bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Tc‐99m (V) DMSA Binding to Human Plasma Proteins
Authors: Lee Bi‐Fang , Yeh Jwu‐Lai , Chiu Nan‐Tsing , Liu Gin‐Chung , Yu Hsin‐Su , Wang Mei‐Hui , Shen Lie‐Hang
Published: October 2008

As a critical step toward elucidating the mechanism of localization of Tc‐99m (V) dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), we investigated its binding and transport in blood in comparison with Ga‐67 citrate. The studies were performed in vitro by incubating Tc‐99m (V) DMSA with blood (one sample at 4°C and another at 37°C) to assess its binding to plasma proteins using ulrrafilrration, dialysis, electrophoresis, gel filtration chromatography and affinity chromatography A parallel experiment for determining the blood binding of Ga‐67 citrate was performed using the same procedures. Using ulrrafilrration, dialysis, electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography, labeled plasma samples showed that protein binding for Tc‐99m (V) DMSA was 45‐54% at 37°C and 73‐80% at 4°C. The figures for Ga‐67 citrate were 43‐53% at 37°C and 75‐81% at 4°C. Electrophoresis showed that Tc‐99m (V) DMSA was mostly bound to plasma albumin (36.05 + 2.48% at 37°C and 60.04 + 1.87% at 4°C), and that the proportion of Ga‐67 radioactivity associated with β‐globulin was 34.23 + 1.37% at 37°C and 55.71 + 3.69% at 4°C. In affinity chromatography experiments, Tc‐99m (V) DMSA did not bind to transferrin, unlike Ga‐67 citrate. This study demonstrates that, at the radiopharmaceutical tracer level, most Tc‐99m (V) DMSA in blood is protein‐bound, primarily to albumin, but not to transferrin. In contrast, Ga‐67 citrate was bound primarily to transferrin. The knowledge that albumin is the main transport protein of Tc‐99m (V) DMSA may contribute to a better understanding of its biodistribution and pharmacokinetics.
Case‐control Study on the Prevention of Occupational Eye Injuries
Authors: Ho Chi‐Kung , Yen Ya‐Lin , Chang Cheng‐Hsien , Chiang Hung‐Che , Shen Ying‐Ying , Chang Po‐Ya
Published: October 2008

The risk factors for occupational eye injuries have never been published in Taiwan. We conducted a case‐control study to analyze the differences among workers on their knowledge, attitude to and practice (KAP) of occupational accident prevention. In the study a statistical model was also set up for predicting the occupational problem. Subjects, including 31 cases of work‐related eye injuries and 62 controls, completed a structured questionnaire on KAP, which revealed that 80.6% and 62.7% of workers in the case and control groups, respectively, did not wear eye protection during work. Furthermore, we found that temporary employment (OR, 10.7; 95% CI, 3.03‐36.16) and fewer than 10 years of education (OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 1.73‐11.44) were the major risk factors for occupational eye injuries. In addition, we developed a logistic regression model with four predictors (temporary employment, education years less than 10, poor management of industrial health and safety in the workplace, and poor attitude towards accident prevention) for the occurrence of occupational eye injuries. In conclusion, in Taiwan, compulsory regulation of wearing eye protection during work, good education, management of work safety and hygiene and employee (especially temporary worker) commitment to safety and health are strongly recommended prevention strategies.
Clinical Characteristics of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients from a Southern Taiwan Hospital‐based Survey
Authors: Wang Chuan‐Sheng , Chen Huang‐Chi , Yang Chih‐Jen , Tsai Jong‐Rung , Chong Inn‐Wen , Hwang Jhi‐Jhu , Huang Ming‐Shyan
Published: October 2008

This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of culture‐positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients from a southern Taiwan hospital‐based survey between August 1, 2003 and July 31, 2006. Demographics, symptoms, susceptibility patterns, sputum acid‐fast bacilli (AFB) stain status and treatment outcomes were recorded. The medical records of 154 patients who presented to the Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao‐Kang Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The mean age of patients was 59.5 years; 115 patients were male and 39 were female. Diabetes mellitus (48/154; 31.2%) was the most frequent risk factor for pulmonary TB infection. Nearly all patients (139/154; 90.3%) had a cough. Fever was only seen in 27.9% and hemoptysis in 14.9% of patients. The combined resistance rates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to the tested first‐line agents were as follows: isoniazid, 3.2%; rifampin, 7.8%; ethambutol, 5.8%; and streptomycin, 2.6%. The combined resistance rate to any one of four first‐line drugs was 12.3%. The combined resistance rate to ofloxacin was 3.9%. The combined resistance rate of multidrug resistant‐TB was 1.9%. Sputum AFB stains were positive in 68.2% of cases. Analysis of treatment outcomes showed overall treatment success at 76.6%. The proportions of patients who died, defaulted treatment or in whom treatment failed were 16.2%, 3.9% and 0.0%, respectively. In conclusion, our study showed: (1) a higher frequency of pulmonary TB in male subjects than in other areas of Taiwan; (2) a higher frequency of cough and lower frequency of fever and hemoptysis than previous studies; (3) that the combined resistance rates to isoniazid and streptomycin were lower than both average levels in Taiwan and the global combined drug resistance rate; and (4) a higher proportion of patients responding to treatment and lower proportions of patients suffering mortality, defaulting treatment or not responding to treatment compared with other areas of Taiwan. With regard to resistance rates, the combined resistance rate to ethambutol was similar to the average level in Taiwan and higher than the global combined drug resistance rate. However, the combined resistance rate to rifampin was higher than both the average level in Taiwan and the global combined drug resistance rate. The combined resistance rates to at least any one of four first‐line drugs and multidrug resistant‐TB were lower than the average levels in Taiwan and higher than the global combined drug resistance rate. Our results may help to identify local variations in the disease and improve the effectiveness of TB infection control programs.
Evaluation of Urinary Inverted Papillomas: A Report of 13 Cases and Literature Review
Authors: Kilciler Mete , Bedir Selahattin , Erdemir Fikret , Ors Onder , Kibar Yusuf , Dayanc Murat
Published: October 2008

Inverted papilloma (IP) of the urothelium accounts for 2.2% of urothelial neoplasms. The aim of this study was to report the results of 13 patients with urinary IP, pointing out the clinical features, presentations, treatment options and outcomes. The mean age and mean follow‐up periods of the patients were 60.23+3.25 (range, 44‐81) years and 30 (range, 6‐42) months, respectively. There was no coexistence of urothelial carcinoma with IP at presentation. Cystoscopy showed a solitary papillary tumor in the bladders of 11 patients and solid pedunculated tumors in the remaining two patients. The site of development was the bladder in 12 cases (92%) and ureter in one (8%) case. Transurethral bladder tumor resection was performed in 12 cases. For the case with IP in the ureter, nephroureterectomy was performed. Pathologic examination demonstrated that seven of the 13 cases were of the trabecular type and six were of the glandular type. Of the 13 cases, two (7%) had recurrence, at 1 year and 1 month and 1 year and 5 months from initial resection. The male to female ratio was 5.5:1. Initial symptoms included macroscopic hematuria in five cases, microscopic hematuria in four, and dysuria and microscopic hematuria in three; one case was asymptomatic. IPs of the urinary bladder are benign tumors that can be treated successfully by transurethral resection and fulguration of the tumor bed. In addition, these lesions must be followed up closely for recurrence and malignant transformation.
Chronic Subdural Hematoma Associated with Arachnoid Cyst in Young Adults: A Case Report
Authors: Chan Jun‐Yeen , Huang Chih‐Ta , Liu Yuan‐Kai , Lin Chien‐Pang , Huang Jing‐Shan
Published: October 2008

Inrracranial arachnoid cysts are believed to be congenital; they can become symptomatic in pediarric patients. Chronic subdural hematomas tend to occur in elderly patients with a history of mild head injury a few months prior to the onset of symptoms. However, these two distinct clinical entities sporadically occur together in relatively young patients. We report a 29‐year‐old man who presented with headache and dizziness of 2 months' duration. Brain computed tomography revealed a huge chronic subdural hematoma over the left frontoparietal lobe, with an incidental finding of an arachnoid cyst over the left sylvian fissure. In light of a literature review, we discuss arachnoid cysts as a possible risk factor for subdural hematoma, especially in young adults.
Globalization of Problem‐based Learning (PBL): Cross‐cultural Implications
Authors: Choon‐Eng Gwee Matthew
Published: October 2008

Problem‐based learning (PBL) is essentially a learning system design that incorporates several educational strategies to optimize student‐centered learning outcomes beyond just knowledge acquisition. PBL was implemented almost four decades ago as an innovative and alternative pathway to learning in medical education in McMaster University Medical School. Since then, PBL has spread widely across the world and has now been adopted globally, including in much of Asia. The globalization of PBL has important cross‐cultural implications. Delivery of instruction in PBL involves active peer teaching‐learning in an open communication style. Consequently, this may pose an apparent serious conflict with the Asian communication style generally dominated by a cultural reticence. However, evidence available, especially from the PBL experience of some senior Korean medical students doing an elective in the University of Toronto Medical School and the cross‐cultural PBL experience initiated by Kaohsiung Medical University, strongly suggests creating a conducive and supportive learning environment for students learning in a PBL setting can overcome the perceived cultural barriers; that is, nurture matters more than culture in the learning environment. Karaoke is very much an Asian initiative. The Karaoke culture and philosophy provide a useful lesson on how to create a conducive and supportive environment to encourage, enhance and motivate group activity. Some key attributes associated with Asian culture are in fact consistent with, and aligned to, some of the basic tenets of PBL, including the congruence between the Asian emphasis on group before individual interest, and the collaborative small group learning design used in PBL. Although there are great expectations of the educational outcomes students can acquire from PBL, the available evidence supports the contention the actual educational outcomes acquired from PBL do not really match the expected educational outcomes commonly intended and specified for a PBL program. Proficiency in the English language can pose serious problems for some Asian medical schools, which choose to use English as the language for discussion in PBL tutorials. A novel approach that can be applied to overcome this problem is to allow students to engage in discussions using both their native language as well as English, a highly successful practice implemented by the University of Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia. As PBL is a highly resource‐intensive pedagogy, Asian medical educators need to have a clear understanding of the PBL process, philosophy and practice in order to be able to optimize the educational outcomes that can be derived from a PBL curriculum.
Problem‐based Learning and Task‐based Learning: A Practical Synthesis
Authors: Takahashi Yuzo
Published: October 2008

The author of this article attended the International PBL Workshop in Kaohsiung Medical University in 2007 as an international tutor. Based on his personal experiences in the workshop and at his own medical school, he finds there are frequent problems in PBL programs related to the difficulty in providing expert tutors. Students in PBL tutorials may fear they are unable to get sufficient guidance from tutors in terms of learning the issues they should research; moreover, PBL case writers fear their cases are less effective, because non‐expert tutors may misdirect students in the step 1 tutorial discussion. The author proposes that combining standard problem‐based learning (PBL) methods with elements of task‐based learning (TBL) can be effective at addressing both of these problems. The TBL method he proposes involves providing students with an additional sheet at the end of PBL tutorials. This sheet is written by the case writer and details key learning issues, questions and perspectives the students should investigate during their research process. This reduces the need to have expert tutors who know the full range of facts about the case, and leaves students feeling supported and less concerned they will miss important learning issues.
The Role of a PBL Tutor: A Personal Perspective
Authors: Chan Li Chong
Published: October 2008

Based on my experience as a PBL tutor in the Faculty of Medicine since 1997, it is clear that the role of a PBL tutor is one of a master of many trades. Whilst the primary role of a PBL tutor is to ensure, as a facilitator and a guide, that students engage in self‐directed learning within the tutorial setting, he or she should be able to identify issues within and outside the tutorial setting that impact on learning. A PBL tutor should know the case well before the tutorial starts, establish ground rules and recognize that the quality of learning which takes place prior to and after the tutorial by students affect personal and group dynamics within the tutorial setting. The PBL tutor occupies a central and unique role in influencing students' learning and as a mentor to students' development.
Status of Medical Education Reform at Saga Medical School 5 Years After Introducing PBL
Authors: Oda Yasutomo , Koizumi Shunzo
Published: October 2008

In Japan, problem‐based learning (PBL) is a relatively new method of educating medical students that is reforming the face of medical education throughout the world, including Asia. It shifts from teacher‐centered learning strategies (for example, lectures in large auditoriums) to student‐centered, self‐directed learning methods (for example, active discussions and problem‐solving by students in small groups under the guidance of faculty tutors). Upon a recommendation by the Japan Model Core Curriculum, Saga Medical School introduced a PBL curriculum 5 years ago. A full PBL curriculum was adopted from the McMaster model through Hawaii. A description of how PBL was implemented into the 3rd and 4th year (Phase III curriculum) is given. The overall result has been good. Students who experienced PBL had increased scores on the National Medical License Exam, and Saga increased its ranking from 56th to 19th of the 80 medical schools in Japan. A key step was introduction of the educational scaffolding in PBL Step 0. Students were allowed to see page one of the PBL case, containing the chief complaint, on the weekend before meeting in small groups. Despite a perceived overall benefit to student learning, symptoms of superficial discussions by students have been observed recently. How this may be caused by poor case design is discussed. Other problems, including “silent tutors” and increased faculty workload, are discussed. It is concluded that after 5 years, Saga's implementation of a PBL curriculum has been successful. However, many additional issues, including motivation of students and preparation for PBL in the first 2 years, must still be resolved in the future. This is the first description of the positive and negative outcomes associated with the reform of medical education and the introduction of PBL to a traditional medical school curriculum in Japan.
Performance Anxiety at English PBL Groups Among Taiwanese Medical Students: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Chen Cheng‐Sheng , Lai Chung‐Sheng , Lu Peih‐Ying , Tsai Jer‐Chia , Chiang Hung‐Che , Huang In‐Ting , Yu Hsin‐Su
Published: October 2008

Students' performance anxiety can impact negatively on the effectiveness of medical education reform, including performance in problem‐based learning (PBL) and in using English in discussion. This study aimed to investigate the nature of performance anxiety among Taiwanese medical students in an English‐language PBL group. Eighteen Taiwanese, one American and four Asian medical students who were attending an international PBL workshop were enrolled. A questionnaire seeking demographic data and experience in use of PBL and eight questions evaluating performance anxiety were administered. The performance anxiety of Taiwanese medical students was compared to that of the Asians and the one American. Frequencies of each performance anxiety were calculated. The results suggested that the Taiwanese students showed more anxiety than the one student from the United States, but less than other Asian students. The acts of giving a report, being the center of attention, and talking in the PBL group were the most common situations related to anxiety in PBL groups. Using English and working in a new PBL environment are possible sources of anxiety. The presence of anxiety among the Taiwanese medical students in English PBL groups implies the necessity for developing an effective strategy to deal with students' performance anxiety.
Environmental Policy Convergence: The Impact of International Harmonization, Transnational Communication, and Regulatory Competition
Authors: Holzinger Katharina , Knill Christoph , Sommerer Thomas
Published: October 2008

In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of cross-national policy convergence. Yet we still have a limited understanding of the phenomenon: Do we observe convergence of policies at all? Under which conditions can we expect that domestic policies converge or rather develop further apart? In this article, we address this research deficit. From a theoretical perspective, we concentrate on the explanatory power of three factors, namely international harmonization, transnational communication, and regulatory competition. In empirical terms, we analyze if and to what extent we can observe convergence of environmental policies across twenty-four industrialized countries between 1970 and 2000. We find an impressive degree of environmental policy convergence between the countries under investigation. This development is mainly caused by international harmonization and, to a considerable degree, also by transnational communication, whereas regulatory competition does not seem to play a role.
International Institutions and the Volatility of International Trade
Authors: Mansfield Edward D. , Reinhardt Eric
Published: October 2008

During the past half-century, states have established a large number of international trade institutions, both multilateral and regional in scope. The existing literature on this topic emphasizes that these agreements are chiefly designed to liberalize and increase the flow of overseas commerce. Yet such institutions have another function that has been largely ignored by researchers, namely, reducing volatility in trade policy and trade flows. Exposure to global markets increases the vulnerability of a country's output to terms of trade shocks. Governments seek to insulate their economies from such instability through membership in international trade institutions, particularly the World Trade Organization (WTO) and preferential trading arrangements (PTAs). We hypothesize that these institutions reduce the volatility of overseas commerce. We further hypothesize that, because market actors prefer price stability, trade institutions increase the volume of foreign commerce by reducing trade variability. This article conducts the first large-scale, multivariate statistical tests of these two hypotheses, using annual data on exports for all pairs of countries from 1951 through 2001. The tests provide strong support for our arguments. PTAs and the WTO regime significantly reduce export volatility. In so doing, these institutions also increase export levels.
Moving Hollywood Abroad: Divided Labor Markets and the New Politics of Trade in Services
Authors: Chase Kerry A.
Published: October 2008

Theories of trade and domestic politics have been applied extensively to manufacturing and agriculture; the political economy of trade in services, however, remains poorly understood. This article examines how the “offshoring” of services segments labor markets and places low-skilled and high-skilled labor at odds on trade issues. Drawing from a case where trade has been politically contentious of late—motion picture services in the United States—the article finds that offshoring can aggravate wage inequality, creating incentives for low-skilled workers to demand policy remedies. Consistent with this expectation, an ordered probit analysis of labor-group lobbying reveals that low-skilled occupations in motion picture services were most likely to support countervailing duties and Section 301 action against productions filmed abroad. The findings suggest that when services are tradable, labor-market cleavages are not purely factoral or sectoral, but occupational. This new politics of trade in services has important implications for trade policy in the United States and multilateral rulemaking in the World Trade Organization.
Ensuring Peace: Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and Postwar Peace Duration, 1914–2001
Authors: Lo Nigel , Hashimoto Barry , Reiter Dan
Published: October 2008

This research note develops a new explanation of postwar peace duration: periods of peace following wars last longer when the war ends in foreign-imposed regime change. This study tests this hypothesis on a new data set (an expansion of Fortna's (2004) data) of all periods of peace following interstate war cease-fires, over the period 1914–2001. It also tests for other possible factors affecting postwar peace duration, including international institutions, the revelation of information during war, third-party intervention during war, postwar changes in the balance of power, regime type, past conflict history, and others. The article finds strong support for the central hypothesis that peace lasts longer following wars that end in foreign-imposed regime change. This pacifying effect diminishes over time when a puppet is imposed, but not when a democracy is imposed. There are other results, including that the strength of a cease-fire agreement has almost no impact on peace duration.
The policing of signs: Sacramentalism and authority in Rowan Williams' theology
Authors: Hobson Theo
Published: October 2008

This article reflects on Rowan Williams' postmodern approach to sacramentalism and ecclesiology, tracing it through various books and articles. Partly under the influence of the Roman Catholic reception of Wittgenstein, he expounds the centrality of the Eucharist in cultural-linguistic and semiotic terms. Through this central ritual the church signifies the Kingdom of God in a uniquely strong sense of ‘signifies’. He foregrounds a dramatic model: the worshipping community performs the new humanity, it is remade through this unique form of ‘community theatre’. Its guardianship of the ultimate form of Christian sign-making is what authorises the church, Williams teaches, and necessitates hierarchical control. The postmodern idiom therefore serves a very conservative ecclesiology. Williams balances this high ecclesiology with a recurrent apophatic theme: the church must remember that its performance of the Kingdom of God is provisional, ironic. Yet the article questions whether this is sufficient: Williams does not fully confront the danger of such an ecclesiology becoming the ideological justification of a form of social power. This danger is raised with especial pertinence by the issue of homosexuality: it shows that the ecclesial policing of sacramentalism is potentially erroneous. This issue therefore threatens to unravel his ecclesiology, or at least to expose its innate violence. The article concludes that Williams is only half-willing to confront the negative dimension to his sacramental ecclesiology: its ideological character, its potentially violent policing of all Christian culture.
How to speak with intellectual and theological decency on the resurrection of Christ?: A comparison of Swinburne and Wright
Authors: van den Brink Gijsbert
Published: October 2008

In recent scholarship the spiritual reading of the New Testament resurrection stories has come under pressure from new studies of the relevant data. In this article, two of the most conspicuous of these studies are compared and evaluated. First, Richard Swinburne's monograph opens our eyes to the fact that, in interpreting the resurrection stories, much more is at stake than is usually recognised in so-called ‘undogmatic’ exegesis. However, the rather crude way in which Swinburne deals with these stories, suggesting that they represent Jesus' resurrection as a bare fact not qualitatively different from other historical facts, neglects their peculiarity and displays insufficient hermeneutical sensitivity for their unique theological meaning. Second, Tom Wright's monumental volume is sometimes criticised for a similar single-minded focus on historical questions and a concomitant lack of attention to the eschatological character of Jesus' resurrection. As a result, George Hunsinger has argued, it becomes unclear why the resurrection reports embody life-transforming good news now. Close scrutiny of Wright's book, however, does not vindicate this criticism. Wright neither isolates the question of the resurrection's historicity from its theological meanings nor overlooks the fact that a plausible historical case for the resurrection does not in itself elicit faith. Still, he rightly argues that what people believe about what actually has happened often plays a vital role in their personal transformation. Moreover, the eschatological nature of the resurrection does not rule out the fact that it can be seen and discussed with integrity as a historical issue.
Bridging the gulf between biblical scholars and theologians: Can Barth and Wright provide an answer?
Authors: Michielin Maico
Published: October 2008

There was a time when the interpretation of the Bible was a seamless integrated theological activity. Today, the separation of biblical studies from theologically interested exegesis amongst theologians encourages a sceptical arms-length relationship between Old and New Testament scholars and theologians. Theologians criticise biblical studies' so-called objective and disinterested approach to interpreting the Bible for requiring scholars of both testaments to suspend their theological convictions. Biblical scholars condemn theologians for misusing biblical texts in support of their own preconceived theological agendas. The article suggests a way to bring these divergent exegetical approaches into conversation in a charitable, yet critical fashion, by comparing Karl Barth and N. T. Wright's exegesis of Romans 3:21–4:25. It concludes that the biblical scholar's and theologian's respective sensitivity to the historical and theological sense of the biblical text can, when brought together, benefit each other's reading of the Bible.
ELLIOTT CARTER'S ‘LATE MUSIC’?
Authors: Link John
Published: October 2008

As we celebrate his centennial year, perhaps it is now reasonable to speak of Elliott Carter's ‘late music’, but I doubt it. The Double Concerto – written more than 45 years ago – was once described as the culmination of Carter's mature style. And who could have predicted that the Concerto for Orchestra – completed in 1969, when Carter was sixty – would eventually join his Depression-era ballet Pocahontas in the first quarter of his total output. Every piece that once seemed to be the capstone of Carter's illustrious career has turned out instead to be a milestone that marks the beginning of another new path. Since he completed his first opera What Next? ten years ago, Carter has composed more than three dozen new pieces, comprising nearly a third of his life's work to date, all of it composed since his 90th birthday!
TWO RECENT CONCERTOS BY GEORGE TSONTAKIS
Authors: Agócs Kati
Published: October 2008

Music's ability to animate a range of expressive nuances between the tangible and the intangible, and to play many different roles in spiritual life, are but two reasons why artists with mystical inclinations often choose it over other media. The composer George Tsontakis (born 1951 in Astoria, New York, of Cretan origins) writes music that frequently explores mystical themes both directly and more obliquely. The goal of this – the first major journal article on his work – is to touch upon important attributes of that language and its development by comparing two recent works, both of which have been released in première recordings in the last year. Violin Concerto No. 2 (2003) and Man of Sorrows (2005), written within a two-year period, both belong to the concerto genre. (Although it does not bear the word ‘concerto’ in its title, Man of Sorrows is a large-scale work for piano soloist and orchestra). Despite their remarkable differences, both works represent a recent ‘crystallization’ of Tsontakis's musical language, as shown in the outstanding impact that they have made in the international sphere, and in their ability to appeal to both cognoscenti and lay people alike.
A COMPOSER IN THE PRAIRIES: WILLIAM LESTER AND HIS MUSIC
Authors: McBurney Gerard , Lai Jules
Published: October 2008

The 400 block of South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, is rich in musical associations. On the southern corner stands the Auditorium Building, the 1889 masterpiece of Sullivan and Adler. Inside its huge theatre were born both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Opera. For this gilded space with its unusual acoustics, Prokofiev in 1919 composed The Love for Three Oranges.
Review of Experiences within Ice and Iceberg Management
Authors: Eik Kenneth
Published: October 2008

A review of existing knowledge regarding how to manage ice during offshore work in cold waters has been carried out. The objective has been to contribute to increased safety and efficiency in future projects by learning from world-wide experiences. It was found that offshore drilling has been carried out in a wide range of ice conditions and at water depths spanning from five metres to more than a thousand metres. Icebergs in open waters have been handled safely over several years and the possibility of detecting icebergs is considered good. With respect to icebergs frozen in sea ice, both detection and deflection is considered difficult and the technology for doing so is not proven. Good ice management systems are considered to represent the main factors for operating successfully in the covered waters. Future work should focus on how to include the effect of ice management statistically in a design process.
The Use of Soundings for Navigation in the Mid-20th Century
Authors: Kemp John , Cockcroft Norman , Gyldén Sven , Iijima Yukito , Koburger Charles , Lyon Peter , Page David , Thirslund Søren
Published: October 2008

Many ingenious mechanical methods were used by hydrographic surveyors for measuring the depth of water in the early part of the 20th Century. These were superseded by echo-sounding and sonar techniques in the later decades. Relatively few of the mechanical methods were used by merchant ships but, in the years before radar and satellite navigation, they, and the increasingly popular echo sounder, had a useful place in the navigator's armoury of navigation aids. This paper is not intended to provide a detailed description of the development of sounding devices. Sections 1 to 5 simply outline the principles of the sounding devices with which the authors were familiar during their time at sea. In Sections 6 to 9 the authors recount their anecdotal experiences of the way in which they, personally, used depth measuring devices during the middle years of the 20th century.
Manoeuvring in the Agony of the Moment
Authors: Crosbie John Wilde
Published: October 2008

Professor Kemp1 has revisited the circumstances in which the Princess Alice crossed ahead of, and was run down by, the oncoming Bywell Castle in 1878. This note focuses on the seamanship of the manoeuvre made by the Bywell Castle in the agony of the moment before collision. This manoeuvre was judged to be wrong at the time. The note concludes by considering how this manoeuvre would be judged today in the light of the seamanship required by Rule 17 of Colregs 1972 and draws attention to proposals made by Captain Phillip Colomb to the Thames Traffic Committee in 1879.
Location-Based Services: A Road Towards Situation Awareness
Authors: Filjar Renato , Jezic Gordan , Matijasevic Maja
Published: October 2008

With the widespread use of mobile devices and increased demand for mobile services, Location-Based Services (LBS) represent a promising addition to service offerings of network operators as well as third-party service providers. Based on long-term research in LBS, our group has proposed a generic Enhanced LBS Reference Model (ELRM), which describes the concept, the architecture and the functionalities of the LBS. In addition, an evolutionary information process has been identified within the LBS, that represents knowledge maturity from position awareness to situation awareness. Both the ELRM and the information evolution process in LBS are presented in this article and illustrated by a case study within the framework of the 3GPP-standardised IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). This case-study emphasises the opportunities for navigation- and LBS-related solutions development provided by modern telecommunication technologies.
AIS Database Powered by GIS Technology for Maritime Safety and Security
Authors: Ou Ziqiang , Zhu Jianjun
Published: October 2008

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an efficient tool to exchange positioning data among participating naval units and land control centres. It was developed primarily as an advanced tool for assistance to sailors during navigation and for the safety of the life at sea. Maritime security has become a major concern for all coastal nations, especially after September 11, 2001. The fundamental requirement is maritime domain awareness via identification, tracking and monitoring of vessels within their waters and this is exactly what an AIS could bring. This paper will be focused on how the AIS-derived information could be used for coastal security, maritime traffic management, vessel tracking and monitoring with the help of GIS technology. The AIS data used in this paper was collected by the Canadian national aerial surveillance program.
Fishing Skippers' Perceptions of Integrated Electronic Marine Systems
Authors: Mills Stella
Published: October 2008

Integrated electronic marine systems are becoming part of the numerous screens which are to be found on ships' bridges and in wheelhouses of fishing vessels. This paper continues previous work which has focussed on perceived safety aspects of integrated electronic marine systems, in particular, a small study completed within the last two years which showed that some fishing skippers had negative perceptions of integrated electronic marine systems. This present study uses semi-structured interviews with skippers in the United Kingdom fishing fleet to show that integrated electronic marine systems can be perceived as increasing safety as well as being of good value in terms of need and cost. It is possible that such perceptions are dependent on experiencing the use of integrated electronic marine systems within off-shore trawling.
A Gaussian Sum Filter Approach for DGNSS Integrity Monitoring
Authors: Yun Youngsun , Yun Ho , Kim Doyoon , Kee Changdon
Published: October 2008

With conventional snapshot RAIM algorithms, it is difficult to detect small errors and simultaneous multiple faults. Assuming that we know the system dynamics, filtering algorithms, such as the Kalman filter, can provide better integrity-monitoring performance than the snapshot algorithms because the filter reduces the noise level of measurements. However, because the Kalman filter presumes that measurement noise and disturbance follow the Gaussian distribution, its performance might degrade if the assumption is wrong. To address this problem, we propose a fault detection and exclusion algorithm using Gaussian sum filters. Because GNSS measurement noise does not follow the Gaussian distribution perfectly, the Gaussian sum filter can estimate the posterior distribution more accurately; therefore it has better integrity-monitoring performance. This paper describes the detailed algorithms and shows simulation results to evaluate the integrity-monitoring performance of the algorithms. The proposed algorithms detect about 30% smaller faults and generate 35% lower protection levels than the conventional methods. The results show that the proposed algorithms can provide better accuracy and availability performance.
French vocabulary breadth among learners in the British school and university system: comparing knowledge over time
Authors: MILTON JAMES
Published: October 2008

This paper investigates the scale of vocabulary learning that appears to be common among British foreign language learners of French up to university graduation. These results are compared with historical data and the knowledge learners possessed in previous generations. This is done by comparing current students' vocabulary knowledge with students who studied more than 20 years ago. These comparisons provide very powerful evidence in support of claims made to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority of a progressive decline in the knowledge of learners and the standard of school examinations over a period of decades.
Dispersion of the P wave as a test for cardiac autonomic function in diabetic children
Authors: Imamoglu Ebru Y. , Oztunc Funda , Eroglu Ayse G. , Onal Hasan , Guzeltas Alper
Published: October 2008

Objective

We aimed, in this study, to compare dispersion of the p wave in patients with type 1 diabetes to nondiabetic control subjects, and to investigate the relationship between the dispersion of the p wave and cardiac autonomic dysfunction in diabetic children.

Methods

We enrolled 49 patients with type 1 diabetes, and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects, measuring the Valsalva ratio, resting heart rate, and orthostatic hypotension in all. The duration of the p wave was measured manually on a high-resolution computer screen. Dispersion, defined as the difference between maximum and minimum durations of the p waves, was also measured in the 12-lead electrocardiogram before and after the Valsalva maneuver.

Results

The mean age of the patients and their controls were 14.2 ± 4.8 years, and 12.7 ± 4.5 years, respectively. The mean duration of diabetes had been 6.2 ± 4.6 years. Maximal and minimal values for the duration of the p wave were significantly decreased in the diabetic children, with the dispersion itself significantly increased. Values for the dispersion in the diabetic subjects were similar before and after the Valsalva maneuver, whereas dispersion was found significantly increased after this maneuver in the controls. The differences in the Valsalva ratio, resting heart rate, and orthostatic hypotension between the groups, on the other hand, were not found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion

The noted increase in the dispersion of the p wave in diabetic children reveals the onset of cardiac electrophysiological heterogeneity before it is possible to detect parasympathetic and sympathetic dysfunction with other tests.
Atrioventricular block following implantation of a stent in the oval fossa
Authors: Sreeram Narayanswami , Emmel Mathias , Bennink Gerardus
Published: October 2008

A neonate weighing 2.8 kilograms underwent the staged hybrid procedure for palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Within 6 hours following placement of a stent to retain patency of the interatrial communication, the infant developed second degree atrioventricular block, which resolved within 24 hours. Four days later, the patient developed complete atrioventricular dissociation. Removal of the stent was followed by recovery of atrioventricular conduction.
The syndrome of cardiac failure in adults with congenitally corrected transposition
Authors: Koželj Mirta , Prokšelj Katja , Berden Pavel , Jan Matevž , Osredkar Joško , Bunc Matjaž , Tretjak Martin , Podnar Tomaž
Published: October 2008

Objectives

To assess neurohormonal activation of cardiac failure in adults with congenitally corrected transposition, and to determine the most sensitive marker for recognition of the cardiac failure.

Background

The onset of morphologically right ventricular dysfunction is unpredictable in patients with congenitally corrected transposition, the combination of discordant atrioventricular and ventriculo-arterial connections, and its markers are unknown.

Methods

We measured amino terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide in 19 patients, aged 35 plus or minus 13.1 years, and in 19 control subjects. Morhologically right ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography, including tissue Doppler echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging or multislice computed tomography.

Results

The patients showed a highly significant increase in the levels of amino terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide, the levels being significantly elevated even in asymptomatic patients. Left atrial dimensions were larger in patients, and significantly lower tissue Doppler echocardiographic velocities were measured at the lateral site of the tricuspid annulus and at the basal segment of the interventricular septum. The ejection fraction of the morphologically right ventricle correlated significantly with the levels of brain natriuretic peptide, and with left atrial dimensions.

Conclusions

Neurohormonal activation is present in patients with congenitally corrected transposition even when they are asymptomatic. It is correlated with left atrial dimensions and tissue Doppler echocardiographic parameters. Levels of brain natriuretic peptide, and peak tricuspid early diastolic annular velocity, are the earliest and most sensitive markers of morphologically right ventricular dysfunction.
Implantation of drug-eluting stents for relief of obstructed infra-cardiac totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection in isomerism of the right atrial appendages
Authors: Wong Derek T. H. , Yoo Shi-Joon , Lee Kyong-Jin
Published: October 2008

We describe an infant with severe obstruction of infra-cardiac totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection associated with right isomerism, atrioventricular septal defect, pulmonary atresia, and multiple aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Implantation of a stent into the obstructed descending vertical vein provided effective palliation, with a dramatic increase in saturations of oxygen obviating the need for urgent high-risk surgery.
Hypothalamic orexins/hypocretins as regulators of breathing
Authors: Williams Rhîannan H. , Burdakov Denis
Published: October 2008

It was suggested half a century ago that electrical impulses from the lateral hypothalamic area stimulate breathing. It is now emerging that these effects may be mediated, at least in part, by neurons containing orexin neuropeptides (also known as hypocretins). These cells promote wakefulness and consciousness, and their loss results in narcolepsy. Recent data also show that orexin neurons directly project to respiratory centres in the brainstem, which express orexin receptors, and where injection of orexin stimulates breathing. Because orexin neurons receive inputs that signal metabolic, sleep/wake and emotional states, it is tempting to speculate that they may regulate breathing according to these parameters. Knockout of the orexin gene in mice reduces CO2-induced increases in breathing by ∼50% and increases the frequency of spontaneous sleep apneas. The relationship between orexins and breathing may be bidirectional: the rate of breathing controls acid and CO2levels, and these signals alter the electrical activity of orexin neurons in vitro. Overall, these findings suggest that orexins are important for the regulation of breathing and may potentially play a role in the pathophysiology and medical treatment of respiratory disorders.
Managing public investment funds: best practices and new questions
Authors: MITCHELL OLIVIA S. , PIGGOTT JOHN , KUMRU CAGRI
Published: October 2008

Large publicly held pools of assets are playing an increasingly prominent role in the global investment arena. We compare three distinct forms of such public funds, namelyforeign exchange reservefunds,sovereign wealthfunds, andpublic pensionfunds, to highlight their differences and similarities. We review previous studies on ways to better secure prudent and economically sound public fund management practices in these funds, as well as how to evaluate their governance and investment policies and how to better protect the assets from political interference. Drawing from the pension and corporate finance literature, we also link their management to governance practices and country-specific characteristics, and contrast those with empirical findings on linkages with corporate governance.
Intentions and Other Symbolic Contributions to Society
Authors: Wicklund Robert A. , Rise Jostein
Published: October 2008

Much of human social behavior in modern societies entails symbolic contributions. According to the concept introduced here, symbolic contributions serve a substitute function, allowing individuals to continue to be accepted by society even when they are incapable of direct, or so-called “actual” contributions (e.g., math skills, language skills, social and moral competence). Symbolic contributions, such as verbal statements of intention to act, become necessary psychologically when the person lacks training/experience or is not free to act. Thus, lack of ability or absence of occasion to act leads to adopting symbolic forms of contributions. Correspondingly, people would not take these symbolic routes if they were competent, experienced, and in contexts that enabled them to act directly.
Importance of Personal Goals in People with Independent Versus Interdependent Selves
Authors: van Horen Femke , Pöhlmann Claudia , Koeppen Karoline , Hannover Bettina
Published: October 2008

This paper investigates how the importance attached to personal goals differs according to the person’s independent or interdependent self. Results of one questionnaire study and two priming studies showed that, overall, independents considered their goals more important than interdependents. A closer analysis revealed, however, that interdependents assigned more relevance to social goals (e.g., harmony with others), than to individual goals (e.g., to be successful), whereas independents attached equal importance to both types of goals.