bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inside the Fence but Outside the Walls
Authors: Ferreira-Pereira Laura C.
Published: February 2006

The primary focus of this article is the foreign and security policies adopted by Austria, Finland and Sweden during the first post-Cold War decade. The main aim is to examine the policy responses of these three countries in the 1989–99 interval, to the developments that occurred within the principal European security institutions. From a foreign policy standpoint, the argument is that the militarily non-allied states altered their pattern of international involvement. They did so by shifting from a historical logic of exclusion to one of inclusion directed at securing a greater measure of influence on the design of post-Cold War European security. Particularly characteristic of the latter was fully-fledged membership of the European Union, observer status in the Western European Union and the establishment of cooperative security and military relations with NATO. Yet, such a new logic of inclusion did not lead to a radical change of their security policies, since it translated exclusively into an involvement in security and military frameworks not calling for the surrender of military non-alliance. Hence the major strand of the argument revolves around the metaphor ‘inside the fence but outside the walls’ used to portray the distinctive posture of the Alpine and Nordic countries in the post-1989 European security building dynamics.
The spirit of despotism: Understanding the tyrant within
Authors: de Vries Manfred F.R. Kets
Published: February 2006

The objective of this article is to better understand the developmental history of despotic regimes and the existence of leadership by terror. To gain greater insight into this phenomenon, the unusual relationship between leaders and followers in despotic regimes is explored, and the self-destructive cycle that characterizes such regimes is examined. The price paid in the form of human suffering and the breakdown of the moral fabric of a society is highlighted. In this article, particular attention is paid to highly intrusive totalitarian regimes. The levers used by such regimes to consolidate their power base are discussed in detail. The role of ideology, the enforcement of mind-control, the impact of the media, the inception of the illusion of solidarity, and the search for scapegoats are part of the review. Finally, suggestions are made on how to prevent despotic leaders from gaining a hold on power. Observations are made about the newly founded International Criminal Court, a permanent international judicial body that has been specially set up to try despotic rulers for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The economy of vengeance: Some considerations on the aetiology and meaning of the business of revenge
Authors: Sievers Burkard , Mersky Rose Redding
Published: February 2006

Throughout the history of mankind, revenge and vengeance have been deeply ingrained in our social fabric and richly portrayed in literature, music, drama, and film. Vengeance can be understood as a defence against annihilation anxieties, stimulated by the reactivation of injuries and losses experienced earlier in the lifetime of a system, fed by an institution's inability to acknowledge guilt and to integrate love and hate, and driven by the desire for ‘repair’ via retaliation. As open and direct acts of both revenge and violence are largely taboo, they are broadly denied in contemporary society at large and in organizations in particular. Despite that denial, the underlying feelings and the desire to persecute remain real. Thus revenge often is wreaked unconsciously by sophisticated and hidden means. This article is guided by the working hypothesisthat vengeance from a socio-analyticperspective is a psychosocial phenomenon and a dynamic of the collective, that is, the community or polis of related people. In social (political and economic) contexts, its inherent aggression and annihilation is often hidden behind an apparent logic of rationality, justice, and competition.
Workplace romances in cold and hot organizational climates: The experience of Israel and Taiwan
Authors: Mano Rita , Gabriel Yiannis
Published: February 2006

Workplace romances and their consequences have been frequently seen as undesirable for organizational performance. The goal of this study was to examine how organizations themselves influence the emergence, development and discourses of workplace romances. Using qualitative fieldwork from three organizations in Israel and four in Taiwan, we examine if and how organizational climate – cold, temperate and hot – influences the ways workplace romances are reported and narrated. We argue that these climates reflect the predominance of different types of work arrangements, notably aestheticization, performance and policy. The findings lead to the conclusion that workplace romances are more likely to become embedded in organizational discourses in hot climates where a hedonistic approach to work enhances the aestheticization of the work environment, providing work arrangements that enhance physical contact mostly outside the premises and a policy that does not punish participants. By contrast, in cold climates, romances are more likely to emerge in opposition and occasionally as a challenge to organizational impersonality and formality.
Extrusion Foaming Behavior of PBT Resins
Authors: Jeong B. , Xanthos M. , Seo Y.
Published: February 2006

An investigation of the foaming behavior of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resins in extrusion is performed. Commercial grades of PBT with different molecular weights and rheological characteristics are chosen. PBTs with a high temperature chemical blowing agent are extruded under different material and operational conditions (e.g., amount of blowing agent, set temperature at the die, screw RPM, etc.) to allow the understanding of the effects of those conditions on product characteristics. The foamed extrudates are analyzed for density, morphology, and crystallinity. It is shown that the foaming behavior and the foam quality of PBT are functions of the characteristic properties of the resins including rheological and crystallization behavior.
Salvation Goods, the Gift Economy and Charismatic Concern
Authors: Pace Enzo
Published: February 2006

English

The author deals with the following thesis: salvation goods are governed not only by the exchange economy, but also by the gift economy. They have less to do with the logic of social action aimed at profitable returns and more to do with the non-utilitarian aspects of behaviour. The salvation goods have features that cast serious doubts on the hypothesis that they are basically governed by market forces. On the basis of these considerations, the author attempts to verify whether a sociological approach to liturgy of a charismatic performance might be able to discover how salvation gift or goods work. Two case studies have been selected: the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the Catholic Neo-Pentecostal movement.

French

L'auteur avance l'hypothèse suivante: les biens reliés au salut ne sont pas régis uniquement par l'économie de l'échange mais également par l'économie du don. Ils ont moins à voir avec la logique de l'action sociale axée sur la rentabilité et plus à voir avec les aspects non utilitaires du comportement. Les biens reliés au salut possèdent des caractéristiques qui jettent des doutes sur l'hypothèse voulant qu'ils soient fondamentalement régis par les forces du marché. A partir de cette argumentation, l'auteur tente de voir si une analyse sociologique de la liturgie d'une cérémonie charismatique permet de découvrir le fonctionnement du don du salut ou des biens reliés au salut. Il a choisi deux études de cas: l'église universelle du royaume de Dieu et le Mouvement catholique néopentecô'tiste.
What Price Salvation? The Exchange of Salvation Goods between India and the West
Authors: Burger Maya
Published: February 2006

English

Does Weber’s notion of salvation goods, along with the connected one of the religious market, apply to the modern history of yoga? The case study chosen here (the yoga of Pattabhi Jois) clearly shows that these notions highlight many aspects of the expansion of yoga into a global market product. However, the notion of salvation goods resists the new hermeneutical situation of encounter and has to be adapted to the present situation of religious “patchwork”. The notion of religious market lacks depth to describe the various understandings and appropriations of yoga in precise historical situations. Other aspects of the current global status of yoga may be highlighted by applying the concept of pilgrimage.

French

La notion de bien de salut que nous lègue Max Weber et la notion de marché religieux qui en découle peuvent-elles s'appliquer à l'histoire moderne du yoga? L'étude de cas que nous consacrons au yoga de Pattabhi Jois montre que ces notions éclairent bien certains aspects de l'expansion du yoga en tant que produit d'un marché globalisé. Cependant la notion de bien de salut résiste à une réflexion de type herméneutique sur les processus de rencontres et doit être adaptée à la situation contemporaine, ou` les religions se présentent comme des ensembles composites. La notion de marché religieux ne permet pas d'expliquer les diverses compréhensions et appropriations du yoga dans des situations historiques précises. D'autres aspects de la situation du yoga sont mieux explicités si on prend le concept de pèlerinage comme point de référence.
Biens de salut et marché religieux dans le cultic milieu
Authors: Mayer Jean-François
Published: February 2006

English

The metaphor of a “religious market” seems quite appropriate to describe the cultic milieu, since many salvation goods available through a variety of techniques and practices are supposed to be paid for. The author examines three different cases in Switzerland in order to illustrate this fusion between the real and the metaphorical: (1) the Mystery Park, created by Erich von Däniken; (2) esoteric fairs and personal development networks; and (3) the emergence of ritual counsellors.

French

La métaphore du marché semble particulièrement bien adaptée au cultic milieu, car elle y rejoint la réalité des biens de salut (quant à la variété des techniques et des pratiques) qui sont payants. L'auteur met en lumière cette situation à travers trois cas en Suisse pour illustrer cette fusion entre le réel et le métaphorique: (1) le Mystery Park, créé à l'initiative d'Erich von Da¨niken; (2) les salons et réseaux de l'ésotérisme et du développement personnel; et (3) l'apparition de conseillers et d'accompagnateurs en rituels.
Concepts of culture and technology in Germany, 1916-1933
Authors: Gusejnova Dina
Published: February 2006

While recent years have seen a renaissance of interest in works by Cassirer, Spengler’s works have generated considerably less academic attention, to the extent that they are left out of accounts of Cassirer’s political thought. A detailed comparison between their concepts of culture (and technological progress) has not been undertaken before. Cassirer saw in Spengler an important intellectual opponent, and undertook a detailed reversal of Spengler’s propositions. As this essay shows, the tensions between the two thinkers, set in the context of the contemporary political climate, invite a reconsideration of the common characterization of Cassirer as a predominantly apolitical scholar, and emphasize that Spengler’s work ought to be taken far more seriously as a contribution to a philosophical and political debate in late Weimar Germany.
The decolonization of French-speaking territories in Africa as reflected in the South African press
Authors: Jaques François
Published: February 2006

The events surrounding the independence of the Belgian Congo and Algeria were reported on in considerable detail in the South African press between 1960 and 1962. Because of its relative proximity to South Africa, the conflict in the Congo was considered by the Afrikaans-speaking press in particular to be a potential danger to the Union of South Africa, since it gave the opportunity for Soviet imperialism to make further inroads into Africa. The Algerian war of independence provided a more direct parallel with South Africa. In both countries a large white population was in danger of losing its identity. General de Gaulle was hailed by the English and Afrikaans press alike as being the strong leader who was needed to deal with this explosive situation. He was seen by some editorialists as having done all he could, while for others he did not go far enough, since he gave full autonomy to Algeria and sacrificed the white population.
On being in the place of the cultural Other: Marc Boulet’s travels in China and India
Authors: Hughes Alex
Published: February 2006

This article addresses questions of white hybridity and transcultural metamorphosis as they are scrutinized and played out in the writings on China and India of the contemporary French author and journalist Marc Boulet. It investigates the motivations behind Boulet’s will to cross-cultural self-transformation, and addresses the ways in which he seeks to coexist with the cultural Other. It adopts a critical perspective which is that of transnational cultural studies.
Visionary and artistic transformations in Blake’s Visions of the Daughters of Albion
Authors: Munteanu Anca
Published: February 2006

The essay offers a revisionist reading of William Blake’s Visions of the Daughters of Albion in the context of the Renaissance notion of melancholia, and argues that the poem’s main female character, Oothoon, becomes the embodiment of a spiritualized concept of melancholy where imagination is equated with vision and associated with ingenium which corresponds to the Renaissance sapientia.
Between display and deliberation: analyzing TV news as communicative architecture
Authors: Cottle Simon , Rai Mugdha
Published: February 2006

Television journalism serves to display and deliberate consent and conflict in the contemporary world and it does so through a distinctive ‘communicative architecture’ structured in terms of a repertoire of ‘communicative frames’. This proves consequential for the public expression and engagement of views and voices, issues and identities, and exhibits a complexity that has so far remained unexplored and under-theorized. This article outlines our conceptualization of ‘communicative frames’ and demonstrates its relevance in a systematic, comparative international analysis of terrestrial and satellite, public service and commercial television news produced and/or circulated in six different countries: the USA, UK, Australia, India, Singapore and South Africa. Recent developments in social theory, political theory and journalism studies all underpin our approach to how these frames contribute to meaningful public deliberation and understanding and, potentially, to processes of mediatized ‘democratic deepening’. This article builds on these contemporary theoretical trajectories and develops a new approach for the empirical exploration and re-theorization of the fast-developing international ecology of TV journalism.
Broadcast news, the live ‘two-way’ and the case of Andrew Gilligan
Authors: Montgomery Martin
Published: February 2006

This article examines the role of the live two-way exchange in broadcast news. It sets out to demonstrate that there are marked differences between the discourse of the unscripted live two-way interchange between correspondent and studio presenter and other scripted sections of the news. In particular, it is maintained that linguistic selections in the live two-way (particularly choices in linguistic modality) project a different approach to the truth conditions of its discourse, with less emphasis on precise veracity than is found generally in the news. The implications of this variation within the discourses of the news are then examined by considering the unscripted contribution by Andrew Gilligan to the BBC’s Today programme that became the focus of much attention before, during and after the Hutton enquiry.
Collateral damage: Men’s ‘domestic’ violence to women seen through men’s relations with men
Authors: Hearn Jeff , Whitehead Antony
Published: February 2006

This article examines ‘domestic’ violence through a focus on men, masculinity/masculinities and men’s violence to known women. More specifically it analyses the implications of masculinity for policies and practices aimed at reducing violence and the risk of violence by men against known women, including programmes run by the Probation Service. On the basis of research rooted and tested in probation practice, it argues that masculinity is generated through relations between men, and that ‘domestic’ violence may be a means of regulating those relations. Thus, addressing relations between men is likely to be critical to the effectiveness of relevant programmes.
What can we learn from Serious Incident Reports?
Authors: Ansbro Maria
Published: February 2006

This article discusses an examination of 90 Serious Incident Reports (SIRs) generated in the London Probation Area between January 2002 and July 2003. The results showed that offenders assessed as high risk generated a disproportionately high number of SIRs, but equally serious incidents occurred across all risk bands. Consequently, while probation staff were proficient in identifying those most likely to inflict harm, the analysis demonstrates the limitations of risk prediction, and the need for considerable skill and knowledge among staff who work with offenders of all risk bands. Another significant finding was that whereas past violent behaviour was a powerful predictor of future violence, relatively few of those accused of a sexual offence had previous sexual convictions.
Marketing Journal Coauthorships: An Empirical Analysis of Coauthor Behavior
Authors: Brown Christopher L. , Chan Kam C. , Lai Pikki
Published: February 2006

The objective of this article is to study the bargaining behavior of coauthors in multiauthored marketing papers. The literature argues that the order of author names sends a signal about their relative contribution to the article, and the signal is muted when the names are in alphabetical order. In addition, other things being the same, the literature also stipulates that alphabetization increases with article quality. The authors examine these hypotheses with publication data from a set of marketing journals during 1991-2000. The findings suggest that signaling is more important for less known authors, authors from less prestigious schools, for articles published in lower-rated journals, and when there are more coauthors.
Service Learning Inputs and Outcomes in a Personal Selling Course
Authors: Hagenbuch David J.
Published: February 2006

To improve the use of service learning in the marketing curriculum, Petkus (2000) recommended that future research focus on empirical studies of service learning in specific marketing courses. Personal selling represents a key component of marketing that is quite amenable to service learning, yet very little research has examined the use of service learning in a personal selling course. This study seeks to remedy this omission by describing the inputs and outcomes of a service learning–based Sales Project that forms the cornerstone of a unique approach to teaching personal selling. Quantitative and qualitative analysis provide evidence that the class Sales Project is associated with numerous benefits for the course's students and nonprofit partners.
GPA in Research Studies: An Invaluable but Neglected Opportunity
Authors: Bacon Donald R. , Bean Beth
Published: February 2006

Grade point average (GPA) often correlates highly with variables of interest to educational researchers and thus offers the potential to greatly increase the statistical power of their research studies. Yet this variable is often underused in marketing education research studies. The reliability and validity of the GPA are closely examined here in a research study context. These findings are combined with other published results to offer specific recommendations and examples related to how education researchers can improve their studies with the appropriate use of GPA.
Do Perceptions of Hiring Criteria Differ for Sales Managers and Sales Representatives? Implications for Marketing Education
Authors: Raymond Mary Anne , Carlson Les , Hopkins Christopher D.
Published: February 2006

Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this study explores whether perceptions of critical hiring criteria for entry-level sales positions differ across sales managers and sales representatives. This research also examines which classroom activities and skills these individuals perceive to be most important for strengthening the desired skill set and whether an MBA degree is an added advantage when candidates are being considered for entry-level sales positions. Results indicate that managers believe objective assessment, technical skills, experiential learning, acquired skills, college accomplishments, and extracurricular activities are more important than do sales representatives. Sales representatives deem basic skills, educational experiences, and interactive skills as more important than how managers assess these skills and attributes. Neither group believes that having an MBA is a necessary prerequisite for these positions. Recommendations for marketing educators are offered.
Learning Style Differences in the Perceived Effectiveness of Learning Activities
Authors: Karns Gary L.
Published: February 2006

The learning style individual difference factor has long been a basis for understanding student preferences for various learning activities. Marketing educators have been advised to heavily invest in tailoring course design based on the learning style groups in their classes. A further exploration of the effects of learning style differences on the perceived effectiveness of 21 learning activities was conducted. Results from the survey responses of 227 students at eight universities suggest that a high-investment strategy of catering intensively to learning style individual differences is not warranted. Rather, marketing educators can sufficiently meet the needs of students by providing a range of learning experiences that tap multiple learning modalities. Active learning pedagogies were seen as more effective.
Injuries to High School Football Athletes in California
Authors: Ramirez Marizen , Schaffer Kathryn Brown , Shen Haikang , Kashani Saman , Kraus Jess F.
Published: February 2006

Background

Among all high school sports, football has the highest rate of injury. Prior research has been limited primarily because of challenges in surveillance, defining injuries, and measuring exposures.

Hypothesis

Football injury patterns differ across player and session characteristics.

Study Design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods

More than 5000 football players from 87 high schools in California were observed for 2 seasons (2001 and 2002). School representatives were trained to collect data on injuries, player characteristics, and daily exposures. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and clustered Poisson regression.

Results

Players sustained 25.5 injuries per 100 players, 9.3 injuries per 10 000 player-hours, and 8.4 injuries per 100 session-hours. Session rates were highest during games, on artificial turf (13.8 of 100), during foggy weather (25.1 of 100), and on clear evenings (21 of 100). Offensive and defensive backfielders had about a 20% increased rate of injury compared with linemen. The adjusted injury rate for starters was 60% higher than the rate for nonstarters (relative rate, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-1.9).

Conclusion

Risk profiles differed by experience, playing position, and surface types. We recommend future sports injury research that measures time-dependent exposures at the individual level and for various types of environmental playing conditions.
The Rotator Cuff Functional Index
Authors: Osbahr Daryl C. , Murrell George A. C.
Published: February 2006

Background

Despite improvements in the clinical assessment of rotator cuff injuries, shortcomings exist in diagnosing rotator cuff tears.

Purpose

To formulate a clinical rotator cuff functional index for predicting rotator cuff tears based on handheld dynamometer measurements for shoulder strength testing and to assess its ability to diagnose a rotator cuff tear.

Study Design

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

Preoperative handheld dynamometer measurements, including supraspinatus, external rotation, internal rotation, adduction, and lift-off force, were compared in 100 patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears (> 1.0 cm) and 100 patients with no rotator cuff injury (confirmed by arthroscopy). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, the rotator cuff functional index and index for rotator cuff tear size were formulated in which 100 represented excellent rotator cuff function and less than 0 indicated a full-thickness supraspinatus tear. Each patient's index was calculated to determine its clinical value in predicting a rotator cuff tear; the Pearson correlation coefficient was established for the rotator cuff functional index for rotator cuff size.

Results

Two handheld dynamometer measurements predicted a rotator cuff tear (P < .001, r = 0.53), with rotator cuff functional index = 1.27 * supraspinatus (N) – 0.72 * adduction (N) – 11.6, but not tear size (r = 0.38). In predicting a rotator cuff tear (rotator cuff functional index < 0 = rotator cuff tear; rotator cuff functional index > 0 = no tear), the rotator cuff functional index had 83% sensitivity, 79% specificity, 80% positive predictive value, 82% negative predictive value, likelihood ratio of 4.0 for a positive test result and 0.2 for a negative test result and an accuracy of 81%.

Conclusion

The 2 most useful tests for determining a rotator cuff tear with a handheld dynamometer were supraspinatus force and adduction force (as negative control). A functional index based on these measurements was able to rule out a rotator cuff tear and predict the presence but not the size of the tear.
Wrist Pain, Distal Radial Physeal Injury, and Ulnar Variance in the Young Gymnast
Authors: DiFiori John P. , Caine Dennis J. , Malina Robert M.
Published: February 2006

In gymnastics, the wrist joint is subjected to repetitive loading in a weightbearing fashion. In this setting, chronic wrist pain is quite common. Because gymnasts ordinarily enter the sport at very young ages and train for several years before skeletal maturity is attained, the growth plates of the wrist are at risk for injury. In addition, imaging studies have identified evidence of injury to the distal radial physis and the development of positive ulnar variance. Recent studies provide more information on the relationships between these findings, as well as factors that may predispose some gymnasts to wrist pain. This article provides a comprehensive review of these issues and offers suggestions for management, preventive measures, and future research.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Bioabsorbable Interference Screws Used for Fixation of Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autografts in Endoscopic Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Authors: Drogset Jon Olav , Grøntvedt Torbjørn , Myhr Gunnar
Published: February 2006

Background

Metal interference screws can cause problems if revision is needed and can interfere with magnetic resonance imaging. Bioabsorbable screws have been developed to prevent these problems, but the rate of resorption and integration is not well understood.

Hypothesis

Poly-L-lactic acid interference screws will be resorbed 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

The study group consisted of 19 patients with isolated anterior cruciate ligament ruptures reconstructed with bone-patellar tendon-bone autografts fixed with poly-L-lactic acid interference screws using an endoscopic technique. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate resorption of the screws, bony integration of the screws, and integration of the bone blocks after 2 years.

Results

At 2 years, the mean reduction in the volume of the femoral screws was 64% and of the tibial screw was 63%. Bony integration of the femoral bone block was considered good in 17 patients and fair in 2 patients. Integration of the tibial bone block was considered good in 16 patients and fair in 1 patient who demonstrated widening of the tibial tunnel. Osteolysis around the screws was seen in 3 patients in the femur and none in the tibia.

Conclusion

The mean reduction in volume of the poly-L-lactic acid screws as measured by magnetic resonance imaging after 2 years was approximately two thirds. The integration of the bone blocks was considered good in 90% of the patients. Osteolysis around the screws was visible in 16% of the patients.

Clinical Relevance

Two years after ACL reconstruction using poly-L-lactic acid interference screws, the surgeon can expect to find approximately one third of the volume of the screw remaining in the bone tunnels.
All-Inside Meniscal Repair Using a New Flexible, Tensionable Device
Authors: Quinby J. Scott , Golish S. Raymond , Hart Jennifer A. , Diduch David R.
Published: February 2006

Background

A new generation of flexible all-inside meniscal repair devices is available, but clinical studies with these devices are lacking.

Hypothesis

The RapidLoc has an intermediate-term meniscal healing rate that is equivalent to literature reports of inside-out suture technique in patients undergoing concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Retrospective analysis was performed for 75 meniscal tears in 66 consecutive patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction who underwent meniscal repair with the RapidLoc. Patients with at least 2 years’ follow-up were evaluated for symptoms suggestive of a meniscal tear and were assessed with the International Knee Documentation Committee form and the Knee Disorders Subjective History visual analog scale. Subjects were asked to return for a clinical examination to include evaluation for an effusion and joint line tenderness as well as McMurray test and KT-1000 arthrometry readings. Patients with symptoms consistent with meniscal repair failure underwent magnetic resonance arthrography and repeat arthroscopy.

Results

Twenty patients with 21 meniscal tears were excluded, resulting in 54 meniscal tears in 46 patients. At a mean follow-up of 34.8 months, the clinical success rate for meniscal repair was 90.7% (49/54), with 5 failures requiring meniscectomy. Univariate analysis revealed predictive variables for failure: bucket-handle configuration, multiplanar tears, tear length greater than 2 cm, and chronicity longer than 3 months. Nonpredictive variables included compartment, zone, ligament graft choice, gender, age, follow-up, and visual analog scale score. Analysis of healed patients revealed a negative correlation between chronicity of tear and International Knee Documentation Committee score.

Conclusions

The RapidLoc has an acceptable intermediate-term clinical healing rate in patients undergoing concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Predictive variables for failure should be considered during operative decision making.
Continuous Femoral Nerve Block versus Intra-articular Injection for Pain Control after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Woods G. William , O'Connor Daniel P. , Calder Cynthia T.
Published: February 2006

Background

Continuous femoral nerve blocks have been recommended for postoperative pain control after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Hypothesis

A pain control protocol involving a continuous ropivacaine femoral nerve block will decrease pain and narcotic use in the first 24 hours after surgery compared with a postoperative pain control protocol involving an intra-articular injection of bupivacaine/morphine.

Study Design

Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

Ninety subjects, aged 15 years or older, who were receiving arthroscopically assisted bone–patellar tendon–bone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The first group received a ropivacaine continuous femoral nerve block and oral hydrocodone (block group). The second group received an intra-articular bupivacaine/morphine injection and oral oxycodone (injection group). Patients in both groups could receive intramuscular injection of hydromorphone for breakthrough pain; most patients in the block group also received bolus doses of ropivacaine through the femoral catheter. Subjects rated their worst, average, and current pain levels using a visual analog scale and category-ratio scale the morning after surgery. Postoperative narcotic pain medication use was converted to morphine-equivalent doses.

Results

Postoperative pain ratings did not differ between the treatment groups. The largest difference in pain ratings between the groups was 0.5 cm for worst pain level (P = .345). Total narcotic use did not differ significantly between groups (1.1 morphine equivalent doses in both groups; P = .671).

Conclusions

Continuous femoral block with ropivacaine appeared to have no clinical advantage in the immediate postoperative period after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction when compared with an intra-articular injection of bupivacaine/morphine. Both methods are effective for pain control after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
A New Method of Laser Sheet Imaging-based Fire Smoke Detection
Authors: Shu Xue-Ming , Yuan Hong-Yong , Su Guo-Feng , Fang Jun , Zhan Furu
Published: February 2006

Since smoke appears much earlier than combustion flames, smoke detection technologies are becoming more widely applied in early fire detection. In this article, an optical, non-intrusive measuring method is developed to detect fire smoke based on laser sheet imaging technology. A set of experimental apparatus to capture smoke particle images have been designed, comprised of three parts: 1) the Smoke Passage System, 2) the Light Scattering System, and 3) the Particle Imaging System. Images from the experimental apparatus are analyzed by image processing algorithms which monitor particle size and distribution from various fuels, as well as particle shapes are acquired. This method not only provides us with smoke particle morphology, but also with size and distribution, which represents a new method for early fire detection.
A Comparison of Simulation and Experiment on Stack Effect in Long Vertical Shaft
Authors: Zhang J. Y. , Ji J. , Huo R. , Yuan H. Y. , Yang R.
Published: February 2006

This article discusses the numerical study on stack effect in a long vertical shaft, where physical and numerical techniques were employed to determine the effectiveness of simulations in such a system. This article presented numerical predictions obtained by using different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and compared the numerical results with the experimental data obtained from tests performed in this project. Finally, results show that common turbulence model for free plume would not fit for stack effect and a new turbulence model with tilted fire plume due to strong air entrainment needs to be studied.
Flame Retardants in Commercial Use or in Advanced Development in Polycarbonates and Polycarbonate Blends
Authors: Levchik Sergei V. , Weil Edward D.
Published: February 2006

The polycarbonates, intrinsically rather flame retardant, have been further flame retarded with various bromoaromatic additives, such as tetrabromobisphenol-A polycarbonate. Other bromine additives used include brominated epoxy condensates and brominated polystyrenes. Sodium or potassium sulfonates, such as potassium perfluorobutylsulfonate, potassium diphenylsulfonesulfonate and sodium trichlorobenzenesulfonate are effective in very low loadings to meet less stringent flame retardancy. The first two allow for transparency. The blends of polycarbonate and poly(acrylonitride butadiene styrene) (ABS) are widely used for flame-retardant electrical and electronic enclosures. The major flame retardants used at present in the blends are tetraphenyl resorcinol diphosphate and tetraphenyl bisphenol-A diphosphonate (both with oligomers).
Multi-response Optimization of Impact Performances in Fiber-reinforced Poly(butylene terephthalate)
Authors: Fung Chin-Ping
Published: February 2006

This study proposes a procedure that integrates the grey relational analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) to optimize a multi-response problem. The procedure is demonstrated by investigating the energy at failure in single impact, and the impact fatigue life of the injection molded 30 wt% glass fiber reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT). The results show that the influence of the injection molding condition on the product’s impact performances are quite significant. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios of impact performances of the recommended injection molding condition are larger than the averages of experimental runs. This demonstrates that the proposed procedure is effective for the optimization of multi-response problems.
Perspectives for Reactive Molding of PPA as Matrix for High-performance Composite Materials
Authors: Pini Niccolo , Zaniboni Chiara , Busato Stephan , Ermanni Paolo
Published: February 2006

While liquid composite molding (LCM) technologies for thermoset composites are increasingly used for manufacturing high quality structural components, LCM technologies based on thermoplastic matrices are still in development. Reactive thermoplastic LCM processes are at present applicable only to a few engineering polymers. This work presents perspectives for reactive molding of a high-temperature resistant polyphthalamide (PPA). Thermoanalytical, rheological, and optical tests were performed to assess the behavior of low-melting PA 6T/6I oligomers with increasing temperature and to monitor the polymerization and crystallization reactions. The raw oligomeric material first undergoes a solid-liquid phase transition at around 135 C. At this stage, it shows a shear-thinning behavior and its viscosity is around 102 Pa s. At higher temperatures, the viscosity of the oligomeric melt decreases further until a high temperature crystallization process occurs at about 180 C. Polymerization starts at about 220 C and ends at 290 C. During the reaction the polymer crystallizes as soon as it is formed with an achievable degree of crystallinity considerably higher than that of melt-crystallized samples. In accordance with the results, a viable processing technology based on powder impregnated intermediate materials is proposed.
Obscuring the costs of home care: restructuring at work
Authors: Aronson Jane , Neysmith Sheila M.
Published: February 2006

This study of displaced home care workers reveals how managed competition serves to produce a flexible and atomized work force. Laid off when their nonprofit employer could not compete in the local home care market, workers blamed their employer and their union for their jeopardy. Obscured from local view was the role of government policy in offloading services to the market, benefiting privileged participants in the hospital, professional and market health care sectors. Workers’ indignation at their own and their elderly clients’ unfair treatment dissipated: they had to attend to the practical imperatives in their lives, and were unable to locate a target for their protest. Resolving to be flexible and self-sufficient in the future, they struggled to rework identities as committed carers. The study illuminates how particular organizational and political processes render services more meagre and labour more flexible, and suggests particular possibilities for both accommodating and disrupting those trends.
Critical discourse analysis of political press conferences
Authors: Bhatia Aditi
Published: February 2006

This study of political press conferences allows a closer look at diplomatic talk to communicate political differences in a positive way to smooth out socio-political and ideological discrepancies that often divide prominent political figures. Taking a critical discourse analysis (CDA) perspective, this article analyses textual data from press conferences involving the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the US President George W. Bush, who come from different ideological backgrounds, also sharing differences in other dimensions such as age, experience, economic status, socio-political influence and political objectives. The findings reveal three major themes: positivity for the reinforcement of mutual trust, respect and progress; influence and power for subtle persuasion; and evasion to hedge or avoid responses to probing and inconvenient questions from the media.
Praxis in the Time of Empire
Authors: Roy Ananya
Published: February 2006

In the time of war and military occupation, it is possible for planning to articulate an ethics of disavowal and refusal. However, when empire involves much more than war, when empire also involves reconstruction, renewal, aid, and democracy, then it is much more difficult for planning to opt out of this liberal moral order. Situated at the heart of empire, that is, in America, this article explores some of these dilemmas of praxis and thereby the limits of liberalism. Drawing upon Marxist theory, cultural studies, and postcolonial critique, it makes a case for an ethics of ‘doubleness’, one where benevolence can be recognized as Othering but also where complicity can be transformed into subversion.
Planning, Networks and Power Relations: is Democratic Planning Under Capitalism Possible?
Authors: Moulaert Frank , Cabaret Katy
Published: February 2006

This article examines the relevance of leading social science network theories for the analysis of social relations in particular fields and as a guideline for democratic planning practice. The first section explains the risks of using the network metaphor in social science analysis: the confusion of normative and real features of networks may lead to an abstract representation of institutional structures and power relations and naïve expectancies regarding democratic planning opportunities. The second section reviews institutional network theories in social science. The survey focuses on: the ‘raison d’Ítre’ of the network, the typical behaviour of its agents, the types of communication, interaction with the environment and creation of its own institutions. Section 3 examines how these network theories deal or do not deal with power and suggests improving the theorizing of the role of power in networks by providing a more solid reading of power relations in institutional structures and personal relationships in networks. This solidity could be offered by a combination of Regulation Theory and Bourdieu's theory of practice. The final section provides some guidelines on how a better reading of institutional structures and power relations may improve the impact of democratic planning.
Metaphors in Complexity Theory and Planning
Authors: Chettiparamb Angelique
Published: February 2006

This article reviews the use of complexity theory in planning theory using the theory of metaphors for theory transfer and theory construction. The introduction to the article presents the author's positioning of planning theory. The first section thereafter provides a general background of the trajectory of development of complexity theory and discusses the rationale of using the theory of metaphors for evaluating the use of complexity theory in planning. The second section introduces the workings of metaphors in general and theory-constructing metaphors in particular, drawing out an understanding of how to proceed with an evaluative approach towards an analysis of the use of complexity theory in planning. The third section presents two case studies – reviews of two articles – to illustrate how the framework might be employed. It then discusses the implications of the evaluation for the question ‘can complexity theory contribute to planning?’ The concluding section discusses the employment of the ‘theory of metaphors’ for evaluating theory transfer and draws out normative suggestions for engaging in theory transfer using the metaphorical route.
Unlocking the riddle of time in learning disability
Authors: Owen Ann L. , Wilson Rebecca R.
Published: February 2006

People with learning disabilities often have difficulties understanding abstract concepts such as the concept of time yet research in this area is scarce. Not only does the development of an understanding of the concept of time enable us to predict future events, order past events and give us a sense of control over current events, it also serves to contribute to the very essence of our understanding of a sense of ourselves. It seems reasonable to suggest that the converse may be true for people who are not able to develop this concept. Time perception and understanding are complex cognitive processes. It is suggested that facilitating this development and managing associated difficulties may be achieved by focusing on the practical applications of time in everyday life. Improving time perception abilities may reduce feelings of powerlessness and anxiety and increase feelings of self-efficacy but research is needed to evaluate this.
A survey of vitamin D level in people with learning disability in long-stay hospital wards in Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Timothy Siu Fu , Lau Victor Ming Ho , Lim Winston , Fung Genevieve
Published: February 2006

Serum vitamin D level was measured in 122 patients with learning disabilities in long-term care wards. Such people are at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency. Low vitamin D is often attributed to lack of sunshine, poor dietary intake and the deleterious effect of anticonvulsant therapy. The results of this study confirmed that a low level of vitamin D (14.38 ± 7.9 nmol/l) prevails, regardless of anticonvulsant usage. Sunshine exposure was virtually non-existent for most patients. Research has shown that when sunlight exposure is limited, osteomalacia in the British Asian community is determined by dietary factors. Our subjects had three types of diet: standard, soft and tube feeding. For both males and females, the tube feeding group had a significantly higher mean level of vitamin D than the other groups. Regular sunshine exposure is recommended for people requiring long-term infirmary care; alternatively, dietary supplement of vitamin D should be considered.
The role of social pedagogy in the training of residential child care workers
Authors: Jackson Robin
Published: February 2006

A requirement for most people working in residential child care in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands is a qualification in social pedagogy. Social pedagogy is not narrowly concerned with a child’s schooling but relates to the whole child - body, mind and spirit. This article describes the first social pedagogy course to be introduced and professionally recognized in the UK: the BA in Curative Education Programme. This 4-year programme blurs the line between ‘classroom learning’ and ‘learning in practice’. A unique feature of the programme is that most students ‘live the course’ in residential care communities for children or adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The life-sharing aspect of the programme ensures that the principles of dignity, value and mutual respect can be meaningfully translated into practice. The social pedagogic model presents a timely challenge to current care philosophy and practice.