bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nine Reflections on the Book: Poststructuralism and the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Koosed Jennifer L.
Published: June 2008

This article provides an overview of poststructuralism and the Hebrew Bible. The overview begins by explaining structuralism and poststructuralism. It then provides a short history of Hebrew Bible engagements with this mode of reading, and an analysis of the controversies within biblical scholarship and religion over its use and application. Finally, the article reflects upon the future of poststructuralism in Hebrew Bible scholarship, arguing that such approaches open up new avenues of understanding about the text, ethics, theology, society, and self.
Reassessing Albrecht Ritschl's Theology: A Survey of Recent Literature
Authors: Chalamet Christophe
Published: June 2008

The theology of Albrecht Ritschl (1822–1889) has been undergoing a major reassessment since the late 1960s. This survey presents some of the best findings in recent scholarly literature. The aim of the reappraisal of Ritschl's theology has been and still is to reach a fair understanding of his theological achievement, which has sometimes been misunderstood and even caricatured in the late nineteenth and in the twentieth century. The survey focuses on Ritschl's use of Martin Luther, his debate with F. H. R. von Frank (1827–1894) on God as absolute, his interest in Kant and Lotze (1817–1881), his relation to metaphysics, and two decisive aspects of his constructive theology: his emphasis on community and the kingdom of God.
Early Medieval Christian Identity and Anti‐Judaism: The Case of the Visigothic Kingdom
Authors: Stocking Rachel L.
Published: June 2008

This article discusses the efforts by Catholic rulers to eliminate the Jewish communities of the Visigothic kingdom in Spain. Their sustained effort to define Christian identity through the forced baptism of Jews and criminalization of Judaism was unusual in early medieval Europe. In explaining Visigothic anti‐Judaism, modern historians have disagreed over the roles of Iberian Jews, Visigothic kings, and Catholic church leaders such as Isidore of Seville. This article suggests that rather than seeking causation in royal greed, religious fanaticism, or ‘crypto‐Judaism’, historians can more fruitfully call upon the approaches used by scholars of later medieval Christian identity and anti‐Judaism in Western Europe.
Psychology of Religion: An Overview of its History and Current Status
Authors: Main Roderick
Published: June 2008

The psychology of religion is a complex field involving a variety of approaches that have not always developed in clear relationship to one another. As an aid to orientation, this article aims to provide an overview of the history and current status of the psychology of religion. It discusses the early contexts and origins of psychology of religion; depth psychological approaches to religion, especially those of Freud and Jung; empirical approaches stemming from mainstream scientific psychology; and some ways in which religion and psychology have stood in a more reciprocal relationship to each other. Common issues addressed by the article in relation to these diverse approaches include methodology; the content of religion; the origin, development, and effects of religion; and evaluations – both the theories’ evaluations of religion and scholarly evaluations of the theories.
The Right Hemisphere's Contribution to the Processing of Semantic Relationships between Words
Authors: Kahlaoui Karima , Scherer Lilian C. , Joanette Yves
Published: June 2008

For more than a century, language has been assumed to be entirely dependent on left‐hemisphere‐based processing. However, since the early 1960s, evidence for the right hemisphere's involvement in language processing, in particular in the semantic processing of words, has emerged. At least three complementary approaches have provided evidence of this: behavioral data from neurologically intact participants, the study of brain‐damaged patients and the use of neuroimaging methods. The goal of this article is to review the major evidence from these three sources concerning the nature of the right hemisphere's contribution to the semantic processing of words. Overall, the data from these studies suggest that both the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere are crucial for semantic processing, with both hemispheres being involved in different ways in the processing of semantic knowledge.
Do We Need a Distinction between Arguments and Adjuncts? Evidence from Psycholinguistic Studies of Comprehension
Authors: Tutunjian Damon , Boland Julie E.
Published: June 2008

Within both psycholinguistic theories of parsing and formal theories of syntax, a distinction between arguments and adjuncts is central to some theories, while minimized or denied by others. Even for theories that deem the argument/adjunct distinction important, the exact nature of the distinction has been difficult to characterize. In this article, we review the psycholinguistic evidence for an argument/adjunct distinction, discuss how argument status can best be defined in the light of such evidence, and consider the implications for how grammatical knowledge is represented and accessed in the human mind.
Mismatching Meanings in Brain and Behavior
Authors: Pylkkänen Liina
Published: June 2008

Natural language interpretation is generally thought to be compositional, that is, the meanings of expressions are a function of the meanings of their parts and of the way the parts are syntactically combined. Theories of the syntax–semantics interface aim to articulate the details of this function. This article discusses a new research program in which psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic experiments on so‐called syntax–semantics mismatches are used to elucidate the mechanisms that mediate between structure and meaning.
Environmental Change in Peri‐Urban Areas and Human and Ecosystem Health
Authors: Douglas Ian
Published: June 2008

Rapidly changing peri‐urban areas have great ecological and human land‐use diversity. Contrasting habitats abound. However, little is known about the way that the biodiversity of a whole urban area depends on the variety of habitats and the linkages, migration and dispersal patterns between them. Great opportunities exist for extending these concepts in both the rapidly expanding manufacturing and commercial cities of Latin America and Asia and into some of the poorest peri‐urban environments. To take these opportunities requires understanding of the diverse pressures on peri‐urban ecosystems and their consequences for both ecosystem and human health. For some people, peri‐urban areas are healthy and the scene of good living standards; for others, they offer a survival opportunity. The complex ecology of urban and peri‐urban areas is constantly being disrupted locally by the injection of new species or new types and concentration of chemicals into specific habitats through human activity. Each change alters ecosystem health. The ecosystem health and human mental and physical health consequences of the interplay between economy, society, land and ecosystems in peri‐urban areas provide a wonderful opportunity for innovative thinking in applied science, particularly for public health medicine, geography and human ecology.
Industrial Symbiosis and Eco‐Industrial Development: An Introduction
Authors: Gibbs David
Published: June 2008

In recent years, industrial ecology has been the subject of both academic and policy interest, as a means of implementing sustainable development. For some academic researchers, industrial ecology is seen as the ‘science of sustainability’, while for policy‐makers one aspect of industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis, has seemed to offer new opportunities to combine environmental improvement, economic development and local regeneration through the construction of eco‐industrial parks. Industrial symbiosis uses metaphors drawn from natural ecosystems to suggest that industrial production can be reconfigured into an ‘industrial ecosystem’ where firms are interconnected through the exchange of wastes and energy. This article is intended to provide an introduction to some of the key ideas involved in industrial symbiosis and to the ways in which it has been used to inform policy.
Pre‐European Fire Regimes in Australian Ecosystems
Authors: Enright Neal J. , Thomas Ian
Published: June 2008

We use multiple lines of evidence, including palaeo‐environmental, ecological, historical, anthropological and archaeological, to investigate pre‐European fire regimes in Australia, with particular focus on the extent to which the use of fire by Aboriginal peoples since their colonisation of the continent at least 45,000 years ago has impacted on the Australian biota. The relative roles of people and climate (including past climate change) as agents driving fire regime are assessed for the major climate–vegetation regions of the continent. Both historical accounts and evidence from current land‐use practices in some areas support the argument that Aboriginal peoples used fire as a land management tool. Evidence for pre‐European fire regimes suggests that while large areas of savanna woodlands in northern Australia, and dry forests and woodlands in temperate southern Australia, were subjected to increased fire under Aboriginal land management; others were not. Areas where fire regime was controlled primarily by ‘natural’ climate‐fuel relationships probably included those that were difficult to burn because they were too wet (e.g. rainforests), fuel levels were usually too low (e.g. desert and semi‐arid rangelands), or resource availability was low and did not support other than transient human occupation (e.g. some shrublands). Scientific studies suggest that many fire‐sensitive woody species would decline under more frequent burning, so that the use of a small patch size, frequent fire regime – such as may have existed over large parts of Australia in the pre‐European (Aboriginal occupation) period – may have harmful biodiversity conservation outcomes if instituted without careful consideration of individual ecosystem and species requirements.
The End of the Person–Situation Debate: An Emerging Synthesis in the Answer to the Consistency Question
Authors: Fleeson William , Noftle Erik
Published: June 2008

We review the history and current status of the person–situation debate. We propose that the person–situation debate (1) is over and (2) that it ended in a ‘Hegelian’ synthesis. Specifically, we propose the following synthesis resolution: There are multiple types of consistency; behavior is consistent for some of those types and not for others; and personality and traits exist in the forms that produce the consistent behaviors. Incorporating both personality processes and trait structures in research will move personality research forward. In this article, we summarize the advances that the two perspectives have generated by working in opposition; we explain why both sides will suffer from continuing to work independently; and we anticipate several future directions that synthesis‐informed personality research can and should take.
Attitude Importance: Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Passionately Held Views
Authors: Eaton Asia A. , Visser Penny S.
Published: June 2008

People care passionately about some attitudes and consider them deeply important, and they accord no particular significance to other attitudes. In the current paper, we review the state of the psychological literature on attitude importance. We consider the factors that cause people to attach importance to some attitudes but not to others, and we review the cognitive, affective, and behavioral consequences of attaching importance to an attitude. Finally, we explore several open questions regarding attitude importance, charting a course for future research in this area.
The Social Value of Internal Explanations and the Norm of Internality
Authors: Dubois Nicole , Beauvois Jean‐Léon
Published: June 2008

Since the 1970s, it has been agreed that ‘internal’ people, who explain what happens to them by internal explanations (their behaviors, their aptitudes, their efforts, their personality, etc.) were more likely to succeed than ‘external’ people, who explain the same outcomes by external explanations such as chance, situational difficulties, the power of others, or fate. The social superiority of internal people is explained in terms of their personality (locus of control). Looking further into the intuitions of American researchers, a French school of thought attempted to show that internal explanations are socially valued. It was suggested that there exists a social judgment norm that could be called the norm of internality and that, perhaps, the success of ‘internal’ people was more specifically due to the fact that social appraisers, whether in school, in organizations, in the courts of justice, prefer this type of person because such people adhere more easily to current social ways of functioning.
Personal Relative Deprivation: A Look at the Grievous Consequences of Grievance
Authors: Tougas Francine , Beaton Ann M.
Published: June 2008

Stouffer et al. (1949) have first coined the term ‘relative deprivation’ to account for unexpected grievance expressed by members of a fortunate group. Many researchers have built on this work and have concluded that a person's feeling of deprivation is relative rather than absolute. In other words, deprivation stems from a social comparison with better‐off persons. In this chapter, a brief summary of the ground‐breaking research on relative deprivation is presented followed by an overview of research on overt and covert responses to personal relative deprivation. In accounting for the silent reactions of the underprivileged, we mainly focus on recent research linking personal relative deprivation to psychological disengagement. Turning to the responses of members of privileged groups, we take into account personal relative deprivation and gratification. Our concluding remarks suggest that responses of both the underprivileged and the privileged concur to the maintenance of the status quo.
The Interplay of Temperament and Regulatory Focus on Consumer Problem‐Solving Modes
Authors: Mooradian Todd A. , Herbst Kenneth C. , Matzler Kurt
Published: June 2008

Regulatory Focus Theory's two fundamental processing orientations, Prevention Focus and Promotion Focus, have been shown to capture important differences in problem‐solving motivation, goal pursuit, and individual‐task ‘fit’, although some ambiguity remains regarding the nature of these differences; they have been construed as chronic but have also been related to specific situational factors. Separately, understandings of temperament (hereditable, physiological‐based individual differences) have advanced significantly, although efforts to validate measures of temperament have been frustrating. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory posits two fundamental temperaments, the Behavioral Inhibition System (an avoidance system sensitive to punishments and threats) and the Behavioral Activation System (an appetitive/approach system sensitive to rewards). We relate Regulatory Focus Theory to Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, initiating the integration of Promotion Focus and Prevention Focus with the extensive extant theory and nomological networks of temperament and highlighting conspicuous empirical divergence between the two systems.
Why the Psychological Experience of Respect Matters in Group Life: An Integrative Account
Authors: Huo Yuen J. , Binning Kevin R.
Published: June 2008

The psychological experience of respect has implications for the nature and quality of group life and for the individual's psychological and physical well‐being. However, the manner in which respect has been studied and defined has frequently differed among researchers, making it difficult to connect the various findings. Whereas some researchers have focused on the implications of respectful treatment from group members (e.g., authorities, peers), others have focused on individuals’ perceptions of how they are generally evaluated by the group. We present the dual pathway model of respect in which these various lines of research are integrated within a single framework. Organized around two basic social motives – the need for status and the need to belong – the model describes two pathways (status evaluation and liking) through which respect from the group shapes social engagement, self‐esteem, and health. These evaluative dimensions are informed by interactions with group authorities and peers and differentially predict social psychological outcomes.
Social Capital Put to the Test
Authors: Adkins Lisa
Published: June 2008

This article offers a critical review and mapping of theoretical elaborations of the social capital concept and of some of the key empirical projects which in their various ways have attempted to capture and measure social capital. In so doing, it maps the rise and rise of social capital within the social sciences and beyond. It then considers a range of hypotheses which have attempted to explain the ever increasing prominence and reach of the concept. To understand this reach, the article suggests that we must look beyond the theoretical, methodological and empirical technicalities of the social capital debates and cast our eyes to a fundamental rewriting and reworking of the social field.
Confronting Young People's Perceptions of Whiteness: Privilege or Liability?
Authors: McKinney Karyn D.
Published: June 2008

Using the autobiographies of 193 young whites, I show how contemporary whiteness is characterized by a tension between perceptions of whiteness as a liability versus a privilege. I discuss how many young whites believe whiteness to be both a cultural and economic disadvantage and suggest how these perceptions can interfere with antiracism. Finally, I suggest some pedagogical strategies for educators to use in teaching students about race and ethnicity that might help to dislodge some of these fictions of whiteness.
The Sociology of Political Representation and Deliberation
Authors: Perrin Andrew J. , McFarland Katherine
Published: June 2008

The language of democracy and citizenship is infused with a complicated idea: political representation. While political theorists have explored what representation and deliberation should be like, most research on how political discussion actually happens fails directly to address these theoretical standards. This article shows the importance of representation and deliberation to our contemporary ideas about democracy and citizenship. It shows that there is no clear line between deliberation and everyday conversation. Instead, everyday talk constitutes the foundation on top of which citizens build ideas about politics. These, in turn, are the bedrock of democratic representation.
Orientalism as Cultural Practices and the Production of Sociological Knowledge
Authors: Chua Peter
Published: June 2008

Since the 1990s, sociologists and others have increasingly used the term orientalism to refer commonly to ethnocentrism, Eurocentrism, prejudicial stereotyping, and cultural misrepresentations of non‐‘western’ societies, particularly those influenced by Islamic knowledge and practices. I chart how theorist Edward Said has helped initiate the sociology of orientalism by emphasizing the relationship of orientalism as a set of cultural practice and discourse to modern empires and global imperialism. I discuss the prominent clusters of studies published in English in the sociology of orientalism: (i) cultural representations and (ii) cultural regulation and social‐identity formation. I argue that these studies have examined the ways orientalisms have deployed signifying practices of abstraction, difference, and desire in constructing problematic images and social relations. Furthermore, I contend that sociology as an intellectual endeavor still needs to confront seriously the issues raised by critics of orientalisms.
Environmental Justice at the Crossroads
Authors: Sze Julie , London Jonathan K.
Published: June 2008

The field of environmental justice emerged at a crossroads of social movements, public policy, and academic research – what we call environmental justice praxis. Now, the field finds itself again at a crossroads as it expands to address new populations, problems, and places. In this article, we first outline the competing definitions of the problems of environmental inequality and environmental racism from the perspective of social movements, policy, and research. Second, we identify the expansion of the field in two key areas: new issues and constituencies and new places and sites of analysis – specifically the relationship between the local and the global. This expansion leads to increasingly sophisticated spatial methodologies and social theories to examine problems of environmental injustice. Finally, we identify three promising trends in the field: refining the mechanisms and processes of environmental injustice, a renewed focus on the state and the environment as key actors, and a revitalized focus on the interactive and continually evolving relationship between scholarship and social movements.
Relative Effects of Climate and Water Use on Base‐Flow Trends in the Lower Klamath Basin1
Authors: Van Kirk Robert W. , Naman Seth W.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Since the 1940s, snow water equivalent (SWE) has decreased throughout the Pacific Northwest, while water use has increased. Climate has been proposed as the primary cause of base‐flow decline in the Scott River, an important coho salmon rearing tributary in the Klamath Basin. We took a comparative‐basin approach to estimating the relative contributions of climatic and non‐climatic factors to this decline. We used permutation tests to compare discharge in 5 streams and 16 snow courses between “historic” (1942‐1976) and “modern” (1977‐2005) time periods, defined by cool and warm phases, respectively, of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. April 1 SWE decreased significantly at most snow courses lower than 1,800 m in elevation and increased slightly at higher elevations. Correspondingly, base flow decreased significantly in the two streams with the lowest latitude‐adjusted elevation and increased slightly in two higher‐elevation streams. Base‐flow decline in the Scott River, the only study stream heavily utilized for irrigation, was larger than that in all other streams and larger than predicted by elevation. Based on comparison with a neighboring stream draining wilderness, we estimate that 39% of the observed 10 Mm3 decline in July 1‐October 22 discharge in the Scott River is explained by regional‐scale climatic factors. The remainder of the decline is attributable to local factors, which include an increase in irrigation withdrawal from 48 to 103 Mm3/year since the 1950s.
High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein measurements in patients with non‐arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy: a clue to the presence of a microinflammatory response
Authors: Kesler Anat , Irge Dana , Rogowski Ori , Bornstein Natan , Berliner Shlomo , Shapira Itzhak , Shani Shenhar‐Tsarfaty , Ben Assayag Einor
Published: June 2008

Purpose:  To explore the possibility that individuals with non‐arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NA‐AION) harbour a heightened microinflammatory response compared to carefully matched controls.

Methods:  Diagnosis and follow‐up were performed by a senior neuro‐ophthalmologist (A.K.). The inflammatory biomarkers included white blood cell count, Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), quantitative fibrinogen as well as high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP). The values of the inflammatory biomarkers of four and five matched controls were compared to patients with NA‐AION.

Results:  We examined 33 NA‐AION patients and 151 controls matched for age, gender, body mass index, oral temperature, smoking status and atherothrombotic risk factors. A significantly elevated concentration was noted for hs‐CRP (P = 0.021): 3.3 mg/l for NA‐AION patients and 2.1 mg/l for controls. Accelerated ESR (18.8 versus 13.5 mm/hr, P = 0.025) was noted in the NA‐AION patients.

Conclusion:  Following appropriate matching to apparently healthy controls, patients with NA‐AION presented a microinflammatory response, revealed by the presence of increased hs‐CRP concentrations and accelerated ESR. The finding, if confirmed in future studies, might shed more light on the eventual pathophysiological processes involved in the disease and pave the way for new therapeutic approaches.
Clinical guidelines, audits and hemovigilance in managing blood transfusion needs
Authors: NEL TERESA J.
Published: June 2008

The transfusion of blood and blood components is a critical element for the delivery of a healthcare service to patients. Tools to help improve the safety of the blood supply of a country include: (i) clinical (transfusion) guidelines to direct transfusion practices; (ii) audit systems to monitor adherence to the guidelines as well as the effects of adjustments to the guidelines; and (iii) the hemovigilance program which monitors the entire blood supply value chain, develops measures and solutions to problems that threaten or might threaten the safety of blood component recipients, and monitors the implementation of these corrective actions. Establishing guidelines, implementing audit systems and hemovigilance programs are achieved more readily in developing countries with limited resources available, if a step‐up approach is used. If these tools are instigated on an inappropriate level as initial programs, they will be unattainable and most initiatives would fail because the performance targets are unrealistically high. Starting with an elementary approach, acknowledging the shortcomings of it while creating a culture of continuous improvement, is the preferred option.
Building sustainable blood services in developing countries
Authors: KOISTINEN JUKKA
Published: June 2008

Countries with low and medium human development index (least developed and developing countries) represent 82% of the human population but use only 39% of the global blood supply. Additional funding for blood services is needed in these countries, but that alone does not level out this unfair balance. Political will of the decision makers to acknowledge the existence blood transfusions and blood banks and to create an organization for them is a prerequisite for development. Acceptance of blood transfusion as a specialty in medicine and national coordination of the blood services provide better service even with the already existing financial input given to blood transfusion. Different models for blood service operations exist; a centralized national blood service is not the only alternative and may not be feasible in large countries, but national coordination is beneficial even for them. Education of the public for voluntary, non‐remunerated blood donation and training of the personnel can be achieved even with limited resources, and guidance as well as training material is available, e.g. from the World Health Organization. Regulation of blood services helps in improving the safety of blood transfusion, but lack of laws and regulations must not be accepted as an excuse for not organizing the blood services. International assistance may be necessary after decisions of a nationally organized or coordinated blood service system have been reached, and implementation is planned. However, without local commitment at all levels – national, regional and local – sustainability cannot be expected.
Approaches to treating chronic anemia in developing countries
Authors: PHIRI KAMIJA S.
Published: June 2008

Anemia remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in developing countries where resources to determine the underlying etiology remain poor. There are three basic mechanisms for developing anemia, namely: (i) blood loss (hemorrhage); (ii) decreased production of red cells; and (iii) increased destruction of red cells (hemolysis). In this review on the treatment of chronic anemia, the causes of chronic anemia that are of major public health importance in developing countries are discussed. These include nutritional deficiencies such as of iron, vitamin B12 and folate; inflammation resulting from chronic diseases like tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus; parasitic diseases like hookworm, schistosomiasis; and hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Lastly, a practical approach to the diagnosis of chronic anemia is presented.
Role of HES 130/0.4 in resuscitation of patients with major burn injury
Authors: SUDHAKAR GOGULAPATI VENKATA , LAKSHMI PULUKURI
Published: June 2008

To investigate whether hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 can be used safely in the initial resuscitation (first 48 hours after admission) of burned patients, and more particularly whether its use in the early treatment of burns can reduce crystalloid overload. Burn patients with a total burn surface area over 30% were randomized to two groups receiving either crystalloids (Ringer's lactate) only or HES 130/0.4 (Voluven®, Fresenius Kabi, Bad Homburg, Germany) along with crystalloids for resuscitation. During the first 48 post‐burn hours (PBH), fluid requirements were estimated using the Parkland formula and fluids were administered according to the study protocol. During the study, randomization had to be abandoned due to clinical and ethical reasons. The difference between ‘Fluid required’ and ‘Fluid given’ was recorded as either ‘Fluid saved’ or ‘Fluid excess’. Patients’ body weight and limb circumferences were measured as a guide to quantify the edema. Ten patients in the control group received Ringer's lactate solution only and 22 patients in the HES group received HES 130/0.4 plus Ringer's lactate solution for resuscitation. During the whole study period, mean fluid saving was 15.9% in the control group (n = 3) and 44.7% in the HES group (n = 20) (P = 0.0151). Mean fluid excess was 16.6% in the control group (n = 7) and 12.4% in HES group (n = 2) (P = 0.7120). By the end of 48 PBH, parameters related to tissue edema (mean rise in body weight and circumferences of burned and unburned areas) were significantly more favorable in the HES group (P = 0.0071, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Although the other management methods were the same in both groups, nine of 10 patients (90%) in the control group compared with 11 of 22 patients (50%) in the HES group died during their hospitalization (P = 0.0341). HES 130/0.4 appears to be a promising artificial plasma volume expander for burn resuscitation as compared with standard management. Further well‐designed studies with large sample sizes are required to confirm these findings and explore the pharmacodynamic mechanisms involved.
Management of hemophilia in resource‐limited countries
Authors: AYOB YASMIN
Published: June 2008

Hemophilia is a rare congenital bleeding disorder that requires lifelong treatment. Prevalence is not affected by race, ethnicity or socioeconomics. However, there are considerably fewer hemophiliacs diagnosed in resource‐limited countries than in the developed world. Management requires replacement therapy that many developing countries find difficult to provide. While the developed world has moved to using recombinant therapy, many developing countries are struggling to provide plasma to the hemophiliacs, let alone plasma‐derived fractionated factor concentrate. Financial constraint is the major cause of these disparities. This is understandable as more pressing public health issues such as infectious diseases affect a larger population and require more urgent attention. However, there have been successes. Some developing countries are able to provide plasma through their blood transfusion program while some managed to secure government support to provide factor concentrates. Management protocols are developed to ensure their effective use. The World Federation of Hemophilia and national hemophilia societies have helped focus attention to the hemophiliacs and increase awareness on the management of their condition. Strong leadership and the development of a national program that includes proper planning and implementation can bring about improvement in the care of hemophiliacs in resource‐limited countries that would help them achieve their full potential and not be a social and economic burden to these countries.
Stimulation of intramembranous bone repair in rats by ghrelin
Authors: Deng Feilong , Ling Junqi , Ma Jiangyuan , Liu Chenhan , Zhang Weizhen
Published: June 2008

Researchers in our laboratory have previously shown that ghrelin, a gastric peptide hormone, may regulate mesenchymal cell differentiation into adipocytes and myocytes. Here we show that ghrelin promotes osteogenesis of intramembranous bone and improves the repair of calvarial bone defects in rats. Rats with a 9 mm full‐thickness calvarial bone defect received either Bio‐Oss® (control group) or Bio‐Oss® mixed with 20 μg ghrelin (treatment group), followed by local administration of saline or ghrelin (10 μg), respectively, on days 5, 10 and 15. After 6 and 12 weeks, new bone formation was assessed. Animals treated with ghrelin showed a significant increase in new bone formation as demonstrated by an increment in bone mineral density and fluorescence labelling of tetracycline relative to the control group. At 6 weeks, bone mineral density increased from 54 ± 7 (control group) to 78 ± 9 mg cm−2 in the treatment group, while the tetracycline fluorescence labelling increased by 61 ± 15%. A similar increment was observed at 12 weeks. Quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction showed that expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin and collagen type I was elevated. Relative to the control animals, mRNAs for ALP, osteocalcin and collagen type I increased 2.4 ± 0.4‐, 4.7 ± 1.9‐ and 4.0 ± 1.7‐fold, respectively, in animals treated with ghrelin for 6 weeks (P < 0.05). At 12 weeks, mRNA levels of ALP, osteocalcin and collagen type I showed a decline relative to levels at 6 weeks but still remained significantly higher than in the control group, with fold changes of 2.4 ± 0.8, 2.4 ± 1.2 and 2.1 ± 0.7, respectively (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that ghrelin stimulates intramembranous osteogenesis.
Lipopolysaccharide‐induced carotid body inflammation in cats: functional manifestations, histopathology and involvement of tumour necrosis factor‐α
Authors: Fernández Ricardo , González Sergio , Rey Sergio , Cortés Paula P. , Maisey Kevin R. , Reyes Edison‐Pablo , Larraín Carolina , Zapata Patricio
Published: June 2008

In the absence of information on functional manifestations of carotid body (CB) inflammation, we studied an experimental model in which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration to pentobarbitone‐anaesthetized cats was performed by topical application upon the CB surface or by intravenous infusion (endotoxaemia). The latter caused: (i) disorganization of CB glomoids, increased connective tissue, and rapid recruitment of polymorphonuclear cells into the vascular bed and parenchyma within 4 h; (ii) increased respiratory frequency and diminished ventilatory chemoreflex responses to brief hypoxia (breathing 100% N2 for 10 s) and diminished ventilatory chemosensory drive (assessed by 100% O2 tests) during normoxia and hypoxia; (iii) tachycardia, increased haematocrit and systemic hypotension in response to LPS i.v.; and (iv) increased basal frequency of carotid chemosensory discharges during normoxia, but no change in maximal chemoreceptor responses to brief hypoxic exposures. Lipopolysaccharide‐induced tachypnoea was prevented by prior bilateral carotid neurotomy. Apoptosis was not observed in CBs from cats subjected to endotoxaemia. Searching for pro‐inflammatory mediators, tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) was localized by immunohistochemistry in glomus and endothelial cells; reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction revealed that the CB expresses the mRNAs for both type‐1 (TNF‐R1) and type‐2 TNF‐α receptors (TNF‐R2); Western blot confirmed a band of the size expected for TNF‐R1; and histochemistry showed the presence of TNF‐R1 in glomus cells and of TNF‐R2 in endothelial cells. Experiments in vitro showed that the frequency of carotid nerve discharges recorded from CBs perfused and superfused under normoxic conditions was not significantly modified by TNF‐α, but that the enhanced frequency of chemosensory discharges recorded along responses to hypoxic stimulation was transiently diminished in a dose‐dependent manner by TNF‐α injections. The results suggest that the CB may operate as a sensor for immune signals, that the CB exhibits histological features of acute inflammation induced by LPS, that TNF‐α may participate in LPS‐induced changes in chemosensory activity and that some pathophysiological reactions to high levels of LPS in the bloodstream may originate from changes in CB function.
Piezoelectric Actuators for Distributed Vibration Excitation of Thin Plates
Authors: Dimitriadis E. K. , Fuller C. R. , Rogers C. A.
Published: June 2008

The behavior of two dimensional patches of piezoelectric material bonded to the surface of elastic distributed structures and used as vibration actuators is analytically investigated. A static analysis is used to estimate the loads induced by the piezoelectric actuator to the supporting elastic structure. The theory is then applied to develop an approximate dynamic model for the vibration response of a simply supported elastic rectangular plate excited by a piezoelectric patch of variable rectangular geometry. The results demonstrate that modes can be selectively excited and that the geometry of the actuator shape markedly affects the distribution of the response among modes. It thus appears possible to tailor the shape of the actuator to either excite or suppress particular modes leading to improved control behavior.
Fluid-Structure Interaction Forces at Pump-Impeller-Shroud Surfaces for Axial Vibration Analysis
Authors: Childs D. W.
Published: June 2008

Solutions are presented for the dynamic axial forces developed by pump-impeller-shroud surfaces. A bulk-flow model of the leakage path between the impeller and the housing is used for the analysis consisting of the path-momentum, circumferential-momentum, and continuity equations. Shear stresses at the impeller and housing surfaces are modeled according to Hirs’ turbulent lubrication model. The governing equations were developed earlier to examine lateral rotordynamic forces developed by impellers. A perturbation expansion of the governing equations in the eccentricity ratio yields a set of zeroth and first-order governing equations. The zeroth-order equations define the leakage rate, velocity distributions, and the pressure distribution for a centered impeller position. The first-order equations define the perturbations in the velocity and pressure distributions due to axial motion of the impeller. Integration of the perturbed pressure and shear-stress distribution acting on the rotor yields the reaction forces acting on the impeller face. Calculated results yield predictions of resonance peaks of the fluid within the annulus formed by the impeller shroud and housing. Centrifugal acceleration terms in the path-momentum equation are the physical origin of these unexpected predictions. For normalized tangential velocities at the inlet to the annulus, uθo(0) = Uθo(0)/Riω of 0.5, the phenomenon is relatively minor. As uθo(0) is increased to 0.7, sharper peaks are predicted. The fluid modes are well damped in all cases. Numerical results are presented for a double-suction single-stage pump which indicate that the direct stiffness of the perturbed impeller shroud forces are negligible. Small but appreciable added-mass and damping terms are developed which have a modest influence on damping and peak-amplitude excitation frequency. The forces only became important for pumps with very low axial natural frequencies in comparison to the running speed, viz., ten percent of the running speed or lower.
Vibration Absorbers for Hysterically Damped Mass-Loaded Beams
Authors: Manikanahally D. N. , Crocker M. J.
Published: June 2008

A procedure for designing dynamic vibration absorbers for a general mass-loaded beam system of variable cross-sectional area, when it is subjected to an arbitrarily distributed simple harmonic force excitation, is presented. The procedure gives flexibility for choosing the number of absorbers depending upon the number of significant modes to be suppressed. The beam is assumed to be hysteretically damped and each absorber is a spring-mass-damper system. For each absorber, for a selected mass, the stiffness and damping coefficients are optimized so as to minimize the dynamic response corresponding to the resonance frequency at which they are tuned to operate. The interaction between the absorbers is also accounted for in the analysis. This general procedure for designing vibration absorbers is then applied to a space structure modeled as a mass-loaded free-free beam, to suppress the first two resonances when it is subjected to a concentrated simple harmonic force excitation. The frequency response is presented in a graphical form. Furthermore, it is also shown that optimizing the beam system first and then designing vibration absorbers for this beam system will result in a small dynamic response. Although the analysis is general enough to cover beams of nonuniform cross-section, the examples presented in this paper of the above simplified model of the space structure have been restricted to beams of uniform cross-section.
Vibration Control of the Elastodynamic Response of High-Speed Flexible Linkage Mechanisms
Authors: Sung C. K. , Chen Y. C.
Published: June 2008

A methodology for suppressing the elastodynamic responses of high-speed flexible linkage mechanisms by employing a state feedback optimal control scheme is proposed. This permits the mechanisms to be subjected to controlled dynamic inputs generated by several pairs of suitably-selected piezoelectric ceramics while additional piezoceramics are utilized as sensing devices. This optimal control scheme includes a feedback control law and a Luenberger observer. The instabilities caused by the combined effect of control and observation spillover are investigated and carefully prevented. Finally, numerical simulation is performed to evaluate the improvement of the elastodynamic responses.
Biomechanics of Hearing Sensitivity
Authors: Lighthill Sir James
Published: June 2008

This survey lecture on the biomechanics of hearing sensitivity is concerned, not with how the brain in man and other mammals analyzes the data coming to it along auditory nerve fibers, but with the initial capture of that data in the cochlea. The brain, needless to say, can produce all its miracles of interpretation only where it works on good initial data. For frequency selectivity these depend on some remarkable properties of the cochlea as a passive macromechanical system, comprising the basilar membrane with its steeply graded stiffness distribution vibrating within the cochlear fluids. But the biomechanics of hearing sensitivity to low levels of sound (at any particular frequency) calls also into play an active micromechanical system, which during the past few years has progressively been identified as located in the outer hair cells, and which, through a process of positive feedback, amplifies (in healthy ears) that basilar membrane vibration. This in turn offers the inner hair cells an enhanced signal at low sound levels, so that the threshold at which they can generate activity in auditory nerve fibers is, in consequence, very substantially lowered.
Calculation of Sound Fields Over Audience Seats by Using Integral Equation Method
Authors: Kawai Y. , Terai T.
Published: June 2008

It is known that seat rows have a considerable effect on the sound transmission in auditoriums. When the direct wave propagates over the audience seats at near-grazing angle, excess attenuation appears in the low frequency range of 100-300Hz because of the interference between the direct wave and the scattered wave from the seat rows arranged periodically. The integral equation derived from normally derived Helmholtz-Kirchhoff’s formula (NDF) is used to solve this problem. In numerical calculation, it is assumed that the seats are composed of rigid plates of negligible thickness and the potential is uniform in each divided surface element. Sound fields calculated were compared with 1:10 scale-model tests and showed good agreement.
Experimental Identification of Mechanical Joint Parameters
Authors: Wang J. H. , Liou C. M.
Published: June 2008

The dynamic behavior of a mechanical system generally are strongly affected by the properties of mechanical joints. An identification method which directly used the measured frequency response functions (FRFs) to identify the joint properties was introduced in this work. Because the measurement noise in the frequency response functions is unavoidable in practice and may lead to very faulty results, the proposed method has been developed especially to overcome this problem. The accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method were verified and demonstrated by theoretical simulation and experiments. The results show that the joint properties can be identified accurately from the FRFs even with noise effect.
A General Superelement Model on a Moving Reference Frame for Planar Multibody System Dynamics
Authors: Agrawal O. P. , Kumar R.
Published: June 2008

This paper presents a mathematical formulation for a superelement on a moving reference frame. A group of constrained elements, forming a single degree-of-freedom with respect to some reference frame, is represented by one element. The configuration of a typical superelement is determined with respect to the reference frame using one parameter only. This reduces the number of generalized coordinates needed to define the configuration of the entire system. Energy relations and generalized force expressions are developed in terms of the reference coordinates and superelement parameters. An inverse dynamics approach is used to obtain the functions associated with a superelement. The differential equations of motion of a system consisting of one reference frame and several superelements are derived. Constraints internal to the superelements do not appear in the resulting differential equations. This reduces the dimensions of the problem and the computational time required to solutions. Two examples are considered to demonstrate the feasibility and the efficiency of the method.
Some Observations of Chaotic Vibration Phenomena in High-Speed Rotordynamics
Authors: Ehrich F. F.
Published: June 2008

Subharmonic response in rotordynamics may be encountered when a rotor is operated with its rotational centerline eccentric to that of a close clearance static part, so that local contact can take place during each orbit when the rotor is excited by residual unbalance. The rotor will tend to bounce at or near its fundamental frequency when the rotor is operated at or near a speed which is a whole number [n] times that frequency. Using a simple numerical model of a Jeffcott rotor mounted on a nonlinear spring, it is found that the vibratory response in the transition zone midway between adjacent zones of subharmonic response has all the characteristics of chaotic behavior. The transition from subharmonic to chaotic response has a complex substructure which involves a sequence of bifurcations of the orbit with variations in speed. This class of rotordynamic behavior was confirmed and illustrated by experimental observations of the vibratory response of a high-speed turbomachine, operating at a speed between 8 and 9 times its fundamental rotor frequency when in local contact across a clearance in the support system. A narrow region between zones of 8th order and 9th order subharmonic response was identified where the response had all the characteristics of the chaotic motion identified in the numerical model.