bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modern Carbon Composite Brake Materials
Authors: Byrne Christopher
Published: October 2004

Carbon-carbon composites used in friction systems are becoming increasingly popular in aircrafts owing to their combination of low weight and high performance. Their current acceptance as brake materials is somewhat restrained due to two factors: cost and performance variations. Many manufacturers are taking steps toward improving their cost efficiency by utilizing lower cost precursor fibers and processing methodologies. At the same time, modifications to material properties are made to address performance issues of oxidation, wear, and variation of effectiveness. This paper describes the present status of the production technologies employed and details some of the remaining issues relative to braking performance.
Modeling of Friction and Shear in Thermostamping of Composites - Part II
Authors: Liu Lu , Chen Julie , Gorczyca Jennifer L. , Sherwood James A.
Published: October 2004

Fabric shear is being considered as the main deformation mode in the thermostamping process of composites. To predict the change of the shear properties of composites during the process, a combined friction and compaction model is developed based on the equilibrium equations of the unit cell of a balanced plainweave glass/polypropylene woven fabric. The advantage of this approach over the earlier models is that it does not require curve fitting of the fabric-level experimental data. In addition, it considers both lateral compaction and friction. Picture frame experimental results are presented to validate this model. A very close correlation is observed between the model predictions and the experimental results. The material stress-strain relationship needed for input to stamping simulations is then calculated using the results of the picture frame model.
The Rise of Religious Nationalism and Conflict: Ethnic Conflict and Revolutionary Wars, 1945-2001
Authors: Fox Jonathan
Published: October 2004

This study examines the role of religion in ethnic nationalism and revolutionary wars between 1945 and 2001 using the Minorities at Risk (MAR) and State Failure (SF) datasets. It asks whether religion is an important factor in conflict and whether the level of this importance has changed over time. Few previous quantitative studies on religion and conflict analyze data from earlier than 1980. The analysis of the MAR dataset shows that until 1980 religious and non-religious ethnic nationalism caused a near-identical amount of conflict, but from 1980 onward, religious nationalist ethnic groups were responsible for increasingly more violent conflicts in comparison to non-religious nationalist groups. The analysis of the SF dataset shows a rise in religious violence beginning around 1965. The earlier date in the analysis from the SF dataset is attributed to the higher sensitivity of that dataset to changes in the level of violence. These results have several implications. First, they show that religion can influence conflict, but it is not the only influence. Second, the influence of religion on conflict can change over time. Third, religion’s influence on conflict has been increasing. This contradicts modernization theory and secularization theory, which were the dominant paradigms in the Western social sciences for most of the 20th century and predicted the demise of religion as a relevant political and social force in the modern era.
The Discipline of Culturology: A New ‘Ready-Made Thought’ for Russia
Authors: Laruelle Marlène
Published: October 2004

For around ten years now textbooks on ‘culturology’ (kul'turologiâ, or sometimes kul'turovedenie) have been pouring onto the shelves of Russian bookshops and are playing an active role in the liberalization of language that is affecting a section of post-soviet societies. Culturology is not only a bookshop hit, it is also an integral part, and quite often a compulsory element, of Russian university courses. In replacing the former chairs in Marxist Leninism or dialectical materialism, this young discipline is displaying its determination to provide a new way of thinking about the world that might come after the classic discourse on bipolarity and to help people understand contemporary developments and Russia's place in them.
Paper Chains: Bureaucratic Despotism and Voluntary Servitude in Franz Kafka’s The Castle
Authors: Löwy Michael
Published: October 2004

This article is an attempt at a ‘political’ reading of Kafka's The Castle, as an ironical, radical critique - from a libertarian perspective - of the despotism of the modern bureaucratic apparatus. This reading is not self-evident. Like all Kafka's unfinished novels, Das Schloss is a strange and fascinating literary document that creates perplexity and inspires various contradictory and/or dissonant interpretations. And like The Trial it has been the object of very many religious and theological readings. Some authors have followed Max Brod's apologetic interpretation: ‘This “Castle” which Kafka does not obtain permission to enter and which he cannot even properly approach is precisely “Grace” in the theologians’ sense, God's government that directs human destinies (the “Village”) …’. However, others acknowledge that, far from seeming to be the symbol of Grace, the Castle appears instead to belong to a hellish logic. Erich Heller correctly notes that we find in Kafka both a dream of absolute freedom and the knowledge of terrible servitude: from this insoluble contradiction there arises ‘the conviction of damnation’, which is ‘all that is left of faith’. But Heller is wrong to think that we can discern in Kafka's work a Gnostic manicheism, such that the Castle of the novel would be something like ‘the heavily fortified garrison of a company of Gnostic demons’.3
Giorgio Levi Della Vida: Remembered Ghosts (Extracts)
Authors: Della Vida Giorgio Levi
Published: October 2004

Giorgio Levi Della Vida (1886-1967) was not only an eminent Islamologist, belonging to that tradition of Italian Oriental studies that stretches from Ignazio Guidi to Leone Caetani, Carlo Alfonso Nallino and Francesco Gabrieli - he was also a man with solid roots in his own time. He taught in Naples and Rome, then for the ten years 1939-1948 at the University of Pennsylvania. He was one of the few university teachers who, when the oath of loyalty to the Italian fascist regime was introduced, in October 1931, opted not to accept that act of submission.
Do Intellectuals Still Exist? The Case of Italy
Authors: Berardinelli Alfonso
Published: October 2004

It has never been easy to understand what intellectuals are, or even whether they still exist or are now in the process of vanishing into a huge ‘cultural middle class’ where high culture and mass culture meld into one another.
Rationalizing Musicality: A Critique of Alexander’s ‘Strong Program’ in Cultural Sociology
Authors: McLennan Gregor
Published: October 2004

This article argues that the long-standing tension in Jeffrey Alexander’s work between theoretical multidimensionality and socio-cultural idealism has intensified in his recent writings, to problematical effect. Whilst Alexander has shifted of late towards a more substantive and normative style of thinking, his new emphases continue to be grounded in arguments pitched at the general theoretical level. One of these involves a particular reading of the nature of post-positivist meta-theory today, and the other, within this, is a determined effort to distinguish a project of ‘cultural sociology’ from ‘sociology of culture’ approaches. I take issue with both of these theoretical moves, showing that they are rhetorically and conceptually flawed, and of a strongly idealist cast. They also run counter to those aspects of Alexander’s outlook that do seem more robustly multidimensional and sociologically promising.
Against Reduction: Jeffrey Alexander and the Constructive Tasks of Social Theory
Authors: Hogan Trevor
Published: October 2004

The practice of social theory is too often given to celebrity hunting, the polemical vulgarizing of one’s putative enemies, or the precocious production of totalizing and redemptive theories purporting to rescue social theory from its perennial crises of meaning, naming and explanation. The constructive task of social theory, however, can be both more modest and productive when attention is given to its substantive concern to provide codes, narratives and explanations of modernity, in all its pluralist and democratic dimensions. This is in effect the self-description of Jeffrey Alexander’s own work. This paper provides an empathetic account of Alexander’s approach to the practice of social theory via a synopsis of his collected essays in Fin de Siècle Social Theory (1995). In particular, it claims that Alexander’s critique of the reductionist propensities of Pierre Bourdieu’s macro-sociological theory is exemplary in its constructive cast as a systematic analysis of the universalizing contents of the conceptual and methodological claims themselves. Herein lies the use of reason itself.
Thermal Degradation of Wood Treated with Amino Resins and Amino Resins Modified with Phosphate in Nitrogen
Authors: Gao Ming , Zhu Kai , Sun Ying Juan , Sun Caiyun
Published: October 2004

The thermal degradation of wood treated with amino resins and amino resins modified with phosphate has been studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetry (TG) in nitrogen. From the resulting data, kinetic parameters for different stages of thermal degradation are obtained using the method of Broido. The energies of activation for the decomposition of samples are found to be from 72 to 109 kJ mol-1. For wood and flame-retardant wood, the char yields are found to increase from 7.2 to 28.0% limiting-oxygen-index (LOI) from 18 to 36.5, which indicates that the flame retardancy of wood treated with flame retardants is improved. The thermal degradation mechanism of wood treated with different flame retardants has been proposed. The differences between thermal decomposition in air and nitrogen have also been discussed. The IR spectra of the chars of samples indicates formation of aromatic compounds containing C=O and P=O.
Residual Stress Analysis in Symmetric Thermoplastic Laminated Plates Under Thermal Loads: Analytic Solution
Authors: Şenel Mehmet , Akbulut Hamit , Toparli Mustafa
Published: October 2004

In this paper, thermal elastic-plastic stress analysis is carried out on simply supported symmetric cross-ply [0°/90°]2 and angle-ply [15°/-15°]2, [30°/-30°]2,[45°/-45°]2,[60°/-60°]2 thermoplastic laminated plates under various temperature change through the thickness of plates. The plates are composed of four orthotropic layers bonded symmetrically. In the solution, a special computer program has been employed. The composite materials are assumed to be strain hardening. The Tsai-Hill Theory is used as a yield criterion. Residual stresses are determined in the symmetric cross-ply and angle-ply laminated plates for small deformations. The intensity of stress components in the symmetric cross-ply laminated plate is higher than in angle-ply laminated plate due to the differences among the stiffnesses of layers. Plastic yielding occurs in all the laminated plate at the same temperature.
Estimation of Melt Shear Modulus from Extrudate Swell Ratio and Exit-pressure Drop Data
Authors: Liang Ji-Zhao
Published: October 2004

Obvious viscoelastic phenomena, such as die-swell and exit-pressure losses, appear when a viscoelastic fluid leaves a die. It is generally believed that the die-swell ratio (B), the melt shear modulus (G), and the exit-pressure drop (Δ Pex) are important parameters for the characterization of the elastic behavior of viscoelastic fluids during die flow. There may be, therefore, some interrelations between them. In the present article, relationships among G, B, and Δ Pex are discussed. On the basis of previous work, some expressions for describing relationships between B and G, Δ Pex, and B, as well as Δ Pex and G during flow of viscoelastic fluids in a long circular die are proposed. The values of G are estimated from the measured B during extrusion of a carbon black and calcium carbonate-filled rubber compound, and predictions of G by using the measured data of Δ Pex are compared with its calculations from the B data during capillary extrusion of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) melt. The results showed that G increases linearly with increasing shear stress. Furthermore, a good agreement was obtained among these theoretical calculations of G at high shear stress level, also being consistent with predictions by using the Bagley-Duffey equation.
Investigating ‘Greenspanese’: From Hedging to ‘Fuzzy Transparency’
Authors: Resche Catherine
Published: October 2004

This article aims to study some of the features that characterize Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan’s language. After a brief assessment of the readability of the texts of his public speeches and reports, an analysis of specific linguistic elements that contribute to the complexity of his discourse is given. Hedging devices and their blurring effect are reviewed, and, beyond them, specific lexical, syntactic and discursive choices are investigated, which help Mr Greenspan to preserve a dose of ‘fuzzy transparency’ in his pronouncements. It seems that it is precisely this varied mix that makes his discourse so peculiar and puzzling for the reader.
Dynamics-based Damage Inspection of an Aircraft Wing Panel
Authors: Pai P. Frank , Kim Byeong-Seok , Chung Jaycee H.
Published: October 2004

This paper presents damage detection of an aircraft wing panel using dynamic responses. The panel has an irregular shape, varying thickness, seven ribs on its backside, and defects. An in-house finite element code GESA (Geometrically Exact Structural Analysis) was used to model the panel using 528 DKT plate elements and to obtain mode shapes and natural frequencies, and experimental dynamic characteristics and Operational Deflection Shapes (ODSs) were measured using a scanning laser vibrometer. Results show that numerical dynamic characteristics agree well with experimental ones. Six defects were created in the panel, including four small nuts glued on the backside and two small slots cut by electron discharge machining. Detection of the six defects was performed using the distributions of RMS velocities under high-frequency broadband periodic chirp excitations provided by a PZT patch and damage locating curves obtained by processing experimental ODSs using a newly developed Boundary Effect Evaluation (BEE) method. The BEE method is nondestructive and model-independent; it processes experimental ODSs to reveal local boundary effects caused by defects. Experimental results show that the six small defects in the panel can be pinpointed using the approach.
Line-of-sight Stabilization of an Optical Instrument Using Gained Magnetostrictive Actuators
Authors: Bester C. R. , van Schoor M. C.
Published: October 2004

A line-of-sight (LOS) stabilization system using gained magnetostrictive actuators is described in this paper. The system requires a relatively low supply voltage, has a wide frequency bandwidth and is relatively cheap. The system principle of operation is explained. The actuator and system design is described. The characterization tests are discussed and test results are shown. A coupled electromechanical model obtained from the measured transfer function is given. The design of a linear suboptimal regulator with output-integral feedback combined with a suboptimal estimator, is described. The controller test results are presented. It is shown that the system achieves 80% of the target isolation.
High Performance ‘‘V-stack’’ Piezoelectric Actuator
Authors: Ardelean Emil V. , Cole Daniel G. , Clark Robert L.
Published: October 2004

A comparative analysis of the state-of-the-art actuators is conducted. A new piezoelectric actuator design is presented. It is compact, simple, sturdy, and leverages stroke geometrically with minimum force penalties. The ‘‘V-stack Piezoelectric Actuator’’ consists of a base, a lever, two piezoelectric stacks, and a pretensioning element. Work is performed alternately by the two stacks placed on each side of the lever. Pre-tensioning can be readily applied using a torque wrench, making, elastic elements unnecessary; this is for the benefit of the stiffness of the actuator. The characteristics of the actuator (output force and stroke) can be easily modified by changing the base, the length of the stacks, or the distance between actuator’s output point and lever’s pivoting point. A prototype has been constructed and experimentally tested to validate the theoretical model.
Unpicking Tartan CIAO Plots: Understanding Irregular Coevolutionary Cycling
Authors: Cartlidge John , Bullock Seth
Published: October 2004

We report results from a series of studies coevolving players for simple Rock-Paper-Scissors games. These results demonstrate that Current Individual versus Ancestral Opponent (CIAO) plots, which have been proposed as a visualization technique for detecting both coevolutionary progress and coevolutionary cycling, suffer from ambiguity with regard to an important but rarely discussed class of cyclic behavior. While regular cycling manifests itself as a characteristic banded plot, irregular cycling produces an irregular tartan pattern that is also consistent with random drift through strategy space. Although this tartan pattern is often reported in the literature on coevolutionary algorithms, it has received little attention or analysis. Here we argue that irregular cycling will tend to be more prevalent than regular cycling, and that it corresponds to a class of coevolutionary scenario that is important both theoretically and in practice. As such, it is desirable that we improve our ability to distinguish its occurrence from that of random drift, and other forms of coevolutionary dynamic.
High Order Analysis of Junction Between Straight and Curved Sandwich Panels
Authors: Lyckegaard Anders , Thomsen Ole Thybo
Published: October 2004

When curved and straight sandwich panels are joined, localized bending effects arise in the vicinity of the curvature discontinuity. To investigate this the problem is analyzed using a high order sandwich beam theory. This, however, is not straight forward because the continuity conditions at a junction cannot be fulfilled in an exact sense. Instead an averaging scheme is suggested and used to obtain a set of approximate continuity conditions. The accuracy of these approximate continuity conditions is estimated and a numerical example is conducted and compared with finite element analyses. The results prove to be within the estimates of the inaccuracy. A parametric study is conducted to identify possible ways to reduce the localized bending effects.
Damage Analysis in Sandwich Beams with Cellular Core using Micromechanics Coupled to a Statistical Approach
Authors: Meraghni F. , Desrumaux F. , Benzeggagh M. L.
Published: October 2004

This paper deals with the analysis of damage and mechanical properties of sandwich beams. The face sheets consist of glass mat-reinforced polyester (GMRP) perfectly bonded to core material. The latter is a regular array of thermoplastic tubular cells called Tubulam®. Mechanical behaviour of sandwich beams is analysed and simulated under three and four-point bending and correlated to experimental results. Sandwich beam modelling was performed according to two steps. First, skins behaviour is modelled by a micromechanical approach based upon the generalised Mori and Tanaka theory. Moreover, in the second step, an analytical model based on the laminate theory predicts the overall properties of core material.

In this work, damage mechanisms are introduced in the modelling using probabilistic concepts applied at the microscopic scale of face sheets (fibres, matrix, interface between fibres and matrix) as well as at the mesoscopic scale namely tubular core and bond layer between core and skins. Finally, the developed model is validated by experimental tests: three and four-point bending. Experimentally measured global responses of the sandwich beams are compared to those numerically simulated and discussed in terms of damage chronology and evolution. The main point of the developed analysis is that the mechanical behaviour may be predicted on the basis of the structural parameters. Hence, it may provide an important analytical tool for aided design to optimise sandwich structures with respect to applied loading and micromechanical parameters.
Finite Element Model of Thermal Transport in Carbon Foams
Authors: Druma C. , Alam M. K. , Druma A. M.
Published: October 2004

A number of carbon foam products are being developed for use as insulation, heat spreaders, and compact heat exchanger cores. The bulk properties of such a porous medium are difficult to determine analytically, particularly for the case of high concentration of non-spherical pores, or when the porous material is anisotropic or non-homogeneous. Models that predict thermal conductivity of foams often use an empirical parameter to account for the effect of pore shape and material microstructure on the conduction process. A finite element analysis has been developed to calculate the thermal conductivity of carbon foams containing micropores of different shapes. The effective thermal conductivity is then evaluated by comparing the results of the analytical and numerical models.
Modern adolescents’ leisure activities
Authors: Bjarnadóttir Ragnhildur
Published: October 2004

This article reports on a study of how Icelandic adolescents experience their own competence through participation in leisure activities, and how characteristics of late modernity are involved in the competence they describe.The participants are from two schools: one in a city, the other in a village.Through qualitative analysis of 32 interviews, four categories of competence are defined: (a) doing/knowing - practical competence, (b) being - personal/emotional competence, (c) being together - social competence, and (d) reflecting - cognitive/social competence.These categories are defined in a twodimensional model.Three concepts - reflexivity, individualization and ‘makeability’- are used for depicting how characteristics of late modernity are involved in the adolescents’ experienced competence. The social situations of those in the city group seem to provide new challenges which enhance special types of competence: being flexible, selfreflectionsand using conflicts in a creative way, which suggests an interaction between informal learning and changed social situations connected to leisure activities in modern urban societies.
‘I wished my mother enjoyed her work’
Authors: Wierda-Boer Hilde , Rönkä Anna
Published: October 2004

This article discusses links between parents’ work and adolescent psychosocial wellbeing from an adolescent perspective. What do adolescents think about their parents’ work? According to adolescents, do parents have enough time and energy for them? Are there links between adolescents’ perceptions of parents’work and their own wellbeing? In the research the sample consisted of 140 Finnish adolescents (mean age 15.9) derived from the longitudinal Adolescent Relationships and Well-Being study. The results indicate that, although most of the adolescents had rather positive perceptions of their parents’ work, they also perceived their fathers as especially spending long hours at work and their mothers as being often in a bad mood after work. Boys were more positive in their evaluations of their parent’s work than girls and had more materialistic wishes, whereas girls expressed more empathy. Negative perceptions of parents’ work were linked to depression and negative school attitude (fathers’ work only). Parental warmth and acceptance partially mediated these links. It is concluded that from the adolescent point of view parental working conditions should be taken seriously.
The theoretical state of Philippine youth studies
Authors: Lanuza Gerry
Published: October 2004

This article deals with the current theoretical trends in Philippine youth research. It aims at: (1) providing a preliminary summary and assessment of existing Philippine youth studies in terms of their theoretical underpinnings; (2) describing the general theoretical trends in Philippine youth studies; and (3) suggesting some useful recommendations for the future theoretical development in youth studies. The discussion is set within the macro-structural trends shaping Filipino youth and the historical relevance of youth studies in the life of the nation.
Body image and physical activity in British secondary school children
Authors: Duncan Michael J. , Al-Nakeeb Yahya , Nevill Alan , Jones Marc V.
Published: October 2004

This study assessed the relationship between children’s body image and physical activity and examined any variation in these variables. Two hundred and seventy seven British secondary school children aged 11 to 14 (mean age ± SD = 12.5 ± 0.8 years) participated in this study. Results indicated no significant relationships between body image and physical activity (all p> .05). Boys had higher body esteem scores than girls (p< .01), black children had higher body esteem scores than Asian children (p< .05) and a significant school year by gender interaction (p< .01) indicated that as school year increased body esteem increased in boys but decreased in girls. Boys and high socioeconomic status children also reported greater levels of physical activity than girls and low socioeconomic status children respectively.
Using ‘sport in the community schemes’ to tackle crime and drug use among young people: some policy issues and problems
Authors: Smith Andy , Waddington Ivan
Published: October 2004

This article seeks, first, to offer some critical comments on the policy issues and problems surrounding the use of sporting schemes as vehicles of social policy in which the intention is to reduce levels of crime, delinquency and drug ‘abuse’ among young people; second, to examine a point of fundamental importance in policy terms: do such schemes work? In this regard, it is claimed that relatively few of such schemes - which are largely premised upon a one-sided perception of sport - have built in processes for monitoring and evaluating their impact on levels of crime or drug use among young people. It is also argued that these methodological weaknesses are exacerbated by the absence of any clearly articulated theoretical rationale for these schemes, which means that, even where success for them is claimed, it is unclear what specific aspects of the schemes account for that claimed success.
The Significance of the ‘Fairy’ for the Cultural Archaeology of Same-Sex Male Desire in Spain, 1850-1930
Authors: Cleminson Richard M.
Published: October 2004

This article takes one representation of male homo-sexuality in Spain - the ‘fairy’ (or marica as he was often termed at the time)1 - in order to assess its importance with respect to framing other expressions of homosexuality and masculinity in general in the years 1850-1930. The argument here, following the work of George Chauncey with respect to New York gay sub-cultures, is that the effeminate form of homosexuality, as discursive representation and actual lived experience, can be viewed by the historian as a kind of benchmark by which many other forms of homosexuality were considered in the major Spanish cities by the 1920s.
De-dyking Queer Space(s): Heterosexual Female Visibility in Gay and Lesbian Spaces
Authors: Casey Mark
Published: October 2004

In this article I focus on research concerned with the commercial gay and lesbian scene of Newcastle upon Tyne, the ‘Pink Triangle’, demonstrating the effect of sexual identity and gender identity in the limiting of claims by lesbians to spatial inclusion in venues located in the city’s ‘gay scene’. The study suggests that the inclusion of heterosexual women into gay and lesbian identified venues and spaces, often through their relationship with gay men, is affecting issues of safety, comfort and inclusion/exclusion for lesbians and some gay men. Gay and lesbian identified venues are increasingly focused on the consumption of leisure experiences, where claiming a lesbian or gay identity is no longer sufficient in accessing such sites, with access to capital and the adoption of ‘mixed’ venue policies opening (once marginalized) gay and lesbian identified spaces to the female heterosexual consumer. Finally, the article considers what consequences such developments may have for contemporary understandings of spatial claims and identities in ‘gay spaces’.
Revisiting the Oslo Peace Process and the Intifada
Authors: Wigoder Meir
Published: October 2004

The interview with Eldad Rafaeli probes into the moral, political and aesthetical problems that arouse from being a ‘local’ Israeli photographer covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A detailed analysis of Rafaeli’s photographs of the Palestinian side leads to a discussion of such issues as witnessing, subject-object power relations in photography, the difference between black and white and color photography, digital photography, and the way Rafaeli’s photographs testify to the failure of the Oslo peace process.
Elevated levels of matrix metalloprotein-3 in patients with coronary aneurysm: A case control study
Authors: Tengiz Istemihan , Ercan Ertugrul , Aliyev Emil , Sekuri Cevad , Duman Can , Altuglu Imre
Published: October 2004

Background

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of arterial aneurysms through increased proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins. Increased proteolysis due to elevated matrix degrading enzyme activity in the arterial wall may act as a susceptibility factor for the development of coronary aneurysms. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MMPs and presence of coronary aneurysms.

Methods

Thirty patients with aneurysmal coronary artery disease and stable angina were enrolled into study (Group 1). Fourteen coronary artery disease patients with stable angina were selected as control group (Group 2). MMP-1, MMP-3 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in peripheral venous blood and matched between the groups.

Results

Serum MMP-3 level was higher in patients with aneurismal coronary artery disease compared to the control group (20.23 ± 14.68 vs 11.45 ± 6.55 ng/ml, p = 0.039). Serum MMP-1 (13.63 ± 7.73 vs 12.15 ± 6.27 ng/ml, p = 0.52) and CRP levels (4.78 ± 1.47 vs 4.05 ± 1.53 mg/l, p = 0.13) were not significantly different between the groups.

Conclusion

MMPs can cause arterial wall destruction. MMP-3 may play role in the pathogenesis of coronary aneurysm development through increased proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins.
General practitioners believe that hypnotherapy could be a useful treatment for irritable bowel syndrome in primary care
Authors: Cox Stephen , de Lusignan Simon , Chan Tom
Published: October 2004

Background

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common condition in general practice. It occurs in 10 to 20% of the population, but less than half seek medical assistance with the complaint.

Methods

A questionnaire was sent to the 406 GPs listed on the West Sussex Health Authority Medical List to investigate their views of this condition and whether they felt hypnotherapy had a place in its management

Results

38% of general practitioners responded. The achieved sample shared the characteristics of target sample.

Nearly half thought that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was a "nervous complaint" and used a combination of "the placebo effect of personal care," therapeutic, and dietary advice. There is considerable divergence in the perceived effectiveness of current approaches. Over 70% thought that hypnotherapy may have a role in the management of patients with IBS; though the majority (68%) felt that this should not be offered by general practitioners. 84% felt that this should be offered by qualified hypnotherapist, with 40% feeling that this should be offered outside the health service.

Conclusions

General practitioners vary in their perceptions of what constitutes effective therapy in IBS. They are willing to consider referral to a qualified hypnotherapist.
Appraising and applying evidence about a diagnostic test during a performance-based assessment
Authors: Bergus George , Vogelgesang Scott , Tansey Janeta , Franklin Ellen , Feld Ronald
Published: October 2004

Background

The practice of Evidence-based Medicine requires that clinicians assess the validity of published research and then apply the results to patient care. We wanted to assess whether our soon-to-graduate medical students could appraise and apply research about a diagnostic test within a clinical context and to compare our students with peers trained at other institutions.

Methods

4th year medical students who previously had demonstrated competency at probability revision and just starting first-year Internal Medicine residents were used for this research. Following an encounter with a simulated patient, subjects critically appraised a paper about an applicable diagnostic test and revised the patient's pretest probability given the test result.

Results

The medical students and residents demonstrated similar skills at critical appraisal, correctly answering 4.7 and 4.9, respectively, of 6 questions (p = 0.67). Only one out of 28 (3%) medical students and none of the 15 residents were able to correctly complete the probability revision task (p = 1.00).

Conclusions

This study found that most students completing medical school are able to appraise an article about a diagnostic test but few are able to apply the information from the article to a patient. These findings raise questions about the clinical usefulness of the EBM skills possessed by graduating medical students within the area of diagnostic testing.
Serum S100B in primary progressive multiple sclerosis patients treated with interferon-beta-1a
Authors: Lim Ee Tuan , Petzold Axel , Leary Siobhan M , Altmann Daniel R , Keir Geoff , Thompson Ed J , Miller David H , Thompson Alan J , Giovannoni Gavin
Published: October 2004

S100B belongs to a family of calcium-binding proteins implicated in intracellular and extracellular regulatory activities. This study of serum S100B in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is based on data obtained from a randomized, controlled trial of Interferon β-1a in subjects with PPMS. The key questions were whether S100B levels were associated with either disability or MRI findings in primary progressive MS and whether Interferon β-1a has an effect on their S100B levels. Serial serum S100B levels were measured using an ELISA method. The results demonstrated that serum S100B is not related to either disease progression or MRI findings in subjects with primary progressive MS given Interferon β-1a. Furthermore there is no correlation between S100B levels and the primary and secondary outcome measures.
The prevalence and severity of oral impacts on daily performances in Thai primary school children
Authors: Gherunpong Sudaduang , Tsakos Georgios , Sheiham Aubrey
Published: October 2004

Background

Traditional methods of measuring oral health mainly use clinical dental indices and have been complemented by oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) measures. Most OHRQoL studies have been on adults and elderly populations. There are no systematic OHRQoL studies of a population-based sample of children. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics and severity of oral impacts in primary school children.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of all 1126 children aged 11–12 years in a municipal area of Suphanburi province, Thailand. An OHRQoL measure, Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances index (Child-OIDP) was used to assess oral impacts. Children were also clinically examined and completed a self-administered questionnaire about demographic information and oral behaviours.

Results

89.8% of children had one or more oral impacts. The median impact score was 7.6 and mean score was 8.8. Nearly half (47.0%) of the children with impacts had impacts at very little or little levels of intensity. Most (84.8%) of those with impacts had 1–4 daily performances affected (out of 8 performances). Eating was the most common performance affected (72.9%). The severity of impacts was high for eating and smiling and low for study and social contact performances. The main clinical causes of impacts were sensitive tooth (27.9%), oral ulcers (25.8%), toothache (25.1%) and an exfoliating primary tooth (23.4%).

Conclusions

The study reveals that oral health impacts on quality of life in Thai primary school children. Oral impacts were prevalent, but not severe. The impacts mainly related to difficulty eating and smiling. Toothache, oral ulcers and natural processes contributed largely to the incidence of oral impacts.
Why do we need a new journal in autoimmunity?
Authors: D'Cruz David , Ablamunits Vitaly
Published: October 2004

A new online Journal of Autoimmune Diseases is created as an independent open access journal. In addition to the obvious advantages of the open access, the Journal will practice a double-blind reviewing of the manuscripts, which means that both the reviewers and the authors remain anonymous to each other. We believe that such a policy will reduce the influence of personal and other non-scientific factors on the reviewer's decision making.
JNER: a forum to discuss how neuroscience and biomedical engineering are reshaping physical medicine & rehabilitation
Authors: Bonato Paolo
Published: October 2004

Advances in neuroscience and biomedical engineering deeply affect the clinical practice of physical medicine & rehabilitation. New research findings and engineering tools are continuously made available that have the potential of dramatically enhancing the ability of clinicians to design effective rehabilitation interventions. This quickly evolving research field is difficult to track because related literature appears in a wide range of scientific journals. There is a need for a scientific journal that offers to its readership a forum at the intersection of neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and physical medicine & rehabilitation. The Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (JNER) is intended to fill this gap and foster cross-fertilizations among these disciplines. By making readily available to clinicians selected studies with potential impact on physical medicine & rehabilitation, JNER is anticipated to foster the development of novel and more effective rehabilitation strategies. Conversely, by presenting clinical problems to a readership of neuroscientists and engineers, JNER is expected to generate innovative work in neuroscience and biomedical engineering with future applications to physical medicine & rehabilitation. JNER will leverage on Open Access as a means to guarantee that its content is readily available to scientists, clinicians, and the general public thus promoting scientific and technological advances that are relevant to rehabilitation. JNER is an Open Access initiative. Open Access assures dissemination to the widest possible audience and is seen by many as essential for publicly funded research. BioMed Central offers an outstanding platform to make JNER possible and allow neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, and clinicians to see their work published in a timely manner and thus make an immediate impact in the field of rehabilitation. JNER will focus on innovative work with higher likelihood of a dramatic impact on rehabilitation. Thus, priority will be given to outstanding and visionary scientific reports, i.e. those proposing exceptionally innovative concepts with great potential in the field.
Some Aspects of the Application of Dynamic Relaxation Method in Space Structures
Authors: Zhi-Hong Zhang , Xing-Fei Yuan , Shi-Lin Dong
Published: October 2004

Dynamic relaxation method (DRM) is a powerful method to solve problems such as form-finding and buckling analysis of flexible structures. In this paper, some aspects of the application of DRM in the analysis of flexible structures are discussed. In the first part, the application of DRM in form finding analysis of systems with one degree of freedom and systems with multiple degrees of freedom are described. The reason why only the geometrical stiffness of system is considered is explained. For cable-nets and tensile membrane structures the final shape is determined by the orientation of their internal force vector and the magnitude of the internal force vector only affects the base period of the system. So the convergence speed of DRM in form finding problem can be improved by augmenting the magnitude of internal force vector. Two examples, one is a two bar system and the other is a cable net, are analyzed and the numerical results prove this point well. The application of DRM in the buckling analysis is also discussed in the second part. Considering the main difference between FEM and DRM, a new local arc-length method based on DRM is proposed. Compared with the traditional arc-length method, the new one has good convergence and needs less computer memory for computing. The good convergence is also verified by two conventional numerical examples in the buckling analysis of spatial structures. The work here will benefit the further research of DRM.
Spherical Triangulation Systems
Authors: Davister Michael D.
Published: October 2004

This paper describes what are believed to be new Class I spherical triangulation systems in which the number of different arc lengths is the same as the frequency. Comparisons are provided between these new systems with a Class II triangulation system regarding the relative lengths, number of different triangles and the relative size of the triangles. The effort is further extended to double layer systems used for dome-type space structures.
The Stability Study of an Innovative Steel Dome
Authors: Zeinoddini M. , Parke G.A.R. , Disney P.
Published: October 2004

Global stability of an innovative dome comprising of double-layer space frame sections together with curved flexural members has been studied. The dome had both an outer flat and an inner spherical double-layer grid space frames and formed the roof over a joint ballroom and meeting space of 3,100 square metres. The relatively wide spans between the outer and the inner space structures were covered using thirty six curved flexural pipe members laid on a synclastic surface. These members were employed for architectural purposes to provide a clear glazed area for the roof. Introducing relatively large span flexural members joining the two lattice space frames together complicated the overall structural response of the dome. It also made the dome susceptible to different premature instability modes. The non-linear FE program ABAQUS [1] was utilised to study the global stability of the dome and to investigate fully both its pre and post failure behaviour.

Different member configurations were considered for the dome and their effects on the behaviour; stability, snap through buckling and the collapse load of the structure were investigated. In the dome responses, several failure modes such as overall torsional buckling, in-plane ring buckling and symmetrical and non-symmetrical vertical snap through were identified.

It was noted that the presence of restraints placed between the flexural members could prevent the occurrence of premature torsional and vertical snap through buckling in the dome. The global behaviour of the dome appeared to be very sensitive to both the type and configuration of the restraints applied along the flexural members. The dome was also found to be remarkably sensitive to non-symmetric loads.
A New Method of Cutting Pattern
Authors: Xu Xudong , Guan Fulin
Published: October 2004

The geodesic method is the most practical and economical method of cutting pattern generation. In this paper, a new method to generate the geodesic is proposed. The arithmetic of the method is simple and practicable, and it overcomes the deficiency of geometrical method.
Analysis of Contribution of Acoustic Resonators Found in Serbian Orthodox Churches
Authors: Mijic Miomir , Sumarac-Pavlovic Dragana
Published: October 2004

A study of a number of Serbian Orthodox medieval churches, during their reconstruction or archeological investigation, revealed the presence of acoustical resonators. This paper offers a review of the resonators discovered to date. In addition, laboratory experiments were conducted on several resonators removed from churches in order to clarify their function. Based on the relevant literature, laboratory experiments, and analyses of acoustical characteristics of the worship spaces where resonators were found, it is concluded that the resonators found in medieval Serbian churches have not contributed to their acoustic quality. There are three reasons why the resonators were not effective. They were installed in very small churches where the additional absorption is not significant, their resonant frequencies were too low in relation to the frequency content of Serbian Orthodox worship service, and lastly, in some cases there were too few resonators to achieve audible changes in acoustic response of the church.
Measurement of Cholesterol and other Lipoprotein Constituents in the Clinical Laboratory
Authors: Warnick G. Russel
Published: October 2004

Measurements of lipids and lipoproteins in the clinical laboratory have become increasingly important because of their predictive association with cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary artery disease. The US National Institutes of Health-sponsored National Cholesterol Education Program and counterparts in other countries have developed national consensus guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease which provide risk cut-points and define use of the lipid/lipoprotein analytes in case finding and therapy. Total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides are measured as positive risk factors and high density lipoprotein cholesterol as an inverse risk factor for coronary artery disease. A National Cholesterol Education Program-sponsored expert laboratory panel has developed guidelines for measurements with requisite analytical performance targets for total error and corresponding precision and bias. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established reference methods for total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol and for triglycerides, with a method for low density lipoprotein cholesterol in development. Standardization programs for research laboratories and a Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network for diagnostic manufacturers and clinical laboratories provide reliable access and documentation of traceability to accepted reference methods.

Methods for the lipid/lipoprotein analytes have improved dramatically in recent years and, coupled with improved chemistry analyzer systems and more attention to standardization by manufacturers, offer considerable improvement in analytical performance. Fully automated homogeneous assays for high density lipoprotein cholesterol and newer similar assays for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol have potential for better precision as well as more convenient and cost-effective measurements. Attention to pre-analytical sources of variation is also important in making reliable classification of patients.