bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eliciting women's preferences in health care: A review of the literature
Authors: Sampietro-Colom Laura , Phillips Victoria L. , Hutchinson Angela B.
Published: July 2004

Objectives: The increasing availability of information about health care suggests an expanding role for consumers to exercise their preferences in health-care decision-making. Numerous methods are available to assess consumer preferences in health care. We conducted a systematic review to characterize the study of women's preferences about health care

Methods: A MEDLINE search from 1965 to July 1999 was conducted as well as hand searches of the itshape Medical Decision Making Journal (1981–1999) and references from retrieved articles. Only original articles on women's health issues were selected. Information on thirty-one variables related to study characteristics and preferences were extracted by two independent investigators. A third investigator resolved disagreements. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to synthesize the data.

Results: Four hundred eighty-three studies were identified in the initial search. Seventy articles were selected for review based on title, abstract, and inclusion criteria. There was an increase in published articles and number of methods used to elicit preferences. White women were studied more than black women (p<.001). Preferences were mainly studied in outpatient settings (p<.005) and in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada (83 percent). Preferences related to participation in decision-making were the most common (21 percent). Only 4 percent of the studies were performed to inform the debate for public policy questions. Willingness to pay was the method most used (11 percent), followed by category scaling (10 percent), rating scale (9 percent), standard-gamble (6 percent). Preferences for individual particular (opposed to sequential and health states) outcomes (68 percent), different treatments/tests (47 percent), and related to a treatment episode (31 percent) were addressed. Information regarding diseases, conditions, or procedures was given in 57 percent of studies. Information provided was mainly written (37 percent) and included positive and negative potential outcomes (67 percent). There is no relationship between the method or tool used for delivery information and the choice performed.

Conclusions: The literature on preferences in women's health care is limited to a fairly homogeneous population (white women from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada). Additionally, use of utility-based measures to capture preferences has decreased over time while others methods (e.g., time trade-off [TTO], contingent valuation) have increased. Women's preferences are not necessarily uniform even when asked similar questions using similar tools. Little information on women's preferences exists to inform policy-makers about women's health care.
Informing, advising, or persuading? An assessment of bone mineral density testing information from consumer health websites
Authors: Green Carolyn J. , Kazanjian Arminée , Helmer Diane
Published: July 2004

Greater access to web-based information on health-care interventions might result in greater participation by patients in care and self-care decisions, but only improve health outcomes if the indicated actions produce the intended benefits. Unbiased research on benefits and harms of health information can provide a basis for evidence-based patient information systems.

Objectives:To evaluate the quality of the information content on bone-mineral density (BMD) testing posted on consumer health websites (CHWS).

Methods:Five popular engines (Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Lycos, and Go.com) were used to search for patient information on bone densitometry. The fifteen websites that supplied relevant content and were identified by three of the five search engines were selected in order of popularity of the search engine and primacy of placement. Six BMD reports from health technology assessment (HTA) organizations were used as a standard of scientific quality. These were identified from the HTA Database at York University United Kingdom and published between 1996 and 2001. Content was extracted from both document types, and these sets were compared independently by two reviewers.

Results:The majority of CHWS identified by popular search engines do not disclose the limited capacity of BMD to discriminate between low-risk individuals and those who will suffer future fractures. CHWS generally present BMD testing as quick, painless, noninvasive, and as being recommended, based on risk factors that are widespread among the general public. BMD testing information is prominently paired on CHWS sites with information on osteoporosis, with an emphasis on “silent disease” and the devastating consequences of advanced disease. Sponsors of CHWS sites are frequently either providers of BMD testing or companion drugs, and consequently in a position of conflict of interest with regard to decisions to undergo BMD testing. HTA organizations have no documented conflict of interest, nor do they invoke emotional arguments. Their approach is to emphasize the effects of testing on populations, on the basis of referenced research findings.

Conclusions:Content analysis demonstrates the omissions and divergence of information on BMD testing available to consumers on the Internet, as compared with HTA reports. The content of HTA reports has undergone rigorous systematic and peer review; therefore, their findings may be useful to consumers. This information is not generally accessible to patients using the most popular Internet search engines. Inaccurate and incomplete information may cause harm by deflecting patients from optimal decisions.
Reflections on the social epidemiologic dimension of health technology assessment
Authors: Kazanjian Arminée
Published: July 2004

Certain key parameters such as safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and cost effectiveness have long been established as key in HTA analysis. Equally important, however, are sociolegal and epidemiologic perspectives. A comprehensive analytic framework will consider the implications of using a technology in the context of societal norms, cultural values, and social institutions and relations. The methodology in which this expanded framework has been developed is termed ‘Strategic HTA’ to denote its power for the decision-making process. In addition to systematic reviews of published evidence, it incorporates analyses of the influence of dominant social relations on technological development and diffusion. This essay discusses the social epidemiologic aspects of health technology assessment, which includes factors such as sex and gender. It seeks to show how it is possible to bring data from wide-ranging disciplinary perspectives within the parameters of a single scientific inquiry; to draw from them scientifically defensible conclusions; and thereby to realize a deeper understanding of technology impact within a health care system. Armed with such an understanding, policy officials will be better prepared to resolve the competitive clamor of stakeholder voices, and to make the most “equitable” use of the available resources.
Cost-effectiveness of alternative methods of surgical repair of inguinal hernia
Authors: Vale Luke , Grant Adrian , McCormack Kirsty , Scott Neil W.
Published: July 2004

Objectives:To assess the relative cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic methods of inguinal hernia repair compared with open flat mesh and open non-mesh repair.

Methods:Data on the effectiveness of these alternatives came from three systematic reviews comparing: (i) laparoscopic methods with open flat mesh or non-mesh methods; (ii) open flat mesh with open non-mesh repair; and (iii) methods that used synthetic mesh to repair the hernia defect with those that did not. Data on costs were obtained from the authors of economic evaluations previously conducted alongside trials included in the reviews. A Markov model was used to model cost-effectiveness for a five-year period after the initial operation. The outcomes of the model were presented using a balance sheet approach and as cost per hernia recurrence avoided and cost per extra day at usual activities.

Results:Open flat mesh was the most cost-effective method of preventing recurrences. Laparoscopic repair provided a shorter period of convalescence and less long-term pain compared with open flat mesh but was more costly. The mean incremental cost per additional day back at usual activities compared with open flat mesh was €38 and €80 for totally extraperitoneal and transabdominal preperitoneal repair, respectively.

Conclusions:Laparoscopic repair is not cost-effective compared with open flat mesh repair in terms of cost per recurrence avoided. Decisions about the use of laparoscopic repair depend on whether the benefits (reduced pain and earlier return to usual activities) outweigh the extra costs and intraoperative risks. On the evidence presented here, these extra costs are unlikely to be offset by the short-term benefits of laparoscopic repair.
Rehabilitation Benefits Highly Motivated Patients: A Six-Year Prospective Cost-Effectiveness Study
Authors: Grahn Birgitta E. M. , Borgquist Lars A. , Ekdahl Charlotte S.
Published: July 2004

Objectives:To compare the six-year outcome of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program with continued care within primary care in terms of health-related quality of life and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, predictors of total costs to society were examined.

Methods:A prospective, matched, controlled, six-year follow-up was designed. The study included 236 patients (42 men, 194 women) nineteen to sixty-one years of age with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders. The intervention comprised a four-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation and an active one-year follow-up based on a bio-psycho-social approach. The control group received continued care within primary care. The main outcome measures were quality of life measured using the Nottingham Health Profile, motivation identified by an interview and patient-specific total costs to society. Differences in mean costs between groups and cost-effectiveness were evaluated by applying nonparametric bootstrapping techniques.

Results:Total costs per treated patient in the rehabilitation group and the control group were £43,464 (SD=31,093) and £44,123 (SD=33,333), respectively (p=.896). Multidisciplinary rehabilitation improved quality of life somewhat more cost-effectively. Motivation was revealed as a predictor of total costs.

Conclusion:In the long-run, the evaluated multidisciplinary rehabilitation improved the highly motivated patients' quality of life most cost-effectively. The latently motivated patients may require rehabilitation, which is less intensive and with a longer duration, to improve their health in a whole-person perspective. The burden of prolonged musculoskeletal disorders to society was reaffirmed. Motivation could be a predictor of total costs, a factor which has to be taken into account in the examination procedure.
Magnetic resonance imaging for investigation of the knee joint: A clinical and economic evaluation
Authors: Bryan Stirling , Bungay Hilary P. , Weatherburn Gwyn , Field Stuart
Published: July 2004

Objectives:The aim of the study reported here was to investigate whether the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) impacts on the clinical management of patients presenting with chronic knee problems, reduces costs, and improves patient outcome.

Methods:A single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted. Patients attending with knee problems in whom surgery was being considered were randomized either to investigation using an MRI scan or to investigation using arthroscopy. The study investigated benefits in terms of avoidance of surgery and patient health-related quality of life (using SF-36 and EQ-5D). Costs were assessed from the perspectives of the National Health Service and patients. All analyses were by intention to treat.

Results:The trial recruited 118 patients. No statistically significant differences were found between groups in terms of health outcome. However, the use of MRI was associated with a positive diagnostic/therapeutic impact: a significantly smaller proportion of patients in the MRI group underwent surgery (MRI=0.41, No-MRI=0.71;pvalue=.001). There was a similar mean overall cost for both groups.

Conclusions:The use of MRI in patients with chronic knee problems, in whom surgery was being considered, did not increase costs overall, was not associated with worse outcomes, and avoided surgery in a significant proportion of patients.
Comparing short form and RAND physical and mental health summary scores: Results from total hip arthroplasty and high-risk primary-care patients
Authors: Blanchard Chris M. , Côté Isabelle , Feeny David
Published: July 2004

Objectives: Summary physical health scores for the Short Form (SF) measures are computing using positive weights for physical items and negative weights for mental health items. Mental health summary scores use positive weights for mental items and negative weights for physical. The RAND Health Status Inventory (HSI) measures do not use negative weights. Do these different approaches to scoring matter? The objective was to compare summary scores using both the SF and RAND-HSI.

Methods: SF-36 and the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) were administered to a cohort of patients waiting for elective total hip arthroplasty (THA). SF-12 and HUI3 were administered to a cohort of high-risk primary-care patients. Summary scores were generated and compared. Single-attribute utility scores for emotion in HUI3 were also computed. Canadian and US norms for SF, RAND-HSI, and HUI3 were used to interpret results.

Results: For THA patients, mean physical health scores were 28 and 36 for SF and RAND-HSI. Mean mental health scores were 55 and 42. For the primary-care patients, the scores were 34 and 36 for physical and 46 and 40 for mental health.

Conclusions: SF and RAND-HSI provided somewhat similar summary scores in the THA study. However, SF and RAND-HSI mental health scores differed in the primary-care patient cohort and results from HUI3 corroborate the mental health deficits identified by the RAND-HSI. It may be wise for investigators to use both SF and RAND-HSI scoring systems.
A tale of two cities: Hospitalization costs in 1897 and 1997
Authors: Boonen Annelies , Severens Johannes L. , van der Linden Sjef
Published: July 2004

The longer you can look back, the better you can look forward

—Sir Winston Churchill

Objectives:To compare the hospitalization day price, and the hospitalization costs 100 years ago with the present situation.

Methods:Municipal and hospital archives of two cities, Maastricht in The Netherlands and Tongeren in Belgium, were studied systematically for reports of costs. These were compared with the present accounts.

Results:Starting from the second part of the nineteenth century, an official day price was calculated each year by averaging the total hospital expenditures by the total number of hospitalization days. Of all expenditures, nutrition accounted for nearly 50% of expenses. Differences with the current situation are striking. Nowadays, the day price is a negotiated tariff. Management and salaries make up more than 70% of the present expenditures.

Conclusions:Hospitalization day prices have been used for approximately 150 years to determine hospitalization costs. Since then, the total hospital expenditures and the relative cost components have changed considerably. Compared with the spending power of people, the cost of one day in the hospital increased substantially.
Cellular positioning and dendritic field size of cholinergic amacrine cells are impervious to early ablation of neighboring cells in the mouse retina
Authors: FARAJIAN REZA , RAVEN MARY A. , CUSATO KAREN , REESE BENJAMIN E.
Published: July 2004

We have examined the role of neighbor relationships between cholinergic amacrine cells upon their positioning and dendritic field size by producing partial ablations of this population of cells during early development. We first determined the effectiveness ofl-glutamate as an excitotoxin for ablating cholinergic amacrine cells in the developing mouse retina. Subcutaneous injections (4 mg/g) made on P-3 and thereafter were found to produce a near-complete elimination, while injections at P-2 were ineffective. Lower doses on P-3 produced only partial reductions, and were subsequently used to examine the effect of partial ablation upon mosaic organization and dendritic growth of the remaining cells. Four different Voronoi-based measures of mosaic geometry were examined inl-glutamate-treated and normal (saline-treated) retinas. Partial depletions of around 40% produced cholinergic mosaics that, when scaled for density, approximated the mosaic geometry of the normal retina. Separate comparisons simulating a 40% random deletion of the normal retina produced mosaics that were no different from those experimentally depleted retinas. Consequently, no evidence was found for positional regulation in the absence of normal neighbor relationships. Single cells in the ganglion cell layer were intracellularly filled with Lucifer Yellow to examine the morphology and dendritic field extent following partial ablation of the cholinergic amacrine cells. No discernable effect was found on their starburst morphology, and total dendritic field area, number of primary dendrites, and branch frequency were not significantly different. Cholinergic amacrine cells normally increase their dendritic field area after P-3 in excess of retinal expansion; despite this, the present results show that this growth is not controlled by the density of neighboring processes.
Development of the primate area of high acuity. 1. Use of finite element analysis models to identify mechanical variables affecting pit formation
Authors: SPRINGER A.D. , HENDRICKSON A.E.
Published: July 2004

Most primate retinas have an area dedicated for high visual acuity called the fovea centralis. Little is known about specific mechanisms that drive development of this complex central retinal specialization. The primate area of high acuity (AHA) is characterized by the presence of a pit that displaces the inner retinal layers. Virtual engineering models were analyzed with finite element analysis (FEA) to identify mechanical mechanisms potentially critical for pit formation. Our hypothesis is that the pit emerges within the AHA because it contains an avascular zone (AZ). The absence of blood vessels makes the tissue within the AZ more elastic and malleable than the surrounding vascularized retina. Models evaluated the contribution to pit formation of varying elasticity ratios between the AZ and surrounding retina, AZ shape, and width. The separate and interactive effects of two mechanical variables, intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular growth-induced retinal stretch, on pit formation were also evaluated. Either stretch or IOP alone produced a pit when applied to a FEA model having a highly elastic AZ surrounded by a less elastic region. Pit depth and width increased when the elasticity ratio increased, but a pit could not be generated in models lacking differential elasticity. IOP alone produced a deeper pit than did stretch alone and the deepest pit resulted from the combined effects of IOP and stretch. These models predict that the pit in the AHA is formed because an absence of vasculature makes the inner retinal tissue of the AZ very deformable. Once a differential elasticity gradient is established, pit formation can be driven by either IOP or ocular growth-induced retinal stretch.
On the use of red stimuli to isolate magnocellular responses in psychophysical experiments: A perspective
Authors: SKOTTUN BERNT CHRISTIAN
Published: July 2004

Neurophysiological recordings have shown that activity of magnocellular neurons may be reduced by red backgrounds. This has led some researchers to use red light, or red filters, in attempts to determine the magnocellular contribution to psychophysical tasks. This requires that red light not affect parvocellular neurons, or at least that it is possible to control for the effect on the parvocellular system by using other colors. The present report investigates these assumptions by calculating the effect of red, green, and blue filters on the three cone pigments and on the four parvocellular color-opponent cell mechanisms. It is found that a red filter has a large effect on the long- and middle-wavelength cone pigments and on the red–green color-opponent mechanisms. A green filter, on the other hand, has little effect. A blue filter has a fairly pronounced effect but this effect is distinctly different from that of the red filter. These results indicate that one ought not rely upon red light to isolate magnocellular activity in psychological experiments. The results also indicate that it is difficult to use colors other than red to control for the effect of this color on the parvocellular system.
Artificial scotoma-induced perceptual distortions are orientation dependent and short lived
Authors: TAILBY CHRIS , METHA ANDREW
Published: July 2004

Conditioning human observers with an “artificial scotoma”—a small retinal area deprived of patterned stimulation within a larger area of dynamically textured noise—results in contractions and expansions of perceived space that are thought to reflect receptive-field changes among cells in the primary visual cortex (Kapadia et al., 1994). Here we show that one-dimensional counter-phase flickering grating patterns are also potent stimuli for producing artificial scotomata capable of altering three-element bisection ability analogous to those results reported earlier. Moreover, we found that the magnitude of the induced spatial distortions depends critically on the relative orientations of peri-scotomatous and test-stimulus spatial contrast. In addition, the perceptual distortions are found to be relatively short lived, decaying within 660 ms. The results support the hypothesis that artificial scotoma-induced perceptual distortions are generated by dynamic alteration of connection efficacy within a network linking cortical areas of similar orientation specificity, consistent with established anatomical and physiological results.
Glutamate receptor subtypes in human retinal horizontal cells
Authors: SHEN WEN , FINNEGAN SARAH G. , SLAUGHTER MALCOLM M.
Published: July 2004

Glutamate receptor currents were examined in horizontal cells from cultured human retina using whole-cell recording procedures. Horizontal cells possess both AMPA and kainate receptors and both produce significant sustained currents. The kainate-induced current did not show significant desensitization and was not enhanced by concanavalin A. The sustained AMPA current was smaller than the kainate current, but the difference was almost entirely due to pronounced desensitization. The horizontal cell AMPA current was enhanced by cyclothiazide but not by PEPA, indicating the presence of the flip receptor variant. GYKI-52466 blocked the AMPA response (IC50= 5 μM against 100 μM AMPA) but also blocked the kainate response (IC50= 45 μM against 100 μM kainate). The diversity of glutamate receptors in human horizontal cells suggests that synaptic input to these neurons may be multiplexed through both kainate and AMPA channels.
Guides on the side? Tasks and challenges for teachers in telecollaborative projects
Authors: O'DOWD ROBERT , EBERBACH KATRIN
Published: July 2004

This paper reports on research carried out on an intercultural telecollaborative exchange between language
learners in Germany and Ireland and focuses particularly on what was required of the teachers in the development of the project.
The review of the literature looks at the role of telecollaboration within the field of network-based language learning and also
offers an overview of the different types of interaction which have been identified on on-line message boards. Following that, the
different tasks of the teachers in the German-Irish exchange are explored. These
include developing learners’ understanding of intercultural learning, improving learners’ ability to make effective
contributions to the on-line interaction, increasing their awareness of the difference between on-line monologues and dialogues and
finally, establishing a good working relationship with the partner teacher. Based on these findings, recommendations are outlined on
how to prepare teachers for telecollaborative projects.
Cell phones in task based learning - Are cell phones useful language learning tools?
Authors: KIERNAN PATRICK J. , AIZAWA KAZUMI
Published: July 2004

Cell phones are now widespread in many countries including Japan where we teach, and are particularly
popular among university students. Although they can be a distraction in the classroom, functions such as Internet access and
e-mail capability have transformed them into sophisticated communication tools. But are they also potentially useful in
language learning? While task-based approaches (Nunan, 1989) adapted to desktop e-mail are now a growing area of research
in CALL (Greenfield, 2003; Gonzalez-Lloret, 2003), cell phones have yet to receive much attention. This paper reports
on a classroom research project aimed at evaluating the use of mobile phones as tools for classroom learning. Freshman
university students in intact EFL classes (2 elementary classes, 2 lower intermediate) were first surveyed regarding their
cell phone use and pre-tested to assess their knowledge of certain target learning structures. Following this they were
subdivided into three groups: (a) using cell phone text messages, (b) using computer e-mail, and (c) speaking. The
learners were paired, trained with warm-up tasks, and given two further sets of tasks to complete (one in class and the
other at home). The target vocabulary appeared in the initial narrative task. All messages sent while doing the tasks were
saved for analysis. The speaking task pairs were recorded and samples were transcribed for comparison. Finally learners took
a post-test the following week to assess short-term learning gains. This project drew attention to a number of potential
advantages of mobile phones as well as highlighting some limitations, but overall suggested that mobile phones represent a
language learning resource worthy of further investigation.
What really makes students like a web site? What are the implications for designing
web-based language learning sites?
Authors: HUGHES JANE , MCAVINIA CLAIRE , KING TERRY
Published: July 2004

Faced with reduced numbers choosing to study foreign languages (as in England and Wales), strategies
to create and maintain student interest need to be explored. One such strategy
is to create ‘taster’ courses in languages, for potential university applicants. The findings presented arise
from exploratory research, undertaken to inform the design of a selection of web-based taster courses for less widely taught
languages. 687 school students, aged 14-18, were asked to identify a web site that they liked and to state their main reason for
liking it. They were invited to include recreational sites and told that their answers could help with web design for the
taster courses. To explore the reasons, two focus groups were conducted and student feedback on the developing taster course
site was collected. Students nominated search engines and academic sites, sites dedicated to hobbies, enthusiasms, youth
culture and shopping. They liked them for their visual attributes, usability, interactivity, support for schoolwork and for
their cultural and heritage associations, as well as their content and functionality. They emerged as sensitive readers of web
content, visually aware and with clear views on how text should be presented. These findings informed design of the taster course
site. They are broadly in line with existing design guidelines but add to our
knowledge about school students’ use of the web and about designing web-based learning materials. They may also be relevant
to web design at other levels, for example for undergraduates.
Observations in the computer room: L2 output and learner behaviour
Authors: LEAHY CHRISTINE
Published: July 2004

This article draws on second language theory, particularly output theory as defined by Swain (1995), in order
to conceptualise observations made in a computer-assisted language learning setting. It investigates second language output and
learner behaviour within an electronic role-play setting, based on a subject-specific problem solving task and the Internet as source
of primary information. Students were given a task which includes the collaborative development of a marketing strategy for a
chosen product. Data collected consists of the following corpora: emails exchanged between groups, the recorded discussions
between each group’s members while engaged in the problem solving activity,
oral presentation of the groups’ results as well as the individually written summaries. One area of particular interest
is the analysis of the oral L2 output while solving a computer-assisted language learning task. How can the oral interaction be
characterised? What kind of conclusions regarding the use of CALL can be drawn from the comparison of the oral interaction and
the written output? Another area of interest is the analysis of the written L2 output. Is there evidence of second language
acquisition and/or acquisition of content? Can such a CALL setting promote second language acquisition (SLA) and/or acquisition
of content? Finally, the study aims to identify whether student-initiated focus on language form can be found. The article
answers the questions posed above. Furthermore, the results of this study show that a very high percentage of all communication
took place in L2 and occurrences of acquisition of content and language can be demonstrated.
Trayectorias: A new model for online task-based learning
Authors: ROS i SOLÉ CRISTINA , MARDOMINGO RAQUEL
Published: July 2004

This paper discusses a framework for designing online tasks that capitalizes on the possibilities
that the Internet and the Web offer for language learning. To present such a framework, we draw from constructivist theories
(Brooks and Brooks, 1993) and their application to educational technology (Newby,
Stepich, Lehman and Russell, 1996; Jonassen, Mayes and McAleese, 1993); second language learning and learning autonomy (Benson
and Voller, 1997); and distance education (Race, 1989; White, 1999). On the one hand our model balances the requirements of
the need for control and learning autonomy by the independent language learner; and on the other, the possibilities that
online task-based learning offer for new reading processes by taking into account
new literacy models (Schetzer and Warschauer, 2000), and the effect that the
new media have on students’ knowledge
construction and understanding of texts. We explain how this model works in the design of reading tasks within the specific
distance learning context of the Open University, UK. Trayectorias is a tool that consists of an open problem-solving Web-quest
and provides students with ‘scaffolding’ that guides their navigation around the Web whilst modelling learning
approaches and new learning paradigms triggered by the medium. We then discuss a small-scale trial with a cohort of students (n = 23).
This trial had a double purpose: (a) to evaluate to what extent the writing
task fulfilled the investigators’ intentions; and (b) to obtain some information
about the students’ perceptions of the task.
Corpus consultation and advanced learners’ writing skills in French
Authors: CHAMBERS ANGELA , O’SULLIVAN ÍDE
Published: July 2004

In the rapidly changing environment of language learning and teaching, electronic literacies have an
increasingly important role to play. While much research on new literacies focuses on the World Wide Web, the aim in
this study is to investigate the importance of corpus consultation as a new type of literacy which is of particular relevance
in the context of language learning and teaching. After briefly situating the theoretical and pedagogical context of the
study in relation to authenticity and learner autonomy, the paper describes an empirical study involving eight postgraduate
students of French. As part of a Masters course they write a short text and subsequently attempt to improve it by using
concordancing software to consult a small corpus containing texts on a similar subject. The analysis of the results reveals
a significant number of changes made by the learners which may be classified as follows in order of frequency: grammatical
errors (gender and agreement, prepositions, verb forms/mood, negation and syntax); misspellings, accents and hyphens;
lexico-grammatical patterning (native language interference, choice of verb and inappropriate vocabulary); and capitalisation.
The conclusion notes that the situation in which these students found themselves (i.e. faced with a text on which the teacher
had indicated phrases which could be improved) is replicated in many cases every day, and suggests that corpus consultation
may have a useful role to play in the context of interactive feedback, particularly in cases where traditional language learning
resources are of little use.
An English pronunciation learning system for Japanese students based on diagnosis of critical
pronunciation errors
Authors: TSUBOTA YASUSHI , DANTSUJI MASATAKE , KAWAHARA TATSUYA
Published: July 2004

We have developed an English pronunciation learning system which estimates the intelligibility of
Japanese learners' speech and ranks their errors from the viewpoint of improving their intelligibility
to native speakers. Error diagnosis is particularly important in self-study since students tend to
spend time on aspects of pronunciation that do not noticeably affect intelligibility. As a preliminary
experiment, the speech of seven Japanese students was scored from 1 (hardly intelligible) to 5 (perfectly
intelligible) by a linguistic expert. We also computed their error rates for each skill. We found
that each intelligibility level is characterized by its distribution of error rates. Thus, we modeled
each intelligibility level in accordance with its error rate. Error priority was calculated by comparing
students' error rate distributions with that of the corresponding model for each intelligibility
level. As non-native speech is acoustically broader than the speech of native speakers, we developed
an acoustic model to perform automatic error detection using speech data obtained from Japanese
students. As for supra-segmental error detection, we categorized errors frequently made by Japanese
students and developed a separate acoustic model for that type of error detection. Pronunciation
learning using this system involves two phases. In the first phase, students experience virtual conversation
through video clips. They receive an error profile based on pronunciation errors detected
during the conversation. Using the profile, students are able to grasp characteristic tendencies in
their pronunciation errors which in effect lower their intelligibility. In the second phase, students
practise correcting their individual errors using words and short phrases. They then receive information
regarding the errors detected during this round of practice and instructions for correcting the
errors. We have begun using this system in a CALL class at Kyoto University. We have evaluated
system performance through the use of questionnaires and analysis of speech data logged in the
server, and will present our findings in this paper.
WELL done and well liked: online information literacy skills and learner
impressions of the web as a resource for foreign language learning
Authors: ROSELL-AGUILAR FERNANDO
Published: July 2004

One of the most common uses of the World Wide Web for foreign language learning is as a resource for
students to find information when researching essay topics. When language instructors ask students to perform searches for
information about a given issue it is assumed that students know how to perform those searches and appreciate the usefulness
of the Web. However, we do not really know much about the relationship between learners and the Web: what processes are involved,
how the students go about the search process and what their perceptions of the Web are. It is therefore essential that these
assumptions are examined and researched. To find out more about these questions, a study was initiated with the aim of obtaining
information on how foreign language higher education students interact with the Web in general and in the context of a search for
content/reading tasks in particular. The goal was to produce a descriptive snapshot of student impressions and abilities at
one given moment. For this purpose 198 students of Spanish at the University of Southampton were asked how they use the Web,
what for, how they go about finding the information they need, what they perceive to be the advantages and disadvantages of
using the Web as a research tool for language learning, to compare it to other resources and what their perceptions of it are.
To measure their degree of online information literacy, a scale was created. In this paper the details of the project will be
presented, and the findings of the study discussed.
ELLIPS: providing web-based language learning for Higher Education in the Netherlands
Authors: CORDA ALESSANDRA , JAGER SAKE
Published: July 2004

This paper presents the overall considerations and pedagogical approach which were at the basis of
the development of an innovative web-based CALL application, Ellips (Electronic Language Learning Interactive Practising System).
It describes the program’s most salient features, illustrating in particular the technical challenges involved in
the realization of this multilingual, server-hosted, database-supported language-learning application. Ellips, the product
of a cooperative project between four Dutch universities, offers effective web-based support for language learning in Higher
Education (HE) institutions. Ellips focuses particularly on grammar training, listening and pronunciation skills; although
it can be accessed on its own, it has been created with integration with virtual learning environments (VLEs) like Blackboard
and WebCT in mind. As a matter of fact, Ellips offers functionality lacking in these systems, which have not been specifically
developed for language learning and offer more assessment than practising opportunities. Moreover, in Ellips all learning
materials are coded with language-specific metadata (mainly based on descriptors derived from the Common European Framework),
so that developers can easily find and reuse materials and so-called
‘semi-adaptivity’ is allowed (students automatically receive more exercises on the topics which they have not yet
mastered). Other important features of Ellips are full Unicode support, extensive feedback (for every item in an exercise and for
the whole exercise), a student-tracking system, the use of (streaming) audio and video, and the possibility to record student
input and store it in a portfolio.
Whatever happened to ‘influence’? The anxieties of memory
Authors: Herzfeld Michael
Published: July 2004

Archaeologists have ‘discovered’ memory, drawing on historical and anthropological insights into commemoration and interrogating the contexts of archaeological exploration in ways that sometimes produce evidence of specific understandings of the past by ancient populations. Analogy is sometimes suggestive, as, notably, when archaeology's own historical emergence provides interesting parallels with ancient antiquarianism. Difficulties arise, however, from the heavily psychological cast of much work on memory, which displaces the older archaeological interest in ‘influence’ without always preserving the accompanying focus on patterns of cultural imitation and absorption. The best work on prehistory appears to focus on patterns of co-occurrence but, in the absence of textual evidence, methods often lack rigour and ideologically sensitive reflexivity; especially problematic are the frequent attributions of intentionality. Claims that memory (or its obliteration) was itself the focus of acts recorded in the archaeological record thus underscore both the temptations and the limits of the current concern with this topic.
Exchange, religion, identity and central places in the early Middle Ages
Authors: Theuws Frans
Published: July 2004

Abstract

Exchange in the early Middle Ages has traditionally been studied from a ‘technological’, ‘economic’ or ‘socio-political’ perspective, and has examined such issues as transport practices, supply and demand, or the ways in which exchange helps to maintain and reproduce the socio-political order. A particular focus of research has been the significance of the exchange of prestige goods for the power of the king and the aristocracy. There has been almost no analysis to date of the complexity of the exchange system as a whole, which – together with the exchange of commodities and gifts – includes the keeping of objects. Nor have archaeologists paid much attention to the relationship between forms of exchange (and the norms and values associated with them) and the imaginary world from which ‘value’ is derived in exchange. In the early medieval Frankish world there seems to have been a close relationship between exchange and the imaginary Christian world. In this contribution, I will attempt to examine the relationship between exchange and the imaginary world in the early Middle Ages, and to demonstrate how the results can modify the picture we have of central places like Maastricht (an old centre) and Dorestad (one of the new emporia).
Objects, identities and cosmological authentication
Authors: Moreland John
Published: July 2004

Frans Theuws's paper reinforces and extends the developing critique of the early medieval economy as structured around gifts and commodities (for the ‘orthodoxy’, see Hodges 1982 and Hedeager 1993; for the critique, see Moreland 2000a and 2000b; Samson 1991; also Godelier 1999 (1996); and Thomas 1991). In the past, our assumptions about why certain objects were deemed valuable, and why they should have circulated as prestige gifts, have been influenced by notions of inherent worth (gold, silver and so on) or by the unthinking application of the laws of supply and demand (objects from afar are in short supply and must therefore be valuable). The proposition that value derives from the ‘imaginary world’ is one of the most significant in his paper and I will return to consider its implications in some detail.
Closer to the essence of the early Middle Ages. A reply
Authors: Theuws Frans
Published: July 2004

Ideas do not develop in a vacuum, they are stimulated by debate. The European Science Foundation programme on the ‘Transformation of the Roman world’, in which I participated, was a magnificent opportunity for the rekindling of this debate. The project entailed the creation of different study groups around such topics as economy, rituals and power, and culture. As a consequence, the realization dawned that the organizational separation into these social spheres generated just as many new perspectives as it hid from view. Once the separate spheres had been scrutinized, our perception of the relationship between rituals, economy and culture remained a key objective of research. It is most fortunate that Richard Hodges and John Moreland, representatives of the ‘production, distribution and demand group’, have now joined the debate because their contributions lead to further refinements, thus bringing us closer to the ‘essence of the early Middle Ages’.
Nanoscale Precipitation in a Maraging Steel Studied by APFIM
Authors: Stiller Krystyna , Hättestrand Mats
Published: July 2004

This article summarizes findings from our previous investigations and recent studies concerning precipitation in a maraging steel of type 13Cr-9Ni-2Mo-2Cu (at.%) with small additions of Ti (1 at.%) and Al (0.7 at.%). The material was investigated after aging at 475°C up to 400 h using both conventional and three-dimensional atom-probe analyses. The process of phase decomposition in the steel proved to be complicated. It consisted of precipitation of several phases with different chemistry. A Cu-rich phase was first to precipitate and Mo was last in the precipitation sequence. The influence of the complex precipitation path on the material properties is discussed. The investigation clearly demonstrated the usefulness of the applied techniques for investigation of nanoscale precipitation. It is also shown that, complementary methods (such as TEM and EFTEM) giving structural and chemical information on a larger scale must be applied to explain the good properties of the steel after prolonged aging.
On the Role of Characterization in the Design of Interfaces in Nanoscale Materials Technology
Authors: Ringer S.P. , Ratinac K.R.
Published: July 2004

This work reviews recent research on the design and control of interfaces in engineering nanomaterials. Four case studies are presented that demonstrate the power of a multimodal approach to the characterization of different types of interfaces. We have used a combination of conventional, high resolution, and analytical transmission electron microscopy, microbeam electron diffraction, and three-dimensional atom probe to study polymer–clay nanocomposites, turbine rotor steels used for power generation, multicomponent aluminum alloys, and nanocrystalline magnetic materials.
Hardening of Aged Duplex Stainless Steels by Spinodal Decomposition
Authors: Danoix F. , Auger P. , Blavette D.
Published: July 2004

Mechanical properties, such as hardness and impact toughness, of ferrite-containing stainless steels are greatly affected by long-term aging at intermediate temperatures. It is known that the α-α′ spinodal decomposition occurring in the iron–chromium-based ferrite is responsible for this aging susceptibility. This decomposition can be characterized unambiguously by atom probe analysis, allowing comparison both with the existing theories of spinodal decomposition and the evolution of some mechanical properties. It is then possible to predict the evolution of hardness of industrial components during service, based on the detailed knowledge of the involved aging process.
The Role of Atomic Scale Investigation in the Development of Nanoscale Materials for Information Storage Applications
Authors: Petford-Long A.K. , Larson D.J. , Cerezo A. , Portier X. , Shang P. , Ozkaya D. , Long T. , Clifton P.H.
Published: July 2004

It is well established that the response of devices based on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect depends critically on film microstructure, with parameters such as interfacial abruptness, the roughness and waviness of the layers, and grain size being crucial. Such devices have applications in information storage systems, and are therefore of great technological interest as well as being of fundamental scientific interest. The layers must be studied at high spatial resolution if the microstructural parameters are to be characterized with sufficient detail to enable the effects of fabrication conditions on properties to be understood, and the techniques of high resolution electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy chemical mapping, and atom probe microanalysis are ideally suited. This article describes the application of these techniques to a range of materials including spin valves, spin tunnel junctions, and GMR multilayers.
Atom Probe Tomography: A Technique for Nanoscale Characterization
Authors: Miller M.K. , Kenik E.A.
Published: July 2004

Atom probe tomography is a technique for the nanoscale characterization of microstructural features. Analytical techniques have been developed to estimate the size, composition, and other parameters of features as small as 1 nm from the atom probe tomography data. These methods are outlined and illustrated with examples of yttrium-, titanium-, and oxygen-enriched particles in a mechanically alloyed, oxide-dispersion-strengthened steel.