bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated with Changing Patient Needs in an Assertive Outreach Team
Authors: MacPherson Rob , Gregory Nathan , Slade Mike , Foy Chris
Published: September 2007

Background, aims: Although clinical use of needs assessment tools is widespread, there is little evidence about their value in longitudinal use. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with changing needs in an assertive outreach (AO) team's caseload, over a 6-month rating period.

Methods: The Camberwell Assessment of Needs Short Appraisal Schedule (CANSAS) and the Engagement Measure (EM) were used to assess need and engagement with services respectively, in an AO team caseload. Care planning was based partly on awareness of current unmet needs. The patients were then reassessed at a 6-month follow-up, to determine to what extent identified unmet need had been successfully addressed, and whether levels of engagement had altered.

Results: Data were obtained for 79 of 82 patients on the AO team caseload. At 6-month follow-up patient-rated unmet need, but not staff-rated unmet need, was significantly reduced. Patient-, but not staff-rated met need was significantly increased. Measures of engagement were unchanged. Patients' needs changed across a variety of physical, social and psychological domains, rather than in one specific area. In regression analyses, only accommodation type was independently associated with patient-rated changing met need; only diagnosis was significantly related to changing patient-related unmet need.

Conclusion: In this study, the CANSAS was used routinely in a standard AO team, and the finding that over a 6-month period patient-rated unmet need reduced significantly suggests that formal rating of needs assessment may have helped to target care planning effectively.The results suggest that accommodation type and diagnosis may play an important role in the ability of services to effectively meet patient needs, but further work in larger samples is needed to address these questions.
Civil Conflict in Northern Ireland and the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disturbance Across the United Kingdom: a Population Study Using the British Household Panel Survey and the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey
Authors: Murphy Helen , Lloyd Katrina
Published: September 2007

Background: To date, no large-scale cross-comparative study of psychiatric morbidity in the United Kingdom has been carried out until recently when the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey (NIHPS) included the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in 2001. The GHQ-12 has been included in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) since 1991 for England and since 1999 for both Scotland and Wales. The purpose of this article is to compare rates of psychiatric morbidity across the United Kingdom, given that one region in particular, Northern Ireland, has experienced political conflict and civil strife for more than 35 years.

Aims: To assess the impact of low-intensity warfare on rates of psychiatric morbidity in Northern Ireland and to compare these with psychiatric morbidity rates across England, Scotland and Wales.

Method: The sample consisted of 17,343 respondents completing the GHQ-12 across the United Kingdom. In England, 8286 respondents completed the GHQ-12 while 2729, 3165 and 3163 respondents from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland completed the GHQ-12 respectively. Results were then weighted according to population size.

Results: Rates of psychiatric morbidity varied across each UK region. Wales had the highest mean GHQ-12 score (11.54), followed by Northern Ireland (11.41). English respondents had the lowest mean score (11.02). The difference in mean scores across the four regions in the UK was statistically significant ( F = 5.04, df = 3, p < 0.001). Post-hoc analyses indicated that the mean scores for England differed significantly from those for Wales and Northern Ireland but not for Scotland. Region accounted for less than 1% of the variation in GHQ-12 scores.

Conclusions: Psychiatric morbidity rates for adults in Northern Ireland are comparable to other parts of the United Kingdom and we propose that individuals in Northern Ireland use a range of coping strategies to moderate the impact of the conflict in everyday life. These include habituation to the violence, denial and social cohesion, evidenced in the tightly knit Unionist and Nationalist communities. Particular concern was noted over GHQ-12 scores for Wales and while social and economic factors are acknowledged in our commentary, we conclude that further research appears to be crucial in understanding and preventing poorer rates of mental health in this region.
Young People's Recognition and Understanding of Schizophrenia: a Cross-Cultural Study of Young People From Britain and Nigeria
Authors: Furnham Adrian , Igboaka Anuli
Published: September 2007

Aim: This cross-cultural study set out to compare the beliefs about the manifestations, causes and treatment of schizophrenia in a similar sample of 95 Nigerian and 76 British (western control) young people in their respective countries.

Method: Participants completed a three-part questionnaire that was based on Furnham & Chan (2004) with additional questions.

Results: Results revealed differences between the two groups regarding the `normality' of behaviours associated with schizophrenia. Other than hallucinations, all the behaviours described were considered to be manifestations of schizophrenia more so by the Nigerians than the British. The Nigerians were found not only to agree with supernatural explanations for causes of schizophrenia, as was predicted, but also favoured biological (genetics, neurochemical changes, and brain damage) and sociological explanations more so than the British. Both cultural groups favoured orthodox psychiatric practices and supportive environments as treatments for schizophrenia. However, unlike the British, the Nigerians also recognized religious and traditional practices as possible treatment options for schizophrenia. Conclusions: As predicted, young Nigerians, compared with young British participants, tended to believe more in supernatural and sociological causes of schizophrenia.
Malay Anti-Colonialism in British Malaya
Authors: Fauzi Abdul Hamid Ahmad
Published: September 2007

The debate which arose between the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) in early September 2005, concerning the history of Malaysia's independence movement, necessitates a re-appraisal of the organizations and personalities involved. This article re-assesses the period and actors involved in bringing to fruition Malaysian independence. By utilizing mainly authoritative secondary sources, the reconstructed history belies the argument of the ruling elites that they inherit the mantle of `real independence fighters' from their political ancestors. Although the sources are readily available in Malaysian libraries, the truth contained in them has eluded the general public. Thus, to lay people, political history in Malaysia has been what ruling politicians tell them and what they find in school textbooks that, in any case, have been approved by the powers that be. This article reveals that pre-independence Malaysian history is replete with contradictions and paradoxes which may transform perceptions of who were and were not independence heroes.
There's a Devil on Wayamba Beach
Authors: Caron Cynthia , Da Costa Dia
Published: September 2007

In this article we draw upon religious sermons, poetry and first-person accounts to show how rural Sri Lankans used localized meanings of security and sacrifice to mobilize against a project of national development. Using Victor Turner's concept of social drama and the idea that state officials and citizens relate as audiences of each others' actions, we bring the methodological lens of performance to the study of citizenship, development, and legitimacy. The authors find that people's attempt to transform everyday meaning into legitimate meaning forms a profound kernel in the process of making of state—society relations.
The WTO Dispute Settlement System
Authors: Ijaz Latif Muhammad
Published: September 2007

This article argues that a major aim of the Uruguay Round of GATT was to strengthen its dispute settlement procedures and such efforts resulted in bringing about significant improvements in the WTO dispute settlement system. It upholds the right of initiating a panel process by a complaining government and thus prevents blocking at that stage. It also establishes strict timetables for processing disputes and makes all decisions binding unless the DSB votes unanimously to overrule them. If the defendants fail to comply, the WTO can authorize the complainant to impose retaliatory trade sanctions. However, the system is not without weaknesses as the recommendations of the DSB are not implemented promptly and it is still reliant in important respects on the consent and initiative of the parties to the dispute. Although provisions on dispute settlement are generally seen as positive by the developing countries, including Pakistan, many face the challenge of finding the financial, as well as human, resources to participate in the WTO's dispute settlement proceedings. Securing compliance from a defaulting country, especially if it is a developed country, to the dispute settlement of the WTO also remains a major problem. The article concludes that in a general analysis, the dispute settlement system of WTO has been used by both developed and developing countries, despite having some procedural and functional weaknesses mainly due to the lack of a mechanism at the WTO to implement its decisions.
Pakistan's Post September 11 2001 Afghan Policy Shift
Authors: Khan Ijaz
Published: September 2007

Pakistan had supported the Taliban until September 11 2001, which had gradually alienated the whole region surrounding Pakistan and Afghanistan. After September 11 2001, US-led international military action brought a change in Afghanistan that brought to power forces inimical to Pakistan and supported by the rest of the countries of the region. Pakistan minimized the loss it felt by withdrawing support for the Taliban in the wake of 9/11 and becoming an ally in the `War against Terrorism', with the result that the USA has played a role in stopping the total regional isolation of Pakistan. Pakistan's support for the War on Terror has encouraged a peace process between India and Pakistan. But for Pakistan's decision to realign itself, the regional geopolitical map would have been totally different.
Identity, Power, and Threat Perception
Authors: Rousseau David L. , Garcia-Retamero Rocio
Published: September 2007

Realists in international relations and realistic conflict theorists in social psychology argue that the perception of threat in intergroup conflict is a function of power asymmetries between groups. In contrast, social constructivists and social identity theorists argue that a shared sense of identity can reduce perceptions of intergroup threat. In this article, we test these competing arguments using three laboratory experiments conducted in two different countries (Spain and the United States). Four findings emerge from the experiments: (1) a weak position in terms of military power increases threat perception, as realists predict; (2) shared identity decreases threat perception, as constructivists predict; (3) an interactive relationship between power and identity appears in two of the three studies; and (4) shared identity increases cooperation in economic policy areas.
Political Aftershocks: The Impact of Earthquakes on Intrastate Conflict
Authors: Brancati Dawn
Published: September 2007

Although many scholars, policy makers, and relief organizations suggest that natural disasters bring groups together and dampen conflicts, earthquakes can actually stimulate intrastate conflict by producing scarcities in basic resources, particularly in developing countries where the competition for scarce resources is most intense. Capitalizing on a natural experiment design, this study examines the impact of earthquakes on intrastate conflict through a statistical analysis of 185 countries over the period from 1975 to 2002. The analysis indicates that earthquakes not only increase the likelihood of conflict, but that their effects are greater for higher magnitude earthquakes striking more densely populated areas of countries with lower gross domestic products as well as preexisting conflicts. These results suggest that disaster recovery efforts must pay greater attention to the conflict-producing potential of earthquakes and undertake certain measures, including strengthening security procedures, to prevent this outcome from occurring.
Dialectic and différance
Authors: Lumsden Simon
Published: September 2007

This article examines Derrida's critique of Hegel. It argues that there are two key issues that Derrida misunderstands in Hegel's thought: first, Hegel's response to the concept-intuition dichotomy that plagued Kant's critical thought; second, that Hegel's notions of reason and the dialectic, when they are conceived non-metaphysically, are not tools employed to subsume differences but are, like Derrida's différance, fundamentally concerned with thought's instability. The article shows the way in which Derrida develops the notion of singularity by an examination of the discussion of responsibility in his later writings. It is argued that the way that Hegel and Derrida consider the notion of singularity is a much better marker for distinguishing these two thinkers than Derrida's own interpretation of Hegel.
Wittgenstein, Kant and the critique of totality
Authors: Livingston Paul
Published: September 2007

In this paper, I explore Wittgenstein's inheritance of one specific strand of Kant's criticism, in the Critique of Pure Reason, of reason's inherent pretensions to totality. This exploration reveals new critical possibilities in Wittgenstein's own philosophical method, challenging existing interpretations of Wittgenstein's political thought as `conservative' and exhibiting the closeness of its connection to another inheritor of Kant's critique of totality, the Frankfurt School's criticism of `identity thinking' and the reification of reason to which it leads. Additionally, it shows how Wittgenstein's linguistic philosophy offers to challenge and undermine, in a historically novel way, the metaphysical assumptions underlying some of our most characteristic and ubiquitous social practices.
Is radical evil banal? Is banal evil radical?
Authors: Formosa Paul
Published: September 2007

There has been much recent debate concerning how Hannah Arendt's concepts of radical evil and the banality of evil `fit together', if at all. I argue that the first of these concepts deals with a certain type of evil, in particular the evil that occurred in the Nazi death camps. The second deals with a certain type of perpetrator of evil, in particular the banal `nobody', Eichmann. As such, bar a localized incompatibility in regard to Arendt's early account of the motivation of perpetrators of radical evil, these two concepts are independent but nonetheless highly complementary.
Challenging Habermas' response to the European Union democratic deficit
Authors: Bowman Jonathan
Published: September 2007

Jürgen Habermas' response to the European Union democratic deficit calls for a minimal threshold of democratic legislation through an explicit constitutional founding. He defends a model of freedom as autonomous self-determination by proposing to tie basic rights in the EU to a univocal form of European-wide popular sovereignty. Instead of constructing a common European political identity, I appeal to the novel democratic potential of institutions in the EU such as the Open Method of Coordination for mediating overlapping sovereignties in accord with freedom as non-domination. The concluding example of basic rights to effective participation for immigrants and permanent minorities illustrates the strengths of Iris Young's and James Bohman's republican views of non-domination over Habermas' call for a European-wide collective willing.
Volunteer Stroke Service (VSS) groups for patients with communication difficulties after stroke: a qualitative analysis of the value of groups to their users
Authors: Legg Lynn , Stott David , Ellis Graham , Sellars Cameron
Published: September 2007

Objectives: To identify the functions that Volunteer Stroke Service (VSS) groups fulfil for their members.

Design: Qualitative focus group study.

Setting: Mixed urban and rural community settings in Scotland.

Participants: Seven focus groups comprising a total of 24 men and 14 women, with dysarthria or aphasia following stroke, who were members of VSS groups funded by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.

Results: We identified eight main themes. VSS groups (1) include members in an interpersonal network, (2) provide members with the opportunity to develop interpersonal relations, (3) provide members with support, (4) provide opportunities for personal growth and development, (5) supply members with a purpose, structure and routine, (6) help members establish and confirm their identify, beliefs and values, (7) help members accomplish individual and shared goals, and (8) provide members with the opportunity to influence others and be influenced.

Conclusion: VSS groups appear to provide a range of functions that meet members' personal, interpersonal and psychological needs.
Effects of balance exercises on people with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study
Authors: Cattaneo D. , Jonsdottir J. , Zocchi M. , Regola A.
Published: September 2007

Objective: To evaluate the effects of balance retraining in a sample of people with multiple sclerosis.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Rehabilitation unit.

Subjects: A consecutive sample of 44 subjects was randomized into two experimental groups and one control group. The inclusion criteria were: ability to stand independently more than 30 seconds, ability to walk for 6 m.

Interventions: Group 1 received balance rehabilitation to improve motor and sensory strategies. Group 2 received balance rehabilitation to improve motor strategy. Group 3 received treatments not specifically aimed at improving balance.

Main outcome measure: Berg Balance Scale, Dynamic Gait Index and fall frequency were used to assess balance impairments. Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Activities-specific Balance Confidence were used to assess handicap and the level of balance confidence.

Results: Frequency of falls post treatment was statistically different among groups (P = 0.0001); The Berg Balance Scale showed an overall statistically significant difference (P = 0.0008) among groups. Change pre—post scores were 6.7, 4.6 and 0.8 points for groups 1, 2 and 3. Dynamic Gait Index showed an overall near statistically significant difference among groups (P = 0.14), with change pre—post scores of 3.85, 1.6 and 1.75 points for groups 1, 2 and 3; after the exclusion of drop-outs a statistically significant difference was observed (P = 0.04). The self-administered tests (Activities-specific Balance Confidence and Dizziness Handicap Inventory) did not show clinically relevant improvements.

Conclusions: Balance rehabilitation appeared to be a useful tool in reducing the fall rate and improving balance skills in subjects with multiple sclerosis. Exercises in different sensory contexts may have an impact in improving dynamic balance.
The role of fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with neck pain: relationships with current and future disability and work capacity
Authors: Lee Kwok-Chung , Chiu Thomas T.W. , Lam Tai-Hing
Published: September 2007

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between fear-avoidance beliefs and future disability and work capacity in patients with neck pain.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Setting: Physiotherapy outpatient departments.

Patients: One hundred and twenty patients with neck pain intensity sufficient

to affect their work capacity.

Interventions: Patients participated in either six-week conventional physiotherapy or an exercise training programme to test whether the type of treatment received by the patients together with other outcome measures affected the predictive power of fear-avoidance beliefs.

Main outcome measures: Patients underwent examination of the active neck range of movements and neck muscle strength and completed the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and the 11-point pain numerical rating scale. These were assessed at the beginning and at week 6 of the rehabilitation programme. Patients' work capacity was assessed at week 6 and three months after the six-week rehabilitation programme.

Results: Spearman's correlation coefficients between fear-avoidance beliefs and initial and week 6 disability levels were 0.47 and 0.48, respectively. Regression analysis showed that the fear-avoidance beliefs significantly improved the goodness of fit of the model for predicting week 6 disability levels and return to complete work capacity at week 6 and three months after the rehabilitation programme, even after controlling for the physical impairments, the health status, the pain intensity and the type of treatment received.

Conclusions: The fear-avoidance beliefs factor is an important biopsychosocial variable in predicting future disability level and return to complete work capacity in patients with neck pain.
One session of whole body vibration increases voluntary muscle strength transiently in patients with stroke
Authors: Tihanyi Tekla Kornélia , Horváth Mónika , Fazekas Gábor , Hortobágyi Tibor , Tihanyi József
Published: September 2007

Objective: To determine the effect of whole body vibration on isometric and eccentric torque and electromyography (EMG) variables of knee extensors on the affected side of stroke patients.

Design: A randomized controlled study.

Setting: A rehabilitation centre.

Subjects: Sixteen patients (age 58.2 ± 9.4 years) were enrolled in an inpatient rehabilitation programme 27.2 ± 10.4 days after a stroke.

Interventions: Eight patients were randomly assigned to the vibration group and received 20 Hz vibration (5 mm amplitude) while standing on a vibration platform for 1 minute six times in one session. Patients in the control group also stood on the platform but did not receive vibration.

Main measures: Maximum isometric and eccentric torque, rate of torque development, root-mean-squared EMG, median frequency of vastus lateralis, and co-activation of knee flexors.

Results: Isometric and eccentric knee extension torque increased 36.6% and 22.2%, respectively, after vibration (P < 0.05) and 8.4% and 5.3% in the control group. Vibration increased EMG amplitude 44.9% and the median frequency in the vastus lateralis by 13.1% (all P < 0.05) without changes in the control group (10.6% and 3.9%). Vibration improved the ability to generate mechanical work during eccentric contraction (17.5%). Vibration reduced biceps femoris co-activation during isometric (8.4%, ns) and eccentric (22.5%, P < 0.05) contraction.

Conclusion: These results suggest that one bout of whole body vibration can transiently increase voluntary force and muscle activation of the quadriceps muscle affected by a stroke.
Is it possible to use the Structural Dimension Analysis of Motor Memory (SDA-M) to investigate representations of motor actions in stroke patients?
Authors: Braun Susy M. , Beurskens Anna J. , Schack Thomas , Marcellis Rik G. , Oti Kenneth C. , Schols Jos M. , Wade Derick T.
Published: September 2007

Objective: To determine the feasibility of the Structural Dimension Analysis of Motor Memory (SDA-M), a method derived from sports psychology, in establishing the mental representations of complex movements in patients after stroke.

Design: Case series of patients, with age-matched healthy controls.

Setting: A rehabilitation nursing home.

Subjects: Sixteen patients 3—26 weeks after their stroke, and 16 controls.

Intervention: Each control had the SDA-M performed within a 10-day period. Each stroke patient had the SDA-M performed once. In the SDA-M the subject was asked to state for each of 10 actions involved in drinking from a cup whether it is functionally close to each of the other nine or not.

Main measures: The raw data from the SDA-M were transformed through cluster analysis into Euclidean distances and tree diagrams to illustrate the internal representation of the action.

Results: All subjects were able to perform the assessment. Healthy controls all had a similar set of Euclidean distances and tree diagrams that were `normal'. The tree diagrams remained very similar on the three occasions. Four stroke patients had tree diagrams that were `normal'. The remaining twelve had tree diagrams that differed greatly both from the `normal' and from each other, with much less clustering of actions. Patients with more severe stroke appeared to have more disordered tree diagrams.

Conclusion: The Structural Dimension Analysis of Motor Memory (SDA-M) is a feasible method for investigating the mental representation of internal motor action plans in stroke patients, giving similar data in stable healthy people and revealing abnormal patterns in patients after stroke.
Diagnosis and treatment of depression following acquired brain injury: a comparison of practice in the UK and the Netherlands
Authors: Knottnerus Anne Margreet , Turner-Stokes Tabitha , van de Weg F.B. , Heijnen L. , Lankhorst G.J. , Turner-Stokes Lynne
Published: September 2007

Objective: To describe and compare current practice in diagnosis and treatment of depression following acquired brain injury in two countries (UK and the Netherlands) which have different sets of guidelines.

Setting and design: A cross-sectional survey of reported practice among rehabilitation physician members of the British and Dutch specialist societies.

Methods: A 12-item postal questionnaire was sent to 496 rehabilitation physicians with two reminders: N = 353 (71%) responded, 146 of whom did not manage people with acquired brain injury, leaving 207 questionnaires for analysis (Netherlands N = 121, UK N = 86). Descriptive summary statistics were compiled. Categorical and dichotomous data were compared between the groups using chi-squared tests.

Results: Sixty-seven (78%) of British respondents served a predominantly younger adult (65 years) population, compared with only 27 (22%) of the Dutch, who mainly treated patients of all ages. In line with their respective guidelines, more British respondents reported that they screened all acquired brain injury patients for depression (68/86 (79%) British versus 71/121 (59%) Dutch, P < 0.01), and used formal measures (37/68 (54%) versus 14/69 (20%), P < 0.001). They also took a more active role in treatment of depression: only 1 (1%) never used antidepressants, compared with 22 (18%) of Dutch respondents (P < 0.001). On the other hand, where antidepressants were prescribed, the Dutch respondents were more likely than the British to follow-up their patients (93/98 (95%) versus 67/84 (80%), P < 0.01).

Conclusions: The survey demonstrates a broadly similar approach, but highlights some significant variance in practice between the two countries which may stem from differences in population and service provision as well as their respective guidelines.
What is Political in Sub-politics?
Authors: de Vries Gerard
Published: September 2007

Recent contributions by Collins, Evans, Jasanoff and Wynne to the discussion of how science and technology studies (STS) might contribute to understanding `subpolitics' — the complex, expert knowledge-intensive and distributed political issues technological societies have to deal with — and involvement of STS scholars in experiments to extend public participation in decision-making about science and technology are shown to be based on an un-reflexive use of an off-the-shelf conception of politics. This conception, grafted on the old model of the sovereign, frames political actors as `mini-kings': as subjects with preferences, interests, aims and plans that they want to be executed. To reveal the limitations of this conception of politics, I confront it with Aristotle's conception of politics. The conception of politics that has guided work in STS is shown to be based on too narrow a conception of political action that fails to properly account for the object of politics. I argue that Aristotle invites us to analyse the object of politics in ways that closely resemble the way in which STS has learned to analyse the object of experimental science. Although Latour comes close to the tasks that an Aristotelian conception of politics suggest, his Politics of Nature shares some of the limitations that trouble other work of STS in the political domain. Despite 25 centuries separating us from his conception of politics, Aristotle may help STS to understand the politics implied in subpolitics.
Taking as Giving
Authors: Hayden Cori
Published: September 2007

A growing number of bioethicists, policy-makers, legal scholars, patient groups, and other critically involved parties in North America and Europe recently have started calling for a new ethical principle to gather participants into clinical and genetics research. While long-prevailing regimes of consent have held that people participate in the research process out of `altruism' (and hence do not merit more than nominal payment for their participation), the increasingly visible profits accruing to bioscience researchers, companies, and universities suggest that this research contract is producing a stark asymmetry. A move is afoot, therefore, to develop a principle of benefit-sharing through which to guarantee some form of returns to research subjects. This paper tracks some of the implications of the rise of this new ethic, tracing its travels from the world of bioprospecting to clinical and genetics research, and exploring how and why benefit-sharing matters to Latourian notions of science as politics. What might it mean, both for bioscience and for our ideas about politics and publics more generally, to think of research not just as a mode of `speaking for', in Latourian terms, but as a mode of giving back? I argue that in shifting the problem from one of dialogue to one of distribution, benefit-sharing proposals are also implicated in the constitution of the biosciences' publics in new ways.
Seasonality and the isotope hydrology of Lochnagar, a Scottish mountain lake: implications for palaeoclimate research
Authors: Tyler Jonathan J. , Leng Melanie J. , Arrowsmith Carol
Published: September 2007

The relationship between isotope ratios in precipitation and lake waters was monitored by bi-weekly measurements taken over a five and a half year period between May 2000 and September 2005 (a period of 1964 days) at Lochnagar, a remote mountain lake in eastern Scotland. Short-term changes in the oxygen isotope composition of lake water (δ18OL) at Lochnagar follow a seasonal pattern similar to isotopes in local precipitation (δ18OP), however changes in catchment residence time, snow accumulation, lake ice cover and lake stratification modify the temporal structure of δ18OL over the seasonal cycle. Of particular importance is precipitation amount, which controls catchment and lake residence times, and determines the degree of phase lag and amplitude change between δ18OL and δ18OP. A simple mass balance model replicates these effects and demonstrates that the degree of phase lag and amplitude reduction is predictable given known input/volume ratio. The implications of these observations for the use of δ18O records in palaeoclimatology are important, since it is rare that authigenic and biogenic minerals or organic compounds (from which δ18O and/or δ2H can be measured) are produced in a lake evenly throughout the year.
Reconstruction of Holocene glacier history from distal sources: glaciofluvial stream-bank mires and a glaciolacustrine sediment core near Sota Sæter, Breheimen, southern Norway
Authors: Shakesby Richard A. , Smith Jamie G. , Matthews John A. , Winkler Stefan , Dresser P. Quentin , Bakke Jostein , Dahl Svein-Olaf , Lie Øyvind , Nesje Atle
Published: September 2007

This study attempts to reconstruct the Holocene glacier history of Breheimen, southern Norway from four stream-bank mire sites and a downstream lake sediment core near Sota Sæter, based on lithostratigraphy, sediment properties (loss-on-ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility (MS), grain size characteristics) and 69 radiocarbon dates. Late-Preboreal deglaciation is indicated by lake-floor accumulation of organic matter (gyttja) largely replacing minerogenic sediment before 9000 cal. BP. A distinct minerogenic layer is thought to represent glacier expansion during the 8.2 ka Finse Event. Following this event until c . 2200 cal. BP, glaciers were mostly smaller than today, indicated by slow accumulation of mainly gyttja with predominantly thin minerogenic layers. A trough in LOI and corresponding small peaks in different silt fractions indicate possible glacial expansion from c. 3500 to 3000 cal. BP. The shorter c. 7500 year stream-bank mire record suggests brief, distinct episodes of Neoglacial glacier activity at c. 5600 and 3650 cal. BP. After c. 2200 cal. BP, up to three possible glacier expansion events are indicated in the lake core compared with up to eight represented in the mire sequences, suggesting greater sensitivity of the latter to small-scale glacier expansion. Marked `suppressed' Neoglacial expansion until after c. 2200 cal. BP contrasts with the more typically reported start at 6000—5300 cal. BP elsewhere in southern Norway. Methodological implications are discussed including: factors responsible for erroneous radiocarbon dates in mire and lake core stratigraphies; high spatial variability in mire stratigraphy; determining the amplitude of glacier contraction episodes; isolating the glacial signal from background `noise'; and further improvement of dating.
Elucidating aeolian dune history from lacustrine sand records in the Lake Michigan Coastal Zone, USA
Authors: Timmons Emily A. , Fisher Timothy G. , Hansen Edward C. , Eisaman Elliott , Daly Trevor , Kashgarian Michaele
Published: September 2007

Aeolian sand in two small lakes within a Lake Michigan coastal-dune complex southwest of Holland, Michigan, provides a more detailed higher-resolution history of dune activity, during the later half of the Holocene, than do combined palaeosol and OSL ages from the dunes themselves. The sand signal from four cores within these lakes consists of visible sand laminae and invisible sand peaks within mud and sapropel units. Early in the history of dune growth the sand may have come from backdunes immediately adjacent to the lakes, but in the upper portions of the core aeolian sand is interpreted as having been transported from 30—40 m high parabolic dunes ~200 m from the lakes. All but one episode of dune mobility suggested by radiocarbon-dated dune palaeosols or OSL-dated dune sand are represented by a peak in the radiocarbon-dated lacustrine sand signal. However, sand peaks occur in the lacustrine record that do not correspond to palaeosol or OSL ages, suggesting that the sand record from small lakes gives a more complete record of aeolian activity. Heterogeneity in sand deposition related to bathymetry suggests that the study of multiple cores from the same lake will yield the best results . No strong correlation between rising lake levels on the Lake Michigan relative lake level curve and aeolian activity was found, although such a correlation has been reported elsewhere.
Palaeolimnological evidence of late-Holocene settlement and abandonment in the Mirador Basin, Peten, Guatemala
Authors: Wahl David , Byrne Roger , Schreiner Thomas , Hansen Richard
Published: September 2007

Pollen, loss on ignition and magnetic susceptibility analyses provide a high-resolution palaeoenvironmental record from Lago Puerto Arturo, Peten, Guatemala. The presence of Zea pollen ~2650 BC provides a latest date for the arrival of maize agriculture to the region. The following 3600 years are marked by significant opening of the forest and episodic pulses of erosion. During the early Preclassic, around 1450 BC, all proxies indicate an abrupt increase in human activity, coincident with archaeological evidence of early settlement. Three discrete periods of decreased human activity are indicated by cessations of landscape disturbance. Such decreased human activity likely reflects periodic local population decline. These events coincide with times of cultural transition in the Maya lowlands and correspond to the terminal phases of the middle Preclassic, late Preclassic and late Classic periods. There is no evidence for human activity in the area following the late Classic abandonment.
Radiocarbon dating of thin pedogenic carbonate laminae from Holocene archaeological sites
Authors: Pustovoytov K. , Schmidt K. , Parzinger H.
Published: September 2007

Radiocarbon dating has been previously suggested to be applicable to pedogenic carbonate. However, until now the validity of radiocarbon dates from pedogenic carbonate remained poorly understood because of the relatively low resolution of chronological controls. In this study we compared the radiocarbon dates (a total of 21) of thin (0.2—0.3 mm in thickness) laminae of pedogenic carbonate coatings on clasts from Holocene archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean and south Siberia with independently estimated age-ranges for these sites. We obtained a high correlation between the oldest laminae of coatings with the site ages. The 14C ages of pedogenic carbonate were systematically younger by c. 0.3—1.6 ka (mean c. 0.75 ka) compared with archaeological sites. This finding suggests that pedogenic carbonate — despite potential complicating factors — can be dated more accurately with 14C than has been generally appreciated.
Palaeomagnetic intensity data: an Achilles heel of solar activity reconstructions
Authors: Snowball Ian , Muscheler Raimund
Published: September 2007

Reconstructions of solar activity prior to AD 1600 rely on estimates of the past production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides in the Earth's atmosphere. These rates are modulated by the strength of the solar magnetic field and the intensity of the Earth's geomagnetic dipole. One of the largest uncertainties associated with these reconstructions originates from palaeointensity data and to show how errors in palaeomagnetic data influence reconstructions of solar activity we present different radiocarbon based reconstructions of the solar magnetic modulation parameter (Φ) during the Holocene. We considered geomagnetic field changes according to (i) a global archaeomagnetic compilation, (ii) a geomagnetic field model covering the last 7000 years and (iii) a regional sediment relative palaeointensity record. Comparison between alternative solar modulation reconstructions shows that the uncertainties in palaeomagnetic data prevent us from making robust conclusions about solar variability at timescales longer than a few hundred years. Our analyses indicate that the geomagnetic dipole field dominates radiocarbon production at timescales longer than 500 years although a combination of solar and geomagnetic modulation could apply to all timescales. Long-term trends depend on which palaeomagnetic data set is used for correction and there are additional unexplained differences between 10Be and 14C records that question results about long-term changes in solar activity. The higher-resolution geomagnetic field records, which are usually very much smoothed in stacked records, also indicate that part of the shorter-term changes (~500 yr) in the radiocarbon production rate could be attributed to the geomagnetic dipole field. To test this hypothesis and improve our knowledge of past solar activity a higher resolution palaeomagnetic reconstruction of geomagnetic dipole moment is required.
User satisfaction as a measure of system performance
Authors: Griffiths Jillian R. , Johnson Frances , Hartley Richard J.
Published: September 2007

It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimensional, subjective variable which can be affected by many factors other than performance of the system or searcher. This article draws on information retrieval and information systems literature in an attempt to understand what user satisfaction is, how it is measured, what factors affect it, and why findings on user satisfaction have been so varied and contradictory. It concludes with recommendations for future investigation of the use of user satisfaction as a measure of system performance.
Is there a role for research students in an institutional repository? Some repository managers' views
Authors: Pickton Margaret , McKnight Cliff
Published: September 2007

>Although a number of studies have investigated the attitudes of published academic authors with respect to open access (OA) publishing and institutional repositories (IRs), none have considered the views of other institutional stakeholders. Research students, in particular, are a group that could make a major contribution to an IR, both currently and in their future careers. But how acceptable is their work to those responsible for IRs? The project described here investigates the views of repository managers. A short e-mail survey was carried out, comprising questions about student use of the repository, advocacy undertaken and attitudes toward research student content. Responses were received from representatives of 35 universities in the UK and abroad. Repository managers were overwhelmingly in favour of permitting the deposit of research student work, albeit under specified conditions. One half of the respondents mentioned allowing, or even encouraging, the deposit of theses and dissertations. The relative newness of many repositories meant that advocacy to student authors was limited, although a number of managers were including the repository as an information source in routine research training sessions. The paper concludes that there is a need for clear guidance on the quality of repository content; that evidence of use should be sought; and that IR policy should accommodate the needs of all stakeholders.
An online library service for Open University MBA alumni — challenges and opportunities
Authors: Smith Geri , Street Kelvin , Wales Tim
Published: September 2007

This article outlines a pilot project to offer a personalized online library service to Open University MBA alumni. A review of the literature and results of a desktop analysis of other UK Higher Education alumni library services are included. Content procurement and systems issues are considered along with the underlying organizational, resource and technical challenges experienced by the librarians involved. An analysis of initial usage and the results of a user survey are presented. Finally, practical advice is provided for other libraries considering similar initiatives.
Erythropoietin Induces Excessive Neointima Formation: A Study in a Rat Carotid Artery Model of Vascular Injury
Authors: Reddy Maram K. , Vasir Jaspreet K. , Hegde Ganapati V. , Joshi Shantaram S. , Labhasetwar Vinod
Published: September 2007

A therapeutic strategy that would mitigate the events leading to hyperplasia and facilitate re-endothelialization of an injured artery after balloon angioplasty could be effective for a long-term patency of the artery. It is hypothesized that erythropoietin (EPO), which has both anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties, will prevent hyperplasia, and its ability to proliferate and mobilize endothelial progenitor cells will re-endothelialize the injured artery. To test this hypothesis, EPO (5000 IU/kg) in solution was injected intraperitoneally 6 hours before vascular injury and then on every alternate day for a week or as a single dose (5000 IU/kg) in a sustained release gel formulation 1 week before the vascular injury. Morphometric analysis revealed nearly continuous re-endothelialization of the injured artery in EPO solution-treated animals (90% vs less than 20% in saline control); however, the treatment also caused excessive neointima formation (intima/media ratio, 2.10 ± 0.09 vs 1.60 ± 0.02 saline control, n = 5, P < .001). The EPO gel also induced similar excessive neointima formation. Immunohistochemical analysis of the injured arteries from the animals treated with EPO solution demonstrated a significant angiogenic response in adventitia and media, thus explaining the formation of excessive neointima. Although the results are in contrast to expectation, they explain a greater degree of stenosis seen in hemodialysis access fistulas in patients who are on EPO therapy for anemic condition. The results also caution the use of EPO, particularly in patients who are at a risk of vascular injury or are suffering from an atherosclerotic condition.
Improvement of Cardiac Function Persists Long Term With Medical Therapy for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction
Authors: Chen David , Chang Richard , Umakanthan Branavan , Stoletniy Liset N. , Heywood J. Thomas
Published: September 2007

In certain patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, improvements in cardiac function are seen after initiation of medical therapy; however, the long-term stability of ventricular function in such patients is not well described. We retrospectively analyzed 171 patients who had a baseline ejection fraction of 45% or less, a follow-up echocardiogram at 2 to 12 months after initiation of medical therapy, and a final echocardiogram. We found that 48.5% of the patients demonstrated initial improvements in LV function after initiation of medical therapy, and the improvements appear to be sustained (88% of patients) at 44 ± 21 months follow-up. A nonischemic etiology and younger age were the only independent predictors of change of LV ejection fraction of 10 or more at a mean 8.4 ± 3.4 months after optimal medical therapy. Our study revealed a trend toward improved long-term survival in individuals with an early improvement in LV ejection fraction with medical therapy, especially in those with sustained improvement.
Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation to Sinus Rhythm During Treatment With Intravenous Esmolol or Diltiazem: A Prospective, Randomized Comparison
Authors: Hassan Sohail , Ahmad Slim , Kamalakannan Desikan , Khoury Rami , Kakish Edward , Maria Viqar , Ahmed Sujood , Pires Luis A. , Kronick Steve L. , Oral Hakan , Morady Fred
Published: September 2007

Prior studies have suggested that intravenous diltiazem reduces the probability of spontaneous conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm in the electrophysiology laboratory and in patients with postoperative AF. Whether diltiazem exerts the same effect in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with spontaneous AF is unclear. Fifty patients presenting to the ED with new-onset or paroxysmal AF and a rapid ventricular rate (>100 beats per minute) were randomly assigned to receive intravenous diltiazem or esmolol during the first 24 hours of presentation. Conversion to sinus rhythm occurred in 10 patients (42%) in the diltiazem group compared with 10 patients (39%) in the esmolol group ( P = 1.0). Diltiazem does not decrease the likelihood of spontaneous conversion of AF to sinus rhythm in the ED setting.
Greater Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation and Reduced Response Variability With Prasugrel Versus Clopidogrel: An Integrated Analysis
Authors: Weerakkody Govinda J. , Jakubowski Joseph A. , Brandt John T. , Payne Christopher D. , Naganuma Hideo , Winters Kenneth J.
Published: September 2007

Multiple studies report response variability to a 300-mg clopidogrel loading dose (LD). Pooled platelet aggregometry data compared responses (change in maximal platelet aggregation [ΔMPA] or inhibition of platelet aggregation [IPA]) to clopidogrel 300-mg (n = 131) or prasugrel 60-mg (n = 109) LDs. Poor responder rates were determined using empiric criteria (IPA < 10% and ΔMPA < 10% for 20 µM and 5 µM adenosine diphosphate [ADP]) and Bayesian model-based criteria (IPA < 20% and ΔMPA < 15% for 20 µM ADP; IPA < 25% and ΔMPA < 20% for 5 µM ADP). Prasugrel achieved greater ΔMPA and IPA from 2 to 24 hours post-LD ( P < .001). For 20 µM ADP, poor responder rates for clopidogrel ranged from 17% to 43%; no prasugrel poor responders were observed. Regardless of the criterion, prasugrel 60 mg achieved greater IPA and fewer poor responders than the clopidogrel 300-mg LD.