bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stitching Planning in Laparoscopic Surgery: Towards Robot-assisted Suturing
Authors: Nageotte Florent , Zanne Philippe , Doignon Christophe , de Mathelin Michel
Published: May 2009

The work presented in this paper addresses the problem of the stitching task in laparoscopic surgery using a circular needle and a conventional four-degree-of-freedom needle holder. This task is particularly difficult for surgeons because of the kinematic constraints generated by the fulcrum in the abdominal wall of the patient. In order to assist the surgeons during suturing, we propose to compute possible paths for the needle through the tissues, which limit tissues deformation as much as possible while driving the needle towards the desired target. We propose a kinematic analysis and geometric modeling of the stitching task from which useful information can be obtained to assist the surgeon. The description of the task with appropriate state variables allows us to propose a simple practical method for computing optimal paths. Simulations show that the obtained paths are satisfactory even under difficult configurations and short computation times make the technique useful for intra-operative planning. The use of the stitching planning is shown for manual as well as for robot-assisted interventions in in vitro experiments.
Robot-assisted Active Catheter Insertion: Algorithms and Experiments
Authors: Jayender J. , Patel R.V. , Nikumb S.
Published: May 2009

Angioplasty is a frequently performed clinical procedure in which a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel under image guidance to open narrowed or blocked arteries and to allow normal blood flow to resume. This paper is concerned with the development of algorithms for a robot-assisted method for a more accurate, safer and more reliable approach for catheter insertion that can reduce the potential for injury to patients and radiation exposure or discomfort to clinicians. A force control algorithm is presented for a robot to control the force of insertion of a catheter and prevent the catheter from buckling or “bunching up” during insertion. In addition, the paper also describes a master—slave control strategy to precisely control the bending angle of the tip of an active catheter instrumented with Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators. A novel model for SMAs and a robust H∞ loop-shaping controller have been implemented to guarantee robust performance of the active catheter. The algorithms for catheter insertion developed in this paper may help to prevent damage to the epithelial cells of an artery and enable easier guidance of the catheter into appropriate branches. In addition, a robotics-based approach could make it possible for a clinician to remotely perform the insertion of the active catheter from a safe and comfortable environment, thereby reducing exposure to harmful X-ray radiation. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the performance of the algorithms.
A High-performance Redundantly Actuated Parallel Mechanism for Ankle Rehabilitation
Authors: Saglia J.A. , Tsagarakis N.G. , Dai J.S. , Caldwell D.G.
Published: May 2009

In this paper we present a redundantly actuated parallel mechanism for ankle rehabilitation. The proposed device has the advantage of mechanical and kinematic simplicity when compared with the state-of-the-art multi-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism prototypes while at the same time it is fully capable of carrying out the exercises required by the ankle rehabilitation protocols. Optimization of the device workspace, dexterity, torque output and size was carried out during the design phase of the device. The development of the system involved the realization of a new customized linear actuator able to meet the speed and force requirements of the device functionality. We also discuss the impedance-based control scheme used for the redundantly actuated device, which allows the execution of both assistive and resistive strengthening rehabilitation regimes. Results from the control of a single linear actuator and further experimental tests including the position tracking of the fully actuated platform are presented. It is believed that the performance and the simplicity of the proposed mechanism will allow the widespread use of the system as a new aid tool for ankle rehabilitation.
Development and Experimental Evaluation of Oral Rehabilitation Robot that Provides Maxillofacial Massage to Patients with Oral Disorders
Authors: Ishii Hiroyuki , Koga Hiroki , Obokawa Yuichi , Solis Jorge , Takanishi Atsuo , Katsumata Akitoshi
Published: May 2009

We have developed an oral-rehabilitation robot WAO-1 (Waseda Asahi Oral-rehabilitation robot No. 1) for use in cases of oral disorders such as temperomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder and dry mouth. WAO-1 is the first robot designed to provide massage to the facial tissues of a patient with oral disorders. This robot provides massage to the masseter and temporal muscles and to the parotid gland and duct with simple operation. It consists of two six-degree-of-freedom arms with plungers, a body with headrest, a control box, a PC, and an automatic massage trajectory generation system with virtual compliance control. Two evaluation experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the oral massages of WAO-1 compared with the massages given by doctors. In the experiments, the massage to the parotid gland and duct by WAO-1 increased the amount of saliva in the subjects, and the massage to the masseter muscle by WAO-1 increased facial skin temperature and width of the masseter muscle in the subjects. We consider that these results indicate that massage by WAO-1 can be effective for patients with oral disorders.
Farewell to a Dead Horse: Group Analytic Supervision Training in Post-War Guatemala
Authors: Rohr Elisabeth
Published: May 2009

Group analytic therapy, supervision, and counselling are completely unknown in Guatemala, Central America. But after a long and devastating war, an internationally supported peace and reconciliation process offered the opportunity to introduce new methods into mental health services, to cope with the psycho-social effects of a traumatized society. This article describes difficulties that were connected with the establishment of group analytic supervision training in Guatemala, focusing on aspects of trauma that emerged in supervisory case work.
Development of Recycled Polypropylene Matrix Composites Reinforced with Waste Jute Caddies
Authors: Das Keya , Adhikary Kuntal , Ray Dipa , Bandyopadhyay N.R.
Published: May 2009

Introduction of reinforcing fillers in RPP matrix help to enhance the properties of the matrix. In this study, waste jute fibers called jute caddies have been used as the filler material to RPP and their properties have been studied. The composites have been prepared by solution impregnation method. A silane coupling agent has been used in two weights (2 and 6 wt%) to enhance the interaction between the non-polar PP and the polar jute fiber wastes. Treatment with 6% VTMO enhanced the mechanical properties significantly. Thermal stability was also enhanced after treatment with coupling agent. SEM investigations revealed the fiber/matrix bond at the interface.
Simultaneous exposure to dietary acrylamide and corn oil developed carcinogenesis through cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis by regulating p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang X
Published: May 2009

To investigate whether simultaneous exposure to acrylamide (ACR) and long-term dietary corn oil induces colon cancer by inhibiting the tumor suppressor gene p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intraperitoneal injections of ACR at dose of 10 mg/kgbw and diets supplemented with 10% corn oil for 8 wks; and then rats were still fed with diets supplemented with 10% oil for other 48 wks. Colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumors, including adenomas and carcinomas, were examined at 12, 24, 36, 48 week post ACR-exposure. Colonic apoptosis and cell proliferation, expression of Wild type (wt) p53, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3, were detected at 48 week post ACR-exposure. ACF was found at 12 week and colon cancer invasion was found at 48 week in ACR rats on long-term dietary corn oil. Apoptosis was decreased and cell proliferation was increased in colonic mucosa in ACR-treated rats on dietary corn oil compared to vehicle rats on basal diet ( P < 0.05). In ACR rats on dietary corn oil, mitochondrial wt p53 was significantly inhibited through decreased mitochondrial localization of wt p53 and increased cytosolic p53, resulting in the up-regulation of Bcl-2 and the down-regulation of Bax in the mitochondria, also inhibition of the release of cytochrome-c from the mitochondria into the cytosol and protein level of caspase-3 ( P < 0.05). Results suggest that simultaneous exposure to ACR and long-term dietary corn oil induces development of colon cancer partly by inhibiting the tumor suppressor gene p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.
Charter Schooling and Democratic Justice
Authors: Knight Abowitz Kathleen , Karaba Robert
Published: May 2009

As the mixed achievements of charter schools come under more intense political inspection, the conceptual underpinnings of current charter school reform remain largely unexamined. This article focuses on one moral-political concept centrally related to school reform and policy, the concept of justice. Using examples from the state of Ohio, the authors sketch two contrary concepts of justice, tracing their logical trajectory to varied empirical consequences as these relate to charter schooling policy. They contrast these two theories of justice as “libertarian justice” and “democratic justice.” There is ample evidence to suggest that a libertarian sense of justice has pervasively shaped charter policies and minimal evidence to suggest the influence of a democratic sense of justice, based on principles of both recognition and redistribution. The full democratic potential of charter schooling reform cannot be achieved without a democratic conception of justice driving its policies and goals.
How Scottish was R. D. Laing?
Authors: Miller Gavin
Published: May 2009

R. D. Laing was indebted, although not exclusively or uncritically, to his early Scottish intellectual context. He engaged, for instance, throughout his life with the ideas of the Scottish philosopher John Macmurray. Despite the relative lack of scholarship on twentieth-century Scottish thought, it is possible to trace Laing's participation in a tradition of the importation and translation of Continental ideas (exemplified by scholars such as the theologian Ronald Gregor Smith). Laing adapted Continental ideas to a particularly Scottish concern with psychotherapy as a form of demythologized Christianity; this is apparent in his latent affinity with the Scottish psychoanalyst W. R. D. Fairbairn, and also in his explicitly Christian reconceptualization of the Jungian concept of metanoia.
European Works Councils: Identity and the Role of Information and Communication Technology
Authors: Whittall Michael , Knudsen Herman , Huijgen Fred
Published: May 2009

This article discusses the conditions for the development of a common identity among employee representatives within European Works Councils and addresses the importance of information and communication technology in this respect. Drawing on case studies conducted at General Motors and Deutsche Post, it is concluded that systematic use of such technology is a necessary condition if employee representatives are to be able to act jointly and in a timely manner across borders when challenged by management.
Engaging with Variable Pay: A Comparative Study of the Metal Industry
Authors: Nergaard Kristine , Dølvik Jon Erik , Marginson Paul , Arasanz Díaz Juan , Bechter Barbara
Published: May 2009

This article discusses differences in the responses of company employee representatives to variable pay systems, drawing on a comparative study in the metalworking sector in Austria, Norway, Spain and the UK. We find that the approaches of organized labour are contingent, first, on the type of pay system and its influence on total remuneration; and second, on the role of local trade unions or works councils within the national system of pay determination.
Late-Holocene mega-tsunamis in the Tasman Sea: an assessment of the coastal archaeological record of New South Wales
Authors: Hutchinson Ian , Attenbrow Val
Published: May 2009

Bryant and others have interpreted geomorphological and archaeological evidence from south-central New South Wales (NSW) to infer repeated inundation of this coast by mega-tsunamis in late Holocene time. However, the stratigraphy of two well-dated archaeological sites (Pambula Lake, Bass Point) shows no evidence that these camps were abandoned, or that the marine component of the diet of local Aboriginal peoples changed at or about 500 or 1500 cal. BP, the time of the two most recent inferred mega-tsunamis. In addition, the mean probability distribution of the youngest calibrated radiocarbon ages from 52 archaeological sites on the south-central NSW coast (grouped in three tsunami-susceptibility classes on the basis of site elevation and distance from the shore) does not differ from random expectations, and shows no evidence that sites were permanently abandoned in the aftermath of these inferred events. The mean probability distributions of calibrated radiocarbon ages from 108 charcoal samples from these sites does not differ from random expectations, and offers little support for the inference that the sites were temporarily abandoned about 500 or 1500 cal. BP. Probability distributions based on 70 marine shell ages show strong century-scale cyclicity, but this is likely too regular to be a product of mega-tsunamis. Moreover, changes in shellfish exploitation patterns and adoption of new fishing technologies by Aboriginal people on this coast do not coincide with the times of inferred tsunamis. The archaeological evidence offers no support for the hypothesis that mega-tsunamis inundated this coastline in the late Holocene.
Regional fire history based on charcoal analysis of sediments from nine lakes in western Mongolia
Authors: Umbanhowar Charles E. , Shinneman Avery L.C. , Tserenkhand Gundsambuu , Hammon Elizabeth R. , Lor Pao , Nail Kelly
Published: May 2009

Fires are common in grassland regions of the world, and the frequency and severity of fire is linked to climate-driven changes in fuel loads. Western Mongolia is dominated by grasslands but the fire history of this region is largely unknown. We reconstructed modern fire (48 lakes) and historical fires (9 lakes) using sediment charcoal. Modern fuel loads were estimated using a combination of clipped plots, satellite-based estimates of annual aboveground net primary productivity (NPP) and NPP modeled from annual temperature and precipitation. Loss-on-ignition and environmental magnetics of lake sediments were analyzed as proxies for climate. We found little evidence for modern or historical fire in the landscape, as charcoal was absent from the surface sediments of 34 of 48 lakes. Charcoal influxes were uniformly low, averaging from 0.002 to 0.028 mm2/cm2 per yr, over the past 1200 years at nine lakes, and the past 6000—5000 years at two of the lakes with longer sediment records. In the modern landscape, livestock grazing has eliminated most of the fuels necessary to carry a fire, as measured fuel loads (27.3±4.9 g/m2) were only ~20% of aboveground annual NPP estimated using MODIS Imagery or modeled from climate data. The historical absence of fire may indicate a longer history of intensive grazing than sometimes assumed, and cultural prohibitions against burning may also play a role. Regional summary indicated a >50% decrease in charcoal influxes since AD 1600 at most sites which may be related to lower temperatures or greater aridity during the `Little Ice Age'. Alternatively this decrease in charcoal influxes may reflect increases in livestock numbers or increased local concentrations because of restrictions on the movement of animals coincident with the establishment of Manchu rule in the late seventeenth century.
Influence of geomorphological setting, fluvial-, glaciofluvial- and mass-movement processes on sedimentation in alpine lakes
Authors: Rubensdotter Lena , Rosqvist Gunhild
Published: May 2009

Lacustrine sediments are often used for paleoclimate reconstructions as continuous archives of several physical and biological proxies. The relation between autochthonous and allochthonous sedimentation in alpine lakes is a complex system that may cause difficulties when interpreting biological and physical parameters. Results from previous studies of alpine lakes in northern Sweden have demonstrated that non-glacial processes produce minerogenic lake deposits with similar physical characteristics (density, LOI, magnetic susceptibility, grain-size) as those that have been associated with glacier fluctuations in proglacial lakes. In this study of two consecutive proglacial alpine lakes we show that fluvial redeposition of alluvial fan deposits significantly affects the Holocene lake sedimentation. Depending on the geomorphological setting, such fluvial redeposition signals may actually overprint a glaciofluvial signal. We also show that minerogenic laminations of fluvial origin are impossible to separate from the type of laminations usually used to infer glacier activity using the most common lithological sediment parameters. This emphasizes the complexity of sediment transport system in proglacial (paraglacial) settings where redeposition of older glacial sediment is of major importance. Our results highlight the need for thorough understanding of the geomorphological setting before inferences are made about climate variations from sedimentation in alpine lakes. Both lakes in this study contain sediment sequences with both episodic (turbidites) and continuously deposited sediments. Unfortunately we have too few radiocarbon dates to exactly date the turbidites but it is clear that turbidite layers in any case should be excluded from age model constructions since episodic sedimentation significantly influences the sediment age—depth relationship. In our age-model turbidites cause a potential dating error of several hundred, up to a thousand, years.
When does an academic information need stimulate a school-inspired information want?
Authors: Beautyman Wendy , Shenton Andrew K.
Published: May 2009

This paper explores the nature of school-inspired information wants. It considers how such wants arise and actions taken by youngsters to meet them. The methodology within the study reported was one of interpretivist ethnography, with data collected from two classes of 7- to 8-year-olds in an English primary school via a form of participant observation that incorporated dialogues with pupils and staff. Children were seen to follow up on topics taught in the classroom with their own questions when one or more of seven situations arose. These included instances in which they developed an empathic interest in the protagonists being studied and when they noted inconsistencies in their own understanding. The findings have a range of implications, notably for practices in both education and LIS.
Towards Semantic Interoperability of Collaborative Engineering in Oil Production Industry
Authors: Ma Y.-S.
Published: May 2009

This article presents a new approach to investigate the interoperability in collaborative engineering across design, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life stages with an expanded generic feature paradigm. The fundamental strategy is to develop a unified and consistent interoperable semantic scheme in order to support an open and flexible knowledge realization system. Oil production industry is aimed as the application field.
Representation and Propagation of Engineering Change Information in Collaborative Product Development using a Neutral Reference Model
Authors: Hwang Jinsang , Mun Duhwan , Han Soonhung
Published: May 2009

As modular production becomes increasingly widespread in globalized manufacturing industries, many components constituting a final product are being developed and produced by collaborating part suppliers who have the ability to design their own parts by themselves without aid from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In this collaborative product development, the important aspect to expedite engineering changes is that engineering change information should be represented precisely in a designer-friendly form and shared among participating companies in an effective manner. However, all part suppliers and an OEM typically do not use the same computer-aided design (CAD) system and they are reluctant to share their CAD data with other cooperating companies owing to the policy of protecting corporate intellectual property. These circumstances make it difficult for collaborating companies to conduct engineering changes, since a part supplier who is responsible for one part of a product needs other CAD part model data designed by other companies for the engineering changes in the typical CAD assembly modeling of a product. In this article, a neutral reference model that consists of a neutral skeleton model and an external reference model is proposed as a new medium for the sharing and propagation of engineering change information among collaborating companies.
Enhancing Axiomatic Design with Design Structure Matrix
Authors: Dunbing Tang  , Renmiao Zhu  , Sheng Dai  , Guangjun Zhang
Published: May 2009

Axiomatic design (AD) is a popular creative design method, which provides a systematic and scientific basis for making design solutions. The AD method is concentrated on how to find suitable design parameters to meet the needs of functional requirements, while certain system interaction factors and constraints (such as physical connectivity) are not catered directly. As a structured modeling method, more recently the design structure matrix (DSM) model has been regarded as a good roadmap of system interactions. DSM is a good tool representing interactions among design objectives and facilitating analysis of these interactions. Based on the complementarities between AD and DSM, it is proposed to enhance the AD method with DSM. The underlying logic is transforming the AD's design matrix into corresponding DSM for system interaction evaluation, thereby improving the feasibility of AD result. A design example of friction drive conveyor is given to illustrate the proposed design method.
Nations With More Dialectical Selves Exhibit Lower Polarization in Life Quality Judgments and Social Opinions
Authors: Minkov Michael
Published: May 2009

This study shows that nations whose members are less likely to dissociate pleasant and unpleasant emotions (an established measure of individual-level dialecticism) are also less likely to exhibit strong and polarized quality judgments (very good vs. very bad) in life appraisals or in assessments of current domestic social issues as measured by the 2007 Pew Research Center survey in 47 nations. Middle Eastern Arab societies are characterized by the highest polarization in their answer patterns, while East and South East Asia are at the opposite extreme. It is suggested that pastoralism may have promoted the adoption of a strong stance in communication styles, resulting in stronger polarization, whereas rice cultivation may have encouraged the expression of moderate statements.
Personality, Health, and Coping
Authors: Shyh Shin Wong  , Boon Ooi Lee  , Ang Rebecca P. , Oei Tian P. S. , Aik Kwang Ng
Published: May 2009

This study explored group and relational differences in personality, health, and coping across 189 Australian students and 243 Singaporean students. Life Orientation Test—Revised showed a one-factor structure for Australians but a two-factor structure for Singaporeans. Australians tended to be more agreeable, more conscientious, more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, while Singaporeans tended to be more neurotic and more pessimistic. Singaporeans tended to utilize less frequent adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Neuroticism was a significant predictor for state-trait anxiety and stress, while unipolar optimism was a significant predictor for life satisfaction and unipolar pessimism was a significant predictor for trait anxiety for both samples. Bipolar optimism was a significant predictor for trait anxiety and life satisfaction for both samples whereas it was a significant predictor for state anxiety for the Singaporean sample. Optimists, pessimists, and neurotics in both samples tended to use different coping strategies. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Cross-Cultural Differences Concerning Heavy Work Investment
Authors: Snir Raphael , Harpaz Itzhak
Published: May 2009

The study makes a cross-cultural comparison of heavy work investment, as well as its dispositional and situational types, based on data gathered through representative national samples of the adult population in twenty countries ( N = 25,962). We have found that work investment is heavier in societies where survival values are important, as compared to societies where self-expression values are important. Situational heavy work investors are more common in societies where survival values are important, as compared to societies where self-expression values are important. However, work-devoted persons are more common in societies where self-expression values are important, as compared to societies where survival values are important. It was also found that work investment is heavier in societies where mastery value is high, as compared to societies where mastery value is low. Dispositional heavy work investors are more common in societies where mastery value is high, as compared to societies where mastery value is low. Finally, it was found that men work more hours per week as compared to women in both masculine and feminine societies. However, the gender difference concerning time investment at work is greater in masculine societies, as compared to feminine societies. Dispositional heavy work investors are more common among men in masculine societies, than among men in feminine societies. The fact that the magnitude of work investment and the prevalence of its types vary in different cultural contexts demonstrate the importance of differentiating between types of heavy work investment; namely, realizing that not every heavy work investor is a workaholic.
The Mechanism by Which Ischemic Postconditioning Reduces Reperfusion Arrhythmias in Rats Remains Elusive
Authors: Dow Joan , Bhandari Anil , Kloner Robert A.
Published: May 2009

We have observed that ischemic postconditioning markedly reduces reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias, but whether the mechanism is related to previously described pathways of preconditioning or postconditioning for infarct size reduction is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether known pathways were involved in postconditioning's protective effect on arrhythmias.

Anesthetized female rats were subjected to 5 minutes of proximal coronary artery occlusion and 5 minutes of reperfusion. They were either not postconditioned or subjected to 4 cycles of 20 seconds reperfusion, 20 seconds reocclusion before final reperfusion (postconditioned). Electrocardiogram and blood pressure were monitored throughout. Alleged agonists and antagonists to postconditioning representing a number of mechanisms were evaluated.

Nonpostconditioned rats treated with the suppressor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, cyclosporine A, did not show a reduction in

reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias compared to control nonpostconditioned rats. Neither Wortmannin (p13-kinase inhibitor), 5 hydroxydecanoate (selective inhibitor of mitochondrial KATP channel), nor 8-sulfophenyl theophylline (blocker of adenosine receptors) blocked the reduction in ventricular tachycardia of postconditioning.

The mechanism by which postconditioning reduces reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias may be independent of known pathways that have been implicated in the infarct sparing effects of preconditioning and postconditioning—including adenosine, mitochondrial KATP channel, mitochondrial permeability transition pore, and p13-kinase-pAKt pathways. Alternative protective pathways may exist to explain the antiarrhythmic effect of postconditioning.
Stigma and Help Seeking for Mental Health Among College Students
Authors: Eisenberg Daniel , Downs Marilyn F. , Golberstein Ezra , Zivin Kara
Published: May 2009

Mental illness stigma has been identified by national policy makers as an important barrier to help seeking for mental health. Using a random sample of 5,555 students from a diverse set of 13 universities, we conducted one of the first empirical studies of the association of help-seeking behavior with both perceived public stigma and people’s own stigmatizing attitudes (personal stigma). There were three main findings: (a) Perceived public stigma was considerably higher than personal stigma; (b) personal stigma was higher among students with any of the following characteristics: male, younger, Asian, international, more religious, or from a poor family; and (c) personal stigma was significantly and negatively associated with measures of help seeking (perceived need and use of psychotropic medication, therapy, and nonclinical sources of support), whereas perceived stigma was not significantly associated with help seeking. These findings can help inform efforts to reduce the role of stigma as a barrier to help seeking.
Women's Experiences of Violence and Seeking Help
Authors: Postmus Judy L. , Severson Margaret , Berry Marianne , Yoo Jeong Ah
Published: May 2009

Every day, women survive physical or sexual violence. Some survive as a result of services they receive in the aftermath of the abuse. The study presented here explored women's experiences of victimization and their use of and perceptions about the services they received. It is learned that what providers usually prioritize and what the women in this study used—namely emotional, psychological, and legal support—are not what these women identified as the most helpful. Instead, tangible supports, such as food, housing, and financial assistance, were viewed as the most helpful, along with religious or spiritual counseling.
Sorority Participation and Sexual Assault Risk
Authors: Minow Jacqueline Chevalier , Einolf Christopher J.
Published: May 2009

This study tested the relationship between sexual assault victimization, sorority membership, and participation in a range of sorority activities, using data from a large-sample ( N = 779) survey conducted at a midsize public university. A total of 29% of sorority women reported having been sexually assaulted while in college, four times the rate (7%) among nonsorority members. The difference between Greek and non-Greek women remained large even when controls were included for alcohol consumption and attendance at Greek parties where alcohol is served. Among sorority members, participation in social events not involving alcohol correlated negatively with sexual assault, indicating a possible protective effect.
A Parallel Algorithm To Solve Large Stiff ODE Systems On Grid Systems
Authors: Bahi Jacques M. , Charr Jean-Claude , Couturier Raphaël , Laiymani David
Published: May 2009

This paper introduces a parallel algorithm to solve large stiff ODE systems on distributed clusters, with computing nodes geographically distant from each other. This algorithm is based on the waveform relaxation method coupled with a sequential solver for differential equations systems. With respect to the standard PVODE algorithm (Parallel Variable-coefficient Ordinary Differential Equations solver; Byrne, George, and Hindmars 1999), it drastically reduces the number of messages exchanged between nodes which makes it less sensitive to slow communications. Thus, it is a coarse-grained algorithm well suited for grid environments connected via high latency networks. In this paper, we present various experiments which compare the PVODE solver and our algorithm and which show the benefits brought by this work.
More than Adding a T: American Lesbian and Gay Activists' Attitudes towards Transgender Inclusion
Authors: Stone Amy L.
Published: May 2009

This article is an exploration of American lesbian and gay activists' attitudes towards transgender inclusion in the LGBT movement. Lesbian and gay activists articulated different attitudes towards transgender inclusion that were inflected by their different subcultural histories and ability to make connections personally with transgender issues. Through an analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with Midwestern lesbian and gay activists, this article examines the process by which lesbian and gay activists become transgender allies through making parallels to their own oppression or visible transgender discrimination. This research contributes to the existing literature on both collective identities and ally identities by contextualizing the formation of ally identities within the history of the LGBT movement.
Girl Power: Risky Sexual Behaviour and Gender Identity amongst Young Spanish Recreational Drug Users
Authors: Romo Nuria , Marcos Jorge , Rodríguez Ainhoa , Cabrera Andrés , Hernán Mariano
Published: May 2009

Against a background of significant social change experienced by Spanish women from the 1960s onwards, new gender identities and conflicts have emerged. These factors have barely been taken into account in the research work done in Spain. This article looks into the conversations of young people concerning their relationship with risky sexual behaviour, recreational drug use and sexual identity. Drawing from a qualitative study of discussion groups and semi-structured interviews with young recreational drug users, the article suggests that there are at least two models of femininity among the recreational drug consumers that have taken part in this study. First there is a traditional romantic model whereby young women associated risky sexual behaviour with being in love or trusting in the partner. Here the young woman does not link her sexual behaviour to the effects of using recreational drugs but, rather, to the characteristics of her emotional relationship. Second, there is a model of new values and gender roles that are closer to those traditionally associated to males, where the young women use recreational drugs as a form of empowerment to take on new situations concerning their sexuality. The article analyses the perceptions of risk among the different identity groups, along with the negotiations to begin sexual relations and the use of the condom in these groups of recreational drug users. Issues for policy and practice are also briefly considered.
Dietary fibre, fluids and physical activity in relation to constipation symptoms in pre-adolescent children
Authors: Jennings Amy , Davies G. Jill , Costarelli Vassiliki , Dettmar Peter W.
Published: May 2009

Children with constipation are advised frequently to increase their activity levels, fluids and fibre intake. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of constipation symptoms in a group of schoolchildren while concurrently assessing their activity levels and fluid and fibre intakes. Eighty-four pre-adolescent children aged 7—10 years were recruited. All children completed a bowel function diary, an activity diary and a weighed food inventory for seven consecutive days. Of the children, 33 percent were found to experience constipation symptoms. Fluid and fibre intakes were higher in the children who did not experience constipation symptoms, but the results were not significant. Physical activity levels were found to be significantly higher in the children reporting constipation symptoms, with the most active children reporting low water intakes. This study has highlighted that constipation symptoms are a prevalent problem in children not seeking medical treatment.
Health care interventions for excessive crying in infants: regularity with and without swaddling
Authors: Blom Maria A. , van Sleuwen Bregje E. , de Vries Han , Engelberts Adèle C. , l'Hoir Monique P.
Published: May 2009

This article describes two health care interventions developed to support parents whose infant cries excessively. Intervention 1 consists of advice to caregivers to bring about regularity and uniformity in daily infant care and to reduce external stimuli. Intervention 2 is the same advice accompanied by instructions to swaddle during sleep. Nurses can teach parents these interventions easily. The goal is to help infants to establish a stable sleep—wake rhythm, for overtiredness to disappear and excessive crying to stop. The approach is based on offering predictability, which helps to develop infant self-regulating ability. If the intervention succeeds, which is often the case, the baby cries less, drinks adequately, is able to fall asleep on their own and to sleep sufficiently, and therefore is no longer overtired. Parental stress is reduced, which could translate into an improvement in family health and quality of interaction between the parents and the child.
The AUSEI06
Authors: McMillan Julie , Beavis Adrian , Jones Frank L.
Published: May 2009

This article provides an overview of the development of a new occupational status scale, the Australian Socioeconomic Index 2006 (AUSEI06). This is the latest in the series of ANU scales, which since 1965 have provided a means for researchers to convert data coded in accordance with official occupational classifications into occupational status scores. The ANU scales have been widely used in fields such as sociology, education, economics and health. The new scale has been developed in response to the introduction of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Recent changes in the structure of the labour market are taken into account through the use of 2006 Australian Census data for scale development. In addition, the naming convention of the scale has been revised in order to better reflect its nature: the Australian (AU) Socioeconomic Index (SEI) 2006 (06) or AUSEI06.
Intersecting Feminist Theory and Ethnography in the Context of Social Work Research
Authors: Archer Julia
Published: May 2009

This article explores the relationships among social work, feminist theory and ethnography in the context of social work research. The discussion reflects my research in the southeastern Caribbean. There are similarities between clinical social work and ethnographic research: both actively observing the actions of individuals and talking with them to gain an understanding of their lives from their own perspective. Two constructs generated from postmodern and post-colonial feminist scholarship served as cornerstones for this research, contextual diversity and reciprocity. These elements are also embedded in the ethnographic tradition and in the core mandates for social work practice. This writing provides a deconstruction of these concepts, discusses their grounding in the three disciplines, and illustrates their application in the research study through specific examples. The intersection of the traditions of social work, ethnography, and feminism were found to create a valuable research method that is especially compatible with social work research.
Storying Career Choice
Authors: Mensinga Jo
Published: May 2009

Narrative methodologies promise an increased understanding of the place career choice holds for those entering the social work profession. However, as a novice researcher the plethora of approaches to be negotiated can be overwhelming. While narrative researchers tend to position their projects according to the perceived purpose and the emergent benefits of the approach, in practice they must also make decisions about whether to understand a narrative as a structural or a representational construct, explore it holistically or categorically, and/or focus on the narrative's content rather than its form. Several researchers using narrative methodologies to explore career/life choice stories provide useful insights into how participants make meaning of and navigate their way through the myriad of personal, social and professional agendas to make their decisions. However for me, Clandinin and Connelly's narrative inquiry approach combined with Riessman's notion of social positioning provided a deeper understanding about the gendered nuances of aspiring social worker's motivation for entering the profession.
Eliciting Narratives of Teenage Pregnancy in the UK
Authors: Harlow Elizabeth
Published: May 2009

In 2004, a regional government funded Teenage Pregnancy Reintegration Service commissioned the Salford Centre for Social Work Research, University of Salford, UK, to undertake an evaluation of their work. The project was primarily concerned with the experiences of young people who had become parents under the age of 16 years. Following extended negotiation on methodological design (which in addition to the consideration of ethical principles took into account the competing perspectives of the standpoint and positioned perspectives) qualitative research involving the narrative accounts of teenagers and their parents/carers was embarked upon. This article outlines and reflexively explores some of the methodological difficulties encountered, with particular attention being given to the challenge of eliciting narratives from teenage mothers. This exercise provides an example of the way in which stigmatizing discourses and emotional defences may contribute to the recruitment of research respondents and the narrative accounts provided. It is intended that this will illustrate the complexities involved when sensitive topics are pursued. While emanating from an
Gender and the Classics Curriculum: A Survey
Authors: Blundell Sue
Published: May 2009

A survey was carried out in 2006 of all the UK universities where Classics and Ancient History degrees are taught at undergraduate level. The results reveal that nearly half of these courses include at least one dedicated gender module, and that the great majority also have gender embedded in the content of modules dealing with other topics. Issues of prime concern to the author are that dedicated gender modules attract only a small minority of male students, that masculinity is still not treated very widely, and that the continued dominance of genre-led modules militates against the teaching of the `real life' issues of gender, as opposed to its discourse.
Accidence and Acronyms
Authors: Ashdowne Richard
Published: May 2009

This article describes the process of design and implementation of GALACTICA (`Greek And Latin Accidence Consolidation Training, Internet-Centred Assessment') in support of the University of Oxford's Classics Faculty language consolidation classes. The context and aims of the previous paper-based `assessment' system are considered (being unusual in a university setting) and their significance for the move to an electronic system are addressed: student motivation for revision of basic grammar was the prime aim, and this is retained and enhanced with the electronic system while valuable class time is freed up for language instruction. Technical issues relating to assessment in classical languages and in the Oxford setup are highlighted and their resolution outlined, while questions regarding potential problems (with cheating etc.) are also dealt with.
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Painting onto the Hand and Immersing the Hand in a Bag, in Pre-Operative Skin Preparation of the Hand
Authors: INCOLL I. W. , SARAVANJA D. , THORVALDSON K. T. , SMALL T.
Published: May 2009

The main goal of pre-operative skin preparation is to reduce the risk of postoperative wound infections by removing transient and commensal organisms from the skin. The aim of this study was to compare two methods of application of antiseptic solution in their effectiveness in removing these organisms from the skin. Fifty volunteers participated in the study. In 25 patients, the left hand was prepared using a standard paint technique and the right hand using the bag technique; in the other 25 the right was painted and the left was prepared using the bag technique. Three areas of the hand were examined: the paronychium of the thumb, the second web space and the hyponychium of the middle finger. Bacterial cultures were assessed after 5 days for growth. The bag technique proved better at removing organisms from the skin when comparing each site, and when comparing the total number of colony forming units ( P = 0.002 for the thumb, P = 0.013 for the second web space and P = 0.003 for the middle finger). We concluded that pre-operative application of povidoneiodine to a hand using a non-sterile bag technique is more effective in removing skin organisms than the standard paint technique.
Computed Tomographic Assessment of Reduction of the Distal Radioulnar Joint by Gradual Lengthening of the Radius
Authors: GONG H. S. , ROH Y. W. , OH J. H. , LEE Y. H. , CHUNG M. S. , BAEK G. H.
Published: May 2009

Congruency of the distal radioulnar joint was assessed by computed tomography after gradual lengthening of the radius in patients with considerable ulnar positive variance of mean 12 (range 10–17) mm and chronic dislocation of the distal radioulnar joint. Six patients of mean age 25 years were treated by radial osteotomy and subsequent gradual lengthening using either a single-rod or a half-ring external fixator, which was applied for a mean of 81 days. The causes of deformity were distal radial epiphyseal injury in four, malunion of a radius shaft fracture in one and Madelung deformity in one. Computed tomography scans taken at 1 year postoperatively demonstrated that all patients had a congruent distal radioulnar joint. All patients achieved symptom and radiographic parameter improvements at a mean follow-up of 40 months. A disadvantage was unattractive scars on a cosmetically important surface of the forearm. Given a relatively intact bony contour of the distal radioulnar joint, congruent reduction of the distal radioulnar joint can be obtained by gradual lengthening of the radius.
Ulnocarpal Translation in Perilunate Dislocations
Authors: SONG D. , GOODMAN S. , GILULA L. A. , WOLLSTEIN R.
Published: May 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess ulnar translation in perilunate dislocation injuries. Twenty-five patients with perilunate dislocations were assessed after surgical reduction. Ulnar translation of the carpus and carpal collapse were measured using standard methods. Measurements before and after pin removal were compared. The average Gilula score for ulnar translation was 54%. Eighty percent of patients had ulnocarpal translation (above 50% of lunate uncovering) after reduction. Measurements of lunate uncovering in perilunate dislocations were significantly higher than normal values ( P<0.01). Scores for patients in whom the ulnar translocation component was addressed by pinning during initial treatment were significantly improved. Measurements before and after pin removal were not significantly different irrespective of the method of measurement. IRB approval was obtained prior to study preparation.
Site-specific P absorbency of ochre from acid mine-drainage near an abandoned Cu-S mine in the Avoca—Avonmore catchment, Ireland
Authors: Fenton O. , Healy M. G. , Rodgers M. , Huallacháin D. O
Published: May 2009

Acid mine-drainage from an abandoned Cu-S mine adit, located in the Avoca–Avonmore catchment in the southeast of Ireland, results in low-value ochre deposition. Ochre found on-site had similar physical (particle size 97.7% <2 mm and dry bulk density 0.8 g cm3), but dissimilar maximum P-retention characteristics (16–21 g P kg–1) to coal-mining ochre found in the UK. Stereomicroscopy identified oolites and diatoms in the ochre that were indicative of acidic environments. X-ray diffraction showed Fe mineralogy consisting of goethite, jarosite and minor amounts of ferrihydrite. Investigations by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and bulk energy-dispersive spectroscopy showed potentially toxic concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, As and Cu. Rapid mobilization of metals occurred during P-adsorption tests, which makes Avoca ochre unsuitable for use in a surface-water environmental technology.