Recognition with Miniaturized Autonomous Sensor Button (Situationserkennung mit am Körper getragenen autonomen Minisensoren)
Authors: Bharatula Nagendra Bhargava , Tröster Gerhard
Published: December 2007

The vision of wearable computing is a personal mobile system that is always “on” and always useful and unobtrusive. In this article we present the on-body context recognition analysis considering the functionality or recognition performance, power, and packaging. Interaction with household appliances using a wrist worn “autonomous sensor button” is analyzed as a case study. An overall on-line recognition performance between 85 and 91% is reported. The measured power consumption of the sensor button at 10% duty cycle is around 500 μW. The power profiling in an office worker daily life scenario shows that it's possible to achieve autonomous operation by a solar cell having an area of 40cm2
Structural studies on a stuffed framework high pressure polymorph of CaAl2O4
Authors: Lazic Biljana , Kahlenberg Volker , Konzett Jürgen
Published: December 2007

The crystal structure of a high pressure polymorph of CaAl2O4 has been investigated using laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data. The compound was prepared from a ceramic precursor in a piston cylinder apparatus at 800 °C and 20 kbar. The quenchable so-called phase-II of monocalcium aluminate adopts the monoclinic space group P21/c (a = 7.97187(7) Å, b = 8.62844(7) Å, c = 10.26276(10) Å, β = 94.801(4)°, V = 703.44(1) Å3, Z = 4, D
calc = 2.99 g/cm3). The main structural features of the high-P form are layers of AlO4-tetrahedra perpendicular to the a-axis. Stacking of the layers parallel to [100] results in a three-dimensional framework containing channels, where the calcium cations are accommodated for charge compensation. Individual sheets can be described as being built by condensation of ditrigonally-shaped six-membered rings (S6R). The sequence of up (U) and down (D) pointing apices within a single ring is UUDUDD. The calcium cations in the tunnels are coordinated by six to seven oxygen ligands. Topologically the framework belongs to the group of three-dimensional 4-connected nets. The coordination sequences (4-11-24-41-63-91-123-160-202-249) and the vertex symbols (61.61.62.41.61.61) are identical for the four crystallographically independent Al-atoms. The framework density has a value of 17.06 T-atoms/1000 Å3.
Patterns in the use of medicines by university students in Maputo, Mozambique
Authors: Lucas Raquel , Lunet Nuno , Carvalho Rui , Langa Júlio , Muanantatha Marília , Nkunda Lucien-Pierre , Barros Henrique
Published: December 2007

Patterns in the use of medicines are expected to reflect distinct health features between populations. This study aimed to describe the self-reported use of medication by a sample of university students in Maputo, Mozambique. We conducted a survey of 797 students in a private university in Maputo. Participants completed a questionnaire including socio-demographic data and pattern of medication use in the preceding month. Information was collected on the number and names of drugs, duration of use, and prescription. The drugs were grouped according to therapeutic indication. In the previous month, 56% of students had used at least one pharmaceutical drug, with higher prevalence for women (65.2% vs. 42.2%) and men attending health-related courses (67.4% vs. 53.2%). The most commonly used medicines were anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs (62.2%), anti-infectives (25.9%), and vitamins/minerals (13.6%). The most frequently used single drugs were paracetamol (42.8%), amoxicillin (12.6%), and ibuprofen (8.4%). Duration of use was lowest for anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs and highest for oral contraceptives. Use of medication by Mozambican students was similar to that observed in other university populations.
Heterogeneity of malaria prevalence in alluvial gold mining areas in Northern Mato Grosso State, Brazil
Authors: Barbieri Alisson Flávio , Sawyer Diana Oya
Published: December 2007

This paper analyzes factors affecting the risk of malaria among individuals working in wildcat gold mining camps (garimpos) in northern Mato Grosso State in the Brazilian Amazon. Historically, such mining camps have the locations with the highest malaria prevalence in the Brazilian Amazon. However, little attention has focused on understanding the disease from the internal perspective of the mining camps themselves, such as the mining population's characteristics and its spatial organization. This paper adopts a stepwise logistic model to identify spatial, occupational-exposure, and cultural factors that affect malaria prevalence. According to the results, differences among individuals working and/or living in the gold mining areas could produce different exposure to the disease and thus to different risk of malaria prevalence. Understanding these differences may provide an important tool for identifying risk profiles in the gold mining and related population and for informing programs for prevention and treatment of malaria in the Amazon.
Entre fetichismo e sobrevivência: o artigo científico é uma mercadoria acadêmica?
Authors: Castiel Luis David , Sanz-Valero Javier
Published: December 2007

Discutem-se possíveis significados da intensa preocupação vigente nos âmbitos acadêmicos com a idéia de produtividade em pesquisa que se reflete em um excesso de artigos publicados em várias revistas científicas. A contabilização numérica de artigos publicados por investigadores em revistas científicas de reconhecido status acadêmico serve para legitimar acadêmicos nos seus campos de atuação de várias formas. Nesse sentido, sugere-se que o artigo científico assume aspectos de mercadoria como fetiche, segundo a teorização do valor de uso/valor de troca de Marx e do valor de exposição de Benjamin. Ao mesmo tempo, utilizam-se as idéias biológicas de seleção/evolução como elementos metafóricos constitutivos do "darwinismo bibliográfico". Há referências quanto à possibilidade de grande parte das preocupações bibliométricas vigentes servirem como instrumentos de análise econométrica para, sobretudo, orientar e aperfeiçoar análises de custo-efetividade em investimentos em pesquisa de várias ordens e tipos sob o ponto de vista de seu retorno econômico.
Violência hoje
Authors: Wieviorka Michel
Published: December 2007

Neste artigo o autor busca conceituar a violência contemporânea mostrando as mais diferentes perspectivas com que ela aparece, inclusive o terrorismo e suas novas formas de expressão que utilizam os mais recentes desenvolvimentos da biologia, da bacterologia, da química e da física nuclear. A idéia central é de que a violência muda, mudam suas percepções e os comportamentos em realação a ela. No texto, além de uma contextualização histórica, são analisadas 1) as grandes transformações do mundo: o fim da Guerra Fria, a reestruturação produtiva e suas conseqüências para o declínio do movimento operário e a globalização e as novas formas de vitimização; 2) a seguir são apontadas as novas formas de abordagem e a caracterização de novos sujeitos, consonantes com a contemporaneidade.
Da repressão à prevenção da violência: desafio para a sociedade civil e para o setor saúde
Authors: Concha-Eastman Alberto , Malo Miguel
Published: December 2007

Este artigo trata da proposta da Organização Pan-Americana de Saúde (Opas) para a prevenção da violência, seguindo as orientações do Informe Mundial sobre Violência e Saúde da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS). Por meio dessa reflexão, os autores diferenciam a abordagem da segurança pública (geralmente fundamentada na repressão) do foco com que a Saúde Pública trata do tema, com os tradicionais conceitos que constituem seu patrimônio: promoção da saúde, prevenção de lesões e de traumas físicos e emocionais, e fortalecimento da cidadania. Os autores mostram que o setor saúde já vem definitivamente assumindo o tema, mas falta ainda muito para que adquira um lugar de destaque como outros agravos à saúde da população contemporânea. O texto termina articulando a prevenção da violência com as metas do milênio que, em última instância, concitam a sociedade para os direitos humanos, a solidariedade e a qualidade de vida.
Respostas brasileiras à violência e novas mediações: o caso do Grupo Cultural AfroReggae e a experiência do projeto Juventude e Polícia
Authors: Ramos Sílvia
Published: December 2007

O artigo discute aspectos das respostas brasileiras à violência urbana, focalizando tanto políticas governamentais de segurança pública como ações da sociedade civil. Identifica e inexistência de uma política nacional de segurança pública, indica experiências governamentais bem-sucedidas em estados e municípios e focaliza a atuação das polícias. Ao analisar as respostas da sociedade civil, destaca a experiência da campanha do desarmamento e o papel da mídia. O trabalho situa o surgimento de grupos de jovens de favelas organizados em torno de experiências culturais que, em vários aspectos, se caracterizam como "novos mediadores" na sociedade. Esses grupos tematizam a violência e procuram construir novos estereótipos que dissociem os jovens de periferia das imagens de criminalidade. O artigo descreve em particular o caso do grupo cultural AfroReggae, do Rio de Janeiro, e a experiência piloto em batalhões da Polícia Militar de Minas Gerais, o projeto Juventude e Polícia. Argumentase que o grupo AfroReggae é tipicamente um novo mediador e que a iniciativa de realizar um projeto com a polícia abre novas perspectivas no campo da reduzida tradição participativa de organizações da sociedade civil na esfera da segurança pública e em projetos de cooperação com a polícia.
Concepções de gênero entre homens e mulheres de baixa renda e escolaridade acerca da violência contra a mulher, São Paulo, Brasil
Authors: Couto Márcia Thereza , Schraiber Lilia Blima , d'Oliveira Ana Flávia Pires Lucas , Kiss Ligia Bittencourt
Published: December 2007

O trabalho aborda como homens e mulheres de baixa renda e escolaridade, da cidade de São Paulo, Brasil, pensam suas relações afetivo-familiares e os diferentes contextos de violência que vivenciam. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo, utilizando grupos focais, com vistas a subsidiar estudo mais global acerca de violência contra a mulher e saúde. Foram realizados quatro grupos focais (dois com mulheres e dois com homens, na faixa etária de 25 a 35 anos), abordando as representações, livres e instigadas por ditos populares, de: homem e mulher ideais; as relações afetivo- sexuais e familiares; os concretamente vividos; e a violência doméstica. Usa-se a análise temática. Os resultados apontam para cisões entre atributos físicos e condutas morais na mulher ideal referida pelos homens, já aquela referida pelas mulheres define uma autonomia controlada. Os homens tiveram dificuldades em definir o homem ideal, já para as mulheres o ideal é o homem-família. Quanto à violência, é em princípio sempre condenável. É tolerável e instintiva para homens; e fatalidade ou destino, pela natureza masculina, para mulheres, tornando-se evento natural e trivial dos cotidianos de ambos. O referencial de gênero permite compreensão da violência como ocorrência comum, mas de sentidos diferentes entre gêneros.
Usability of an Adaptive Computer Assistant that Improves Self-care and Health Literacy of Older Adults
Authors: Rogers W. A. , Fisk A. D. , Neerincx M. A. , Lindenberg J. , Mast C. A. P. G. van der , Henkemans O. A. Blanson
Published: December 2007

Objectives:
We developed an adaptive computer assistant for the supervision of diabetics’ self-care, to support limiting illness and need for acute treatment, and improve health literacy. This assistant monitors self-care activities logged in the patient’s electronic diary. Accordingly, it provides context-aware feedback. The objective was to evaluate whether older adults in general can make use of the computer assistant and to compare an adaptive computer assistant with a fixed one, concerning its usability and contribution to health literacy.

Methods:
We conducted a laboratory experiment in the Georgia Tech Aware Home wherein 28 older adults participated in a usability evaluation of the computer assistant, while engaged in scenarios reflecting normal and health-critical situations. We evaluated the assistant on effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, and educational value. Finally, we studied the moderating effects of the subjects’ personal characteristics.

Results:
Logging self-care tasks and receiving feedback from the computer assistant enhanced the subjects’ knowledge of diabetes. The adaptive assistant was more effective in dealing with normal and healthcritical situations, and, generally, it led to more time efficiency. Subjects’ personal characteristics had substantial effects on the effectiveness and efficiency of the two computer assistants.

Conclusions:
Older adults were able to use the adaptive computer assistant. In addition, it had a positive effect on the development of health literacy. The assistant has the potential to support older diabetics’ self care while maintaining quality of life.
Sensor Acceptance Model – Measuring Patient Acceptance of Wearable Sensors
Authors: Pedersen P. E. , Gundersen T. , Hejlesen O. , Fensli R.
Published: December 2007

Objectives:
This project focuses on how patients respond to wearable biomedical sensors, since patient acceptance of this type of monitoring technology is essential for enhancing the quality of the data being measured. There is a lack of validated questionnaires measuring patient acceptance of telemedical solutions, and little information is known of how patients evaluate the use of wearable sensors.

Methods:
In information systems research, surveys are commonly used to evaluate the user satisfaction of software programs. Based on this tradition and adding measures of patient satisfaction and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), a Sensor Acceptance Model is developed. The model is made operational using two questionnaires developed for measuring the patients’ perceived acceptance of wearable sensors.

Results:
The model is tested with 11 patients using a newly developed wearable ECG sensor, and with 25 patients in a reference group using a traditional “Holter Recorder”. Construct validity is evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency is calculated using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Sensor Acceptance Index (SAI) is calculated for each patient, showing reasonable dependencies and variance in scores.

Conclusions:
This study attempts to identify patients’ acceptance of wearable sensors, describing a user acceptance model. Understanding the patients’ behavior and motivation represents a step forward in designing suitable technical solutions, and calculations of SAI can, hopefully, be used to compare different wearable sensor solutions. However, this instrument needs more extensive testing with a broader sample size, with different types of sensors and by explorative follow-up interviews.
Haplotype analysis of the IGF2‐INS‐TH gene cluster in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Sutherland Greg , Mellick George , Newman Jeremy , Double Kay L. , Stevens Julia , Lee Linda , Rowe Dominic , Silburn Peter , Halliday Glenda M.
Published: December 2007

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease is a common movement disorder characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Its pathogenesis is postulated to involve complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental exposures. The IGF2‐INS‐TH gene cluster on the telomeric end of human chromosome 11 is a gene rich region expressing several proteins important for dopamine neuron homeostasis. We used a haplotyping approach to determine whether common genetic variation in the IGF2‐INS‐TH cluster influences the risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease in a Caucasian case–control group recruited from Brisbane, Australia. Three tagging polymorphisms, the SNPs, rs680 and rs689 and the microsatellite, HUMTH01, were genotyped in 215 cases and 215 age‐ and gender‐matched controls. Eight common haplotypes accounted for 91% of the genetic variation in our control group and one haplotype, IGF2‐INS‐TH*6, was significantly under‐represented among the cases with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.25–0.72, P‐value = 0.001). Analysis of the individual polymorphisms showed that the IGF2‐rs680 alternate ‘A’ allele accounted for the majority of the protective effect. Our findings suggest that common genetic variants in the IGF2‐INS‐TH cluster modify susceptibility to idiopathic Parkinson's disease. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Morphology and water vapor permeability of temperature‐sensitive polyurethanes
Authors: Ding X. M. , Hu J. L. , Tao X. M. , Hu C. P. , Wang G. Y.
Published: December 2007

A series of segmented polyurethanes (PUs) were prepared, in which five different polyols and hexamethylene diisocyanate were used as soft segments, and 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate, hydrophilic segment poly (ethylene glycol) 200 (PEG 200), and chain extender 1,4‐butanediol were used as hard segment. Morphology of the PUs was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, polarizing microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Water vapor permeability of the membranes as a function of temperature was tested accordingly. Results show that the presence of PEG200 interferes the crystallization of hard segment in these PUs, and at the same time, increases phase compatibility between soft and hard segment in the PET‐PU. It leads to a lower crystal melting temperature and degree of crystallinity of soft segment in the segmented PU than those of pure polyols, and no crystallization existing in hard segment. A morphological model is proposed, that is, aggregated soft‐segment‐rich domains can be observed clearly in the PUs with high crystallinity in soft segment, while identifiable hard domains are well‐distributed in the soft segment domains in the PU with low crystallinity. Within the temperature range of crystal melting, water vapor permeability of the PU membranes increases significantly with increase of temperature. Such temperature‐sensitive property is triggered by crystal melting of soft segment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008