bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Difference: Conceptualising Increased Flexibility in Gender Relations at Home
Authors: Benjamin Orly , Sullivan Oriel
Published: September 2009

In this paper we have three goals. First, to provide a critique of attempts to theorise in the area of intimate care and domestic division of labour which do not pay adequate attention to issues of plurality/difference. We argue that the ideological environment within which contemporary couples operate consists of more than one existing normative structure, and that therefore an approach which can incorporate the idea of change can only really arise in the context of a focus on plurality and difference among households. Secondly, to discuss large-scale empirical evidence relating to the domestic division of labour which seem to indicate an increasingly narrow basis for blanket ‘no change’ arguments. Historical series of time-use diaries suggest that over a long period consistent changes have occurred in the amount of time that both women and men devote to domestic labour, such that (some) women are doing on average proportionately less, and (some) men proportionately more. Finally, to offer a framework for the discussion of difference and change in gender relations in the home. This focuses on the analysis of the continuing marital conversation as the key arena where the institutional and interactional dimensions of gender relations are played out. Our evidence suggests that the ‘opening up’ of the marital conversation is an important indicator and facilitator of change, and that mechanisms underlying this ‘opening’ can be shown to facilitate higher levels of men's participation in family work.
‘All Red in the Face’: Students' Views on School-Based HIV/AIDS and Sexuality Education
Authors: Lupton Deborah , Tulloch John
Published: September 2009

School-based HIV/AIDS and sexuality education is a fraught area, the site of struggles around moral values, knowledge, the nature of childhood and adolescence and pedagogy. The dominant discourses on HIV/AIDS and sexuality education in Australian secondary schools, as evident in policy documents, are currently predominantly libertarian and therapeutic, championing the need for ‘openness’ in the interests of the students' emotional maturity and social responsibility and their good health. However, policy does not always translate readily into practice. This article draws upon a study involving focus group discussions with Australian senior high school students concerning their responses to the school-based HIV/AIDS and sexuality education programmes in which they have taken part and other sources of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The article focuses in detail upon the students' valorizing of openness, trust and expertise in the face of the embarrassment, their perception of surveillance and their fears of lack of confidentiality that characterize their experience of HIV/AIDS and sexuality education. It is concluded that the nature of the teacher-adolescent relationship tends to work against the achievement of the objectives of such education.
‘A Murderous ‘Underclass’? The Press Reporting of Sexually Motivated Murder
Authors: Grover Chris , Soothill Keith
Published: September 2009

The ‘underclass’ is widely held by commentators of the Right to be responsible for a host of social problems, including violent crime. This paper shows how in the reporting of sexually motivated murder in a sample of nine British newspapers for one complete year (1992), the image constructed is one where unemployed and other marginalised men are portrayed as the main perpetrators of sexual violence. This, the authors argue, hampers our understanding of sexual violence, for it suggests that it is only men of a ‘low’ socio-economic background who are a potential threat to women and children. It is also suggested that the ‘symbolic environment’ of the press reporting of sexual murder provides a context in which a more authoritarian benefit regime and greater control of poor communities can be spuriously justified.
Fetishism and the Social Value of Objects
Authors: Dant Tim
Published: September 2009

The idea of the fetish has a particular presence in the writings of both Marx and Freud. It implies for these two theorists of the social, a particular form of relation between human beings and objects. In the work of both, the idea of the fetish involves attributing properties to objects that they do not ‘really’ have and that should correctly be recognised as human. While Marx's account of fetishism addresses the exchange-value of commodities at the level of the economic relations of production, it fails to deal in any detail with the use-value or consumption of commodities. In contrast Freud's concept of the fetish as a desired substitute for a suitable sex object explores how objects are desired and consumed. Drawing on both Marx and Freud, Baudrillard breaks with their analyses of fetishism as demonstrating a human relation with unreal objects. He explores the creation of value in objects through the social exchange of sign values, showing how objects are fetishised in ostentation. This paper argues that while Baudrillard breaks with the realism characteristic of Marx's and Freud's analyses of fetishism, he does not go far enough in describing the social and discursive practices in which objects are used and sometimes transformed into fetishes. It is proposed that the fetishisation of objects involves an overdetermination of their social value through a discursive negotiation of the capacities of objects that stimulates fantasy and desire for them.
‘It's Good to Talk’: The Focus Group and the Sociological Imagination
Authors: Johnson Alan
Published: September 2009

This paper argues that the critical social scientist can employ the focus group – group discussions focused by a facilitator around a particular topic or area of experience – to recast radically both the social relations and the object of the research process. I explore the potential of the focus group to cultivate the sociological imagination in both the facilitating social scientist and the participants: in Bhaskarian terms, a ‘transformational act’, raising consciousness and empowering participants, rupturing rather than reproducing underlying relations of exploitation and domination. The hitherto dominant forms of focus group research are criticised as being embedded in the epistemological and methodological assumptions of positivism, behaviourism and empiricism, and in social relations which service power. The qualities of the focus group which have attracted the marketer and advertiser – access to the experiential knowledge, opinions and world-view of the participants, in a context of synergic interaction – are examined. The paper argues for an alternative, radical use of focus groups, based on the new politics of knowledge associated with movements of social resistance. The relationship between this radical conception of focus groups and both Habermas's theory of communicative action and Bhaskar's critical realism is discussed and examples of the potential for focus groups to democratise governance and service provision are offered.
Constructing Women's Psychological Health in Anti-Abortion Rhetoric
Authors: Hopkins Nick , Reicher Steve , Saleem Jannat
Published: September 2009

This paper considers the ways in which anti-abortion activists construct women's psychological experience of abortion and explores the rhetorical significance of this discourse in advancing the anti-abortion project. In particular we examine how the psychological concept of ‘denial’ contained in the (proposed) diagnostic category of ‘Post-Abortion Syndrome’ allows anti-abortionists to ‘psychologise’ and therefore undermine alternative constructions of the experience of abortion. Further, we explore how this construction of women's experience allows particular constructions of the foetus (ie, ‘unborn child’) to be advanced (and naturalised) without reference to overtly political argumentation. The significance of this development of the abortion debate and its implications for the dynamics of political mobilisation are discussed.
The Sexual Division of Dieting: Women's Voices
Authors: Germov John , Williams Lauren
Published: September 2009

This article reports the findings of focus group research on Australian women who have engaged in dieting practices to lose weight. There have been few qualitative sociological studies on dieting, despite it being a common practice among western women. From the empirical data in this study three distinct themes emerged: women participate in the perpetuation and reinforcement of the thin ideal; women clearly trade-off health in the pursuit of dieting to lose weight; and the dominant discourse of the thin ideal is not only mediated in various ways, but is also contested by a reverse discourse of size acceptance. A sociology of food and the body enables the discourses in the area of dieting women to be deconstructed, offering an insight into the gendered context of food, which has implications for the sociology of health and illness.
Sharing Food at Home and School: Perspectives on Commensality
Authors: Morrison Marlene
Published: September 2009

Sharing meals together, both in terms of their social construction and the social rules which govern behaviour, is thought to be the essence of our sociality. Teaching and Learning about Food and Nutrition in Schools (reported by Burgess and Morrison in 1995) is an ESRC funded project, which, as part of the Nation's Diet Programme: The Social Science of Food Choice investigated food use and eating in schools. Prior to the project social scientists had seldom focused upon the social and educational contexts in which children and young people learned about food as classroom activity, as routinised eating in schools, or at the interface between home and school. It is at the meeting point of such interests that this paper on the social significance of eating together is framed. Interview and diary data from parents, ‘dinner ladies’ and pupils, in combination with research observations, are used to explore familial perspectives on the changing relationship between eating at home and school in two primary school case studies. The discussion of school eating arrangements highlights the complex issues underpinning the advocacy of school meals, not only in terms of nutritional impact but also in relation to the cross-cutting effects of institutional practice, socio-economic advantage and disadvantage, and cultural preference. The alleged decline of the ‘proper’ shared meal is also contested. Rather, the data show commensality being produced and reproduced in different forms.
Persistent Militants and Quiescent Comrades: Intra-Industry Strike Activity on the Docks, 1947–89
Authors: Turnbull Peter , Morris Julia , Sapsford David
Published: September 2009

Although dockers have figured prominently as a critical case in many standard theories of industrial conflict, they have often behaved in ways which these theories cannot grasp. This is perhaps most clearly evident when strike action at the port rather than the industry level is the subject of attention. Most notably, industry level theories cannot explain the persistent militancy of dockers employed in the major ports and the relative quiescence of their comrades employed at the smaller ports. To be sure, industry level variables can be used to understand the general character of workplace relations and the processes involved in strike action, but to fully explain the actual incidence and intensity of strike action over both time and place also requires analysis of the particular patterns of labour regulation at different ports and the consequent patterns of conflict and accommodation at the workplace level.
THINKING ANIMALS AND EPISTEMOLOGY
Authors: BRUECKNER ANTHONY , BUFORD CHRISTOPHER T.
Published: September 2009

We consider one of Eric Olson's chief arguments for animalism about personal identity: the view that we are each identical to a human animal. The argument was originally given in Olson's book The Human Animal. Olson's argument presupposes an epistemological premise which we examine in detail. We argue that the premise is implausible and that Olson's defense of animalism is therefore in trouble.
MAKING UP THE TRUTH
Authors: REYNOLDS STEVEN L.
Published: September 2009

A recent account of the meaning of ‘real’ leads to a view of what anti‐realism should be that resembles fictionalism, while not being committed to fictionalism as such or being subject to some of the more obvious objections to that view. This account of anti‐realism explains how we might ‘make up’ what is true in areas such as mathematics or ethics, and yet these made‐up truths are resistant to alterations, even by our collective decisions. Finally it is argued that the sort of anti‐realism suggested explains the appearance that the ethical domain supervenes on the naturalistic.
INDIVIDUAL PROCREATIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE NON‐IDENTITY PROBLEM
Authors: RIVERA‐LÓPEZ EDUARDO
Published: September 2009

The question I address in this paper is whether and under what conditions it is morally right to bring a person into existence. I defend the commonsensical thesis that, other things being equal, it is morally wrong to create a person who will be below some threshold of quality of life, even if the life of this potential person, once created, will nevertheless be worth living. However commonsensical this view might seem, it has shown to be problematic because of the so‐called ‘Non‐Identity Problem’. Both utilitarian and rights‐based approaches have been unable to provide a solution to this problem. I rest my thesis on two premises: that causing a disability or impairment in a future person isprima faciewrong, so long as we can avoid causing such a disability to that very person; and that reproduction, under normal conditions, isprima faciemorally indifferent. From these two premises, I conclude that it isprima faciewrong to bring into existence a person with a non‐trivial disability or impairment (which might be, nonetheless, compatible with a worthwhile life), even if the only available alternative is to remain childless.
DIS‐UNIFIED PLURALIST ACCOUNTS OF CAUSATION
Authors: TAYLOR JASON
Published: September 2009

One way of assessing the philosophical literature on causation is to consider views on the nature of the causal relation. Early theorists were ‘monists’, taking there to be one causal relation. More recent theorists, however, have turned to pluralism, which holds that the causal relation is only accurately captured by two (or more) relations. I argue that one way of being a pluralist – the way which takes there to be exactly two types of causation – is self defeating, if it promises to handle intuitions about all causal situations. I illustrate the point via neuron diagrams.
THESECTILIAPANELS OF FARAGOLA (ASCOLI SATRIANO, SOUTHERN ITALY): A MULTI‐ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE GREEN, MARBLED (GREEN AND YELLOW), BLUE AND BLACKISH GLASS SLABS
Authors: GLIOZZO E. , SANTAGOSTINO BARBONE A. , D'ACAPITO F. , TURCHIANO M. , TURBANTI MEMMI I. , VOLPE G.
Published: September 2009

Analyses at the Cu–K, Fe–K and Mn–K edge were performed to study the green, marbled (green and yellow), blue and blackish (deep greyish olive green) glass slabs decorating threesectiliapanels from the archaeological site of Faragola. Results indicate that all slabs were made by mixing siliceous sand with natron, sometimes probably mixed with small percentages of plant ash. Cu2+and Pb antimonates should be responsible for the opaque green colours. The dark green and yellow portions of the marbled slabs are respectively comparable to the slabs comprising only one of these colours. Cu2+together with Ca antimonates probably produced light blue slabs, whereas cobalt was used to produce dark blue slabs. We consider it possible that the abundance ratio of Fe2+/Fe3+and the complex Fe3+S2−would have an effect on the blackish slabs. The contribution of Mn cannot be ascertained even if it could have played a role in darkening glass colour. The comparison between the chemical composition of Faragola samples and several glass reference groups provided no conclusive evidence of provenance; whereas, the presence of a secondary local workshop can be hypothesized.
Sleep–Wake Disturbances and Frailty in Community‐Living Older Persons
Authors: Vaz Fragoso Carlos A. , Gahbauer Evelyne A. , Van Ness Peter H. , Gill Thomas M.
Published: September 2009

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between sleep–wake disturbances and frailty.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.

SETTING: New Haven, Connecticut.

PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy‐four community‐living persons aged 78 and older.

MEASUREMENTS: Frailty was based on the Fried phenotype, and sleep–wake disturbances were defined as daytime drowsiness, based on an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score of 10 or greater, and as subthreshold and clinical insomnia, based on Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores of 8 to 14 and greater than 14, respectively.

RESULTS: Mean age was 84.3; 87 (23.8%) participants were drowsy, 122 (32.8%) had subthreshold insomnia, 38 (10.2%) had clinical insomnia, and 154 (41.2%) were frail. There was a significant association between drowsiness and frailty, with unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 3.79 (95% confidence interval (CI)=2.29–6.29) and 3.67 (95% CI=2.03–6.61), respectively. In contrast, clinical insomnia was significantly associated with frailty in the unadjusted analysis (OR=2.77, 95% CI=1.36–5.67) but not the adjusted analysis (OR=1.93, 95% CI=0.81–4.61)), and subthreshold insomnia was not associated with frailty in the unadjusted or adjusted analysis.

CONCLUSION: In older persons, sleep–wake disturbances that present with daytime drowsiness, but not insomnia, are independently associated with frailty. Because drowsiness is potentially remediable, future studies should determine whether there is a temporal relationship between drowsiness and frailty, with the ultimate goal of informing interventions to reverse or prevent the progression of frailty.
Accuracy of Spirometry in Diagnosing Pulmonary Restriction in Elderly People
Authors: Scarlata Simone , Pedone Claudio , Conte Maria Elisabetta , Incalzi Raffaele Antonelli
Published: September 2009

OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of a diagnosis of pulmonary restriction made using forced vital capacity (FVC) less than the lower limit of normal (LLN) with the criterion standard diagnosis made using total lung capacity (TLC) less than the LLN in an elderly population.

DESIGN: Retrospective analysis.

SETTING: A teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred sixty‐four ambulatory and acute care hospital patients aged 65 to 96 underwent complete pulmonary function evaluation.

MEASUREMENTS: Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) of diagnosis of pulmonary restriction defined as FVC less than the LLN were calculated in the overall sample and after stratification according to bronchial obstruction. Expected PPV and NPV at different background prevalence of true pulmonary restriction (5% and 15%) were calculated using the Bayes theorem.

RESULTS: Low sensitivity (0.32) and high specificity (0.95) were found, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.89. In participants without bronchial obstruction, specificity was even higher, although sensitivity decreased to 0.28 (AUC=0.92). The PPV was good (0.81), whereas with a low to moderate a priori probability (prevalence from 5% to 15%) the NPV was fair (≥0.89).

CONCLUSION: A reduction in FVC below LLN cannot reliably identify true pulmonary restriction in elderly people, confirming previous findings in the adult population. Normal FVC, instead, can effectively exclude pulmonary restriction regardless of the presence of bronchial obstruction when the a priori probability is low or moderately high.
Right Ventricular Dysfunction and the Incidence of Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Therapies
Authors: AKTAS MEHMET K. , KIM DAVID D. , MCNITT SCOTT , HUANG DAVID T. , ROSERO SPENCER Z. , HALL BURR W. , ZAREBA WOJCIECH , DAUBERT JAMES P.
Published: September 2009

Introduction: Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) therapy is well established in preventing sudden cardiac death in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. The influence of right ventricular (RV) function on ICD therapy for sudden cardiac death (SCD) is not known.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 222 patients receiving an ICD for primary prevention of SCD. Baseline clinical and echocardiographic data were gathered. RV systolic function was qualitatively assessed as normal or abnormal (described as mildly, moderately, or severely reduced). Primary endpoint was combined ICD therapy or death and secondary endpoint was ICD therapy alone.

Results: The mean follow‐up was 940 ± 522 days. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.23 ± 0.07. By Kaplan‐Meier analysis, RV dysfunction was predictive of combined ICD therapy or death when comparing between normal and abnormal RV function (P = 0.008) and among qualitative ranges of RV function (P = 0.012). RV dysfunction was not predictive of ICD therapy alone with either type of classification. After adjusting for clinical covariates, severe RV dysfunction was predictive of the combined endpoint of ICD therapy or death (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.04–3.92, P = 0.037).

Conclusion: Severe RV dysfunction appears to be an independent predictor of the combined endpoint of ICD therapy or death. RV dysfunction does not reliably predict the incidence of ICD therapy alone.
The LPD 17 Ship Design: Leading a Sea Change Toward Collaborative Product Development
Authors: KEANE ROBERT G. , MCINTIRE JOHN , FIREMAN HOWARD , MAHER DANIEL J.
Published: September 2009

In the summer of 2005, the lead ship of the LPD 17 Class was delivered to the US Navy. The LPD 17 is a highly capable amphibious assault warship, designed as a total ship system, which will provide significantly improved warfighting capabilities to support US Marine Corps and joint operations. Potential ship capabilities were initially explored as LX Concept Studies (1989–1990) and the final ship took form in the 1990s as Preliminary, Contract, and Detail Design progressed. Fabrication of the lead ship began in June 2000 and the LPD 17 was launched in July 2003. Currently, three ships have been delivered to the US Navy and five are under construction. The LPD 17 was the last contract design developed in‐house under the leadership of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) ship design group utilizing NAVSEA's highly experienced ship design workforce. Many new and innovative concepts and approaches were introduced into the LPD 17 design and acquisition process. The LPD 17 was the first surface ship design to experience the benefits of Total Ship Systems Engineering, Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), Navy–Shipbuilder Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) collocated at the shipyard, and an Integrated Product Data Environment (IPDE). Such dramatic changes created many opportunities, hurdles, and even some pain. The Navy's Center for Innovation in Ship Design (CISD) championed a systems engineering case study of the LPD 17 ship design addressing all phases from requirements determination through detail design. This paper provides a retrospective of what occurred in order to document best ship design practices and lessons learned and to determine how the naval ship design process can be further improved. These lessons learned and best design practices will help transmit accumulated intellectual capital to other shipbuilding programs and future design leaders. The construction and delivery of ships is at a stage that provides a logical benchmark from which to make assessments. For example, the Secretary of the Navy recently received the US Marine Corps initial impressions of the LPD 17 Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL): “The Right Ship, The Right Size, The Right Capabilities.” Although a number of ship design process innovations contributed to a sound Contract Design technical package, it is now common knowledge that the LPD 17 lead ship was over budget and late. The authors conclude that the most significant best practice, or lesson learned in the case of LPD 17, is that there must be a tightly integrated, seamless, collaborative design‐build approach between the Navy and the Shipbuilder(s) throughout the whole design‐build process starting at the very beginning of ship design. There are new ship design projects like MPF(F) and CG(X) that could benefit from the innovations, best practices, and lessons learned of the LPD 17 Ship Design: leading a sea change toward collaborative product development.
Snatch Pickup of Gliders from Naval Vessels
Authors: THOMS KEITH H.
Published: September 2009

During World War II, US cargo gliders were retrieved with surprising regularity using an unusual technique. A passing airplane would physically “snatch” the stationary glider into towed flight. Snatch pickup's modern reapplication would revolutionize expeditionary resupply by releasing the beachhead from resupply lines and turning supply ships into open ammunition boxes. Snatch pickup enables faster sea‐based resupply and indefinite sustainment to warfighters ashore. Physics models of the snatch pickup technique, if they ever existed, are lost to history along with its wood and canvas icons. This paper develops physics models of the culmination of the operationally approved technique. A Newtonian modeling approach approximates a modern marinized capability toward estimating supply chain performance. It shows that snatch pickup's modern reapplication, without exceeding historical achievement, is both viable and highly desirable in the supply chain. Then a continuous physics approach uses Hook's Law to characterize the culminating technique toward future systems design. Using differential equations, this second modeling approach succeeds in matching a one‐dimensional nonlinear continuous simulation with historical measurements. Because the exploratory models successfully indicate system viability, this paper recommends further developing these concepts of operations. Three‐dimensional visualizations using the continuous physics model can demonstrate to the expeditionary maneuver community the value in developing marinized snatch pickup.
Nonparametric Statistical Analysis of the Reliability of a Naval Aviation Propulsion System
Authors: MILLAR RICHARD C. , MAZZUCHI THOMAS ANDREW , SARKANI SHAHRAM
Published: September 2009

This paper reports the results of applying lifetime (or reliability database) statistical analysis methods to engine removal data recorded over the initial 8 years' service of the General Electric F414‐GE‐400 turbofan engines propelling the F/A‐18 E/F Super Hornet in service with the US Navy, with the intent of better understanding the reasons for engine removal and their impact on engine time on wing (TOW), and to gain an insight into the reliability of the modules and components from which the engine is assembled. It was found that “coloring” the engine removals into three classes of reasons for removal enabled lifetime data analysis revealing interesting and useful features of in‐service engine reliability. Nonparametric statistical analysis provided actionable information on engine removal probability as a function of TOW and removal cause that should be applicable to planning flight operations, line maintenance, and support logistics. The analysis of engine removals due to hot section distress appears to disconfirm the presumption of independence between the three classes of removal. Opportunistic maintenance of modules made accessible due to engine removals to service other modules may significantly affect the observed engine removal distribution of the module of interest, i.e., competing risk masks the underlying module hazard functions.
Clinical and radiographic study of implant treatment outcome in periodontally susceptible and non‐susceptible patients: a prospective long‐term study
Authors: De Boever Annemarie L. , Quirynen Marc , Coucke Wim , Theuniers Guy , De Boever Jan A.
Published: September 2009

Objectives: To evaluate the implant survival rate, periodontal and radiographic parameters of non‐submerged screw implants with two different surfaces (TPS and SLA) in periodontally non‐susceptible patients (NSP) and in patients with chronic adult periodontitis (CAP) or with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP).

Material and methods: In 110 healthy partially edentulous subjects, 68 patients with CAP and 16 patients with GAP, a total of 513 implants were installed and followed for on average 48.1±25.9 months. Only fixed partial dentures were used as suprastructures. All patients were offered a supportive periodontal maintenance program. Smoking habits, health impairment, plaque score, bleeding on probing (BOP), type of surface, bone score, bone loss on radiographs and the number of failed implants were noted.

Results: Implant survival in the NSP and CAP group was 98% and 96% after 140 months (NS), but only 80% after 100 months in the GAP group (P=0.0026). The overall rate of implant loss was 4.7%, but 15.25% in the GAP group (6/16 patients). The average marginal bone loss for all implants was 0.12±0.71 mm on the mesial side and 0.11±0.68 mm on the distal side. Bone loss/year was 0.08±0.31 and 0.07±0.3 mm in the NSP group, but 0.17±0.2 and 0.17±0.19 mm in the GAP group. Only in the GAP group, was bone loss significantly related to BOP, age, inflammation, presence of plaque, probing depth. Implants with a TPS surface had a lower survival than implants with an SLA surface (93% vs. 97%; P=0.06), especially in the GAP group (80% vs. 83%; P=0.005). Smoking habits had a significant influence on implant survival only in the GAP group (P=0.07), declining in current smokers to 63%, and to 78% in former smokers. Overall, impaired general health had no significant influence (P=0.85). However, impaired health further reduced implant survival in the GAP group (survival: 71%). In a statistical model to predict the chance for implant failing, only periodontal classification (P=0.012) and implant surface type (P=0.027) were significant.

Conclusion: Periodontally healthy patients and patients with CAP show no difference in peri‐implant variables and implant survival rate, but patients with GAP have more peri‐implant pathology, more marginal bone loss and a lower implant survival implant rate. SLA surface had a better prognosis than the TPS surface.
Is the osseointegration of immediately and delayed loaded implants the same?—comparison of the implant stability during a 3‐month healing period in a prospective study
Authors: Zhou Wei , Han Chun , Yunming Li , Li Dehua , Song Yingliang , Zhao Yimin
Published: September 2009

Objectives: The objectives of the present study were (1) to compare the stability of delayed loaded (DL) and immediately loaded (IL) ITI SLA implants during the first 3 months of the healing period using resonance frequency analysis (RFA) and (2) to determine the factors that affect implant stability during the healing period.

Materials and methods: To compare implant stability, RFA was performed on two groups of patients (12 patients received 25 IL implants and 47 patients received 79 DL implants) with a total 104 ITI SLA implants. Implant stability was measured directly by RFA at implant placement and consecutively once a week for 12 weeks. Statistical analyses were carried out to study implant stability differences between IL and DL groups.

Results: One of the 25 implants in the IL group failed, and no implant was lost in the DL group. Implant stability between the IL and DL groups showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The mean implant stability quotient of all measured implants from implant insertion to 12 weeks was 72.88 ± 5.39 for the DL and 75.86 ± 3.60 for the IL types. The lowest stability was at 4 weeks for DL implants (mean: 71.58 ± 5.11) and 2 weeks for IL implants (mean: 71.33 ± 2.97). In both groups, bone types I and II showed higher implant stability than bone type III (P<0.05).

Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that differences in osseointegration between IL and DL implants may be predicted according to differential implant stability.
Impressive anaerobic adaptations in elite karate athletes due to few intensive intermittent sessions added to regular karate training
Authors: Ravier G. , Dugué B. , Grappe F. , Rouillon J. D.
Published: September 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adding a high‐intensity intermittent session twice a week during a 7‐week karate training (KT) on markers of aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms in elite class karate athletes. Two groups were studied: a KT group (n=8, age 20.1±0.9 years, 70.0±8.8 kg) that followed traditional KT, and a group that followed combined traditional karate and a high‐intensity intermittent training (HIT group, n=9, age 24.4±3.1 years, 67.0±7.8 kg). The subjects undertook a supramaximal exercise and a maximal oxygen uptake test before and after the training. Blood lactate, pH and plasma ammonia were determined at rest, immediately at the end of the supramaximal exercise and during the recovery period at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 15 min. After the training period, no changes occurred in the KT group. However, in the HIT group, the time to exhaustion, MAOD and in the maximal oxygen uptake test were significantly improved by 23.6%, 10.3% and 4.6%, respectively. A clear‐cut discrepancy was observed in the time course of lactate and pH in the supramaximal test after the training in the HIT group. We observed a significantly higher peak for lactate and a lower extreme value for pH with a shorter delay of appearance. At the end of the test, the lactate concentration increased significantly (+53.7%) and pH declined significantly, when compared with the values obtained after the same test before the training period. Ammonia was not influenced. The addition of high‐intensity intermittent sessions twice per week during the period of KT induced beneficial physiological adaptations in athletes, allowing improvement in the duration of intense physical exercise before a state of fatigue is reached.
Dieting and disordered eating in German high school athletes and non‐athletes
Authors: Rosendahl J. , Bormann B. , Aschenbrenner K. , Aschenbrenner F. , Strauss B.
Published: September 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine weight concerns, dieting, body dissatisfaction as well as eating behavior of German high school athletes and to compare disordered eating behavior of these athletes with regular high school students. Five hundred and seventy‐six young athletes of Elite Sports Schools in the German state of Thuringia and a reference group consisting of 291 non‐athletes from regular high schools completed a questionnaire regarding eating behavior and attitudes, dietary history, body image and demographics. The Eating Attitude Test was used to measure disordered eating. Athletes did not show a higher frequency of disordered eating than non‐athletes. A binary logistic regression analysis revealed that gender and dietary experience, but not group (athletes vs non‐athletes), were significant predictors of disordered eating. It can be concluded that dietary experience and female gender proved to be important risk factors of disordered eating. Participation in sports seems to be protective for developing serious eating problems, especially in girls. Potentially, regular monitoring of athletic performance by coaches might be a reason for this finding.
Longitudinal changes in genetic and environmental influences on older women's walking ability
Authors: Ortega‐Alonso A. , Sipilä S. , Kujala U. M. , Kaprio J. , Rantanen T.
Published: September 2009

This study examined the stability and change over time in genetic and environmental influences on walking ability among older women. Maximal walking speed over 10 m and 6‐min walking endurance test were measured under standard conditions at baseline and 3 years later. At both times, 63 monozygotic (MZ) and 67 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs were measured for walking speed and 58 MZ and 56 DZ pairs for walking endurance. Participants were twin sisters reared together and aged 63–75 years at baseline. Genetic and environmental influences were examined using longitudinal genetic modelling. The results showed that walking speed was preserved from baseline to follow‐up. Genetic influences on walking speed were also similar at baseline (56%) and follow‐up (60%). Walking endurance declined from baseline to follow‐up, while genetic influences for walking endurance increased from baseline (40%) to follow‐up (60%). Most of the genetic influences identified at baseline were also present at follow‐up for walking speed (rg=0.72) and endurance (rg=0.71). In conclusion, among relatively healthy older women, genetic influences on walking speed and endurance were moderate at baseline, while at 3‐year follow‐up a moderate increment was observed in walking endurance. Newly expressed genetic influences were recognized at follow‐up.
Eccentric exercise protocols for chronic non‐insertional Achilles tendinopathy: how much is enough?
Authors: Meyer A. , Tumilty S. , Baxter G. D.
Published: September 2009

Eccentric exercises for the calf muscles have been shown to be effective for chronic non‐insertional Achilles tendinopathy (AT). However, the relative effectiveness of various dosages is unknown. A systematic review of randomized‐controlled trials (RCTs) was designed to determine whether an optimum dose of eccentric exercises could be recommended. Three selected RCTs showed positive effects of very similar eccentric exercise protocols for chronic non‐insertional AT. Owing to insufficient reported compliance data, a conclusion on the relative effectiveness of various compliances was not feasible. According to our review, the relative effectiveness of various dosages of eccentric exercises for AT is still unclear. However, it appears that highly variable compliance rates result in similar positive outcomes; these findings, therefore, highlight the need for further investigations.
Combined definition of seed transfer guidelines for ecological restoration in the French Pyrenees
Authors: Malaval S. , Lauga B. , Regnault‐Roger C. , Largier G.
Published: September 2009

Question: Can genetic tools combined with phytogeography help to define local plants and how geographically close the source population should be to the restoration site?

Location: Subalpine and alpine French Pyrenees.

Methods: The main phytogeographic boundaries in the French Pyrenees described by different authors were studied and this geographic pattern was compared with the results of genetic analysis for the four Pyrenean plants studied (Trifolium alpinum, Festuca eskia, Festuca gautieri and Rumex scutatus), based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker analysis, unweighted pair‐group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) analysis and Mantel correlograms comparing geographic and genetic distances.

Results: The genetic analysis allowed definition of two main evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) for the plants under study. Although the limit between the two zones was slightly variable according to the species considered, an eastern and a western ESU was consistently observed. This delineation was concordant with the main phytogeographic boundaries of the French Pyrenees.

Conclusion: RAPD markers and associated Mantel correlograms can be useful to draw ESUs for individual species when the sampling intensity is relatively dense, and similarities were revealed between species sharing the same distribution range. This delineation allowed integration of infraspecific plant variation in the management of natural resources for revegetation in the Pyrenees. Nevertheless, caution is needed for the establishment of seed pools in order to maximize genetic diversity in each of the pools during collection and production.
Erectile Dysfunction Severity as a Risk Predictor for Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Salem Sepehr , Abdi Seifollah , Mehrsai Abdolrasoul , Saboury Babak , Saraji Ali , Shokohideh Vahid , Pourmand Gholamreza
Published: September 2009

Introduction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is now beginning to be considered as an early manifestation of a subclinical systemic vascular disorder and may be an index of subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD).

Aim

To further evaluate whether ED is a predicting factor for CAD while adjusting for other common risk factors.

Methods

One hundred eighty-three patients with newly diagnosed and documented CAD and 134 participants without CAD were enrolled in this case-control study at our referral center. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to assess the effect of classic risk factors and ED severity on CAD; calculating odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Adjustments were made for potential confounding factors including age, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, and smoking.

Main Outcome Measures

The prevalence of ED and the distribution of CAD risk factors (age, smoking, lipid profile, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus) were evaluated. The 5-item International Index of Erectile Function was used to evaluate the presence and the severity of ED.

Results

The prevalence of ED in CAD-positive and CAD-negative groups was 88.5% and 64.2%, respectively (P < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found for all risk factors (except total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels), and also ED prevalence between studied groups. Adjusted OR for age, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking demonstrated a significant confounding effect. Our results also revealed a significant association between severe ED and CAD (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.11–6.03; P < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study suggests that ED could be considered as a surrogate marker which can predict the occurrence of CAD, and severe ED could be regarded as an independent risk predictor in addition to the established ones.
Chronology of Erectile Function in Patients with Early Functional Erections Following Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Katz Darren , Bennett Nelson E. , Stasi Jason , Eastham James A. , Guillonneau Bertrand D. , Scardino Peter T. , Mulhall John P.
Published: September 2009

Introduction

The association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and radical prostatectomy (RP) is well established. It is our clinical experience that some men who have functional erections in the days to weeks after RP go on to lose erectile function (EF) after the first 3 months postsurgery.

Aim

To assess EF over a 12-month period in patients with functional erections at 3 months following RP.

Methods

As part of a large prospective quality-of-life (QOL) study of men undergoing RP at our institution, EF is measured postoperatively at regular time intervals using serial administration of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire. For study inclusion, patients had to have functional erections (a score 4 or 5 on IIEF question 3) at the third postoperative month, and have at least 12 months of follow-up.

Main Outcome Measures

Assessment of EF and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) use at 3, 6, and 12 months after RP.

Results

At 3 months, 76 of 482 patients (16%) had functional erections. Between 3 to 6 months postoperatively, 20% of men deteriorated in their functional status. Of these men, 91% had functional erections at 1 year. Comparing patients who did not require PDE5i to obtain a functional erection at 3 months with those who did, the EF outcomes were superior at 6 months (80% vs. 72%, P = 0.74) and 12 months (100% vs. 88%, P = 0.33).

Conclusion

The recovery of functional erections in the early postoperative phase, especially without the need for PDE5i, is a good prognostic indicator for EF at 12 months. However, a distinct cohort of men lose functional erections within 6 months after surgery. It is important to inform patients of this possibility, as it has an impact on their QOL and, potentially, on their compliance with post-RP therapy for ED.
Postoperative Orgasmic Function Increases over Time in Patients Undergoing Nerve-Sparing Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Salonia Andrew , Gallina Andrea , Briganti Alberto , Colombo Renzo , Bertini Roberto , Da Pozzo Luigi F. , Zanni Giuseppe , Sacca Antonio , Rocchini Lorenzo , Guazzoni Giorgio , Rigatti Patrizio , Montorsi Francesco
Published: September 2009

Introduction

Postprostatectomy orgasmic function (OF) remains poorly defined.

Aims

To assess OF over time in patients who underwent bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy (BNSRRP) for organ-confined prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods

Baseline data were obtained from 334 consecutive preoperatively sexually active PCa patients at hospital admission; data included a medical and sexual history, IIEF domain scores, and ICIQ-SF. Questionnaire were then completed every 12 months postoperatively, and patients participated in a semistructured interview at the 12-month (191/334 [57.2%] patients), 24-month (95/334 [28.4%] patients), 36-month (42/334 [12.6%] patients), and 48-month (19/334 [5.7%] patients) follow-up (FU).

Main Outcome Measures

IIEF-OF domain values throughout the FU. Multivariate linear regression analysis (MVA) of the association between predictors (patient’s age, IIEF-erectile function [EF], ICIQ-SF, and the use of postoperative proerectile pharmacological treatments) and the IIEF-OF at 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month FU.

Results

Preoperative mean (median) IIEF-OF was 7.6 (10). The anova analysis showed an increase of the IIEF-OF values (P = 0.008; F = 4.009) throughout the FU (namely, IIEF-OF 12-month: 6.1 [6]; 24-month: 7.2 [8]; 36-month: 7.3 [8]; and 48-month: 7.7 [9.50]). The 12-month MVA showed that while proerectile oral therapy did not affect postoperative OF (P = 0.150; Beta 0.081), IIEF-OF linearly increased with IIEF-EF (P <0.001; Beta 0.425). Conversely, IIEF-OF linearly decreased with patient’s age (P <0.001; Beta −0.135) and with ICQ-SF scores (P <0.001; Beta −0.438). The 24-month and 36-month analyses showed that IIEF-OF still linearly increased with IIEF-EF (P <0.001; Beta 0.540, and P <0.001; Beta 0.536 respectively at the 24- and 36-month FU), whereas pharmacological therapy, rate of urinary continence, and patient’s age did not significantly affect postoperative OF.

Conclusions

Postoperative OF significantly ameliorates over time in patients undergoing BNSRRP. The higher the postoperative EF score, the higher the OF throughout the FU time frame.
The influence of short-term variations in AM CVn systems on LISA measurements
Authors: Stroeer A. , Nelemans G.
Published: September 2009

We study the effect of short-term variations of the evolution of AM CVn systems on their gravitational wave (GW) emissions and in particular Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) observations. We model the systems according to their equilibrium mass-transfer evolution as driven by GW emission and tidal interaction, and determine their reaction to a sudden perturbation of the system. This is inspired by the suggestion to explain the orbital period evolution of the ultra-compact binary systems V407 Vul and RX−J0806+1527 by non-equilibrium mass transfer. The characteristics of the emitted GW signal are deduced from a Taylor expansion of a Newtonian quadrupolar emission model, and the changes in signal structure as visible to the LISA mission are determined. We show that short-term variations can significantly change the higher order terms in the expansion, and thus lead to spurious (non-) detection of frequency derivatives. This may hamper the estimation of the parameters of the system, in particular their masses and distances. However, we find that overall detection is still secured as signals still can be described by general templates. We conclude that a better modelling of the effects of short-term variations is needed to prepare the community for astrophysical evaluations of real GW data of AM CVn systems.